Jan-11-2010

By Frank Curreri

SACRAMENTO – Benson Henderson, one-time sparring partner of Jamie Varner, is now the undisputed WEClightweight champion: Can I get an amen?

Varner had said before the fight that he considered himself in a league above Henderson, but a flying guillotinechoke that caused him to tap out at 2 minutes 41 seconds of round three suggested otherwise.

Through two rounds, the fight seemed even, with Varner slamming Henderson during a fairly conservative opening stanza and spending more time in the top position.

In the second round, Henderson landed a leg kick and Varner smiled back at him. Seconds later Varner returned the favor with a leg kick of his own.

“How you like that?” he taunted Henderson.

Both fighters played it safe, trading leg kicks and high kicks, though it was Henderson who seemed busier and able to land with greater frequency, repeatedly whacking Varner with kicks to the rib area. The second round was close, and could have been scored for either man.

In the third round, Henderson emerged as the aggressor and scored with another hard kick to the rib area, followed by a knee to midsection, and a high kick that was blocked. The pivotal sequence happened midway through the frame, when Varner attempted a takedown and Henderson locked in that fateful choke that would catapult him from simply having the “Interim Champion” label to being the full-fledged champion (Henderson had defeated Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone last year for the interim WEC lightweight belt while Varner was still recovering from injuries and hand surgery).

After the biggest win of his career, Henderson conceded that he had plenty of doubts coming into this fight.

“Jamie Varner is a tough scary dude,” he said. “I was a little intimidated at first, like, ‘Oh, he wants to hurt me.’”

Varner’s disappointment was evident afterward.

“I came to fight, Ben was the better man and he caught me with the guillotine,” he said. “I knew coming in that he had that guillotine … I was winning that fight. He didn’t want to box. I came to fight, Ben came to grapple, two different things.”

Faber vs. Assuncao
Joining “Smooth” Henderson in the winner’s circle on this night was Urijah Faber, who kicked off his comeback tour Sunday night with a convincing victory over highly-regarded Raphael Assuncao. Now The California Kid is taking aim at another Brazilian, WEC featherweight champion Jose Aldo.

After submitting Assuncao with a rear naked choke in the third round, and setting off pandemonium in the packed house at ARCO Arena, Faber took the mic and vowed, “I’m going to get that belt. We have a great champion right now who is a phenom … I’d love to get in there and get that belt. I just gotta’ bring my ‘A’ game. Like I said, he’s a tough guy, but in my mind that’s my belt.”

Aldo happened to be in the cage as well, and didn’t mince words about a possible challenge from Faber.

“I respect you Urijah,” Aldo said, “but no one will take my belt.”

Against Assuncao, widely regarded as a Top 10 featherweight, Faber served notice that he is still a top contender. The first round was close and conservative, with lots of clinches, and one could argue Assuncao (14-2) landed the better punching combinations and kicks. But Faber upped the ante in the second stanza, scoring a takedown and landing elbows on top. The former champ trapped Assuncao in a guillotine, but the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt escaped. Faber cinched the momentum for good when he dropped Assuncao with a thunderous overhand right.

In round three, Faber faked a punch and scored yet another takedown. Assuncao got back to his feet, only to hit the deck again after a punch from Faber, setting into motion the ground scramble that culminated in the fight-ending choke at 3:49 of the round.

In other action Sunday night:

Kamal Shalorus vs. Dave Jansen

Over the course of 15 grueling minutes, Jansen attempted numerous takedowns on Shalorus, but never came close to getting the former Olympic wrestler on the mat. Jansen’s face was covered in blood from the litany of power punches Shalorus had landed in what was predominately a boxing match between two wrestlers. Game throughout, Jansen absorbed heavy damage and occasionally tagged Shalorus in retaliation, but the Team Quest fighter’s valor and grit could not change his fortunes. Shalorus’s standup was too much, earning him a unanimous decision win (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) that pushed his record to 6-0-1.

“I’m a world-class wrestler. I’m a world champion,” Shalorus said afterward. “That’s what I tried to prove. Nobody can take me down.”

Nicknamed “The Prince of Persia” because he was born in Iran, Shalorus was a captive audience to chants of “U-S-A! U-S-A!” from some in the crowd, which only seemed to provoke him to inflict more damage on Jansen. While Jansen had vowed to prove himself the better wrestler, it was Shalorus who scored several takedowns (doing little damage on top, however).

Jansen, who was coming off a thrilling victory over Rich Crunkilton, fell to 11-1 in his pro career.

Mike Brown vs. Anthony “Cheesesteak” Morrison

Determined to exorcise the demons of losing the WEC featherweight championship, Brown took a major gamble by agreeing to return to action relatively soon against the explosive Morrison (15-7). Based on his chiseled physique and six-pack abs, it was apparent Brown (23-5) had taken this fight seriously and once in the cage he made swift work of the Philadelphian, taking him down and sinking in a rear naked choke for the tap at 1:54 of round one.

The former champ, who was mercilessly booed here last summer after beating Urijah Faber for a second time, was rewarded with a rousing ovation from the Sacramento crowd.

“I just needed a win. I just wanted to win so badly. It’s very important that you don’t lose two in a row. Maybe I’ll get a shot in the future.”

Deividas Taurosevicius vs. Mackens Semerzier

Semerzier emerged from his corner in round three, likely assuming that he was trailing on the judges’ scorecards and would need to pull off something dramatic to preserve his 7-0 record.

With less than two minutes remaining, Semerzier turned up the heat, cracking his tiring Lithuania-born foe with hard ground and pound shots, even drawing blood from Taurosevicius’ head. In a race against the clock, with less than 20 seconds remaining, Semerzier locked in a guillotine choke and squeezed with everything he had. The suspense ended seconds later when Taurosevicius popped his head out, enabling him to escape with a unanimous decision victory by scores of 29-28 across the board.

Taurosevicius executed his strategy early on, pushing for a takedown in the opening seconds and then securing one. The Lithuanian, who now lives in Long Island, New York, inflicted no damage on top and Semerzier was back on his feet midway into the stanza.

Taurosevicius again pressed the action, slamming the unbeaten Virginian for a second time. Again, nothing going on the ground, prompting a referee standup. The grinding round came to a halt in what seemed to be a Taurosevicius round.

In round two of main card, Semerzier came out scoring with kicks, but again Taurosevicius took him down. On the ground, Semerzier hunted for his favorite technique, a triangle choke – the same move that carried him to victory over Wagnney Fabiano in November – but Taurosevicius astutely defended, trapped his opponent against the cage and scored with ground and pound shots on top.

In defeat, Semerzier fell to 7-1; Taurosevicius improved to 12-3.

Akitoshi Tamura vs. Charlie Valencia

Valencia, a crowd favorite who has trained in the past with Urijah Faber’s team, survived a scare in the second round to eke out a split decision victory over Tamura.

Valencia landed the crisper punches on their feet in the opening round and topped it off with a solid high kick, causing his Japanese adversary to essentially pull guard. Tamura trapped Valencia in a rubber guard variation, which Valencia eventually slammed his way out of, then rained down some heavy ground and pound shots.

In round two, the tide turned, with Tamura jumping on the Californian’s back early in the round and trapping him in a body lock. To the crowd’s dismay, an extraordinarily long stalemate ensued, with Valencia wisely remained standing for several minutes and fighting off a rear naked choke. The round ended on the mat, with Valencia still defending the choke.

By round three, Valencia’s leg kicks on Akitoshi’s lead leg produced visible bruising. Valencia came out swinging. He dropped Tamura with a right hand, then scored with ground and pound blows. Tamura quickly regained his wits and managed to get back to his feet, but never threatened from there, as Valencia boxed and scored with a digging right hand to the body and overhand rights.

When it was all said and done, Valencia got the nod by scores of 29-28, 28-29 and 29-28.

Wagnney Fabiano vs. Clint Godfrey

In a battle of southpaws, Godfrey was trying to become the second straight unknown to make a name for himself against Fabiano, formerly the No. 3 ranked featherweight in the world. But the underdog magic that propelled Mackens Semerzier to victory over Fabiano, and prompted the Brazilian to drop a weight class, was nowhere to be found for Godfrey as Fabiano triumphed by unanimous decision in a predominately grappling-based performance that was effective but not particularly exciting. Simply put, Fabiano dominated the takedowns and controlled on top – occasionally scoring with ground and pound shots.

Fabiano (13-2) had mounted the South Dakotan (11-2) on two occasions, but was unable to put him away.

Bryan Caraway vs. Mark Hominick

Memo to all future opponents of Mark Hominick: Don’t sleep on the Canadian’s submission skills. Better known as a standup stud, the Shawn Tompkins prodigy showed some nifty jiu-jitsu moves and transitioned from a slick triangle choke to an armbar that finished former college wrestler Caraway at 3 minutes 48 seconds of round one. Caraway had scored a double leg takedown early in the fight but was unable to do any damage on top.

With the win, Hominick, who recently married, improved to 17-8. Caraway fell to 14-4.

George Roop vs. Eddie Wineland

Wineland could do no wrong in this one, outclassing Roop in a boxing match that saw the former WEC bantamweight champion floor his 6’1 foe with a right hand and wobble him with another. A former 155-pounder who dropped two weight classes, Roop seemed more affected by Wineland’s speed than by the dramatic weight cut. Despite having a considerable reach advantage, Roop rarely made contact with Wineland’s grill, while the latter seemed to land hard overhand rights any time of his choosing. By round three, with Roop bleeding in the mouth and nose area – and clearly needing a finish to win – you had to wonder if Roop was going to employ Plan B and perhaps try to test Wineland on the mat. But Roop, who had never been knocked out in his career, seemed content to settle matters on their feet. He was effective at times with front kicks and leg kicks, but was never able to land the crisp combinations necessary to dig out of the deep hole he had dug himself.

Roop survived the bout, but Wineland emerged with a unanimous decision by scores of 30-27 across the board.

Will Campuzano vs. Coty “Ox” Wheeler

Many fans were in their seats for this bout, which kicked off at about 3:50 p.m., and produced wildly entertaining theater that kept Wheeler’s cutman busy. More to the point, Campuzano simply bloodied and bashed Wheeler for most of the 15 minutes. By fight’s end, Wheeler’s face was covered in blood, with a huge welt under his right eye and another over his left eye.

Campuzano continually pounded Wheeler in the standup game with punches, kicks and knees – and when Wheeler attempted kneebars and foot locks on the mat, Campuzano escaped and again made him pay with punches and hammer fists. Wheeler somehow survived the carnage, losing a unanimous decision by scores of 30-27 across the board.

With the win, Campuzano improved to 7-1; Wheeler fell to 10-3.

STEVE SOLLOWAYJanuary 10, 2010

The stitches came out within days and the cuts over his eyes healed in another week or so. That part of Mike Brown’s recovery was easy. Soothing another hurt has been more difficult.

Brown lost his World Extreme Cagefighting featherweight title two months ago in Las Vegas to Jose Aldo. Younger by more than 10 years and quicker, Aldo took the fight to the mat in the second round. Brown couldn’t escape and couldn’t counter. After Brown took dozens of punches to the head, the referee stopped it.

It was Brown’s first defeat in 10 fights over the past four years. Older and almost anonymous, the Mainer beat popular Urijah Faber for the 145-pound title in 2008. He defended it twice, winning over skeptics. Then it was gone.

“Since I lost, I can’t enjoy life,” said Brown.” Every day I think about what happened, how it happened. I haven’t handled losing very well. I’ve got to win one.”

Brown fights today in Sacramento, Calif., walking into the cage with Anthony Morrison of Philadelphia. Another kid at age 25 compared to Brown’s 34. Another hungry fighter wanting to grab what Brown had. The two-month turnaround since the fight with Aldo is quick, but Brown wanted another fight.

Athletes in other sports are coached to put their last game, their last match, in their rear-view mirrors and move on. Brown is trying to do both.

Aldo didn’t break Brown. In an interview on sherdog.com in December, Brown said he took a knee to the face during sparring six days before he fought Aldo. The cut needed 18 stitches. Fights have been postponed for similar injuries.

Brown said he was nervous and tentative, but had made a commitment. That’s one reason he attracts fans. He can tease opponents in the interviews that hype the fight. He can trash talk, but the garbage rarely stinks. Afterward he’s quick to pay respect.

“(Aldo) is a good fighter. He punches hard. He was explosive,” said Brown the day before he left his home in Florida for California. “He’s the best, No. 1. But there are no undefeated (champions) in this sport. There are so many variables, so many quick ways to lose.”

Cagefighting in any of its variations is a brutal sport. Its intensity can punish. Brown worked at this for a long time before hitting the big time. He doesn’t ignore his body clock or the window of opportunity that is closing.

Brown signed a five-fight deal with the WEC that could carry him through 2011. “I’ve learned to train better, take care of myself. I protect my body.”

His voice was cordial, his words made their point and stopped. Days before the fight that will either ease his mind or not, he sounded edgy.

Brown’s record is 22-5. Morrison (15-7) is another hard puncher with a ground game, but at this level, who isn’t? This is a sport of controlled, naked aggression.

The Brown-Morrison bout is one of the five at the ARCO Arena. The featured fight is between Jamie Varner and Benson Henderson for the unified lightweight title. Faber, the former champ and hometown favorite, is also on the card, fighting Raphael Assuncao. Faber wants another fight for the championship. He may have to beat Brown to get it.

“The crowd booed me the last time I fought there (against Faber),” said Brown. “They know who I am. Hopefully I’ve earned a little respect out there.”

He’s the working-class fighter with the college degree in biology. The stand-up guy in the knockdown sport.

Staff Writer Steve Solloway can be contacted at 791-6412 or at:

ssolloway@pressherald.com

By Brett Okamoto (contact)

Thursday, Dec. 24, 2009 | midnight

Before every fight night, Harris can be found in the cage itself, checking every last detail to make sure it’s safe for his fighters.

“Just prior to the event, I always go into the cage and check it,” Harris said. “It’s just a habit I have from the first show I put on.

“In the old days I would find out that they hadn’t attached one of the corners, that doesn’t happen anymore. I still want to check the post and the fence; make sure everything is secure and padded and done right.”

The sport of mixed martial arts has become a little more glamorous than it used to be — particularly in Las Vegas.

When the UFC held its first-ever event in Las Vegas in 2002, it drew an attendance of 7,663 and generated $898,850 worth of revenue at the gate. Compare that to UFC 100 in June, which drew an attendance of 10,971 and $5,128,490 at the gate.

The WEC, owned and operated by the same parent company as the UFC, has experienced a similar growth.

With that kind of success, it would be easy for Harris to take many of the responsibilities he’s had since founding the company in 2001 and hand them off to his staff.

Instead, Harris remains involved with nearly every aspect leading up to an event.

“Fight week in Vegas typically has a lot of meetings,” Harris said. “I meet with my public relations coordinator Dave Scholler about 5-to-10 times every day. He lays out my schedule for me.”

On the week of a fight, Harris has such a full schedule he checks himself into the Las Vegas hotel where the event is being held.

Thursday mornings he can be found sitting in his hotel room, assembling binders filled with fighter info that get distributed to WEC matchmakers and commentators.

It’s the kind of work normally reserved for interns, however Harris says he enjoys putting together the binders because it helps him learn more about each individual fighter competing on the card.

“I’ve always done them, it really forces me to learn a lot about each fighter,” Harris said. “When these guys show up, if I’m able to understand their background it just makes me able to familiarize with them and tends to ease them up a little bit.”

Fighters usually arrive in Las Vegas on Wednesday before working out for media members Thursday.

Because of his knowledge of the every fighter’s background, Harris takes the media portion of a fight week very seriously.

More so than probably anyone, Harris knows the remarkable stories behind some of the athletes that compete for him — many of which he feels are his responsibility to share with the fans.

Just before becoming WEC featherweight champion in a fight last month, Jose Aldo told Harris that he was like brothers with teammate Wagnney Fabiano.

When Harris asked why, Aldo told him it was because when he first started going to the gym in Brazil, Fabiano would always ask him if he had eaten yet that day.

“Sometimes Jose would say no, and on those days Wagnney would take him and feed him before they worked out,” Harris said. “So you can see what coming to The Palms and winning a belt would be a dream come true to him.

“That’s something you’ve got to get out to the public and let them experience, because personally, that’s something very gratifying to me.”

To fans, one of the best days of a fight week is Friday. That’s when they get a free chance to see the fighters on the card at the official weigh-in.

Harris treats weigh-ins more like family reunions, making the rounds and catching up with fighters, trainers and even fans.

“Our fighters are like our family,” Harris said. “If I have a Christmas party, I’ll them all over. We’re friends. We’re really happy when we see each other. I spend a lot of time with them and I also understand what they’re getting ready to do, so I have so much respect for them.”

Of course, the best part of fight week in Vegas is the night of the event itself.

The fights of Saturday night were so popular in fact, that Harris received so many ticket requests he had none left for some of his biggest VIPs.

“I actually bought four tickets for my kids,” Harris said. “I didn’t have any more to give away and I felt bad asking the ticketing office for more so I just told my wife to go ahead and buy them. I bought tickets to my own event.”

Brett Okamoto can be reached at 948-7817 or brett.okamoto@lasvegassun.com. Also follow him on twitter: LVSunFighting.

By Frank Curreri

LAS VEGAS – Yet again, Donald Cerrone proved Saturday night that no matter who the opponent, he is the king of the Fight of the Night award. The lightweight impresario dug himself a deep hole against top contender Ed Ratcliff and was headed toward possible defeat (in his own mind at least) as the final two minutes of the fight ticked away. In MMA’s version of the two-minute drill, Cerrone stalked Ratcliff and scored a dramatic rear naked choke submission with little more than one minute remaining.

“I didn’t have no choice but to finish it because I was down two points. I was losing the fight,” Cerrone said afterward, taking time to apologize for the illegal knees that cost him two point deductions on the judges’ scorecards. “My hat’s off to Ed, he could have quit at any time and got me disqualified if he wanted to.”

The suspense brewed early, with Ratcliff, a considerable underdog, buckling Cerrone, a notoriously slow starter, with a powerful left to the jaw. In the first half of the round, the speedy Ratcliff seemed to be having his way with combinations. Midway through, the momentum shifted, with Cerrone gradually picking up steam, stalking the San Diegan with potent leg kicks and sizzling kicks to the rib area. Knees to the body were also scoring but cost Cerrone in a big way; two of those knees missed their mark and referee Herb Dean imposed a one-point deduction.

Again, in the second stanza, a Cerrone knee smashed into Ratcliff’s groin area, sending Ratcliff writhing on the canvas in pain. Dean again stepped in, deducting a second point from Cerrone – effectively meaning Cerrone would have to stop Ratcliff inside of the distance or probably not win the fight.

With Cerrone racing against the clock, the plot thickened. Ratcliff began to noticeably slow under Cerrone’s non-stop stalking and heavy blows. With Ratcliff weakening, Cerrone sunk in a tight guillotine choke near the end of round two. The horn sounded, saving Ratcliff.

In round three, it became apparent that a fading Ratcliff, welts under both his eyes and struggling to circle away from his stalker, only needed to survive. But Cerrone kept coming. A flying knee by Cerrone was true, followed by a left hand that snapped Ratcliff’s head back. Then Cerrone wrestled Ratcliff to the canvas and cinched in a reverse triangle, combining it with a knee bar. Ratcliff escaped. Time was running out, and a determined Cerrone dragged the action to the canvas once more, this time locking in a rear naked choke at 3:47 of the third round that brought the crowd at Palms Casino Resort to their feet.

Cerrone, 10-2, moved closer to a shot at the WEC lightweight title and said he will be pulling for Benson Henderson to beat Jamie Varner in their title clash on Jan. 10 in Sacramento, Calif.

“I hope Ben wins,” Cerrone said. “I realize Jamie is just not a good guy.”

Ratcliff, meanwhile, did not claim the low blows contributed to his defeat.

“I ain’t making no excuses, man, he did what he was supposed to do,” he said. “Big ups to Donald. With the knees, I knew it wasn’t intentional.”

As it turns out, even if Cerrone had not finished Ratcliff, he would still have won the fight. Judges scored the fight 9-9 in both the first and second rounds. Cerrone would have won the third to pull out the fight, but was unaware of that during the fight, especially since the first round was relatively close.

By Frank Curreri

There was a time, just two years ago, when Canadian scribes were comparing Chris Horodecki to fellow countrymen Sidney Crosby, the NHL wunderkind, former league MVP, and eventual Stanley Cup champion.

One of Horodecki’s big-name trainers, Shawn Tompkins, even publicly proclaimed that his 11-0 prodigy could someday become the best mixed martial artist in the world.

That was 2007. Two years later, 22-year-old Horodecki’s road to greatness is a bit foggier. “The Polish Hammer” is no longer unbeaten. He has fought only once in the past 19 months, prompting obvious inquiries about ring rust. And the 155-pound Canadian phenom, formerly the baby-faced poster boy for the now-defunct International Fight League, is now signed with his fourth organization in less than two years.

But on the cusp of his highly-anticipated WEC debut, in characteristic Horodecki fashion, he doesn’t seem the least bit fazed to be facing lightning-quick striker Anthony Njokuani (11-2) on the WEC 45 main card.

“With this guy, there’s nothing to worry about,” Horodecki said. “We can stand up and bang, no problem. With the proper game plan I’ll beat him in the standup … I can beat him anywhere.”

Like his fast-rising foe this Saturday, Horodecki (13-1) has made a name for himself by outclassing and annihilating opponents in the striking realm. Yet Njokuani, while thrilled to be fighting someone with abundant potential and a well-exposed persona, believes Horodecki is bluffing by claiming that he intends to decide matters on their feet.

“From the looks of it he’s going to be one of those guys that is going to want to take me down,” said Njokuani, who, like Horodecki, has won six of his bouts by TKO. “I’m slicker than he is. My head and foot movement are 10 times better than his. My standup is superior to his. I have a big reach advantage over him. I watched a couple of his fights in the IFL and he was a great striker, but I don’t feel that he will bring anything that I haven’t seen. I’m just ready to do this with him.”

This is one of those ‘don’t blink’ matchups, where there is so much firepower in the cage and one shot can end it. The fighters have one common opponent, Bart Palaszewski, a veteran who personifies the I-will-fight-anybody ethos that fans most respect. In the past seven years, spanning more than 40 fights (excluding his professional debut), only one man has finished “Bartimus” with punches: Njokuani. It was a decidedly one-sided demolition. Meanwhile, Palaszewski’s sturdy chin survived heated slugfests with Horodecki, who beat the Chicagoan twice by split decision.

Horodecki, who was born in Poland and has been training mixed martial arts since age 13, turned pro at 18. Despite being a high-profile “name” fighter because of his days on television with the IFL, Horodecki does not feel like he will have a “bulls eye” on his back coming into a new organization.

“Not necessarily. I’m the fresh face here,” he said. “They’ve got their champions and they have targets on them. Everyone wants to make a name for themselves but there is no pressure right now. Every fighter in the WEC is skilled and everyone is good. There are no easy fights. So I just have to get prepared and ready to go to battle.”

When two high-level wrestlers collide, a standup battle often ensues. And in this case, with two strikers, a ground war could determine the outcome. It is the biggest ‘X’ factor in this bout, and Horodecki’s camp believes he will have a significant edge on the canvas, and point to his June win over William Syriyapai by rear naked choke as proof.

“Chris has an excellent ground game,” said Keebo Robinson, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt who has worked with Horodecki, Vitor Belfort, Sam Stout and Mark Hominick, among others. “His ground game is underestimated because he never really gets into that situation; a lot of his fights are won in the standup, by TKO or knockout. No one has seen his fights go the ground except for the (2007) Grand Prix of the IFL, where he got TKO’d on the ground by Ryan Schultz, so that’s all people remember about his ground game. If he gets taken down he’s really good at getting right back up. But he’s very comfortable off his back and he’s got great defense on the ground, and if he gets you on your back you’re probably going to pay for it.”

Coincidentally, Robinson earned his black belt under renowned jiu-jitsu legend Sergio Penha – who happens to be Njokuani’s mentor on the mat. Njokuani said he has been focusing heavily on his jiu-jitsu and wrestling skills and is confident anyone watching tapes of his earlier submission losses to Ben Henderson and Donald Cerrone is wasting their time.

That was the old me,” he said. “You can watch all of the old videos you want but this is a different Anthony now. When I started got into the WEC cage I allowed the pressure to get to me, I felt like I was lost. But now I feel very comfortable in the cage. It’s not new to me anymore and I feel that the WEC is my home. This is the type of fight that I’ve been looking for. This is a matchup that gets me excited. I can’t wait to fight Chris. When I win this one it will put me at the level that I’ve been waiting for.”