UFC Fight Night 17 recap and final thoughts

by MMAmania.com on Feb 7, 2009 11:09 PM EST Comment 79 comments

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) must subscribe to the notion that you never get a second chance to make a first impression. That's because its debut show in Tampa, Fla., tonight was dynamite.

UFC Fight Night 17: "Lauzon vs. Stephens" didn't have an ounce of the promotion that UFC 94: "St. Pierre vs. Penn 2" had just last week (for obvious reasons). But that didn't stop the fighters from delivering an action-packed show at the University of South Florida (USF) Sun Dome in Tampa, Fla. -- only one match went the distance.

In the main event of the evening, Joe Lauzon collided with Jeremy Stephens -- the protege of Hermes Franca, the man who was supposed to headline the Spike TV event opposite "J-Lau" before pulling out with an injury.

Unfortunately, his instruction wasn't enough for Stephens to defend the myriad submission attempts from the Boston-area native.

Lauzon put on a Brazilian jiu-jitsu clinic, transitioning from submission attempt to submission attempt in an effort to finish the heavy-handed replacement. His hard work eventually paid off, but it wasn't easy.

In the second round, "Lil Heathen" connected with a wig-splitting elbow that had Lauzon gushing blood. Sensing that he could be in trouble because of a cut, Lauzon turned up the heat and hit a nice armbar from side control.

Stephens did his best to defend, but it was just in too deep -- he tapped before the horn to end the second round blared.

Solid fight, capping off a night full of them. Let's get to the rest of the televised main card:

Before his fight with Denis Stojnic, blue chip heavyweight prospect said he wasn't buying into all the hype that has been heaped on him since his Octagon debut. He might want to start.

The former NCAA wrestling All-American from Arizona State University (ASU) showed off his stand up against the resilient Dutch striker. Velasquez hit him with everything but the kitchen sink and it did not appear to have much of an effect.

Stojnic was tired, but somehow managed to survive the relentless attack from all angles.

It was more of the same in round two -- a first for Velasquez -- until he finally got the fight to the ground and was able to unleash some serious punishment from the top position.

Stojnic was turtled up and not doing nothing to defend himself, refusing to give in. Fortunately for him, the referee made his decision for him and stopped the bout before he could sustain further damage.

His granite chin more than likely earned him another opportunity with the promotion. It also earned Velasquez some great cage experience and perhaps a high profile opponent in his next appearance.

Velasquez indicated that he's already heading back into the gym to work on his game. Yikes.

Josh Neer and Mac Danzig came out guns blazing in their 155-pound scrap. Danzig indicated that he didn't travel all the way to the "Sunshine State" to lay on his back for three rounds like he did against Clay Guida his last time out.

Neer was happy to oblige -- the two slugged it out for the entire first round.

"The Dentist" appeared to be showboating, twirling his fists and daring Danzig to trade with him. He did, drilling the Iowa native with a nice left hook that appeared to have him stunned. Danzig followed it up with several nice uppercuts and strikes, but it didn't appear that Neer was going out like that.

And when he smelled his own blood (Neer is a bleeder) he, too, turned it up another notch.

"The Dentist" came out for the second round on fire. He was able to immediately get Danzig to the ground and drop Check Kongo-esque elbows on the head of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 6 winner.

Danzig was able to escape, but not for long. He managed to land in Neer's guard, which Melvin Guillard can tell you, is not a smart place to be. Neer soon sunk-in a triangle choke that had Danzig feverishly tapping to release.

Great fight -- both fighters were very game. The crowd booed Neer during the post-fight interview, but that more than likely had more to do with his antics inside the Octagon and not so much the performance.

Hopefully, Neer resolves his legal troubles outside the cage and can get back in it as soon as possible. He is very, very exciting to watch win or lose. Always has been.

Anthony Johnson continued to rumble in the 170-pound division, taking out the tough and experienced Luigi Fioravanti with a bruising first round technical knockout.

The size difference was noticeable from the opening bell. And Johnson used it to his advantage, staying on the short end of the heavy-handed Fioravanti's punches. It just didn't seem like the American Top Team (ATT) product could get close to connect.

Johnson snapped leg kicks and jabs, which kept Fioravanti retreating for most of the fight. When Fioravanti did close the distance, he ended up pressing Johnson up against the cage and drilling him in the balls with an errant knee.

Bad idea.

Johnson took his time to recover and came out of the break looking to finish the fight ... and he did, dropping Fioravanti with a big right that put him down on a knee. Fioravanti tried to recover, but Johnson was able to close it out with punishing ground and pound that had Fioravanti tapping to escape the abuse just as the referee went in to rescue him.

Now with four wins inside the Octagon (all stoppages) in six attempts, Johnson appears to be ready to challenge welterweights in the upper echelon of the weight class. His speed, power and athleticism are going to cause a lot of fighters a lot of problems for a very long time -- Johnson is just 24 years old.

That's scary.

To check out complete UFC Fight Night 17 main card blow-by-blow coverage click here. Great night of fights!

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Comments

Damn I had an 8 fight parlay and lost it all on Danzig.

One of these days I’m gonna land a big one!

by Ca$z on Feb 7, 2009 11:11 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I thought Neer was gonna take a UD, but man has he ever trained striking? That was the worst standup i’ve seen from a 30 fight vet. Also anyone else disappointed that AJ couldn’t highlight-reel Luigi?

by NameNotRequired on Feb 7, 2009 11:17 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

same story here. Damn Danzig. Danzig seems lie he gives up some times in fights if it’s not going his way. He should go see a sports psychologist or something.

by Mattchupichu on Feb 8, 2009 9:39 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Please let Rumble fight someone like Karo, Kos, Swick, or someone with some talent next. I’d love to see Lauzon vs Diaz, i think that would be a great match up

by See What Had Happend Was !!!! on Feb 7, 2009 11:16 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

AKA:
Swick
Kos
Fitch
Johnson

None of them will fight each other

by R/p on Feb 8, 2009 12:28 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

johnson isn’t with aka officially. swick vs johnson pls!

by Nokimono on Feb 8, 2009 1:18 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I understand these guys wint fight because they train together. Sooner or later that will bypassed on fights and more money if they dont. Swick has a few fights he can make by nit being in the weight ckass that long. Kos dont have as many options cause rop fight fight top fighters kos vs Karo and fitch vs loser of st pierre

by oldblue on Feb 8, 2009 3:03 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

yea, they could feed him Swick… Rumble and Kos might be a good fight too. They’ve used Karo as a gatekeeper way too much lately.

by fleet on Feb 8, 2009 12:28 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

i agree, just boot karo from the promotion entirely

by connor on Feb 8, 2009 2:27 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Agreed, feed swick to him. I wanna see Karo get his shot at hughes after all these years.

by NameNotRequired on Feb 8, 2009 2:33 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

They need to step up Velasquez’s competition too.

by Joe Smith on Feb 8, 2009 8:09 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

They definitely do. He’s leaps & bounds above the current comp they’ve been matching him against and ready to swim with the sharks IMO.

I was impressed with his Thai Plum and the leg kicks and knees he threw while having it locked on. Nice mixing up of the 2. Very Shogun & Anderson Silva-ish.

Now that we all know he’s ready for the upper-echelon, who should he fight next? Heath Herring?

by Machine on Feb 8, 2009 10:35 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I’d be fine with a fight between Cain and Herring. It would be a step up and a good test for him. If they want to fast track him toward a title shot they could also have him fight Kongo. Has anyone heard any news on Pat Berry’s next fight? I can’t wait to see him in the octagon again.

by GregC on Feb 8, 2009 2:18 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

yesss diaz vs louzon..first matchup i thought of when i saw the win by louzon

by freestyle on Feb 8, 2009 3:19 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

yeah so did I, Danzig ruined my parlay as well

by stickstyle on Feb 7, 2009 11:17 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

cain velasquez looked solid as usual. at 239 he would have a real problem with lesnar who cuts to 265. johnson looked like hes ready for the next tier of fighters. I was most impressed with josh neer, that is one mean bastard. my 2 fellow oklahoma boys did not fare so well. roshholt and grice. both have a bright future ahead of them

by day1er on Feb 7, 2009 11:23 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

i don’t think the size would be that big a deal, Cain is bigger than randy and randy held his own wrestling. Cain is a decorated wrestler. He is a far more dynamic striker than Brock but probly not as powerful. I think it will make for a pretty good matchup down the line. Cain looked a little soft tho, i wonder if he could make 205. I mean 239 is pretty big but he doesn’t have much definition

by Crowls on Feb 8, 2009 12:35 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Cain is a decorated wrestler, but I am not sure that he is as good at wrestling as Randy is.

by naturalshadow on Feb 8, 2009 1:38 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

randy was an olympian with henderson,

by randy murders on Feb 8, 2009 1:45 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

agreed, all i was tryin to say is that i don’t think cain would be that overmatched by brock in that department. interesting fight tho. hopefully we get it some time next year.

by Crowls on Feb 8, 2009 2:41 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Rosholt will have to learn there is more to mma than wrestling. He has the ultimate pedigree for mma but there is a lot more to it than ground and pound. I really think he will be ok. I didnt really think he had much of a chance tonight. Miller is a good fighter with a lot of experience. IFL middleweight Champ vs kid first time on big stage. It was a little much. Rosholt had a tough time in his last wec fight. I just figuered miller would be better than that guy and catch a submission. If he is still with xtreme coutoure them he will be fine. Not all good wrestlers pan out as great mma. Sean Salmon. Ohio State and invited to olympic trials. 0-2 in ufc

by oldblue on Feb 8, 2009 3:41 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

2010 will be rosholt’s year, like how alves was when he first came in he had a rough time but now he’s more well rounded.. he has a good shot he just needs to learn to defend submissions better

by randy murders on Feb 8, 2009 1:47 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

at least he cut his hair, he looked way less goofy last night, i may be able to take him seriously now, if he learns some MMA skills

by Crowls on Feb 8, 2009 2:42 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

hell yeah lauzon vs diaz is a fight people have wanted to see, everyone was hoping it was the tuf finale fight

by AzCombat on Feb 7, 2009 11:23 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I cant stnd creepy joe, Diaz would destroy him

by Thebending on Feb 7, 2009 11:27 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Diaz sucks. Of as he would say “tttthhhUCKtthhhh”

by Brandon on Feb 7, 2009 11:41 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

now thats some funny sh*t lol

by tuffguy01 on Feb 7, 2009 11:59 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

i love the way diaz fights, BUT I CANT FREAKING STAND IT WHEN HE TALKS

by connor on Feb 8, 2009 2:28 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

he tries to be hardcore with a lisp how funny is that though, i think diaz would sub joe he’s just so much better in bjj and joe gets frustrated easily with a good grappler

by randy murders on Feb 8, 2009 1:50 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

i like neer i wanted danzig to win but that performance made me a fan, i knew this would be a close fight but i thought danzig was the better striker and ground fighter, boy was i wrong. WAR NEER

by Jared on Feb 7, 2009 11:45 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

anthony johnson is gonna be tough with more experience. his reach is crazy! and he’s got a ton of punching power.

by B_Hos on Feb 7, 2009 11:50 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Hey bro, let me get in there with Johnson. God willing, I’d hold onto him like I did against Long Dong Kim. Gimme some of that Xanax bro, I think I’m going to crash…I’m getting sleepy.

by Karo P on Feb 7, 2009 11:52 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

aj vs. koscheck!! danzig got his butt whooped very entertaining fight. anyone know where i can watch the clementi fight??

by tuffguy01 on Feb 8, 2009 12:02 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

hey Ca$z what sports book can u parlay fights??

by kinghy on Feb 8, 2009 12:12 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

betus

by Psyqo78®™ on Feb 8, 2009 1:12 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

i was thinking about something watching tonights fights and was wondering why more fighters dont try it

when a fighter drops his opponent and hes laying on his back dazed why dont fighters run around the opponents guard and throw punches hammer fists or elbows from side mount giving them more unobstructed access to the head thus better chance of finishing the fight kind of like lesnar vs couture

instead most fighter go straight in and throw punches by jumping into thier opponents guard sometimes it works like what machida did to silva but in most cases the dazed fighter is able to hold on to dear life and recover his senses

its probably because of natural instinct i guess

by dia mette on Feb 8, 2009 12:24 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

most of the time the guys on the ground are coherent enough to turn with the other guy. you see guys circle a bit all the time but the guy on the ground just turns a little and is lined up straight on. I get what you are saying but it’s alot easier said than done. I don’t think all these professionals just missed the boat on this idea. It’s a little bit like saying, “hey, when a guy stands in front of another guy, why doesn’t the one guy just punch him in the face?”

by Crowls on Feb 8, 2009 12:39 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

the situation your talking about is when a fighter is in his opponents guard and voluntarilly stands back up while the fighter laying on his back is fully coherent like you mentioned

im talking about when a fighter is dropped and is one or two strikes away from counting sheep theres no way they have the where with all to know what hell is going

if fighters could just resist that urge to go straight forward but your right easier said then done

by dia mette on Feb 8, 2009 2:44 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I can tell you from experiance that when you are dropped. 90% of the time you really only lose consciousness(Spell) for only a split second, then your body reacts naturally to what your opponent is doing. You may still be dazed but you still react. So really Crowls is pretty much right on with his post. Except in the case of a Rampage-Silva 3 type of knockout. Then you probably dont know what planet your on.

by Matt25 on Feb 8, 2009 3:13 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

thanks Matt, I know i’ve seen it time and time again. the guy on the bottom doesn’t have to move much while the one standing probably has to circle around about 10 feet. It just doesn’t happen. I don’t get why dia mette seems to think guys like greg jackson, pat miletich, randy, and others just never thought of this idea while they were coming up with gameplans. you don’t see it happen for a reason.

by Crowls on Feb 8, 2009 12:27 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Guys like Joe and dustin Hazelett make BJJ fun again

by Punch You in the Ovaries on Feb 8, 2009 12:25 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Agreed. It’s just as exciting to watch as a stand-up war. Too bad there are only a handful of BJJ guys that look to create their own sub opportunities rather than wait for one to open.

by Machine on Feb 8, 2009 10:39 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah Machine, I think we may see an evolution of BJJ in the next few years. Originally, it did the job of allowing a smaller man to use leverage to defeat a larger opponent. Now days though, it takes 10 times the amount of time to learn effective submissions as it does to learn sub defense. No one is ignorant enough to give thier opponent an arm or leg carelessly anymore. I’m hoping we’ll see a new form of aggressive Jitz that forces submissions without having to wait for your opponent to make a mistake.

by Punch You in the Ovaries on Feb 8, 2009 3:35 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Awesome night of fights, Its even better live! I got to meet kurt peligrino, rob emmerson, rich clementi and miguel torres was there.. He is a cool dude! rich was really cool too.. he said tibau was really strong and was surprised how fast he was.

by mike22 on Feb 8, 2009 12:34 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Wow I thought it was a pretty good event, neer and danzig crazy, but I agree diaz vs lauzon next

Cain vs winner of gonzaga carwin

by phenomenal angel on Feb 8, 2009 12:39 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

A short year ago, the HVWT division looked devoid of exciting fighters and overall depth of talent. Things have changed fast. Now there all kinds of potential exciting fights.

A Johnson is a beast. Right now, I’m not sure there are more than a small handfull of guys at 170 that could hang with him.

by CL on Feb 8, 2009 2:14 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

one thing that pisses me off is when submision fighters like laozon and diaz and any other fighter whos biggest strengths are thier submission game dont go for more F***king submissions thier is no excuse none whatsoever for nate not submiting guida

the judges know every submission so just attempting a submission even if its unsuccessful earns points on the score card im not saying these guys should take huge risks where if they fail the attempt they lose the dominant position but tonight for example joe had side contol on stevens and the americana kimura or staight arm bar was right there for him didnt even attempt it and when he was in mount why not try an arm triangle or key lock he did go for the heel hook and arm bar in rd 1 which was nice and ultiametly won by submision so props to joe but i want to see submision fighters go for every damn submision in the book trying to finish the fight

and the only fighter who goes for evey submision known to man trying to finish the fight as soon as possible is demian mia

by dia mette on Feb 8, 2009 12:44 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Well, Diaz got stalled by Guida who is great at nullifying fighters offense. Lauzon went for numerous submissions, and succeeded. Getting submissions is not always easy, their opponents do fight back after all. So far Maia has made it look easy, and he just might be the best submission fighter in the UFC right now. But off the top of my head I’d have to say Aoki does the craziest stuff to try and get submissions of anyone I can think of.

by MongoMan on Feb 8, 2009 3:11 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Good reply Mongoman. Id like to add that a lot of submission fighters get really comfortable with just a couple of subs. They may know all the subs but they may only have 2 or 3 that are really there bread and butter. For instance my bjj instructor loves armbars, and he knows a hundred differant ways of setting up an armbar so thats what he usually subs most people in class with. as for me im more comfortable with triangles. What im trying to say is even the best ground fighters have there niches. You can say the same for certain types of strikers as well. The only downside to fighting like this is sometimes you become predictable.

by Matt25 on Feb 8, 2009 3:26 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Shinya Aoki’s my favorite Lightweight. NO ONE has a more focused or technical ground attack. For those who like the ground game but may be unfamiliar with Aoki, check out a few of his fights online. There no way you can’t be impressed.

by Machine on Feb 8, 2009 10:45 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Aoki is very impressive, but I’d like to see him do it without the use of his technicolor dream pants.

by GregC on Feb 8, 2009 3:08 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

sweet fights! actually went to this event and thought everyone did a great job. pellegrino actually came into the crowd and hung out with everybody. cain was impressive as usual and neer got booed big time.

by josh on Feb 8, 2009 1:27 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Cain is scary. Relentless pace. The def. have a HW contender brewing for Brock.

by Ground-Game on Feb 8, 2009 1:40 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

he is wayyyy too small for the hw though. He is a semi-soggy 235 and also for his wrestling being ace he wasnt able to take stojnic down

by subwayy2sallyy on Feb 8, 2009 2:18 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

How big do you think heavyweights are? 235 is average. Lesnar is a freak who walks around at 290 and cuts to 265. Kongo weighs less. Fedor is 235.

by pug on Feb 8, 2009 2:38 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah 235 is average, but the bar has now be stepped up for HW and if you are a grappler who is soft at 235 then thats not a good sign. I thought his striking looked good but he was never able to take stojnic down which wasnt a good sign

by subwayy2sallyy on Feb 8, 2009 11:50 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I was pissed at the fact I was 20 min from the event and I couldn’t afford it. Plus my wife wouldn’t let me go to the after party in Ybor :(. I really like watching Joe on the ground. I dunno but I’m still not sold on Cain yet, would like to see him fight tougher competition. I think Johnson has a ton of potential. And what more can you say about the Miller brothers, they continue to impress me each fight. I agree with you dia mette. I hate seeing bjj fighters try and prove that they can stand with people. Biggest gripe me me is a fighter like Nick Diaz. A guy who has his bjj resume and still stands there just to prove he can bang with the best of them.

by rydinlow on Feb 8, 2009 1:56 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Yea and how about Jorge Gurgel?

by Wingblade on Feb 8, 2009 2:44 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I’m a neer fan now. he came out fearless. he had a very exciting fight. and I agree that AJ needs should fight someone like swick next. I don’t like joe but he’s ground game is sick.

by TRIKZ on Feb 8, 2009 2:26 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

I’ve never seen neer fight like that. He also looked more muscular and you heard it here first- that guy is going to fail the piss test. I called it right 2 times in a row with franca and Leban.

by pug on Feb 8, 2009 2:42 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

you haven’t seen neer fight much then. he’s always game. and i explained his performance in another thread, but if he didn’t have a great showing and lost a boring decision, he’d probly get cut. But fighting like that, win or lose, he is trying to keep his job.

by Crowls on Feb 8, 2009 2:45 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

who is dan miller’s brother?is it cole miller?

by NM on Feb 8, 2009 3:07 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Jim.

by Joe Smith on Feb 8, 2009 8:19 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

CAIN IS OVER-RATED! HE DID NOT IMPRESS ME AND HE EVEN FOUGHT AN UNKNOWN PLIISBURY DOUGH BOY. LESNER AND CO. WILL DECAPITATE HIM.

by Mr. Vince McMahon on Feb 8, 2009 5:45 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

“OVER-RATED” ????

That’s crazy talk! Seriously crazy-talk! A fight can’t get anymore lopsided than that. Cain displayed the very definition of domination in that fight.

Overrated is Roger Huerta struggling to survive and scrape out wins against cans……….Huggie Bear climbing the light-weight ladder by snuggling his way to the top……..thats overrated.

by Machine on Feb 8, 2009 10:56 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Cain still needs to prove he has a heart. So far he’s walked over guys but I want to see how he reacts when somebody gives him a fight. He might just be another David terell or Mark Kerr.

by pug on Feb 8, 2009 11:26 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

what about his performance did not impress you. that Stojnic dude reminded me of Cabbage. The fight looked alot like the Cabbage v AA fight to me. He was hitting him with bombs but the guy wouldn’t go out. Did you want him to slap on a flying armbar or something????

by Crowls on Feb 8, 2009 2:46 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Mike Swick vs Anthony Johnson anyone? They both have long range and stand up skills. I think Anthony hits harder but Swick will snatch a submission in a hurry if it is there. Both use the knees well and the winner would be in the top 5.

by hatteras on Feb 8, 2009 9:57 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Johnson and Velasquez beats some really really bad opponents and they are hyped as the next friggin titleholders, believe me when i say they will both be stopped whenever they fight real fighters who arent making their ufc debut or are just there to pick up a paycheck.

by Lester the Pimp on Feb 8, 2009 10:21 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

I agree with most people here – Swick & Rumble should be next, Joe v Nate as well. I think Cain needs a step up, maybe HH (I think it is to early to give him Gonzaga/Carwin winner).

by efisher on Feb 8, 2009 10:29 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Time for UFC to give Anthony Johnson a big name..god knows hes deserved it!

I see him becoming a top p4p fghter in the future without a doubt..hes amazing – hes got freak genetics like has been said, his technique is amazing and the most important thing…hes HUNGRY. Very impressed by his humble ‘trying to achieve perfection’ stance in the interview with joe rogan!

by Randy for Couture on Feb 8, 2009 12:09 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

yea, he needs a step up in comp, but he’s still got a lot of work to do. don’t rush him to the top. I’m convinced fitch, kos, alves, and gsp would eat him for lunch right now. i think he trains with kos and fitch so he prob won’t fight them, but i don’t remember seeing much ground game for him. not sure if he’s got any jits at all. i’ll have to go and find some of his fights today. he’s gonna be a beast though. maybe the only one who can match GSP’s strength and athletecism.

by Crowls on Feb 8, 2009 12:32 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

not sure about jits but he has good wrestling, so he not just a lame duck on the ground, and its hard to get him there. at only 24 this will be the guy to watch, i wana see alves and this guy mix it up one day.

by Blazy J on Feb 8, 2009 1:37 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Luigi F. is a tough dude. But he would be a monster if he lost that belly fat and cut to LW.

by Nate on Feb 8, 2009 1:44 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I hate how they try to hype the shit outta Cain and have fed him 3 cans in a row and im sure they will give him 3 more nobodys before anyone tough. It’s like Roger Huerta they are trying to develop the mexican superstar, but just like Roger he will fail when he steps up the competition. P.S. That is the worst tattoo in all mma “Brown Pride” how gay might as well write “WET BACK” across your chest.

by guy on Feb 8, 2009 2:05 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Luigi please cut to 155. I know its hard coming from an Italian Family myself but relax on the pizza and pasta and do yourself a favor. He could be a beast at 155

by guy on Feb 8, 2009 2:09 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

i don’t know about a beast but a solid fighter yes. if he cuts to 155, i wanna see him fight Pellegrino

by Crowls on Feb 8, 2009 2:50 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I really don’t understand how a professional athlete like Luigi would not hire a nutritionist and cut down to 155. When you fight guys like Johnson who are coming down from about 1990, that extra fat really puts you at a disadvantage. Maybe you and Karo can diet together?

by Nate on Feb 8, 2009 3:53 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Man, I wish I went to this fight. We were thinking about it, but I thought I might have to work, so I didn’t get tickets. Turned out I didn’t have to work, nobody wanted to have it at their house even though it was free because of snacks/beer/wife getting mad… so we went to Gator’s… not showing the fight. We went to Smokey Bones… not showing the fight. We went to Hooters… not showing the fight. We spoke to the manager and pointed out that they had the majority of their tvs on college basketball. Just give us one tv, so they did. So, we got to watch 5/10 fights, and they were all good fights except maybe for the can they fed Cain.

by UFCAddict on Feb 8, 2009 3:43 PM EST reply actions 0 recs