07.03.06 – By Vanessa McConnell, photos by CJ Cansler — large photo gallery — The UFC, Ultimate Fighting Championship, is growing to intimidating numbers and viewers. So fast, it has boxing fans shaking in their boots that the UFC will someday become even more popular than boxing. In the wide world of sports, that will never happen. Every sport sets its own precedence and respects the next for it’s hard work and champions. UFC is fairly new, compared to how long boxing has been around, and some boxing fans will never accept the sport for reasons they would never admit.
Canada was in the United Stated with a point to prove at UFC 58 sponsored by Mandalay Bay, Xyience and Toyo Tires. Chris Tucker, Antonio Fargas, Chris Angel, UFC Champions Chuck Liddell, Matt Hughes and Tito Ortiz, and Michael Clark Duncan were among the few celebrities and fighters watching one of the most anticipated battles in the UFC where Canada and the United States come face to face in the Octagon.
The UFC turned the heat on Vegas last weekend as UFC packed an estimated 10,362 people into the Mandalay Bay Event Center to watch the fights broadcasted live on pay per view on iN DEMAND, DIRECTV, DISH Network, TVN, Bell Express sVu and Viewers Choice Canada. Some of Canada’s best debut fighters and champions gave the American UFC fighters a run for their money.
In the preliminary three round Heavyweight bout between Canadian Icho Larenas and American Tom Murphy (5-1), Murphy won by TKO in 3:01 of the third round when the referee stopped the fight Larenas was a bloody mess and was being tossed and thrown around the cage like a piece of meat. In the three round Light Heavyweight bout against Canadian Rob “Maximus” MacDonald (3-2) and American Jason “The Punisher” Lambert (20-5-0), Lambert picked MacDonald up over his shoulders and slammed him down to the mat, and within 1:54 of the first round pinned his arm behind his back, Kimura submission, causing MacDonald to tap out.
The last preliminary bout between Canadian Sam “Hands of Stone” Stout (9-1-1, 7 KOs) and American Spencer Fisher went the full three rounds in the Lightweight division. Fisher was good at getting Stout on to the mat but Stout was not staying down long. Stout dominated the fight with his mad quick kicks and when he drew blood and caused Fisher to loose his mouthpiece twice, he got excited and released his beast onto Fisher. Before it went to the judges for a decision it was almost like Fisher was looking into his corner for help. The crowd when mad with boos as Stout took the fight by a split decision. They felt all the rolling around a leg locks were reason to give him the fight.
The main card viewed live on pay per view was well worth the tickets that ranged from $50 to $450. First up was Canadian Mark “The Machine” Hominick (10-4-0) against Yves Edwards (28-10-1). Edwards came into the arena playing this theme song by Slim Thug ready to take the head off of Hominick in the Lightweight division scheduled for three rounds. Hominick gave Edwards his wake up call. Hominick was making his debut in UFC when he showed Edwards why he might be better in boxing that MMA.
It was almost like the two were in a sparring match or friends scared to hurt each other because they danced around most of the fight, squaring each other up. Edwards kept punching and hissing at the air like he was Sugar Ray Leonard or somebody, but only maybe one of his four quick jabs connected. The crowd booed the fighters throughout most of the first round. Finally Hominick got Edwards down on the mat, wrapped his legs around his hear and finished him off with a tap out in 1:53 of the second round.
In the middleweight bout scheduled three rounds between Canadian Joe “El Dirte” Doerksen (32-9-0) and Nathan “The Great” Marquardt (26-6-1), when Marquardt beat Doerksen by unanimous decision. Marquardt was quick, getting Doerksen down on the mat early on in the fight, setting the tone for the rest of the fight. Marquardt delivered everything but the backyard when he kicked and hit Doerksen repeatedly while he was down on the mat. The crowd was so into the fight, they actually got their own version of the UFC going in the audience and security ended up escorting three or four fans out of the arena for the disturbance.
The long awaited welterweight fight between Canadian George “Rush” St. Pierre (12-1-0) and BJ “The Prodigy” Penn (11-3-1) came to a head at the Mandalay Bay when St. Pierre won the fight by a split decision. Fans were not happy at all with the judge’s decision because they felt Penn dominated the fight and got the best of St. Pierre for most of the fight. St. Pierre is considered one of the most talented fighters in the world and Penn is one of the most recognized, respected and decorated jiu-jitsu athlete in America. Both fighters put up one hell of a fight but unfortunately only one got to win.
The middleweight bout scheduled three rounds between Canadian Steve “Lion Heart” Vigneault (11-6-0) and American Mike “Quick” Swick (9-1) was an even more exciting fight than the last one, too bad it was over almost before it got started. Swick won by tap out in 2:09 of the first round with a Guillotine submission. Swick came into the arena blasting Tupac’s “I’m a Rider” and opened up a can of whip ass on Vigneault.
Swick almost got caught up with his high kicks that nearly cost him to lose his balance but once he got Vigneault on the ground it was over. Swick shut Vigneault down quick with what he called the “Swickatine choke.” And stated that he was a little quicker and a little stronger than Vigneault. “I give him mad respect. I trained like I never trained before. I got much love for Canada.”
The main event of the evening finally arrived and the crowd was more than ready for the action. The UFC Middleweight Championship scheduled to go five rounds between Canadian David “The Crow” Loiseau (14-5-0) and American Rich “Ace” Franklin (22-1-0) was the first fight Franklin ever fought that had to go to the judge’s scorecard for a winner. Franklin is well known for his first round knockouts and was fully prepared to knock Loiseau early on in the fight, but that never happened.
Loiseau had a mean high kick that probably would have been stunning if it would have connected. At least one out of four kicks landed during the fight and Loiseau lost his balance and the advantage of the fight trying to show off those kicks. For every time Loiseau tried to kick Franklin, Franklin returned the favor with a solid punch that drew a knot over Loiseau’s right eye that grew to the size of an orange.
Franklin literally knocked the pants off Loiseau, his jock strap was hanging out by the fourth round and he was running from the third round until the fight was over. He was running so fast away from Franklin the crowd booed at him throughout the entire fight. The fight was so predictable, Chris Tucker left in the middle of the third round and the crowd was in pandemonium yelling “U.S.A.”
Franklin prepared for the toughest fight of his career only to realize that the fight was not at all his toughest. He even admitted after the fight that it had been the first fight of his that to had gone to a decision. That would explain why Franklin was slowing down and appeared to be tired in the fifth round, but by then he had Loiseau blinded in one eye and running for the hills. Loiseau, who was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth, was not only fight to put food on the table (a lot of money), but he was also fighting for Franklin’s champion belt and a UFC themed Hummer.
UFC fighters have been labeled since the beginning of the UFC time and are having problems being accepted by boxing fans nationwide. There use to be a day, many years ago, when fans would go to the same place to see wrestling and boxing and everyone respected both sports alike. What happened to cause such friction between the two sports to where boxing does not respect MMA, but MMA has mad love and support for boxing?
The first UFC was in Denver in 1993 and has been banned in many states throughout the United States. Since then, the UFC has been dedicated to providing safe sanctioned fights that have most recently persuaded California to lift its ban on UFC fights and opened up that market to bring the sell out event to Anaheim in April. Silvia and Griffin will go head to head in Anaheim for UFC’s Reality Check.
The UFC is gaining respect in the world of sports and is embraced by almost every industry except boxing, like it or not, it has crossed over to the mainstream and there is no stopping the UFC. So if you can’t beat them, join them and if you can’t join them, at least respect them because they respect you.
Many claim that the UFC court boxing fans through the media to and that it’s often not compatible with mainstream media. Everybody knows that MMA is not Boxing, the question is why is MMA so intimidating to boxing fans? Perhaps because boxing lets you keep your distance and MMA is full out body-to-body contact and most men can’t handle another man being that close to him under any circumstances, so MMA would never be considered cool to them.
UFC fighters have been labeled since the beginning of the UFC time and are having problems being accepted by boxing fans nationwide. There use to be a day, many years ago, when fans would go to the same place to see wrestling and boxing and everyone respected both sports alike. What happened to cause such friction between the two sports to where boxing does not respect MMA, but MMA has mad love and support for boxing?
UFC fighters have the potential to make hefty salaries through contracts with the UFC. For instance entry-level fighters can make an easy $2,000 to $4,000 per fight. Randy Couture retired with $225,000 from his last fight with Liddell, while Liddell took home $250,000 for that fight. The numbers are impressive and MMA is gaining fans at rates that no one would believe.
The last UFC battle against Randy Couture and Chuck Liddell sold out at 10,301 in the arena with a paying gate of $3.3 million, 2000 at a closed circuit site and an estimated 350,000 pay per view buys. I sure don’t remember the last time I have seen 4,000 boxing fans at a weigh in years, but they have turned out in drools for the last UFC fight at the Mandalay Bay last month. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to notice the difference between boxing an MMA, but it will take a million years to figure out where is the love from boxing to MMA.