Combat This!: IFL Battleground 08/13/2007
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IFL Battleground – 08/13/2007
Welcome to the Combat Hooligans recap of IFL Battleground. I’ve heard that this show was reformatted again and I'm going to start recapping it if the new format suits me. It is all part of my effort to strengthen the MMA coverage for our site.
Tonight’s matchup is the Nevada Lions of Ken Shamrock Vs. The Tucson Scorpions who are coached by Don Frye.
The first bout is between the middleweights both of whom, we are told, are looking for their first IFL win.
We get comments from both fighters leading in to the fight. I can’t complain about that since I’ve been calling for it from day one.
Bout 1: Seth Baczynski (Scorpions) Vs. Dan Molina (Lions)
Baczynski comes out looking for a guillotine but Molina has none of it. Fight ends up on the ground and Molina locks in a heel hook which forces Baczynski to tap.
Winner: Daniel Molina – Submission R1
Nevada goes up 1-0.
We get some stuff with the IFL ring-girls. I guess tonight is the finals of the new ring-girl search competition.
A commercial break comes next, with Bas Rutten telling us not to fool around with MMA.
Back from the break we move to Welterweight.
Once again we are treated to comments from the combatants.
Bout 2: Mike “The Joker” Guymon (Scorpions) Vs. Pat Healy (Lions)
We found out in intros that Guymon is the joker because he likes to joke around. Seems simple to me.
This is Guymon’s IFL debut. One interesting thing at least for me is that the announcers were talking the betting line in the commentary. Healy was the favorite for those who care. This series of bouts was contested on 06/16/2007.
R1: Guymon does pretty well for himself in the first, especially on the feet. He knocks Healy down with a big punch with about 20 seconds left in the round but is unable to finish.
Scoring: 10-9 for Guymon.
Between rounds we are able to listen in on the conversation between Guymon and coach Don Frye. Its not much of a talk really.
R2: Healy starts out the aggressor and takes it to him showing off his own striking ability. The Opposite of the first in that R1 was clearly Guymon’s because of his work on the feet and R2 was Healy’s for the same reason. Healy didn’t have Guymon in as much trouble as Healy found himself in round 1 however.
During the round they went to Steven Quadros with Don Frye. Frye was asked about Guymon, said he’s doing reasonably ok and that was the end of the interview. If only NFL sideline reporters would make their interviews of coaches that quick.
The round ends with Healy in clear control.
Scoring: 10-9, Pat Healy.
A commercial airs before we get to the third round.
Ok, the commercial for Entertainment Tonight was just irritating. “Tonight on ET, more on Murv Griffin, the gravely ill star, and then Paris Hilton does some stuff!!!" The shift in tone was dramatic.
Now we get a glimpse in to Shamrock’s conversation with Healy. Shamrock tells him to go for the takedown and Ground-and-pound.
R3: Guymon hits a couple of knees early but Healy takes him down to the mat, following Ken Shamrock’s instructions.
Steve Mazagatti moves the fighters away from the ropes and toward the center but still in the same position. Healy couldn’t get the ground and pound going but is still keeping the top position with 1:35 left in the fight. Guymon is trying a few submissions from the bottom but nothing anything close to working.
Announcers say it is too close to call as we go to the judges. Third round was kind of close because of Guymon’s working from the bottom.
Scoring: 10-9 for Healy, 29-28 Healy.
Judges: 29-28 Guymon, 29-28 Healy and 29-28 Healy.
I’m really ok with this outcome, it was close and the outcome could’ve gone either way depending on how you saw the third round. I gave it to Healy because while Guymon was trying things from the bottom none were all that effective and Healy was able to control the top position the whole time.
Winner: Pat Healy – Split decision
Lions go up 2-0.
Now we go to a profile of Ken Shamrock’s Lions Den. It is probably one of if not the most famous training grounds for fighters in MMA even if it isn’t necessarily the most successful.
Commercial Break!!
I’m definitely able to live with the new format of the show so far, it even seems that the commercials are fewer and farther between.
We’re back with the Lightweights.
John Gunderson went from Bridge Building in Oregon to Lightweight for the Lions after Ken Shamrock held some tryouts. Gunderson has a couple of kids he was showing off in his profile thing. Gunderson had lost to Bart Palaszewski and I guess this means he’s got to beat Gabe Casillas in less than 10 minutes to qualify for the Grand Prix. We’re not told why it needs to be in less than 10 minutes but that’s not a shock.
Gabe Casillas is looking for his first victory in the IFL after dropping from Welterweight. He lost to Gideon Ray by R1 TKO in his first fight.
Bout 3: Gabe Casillas (Scorpions) Vs. John Gunderson (Lions)
R1: Gunderson has to win in 9:39 or less to qualify for the season ending Grand Prix and again not told why. Gunderson slams Casillas to the ground hard early in the round. Casillas was going for submissions from the bottom but Gunderson able to avoid. Casillas is a former amateur Boxer we are told.
The pace of the fight slows a bit until about the 30-second mark when Gunderson wakes up with a few nice strikes.
Scoring: Gunderson 10-9, he did more though neither did as much as you’d typically expect from Lightweights.
The second round comes after a commercial break!!
R2: They start round 2 the way round 1 ended and exchange. Then we go to the mat and Gunderson starts out on the bottom but Casillas working for submissions and had him in trouble but Gunderson was able to escape. They’re doing more with the position on the mat in the second than they did in the first.
Gunderson starts to swarm Casillas and he hooks a rear naked choke and Gabe Casillas is finally forced to tap after fighting so hard.
Winner: John Gunderson – Submission R2
Lions go up 3-0 and win the series. Gunderson is the 4th seed in the IFL’s lightweight Grand Prix and round 1 will take place on 11/03.
The tease is for the end of the ring-girl search and for Roy Nelson, a man who “pushed Big Ben Rothwell to the limit” and his quest to make the IFL Grand Prix.
Commercial Break!!!
The last 2 bouts are all about the Grand Prix because at this point the series is locked up for Shamrock’s Nevada Lions.
Looking at the commercials for MNT’s fall programming, it is no wonder that the IFL is like the top rated show or something. We’re not talking high quality fair here.
It is time for the Heavyweight Bout between Roy Nelson and Shane Ott.
Nelson lost a close decision to Iowa’s Ben Rothwell in April and is still kind of pissed about it. Nelson shows us around Las Vegas. It seems like a town with nothing really going on, I bet the night life is boring. They put together a package showing the reading of the decision and they play the tense music and show pauses and it is wacky in its greatness.
Shane Ott’s debut in the IFL was actually for the Tokyo Dragons and submitted Chad Griggs who was the Scorpions heavyweight at the time. Now, Ott is replacing an injured Griggs for the Scorpions. It’s like the circle of life or something.
Bout 4: Shane Ott (Scorpions) Vs. Roy “Big Country” Nelson (Lions)
The last guy I remember with the nickname “Big Country” was Bryant Reeves, lets hope Nelson is a better fighter than Reeves was an NBA player.
R1: They’re standing up and exchanging punches with Ott doing well early. Nelson starts to move in and throw some bombs of his own. Ott goes for the takedown and Nelson has none of it. We can hear Ken Shamrock shouting instructions to Roy Nelson. Nelson gets Ott to the mat and takes his back for a bit and looks for a rear naked choke but Ott defends against the choke but takes a few shots to the face. They get up for a bit and then they go back to the ground with Nelson going for another choke and Ott defending it a second time. I haven’t noted this yet but this series of matches took place in Vegas thus making the Lions the hometown team. Round ends with Nelson in command.
Scoring: 10-9 for Nelson. Ott defended well and hit a couple of nice shots early but Nelson did more damage and had the position.
Commercial Break!!!
It is 8:10 as I write this and we’ve gone through 3 full fights and a round of the 4th but it doesn’t feel rushed at all for some reason. I just remember those early Battlegrounds where we’d see 3 fights back to back without any context whatsoever.
We’re back and before the second round, Shane Ott explains the origin of his tattoos in a segment called “My Ink”. I don’t mind a segment where guys explain the origins of their body art or whatever, but save it for after the fight or leading in to the fight, not between rounds. Ott has a lot of work and some of it is in relation to his kids, he says he’s trying to make up for years of not necessarily being the best father. I’d describe more of his art but honestly I don’t care about this sort of thing.
R2: This round is not going very long before they both end up going through the ropes and landing on the apron. Bas suggests Nelson go for a right knee to the body after they get back in the ring but instead he goes for the left which Bas is also fine with, have I mentioned that Bas is a great man?
Ott starts to return fire with a few punches and a big knee that Nelson is able to withstand. A Kamura attempt is gone for by Ott and escaped by Nelson. Both men end up against the ropes again with Don Frye yelling to Ott to attack the liver. It is funny to hear Frye yell in his raspy voice. Nelson takes Ott down with about 10 seconds left in the round and that may have been the difference.
Scoring: Nelson 10-9, though this 10-9 was closer than the first round.
Another commercial break!!
Steven Quadros also has the first 2 rounds for Nelson.
R3: Big exchanges to start the round with Ott landing a knee that causes Nelson to go for a takedown and plant Ott on the mat. So of course once on the mat Ott immediately reverses the position and ends up in the dominant position. This lasts for a bit before Nelson goes back and reverses and gets Ott’s back for a time. A lot of mat movement from the heavyweights especially compared to round 1 of Gunderson-Casillas earlier.
Nelson is just slugging away at Ott to end the round as well as the fight.
Scoring: I’m going to give it to Nelson 10-9 again because he finished the round strong, he did get the takedown and that’s my final thought.
Winner: Roy Nelson – Unanimous (30-27) decision.
Lions go up 4-0 in the series and Nelson gets a spot in the Heavyweight Grand Prix and a match with top seed Ben Rothwell on 11/03.
Tiffany Fallin is profiling Scorpions Light Heavyweight Mike Whitehead. He and Don Frye don’t exactly get along. We’re told it was a case of miscommunication and that both men are just striving to win and be the Alpha Male. Why anyone would want to be Monty Brown at this point, I’m not all that certain.
Commercial Break!!
Ok, I’m just going to ask if you are one of those who watches Access Hollywood or Entertainment Tonight and if you give half a damn about Brittney Spears, Paris Hilton or Lindsay Lohan and their various fuck-ups could you please leave a comment and explain why?
Now we’re back and Tiffany Fallin is profiling Vernon “Tiger” White and of course he’s Chuck Liddell’s number 1 fan. Fallin then asks White if his experience will be a factor tonight, well he’d better hope so.
This is for the last spot in the Light Heavyweight Grand Prix. Winner gets the last spot joining Vladimir Matyushenko, Mike Ciesnolevicz and Alex Schoenauer.
Bout 5: Mike Whitehead (Scorpions) Vs. Vernon “Tiger” White (Lions)
White is trying to get a sweep for the Lions and is 1-0 in the IFL headed in to this fight defeating Sam Hoger previously. Steve Mazagatti is the ref.
R1: They don’t stand up for very long before Whitehead takes White down and gets the top position. He tries a reverse figure 4 but it doesn’t really go anywhere. It is kind of disorienting to write White Vs. Whitehead but it is better than Palaszewski, and Krzysztof Soszynski. Vernon White has 58 pro fights, which is more than a number of the IFL teams have combined between 5 men.
The first round is pretty much all Whitehead controlling the position battle and landing strikes to keep busy. It wasn’t the most exciting round you’re ever going to see though.
Scoring: 10-9 for Whitehead.
R2: Round starts again with Whitehead putting Vernon White on his back. Ref admonishes Whitehead about striking the back of Vernon White’s head. That may be the most complicated sentence ever. Fight ends as Whitehead is pounding on White and the referee calls for the finish. That’s a weird finish because White didn’t appear to be tapping but Whitehead was talking to the referee about White tapping. Shamrock wasn’t happy with the early stoppage and honestly he’s got a point, I think Mike Whitehead got away with one.
Winner: Mike Whitehead – TKO R2
I’ll have the brackets for the IFL Grand Prix at the bottom of this report.
It is more ring-girl search stuff. I don’t care about the WWE Diva search and I’m not going to give a crap about this either. They pick a winner or something and that’s it.
Next up are comments from Vernon White on the stoppage. He thought the fight was being stopped because Whitehead was striking him in the back of the head. The IFL poll question, which is at IFL.TV, is whether the ref stopped the fight too early. I hereby order that for the sake of my typing, Vernon White and Mike Whitehead must never fight each other in a rematch.
My thoughts on the Show: It is definitely easier to watch and easier to follow than the last time I attempted to recap this show. I like the preflight interviews and profiles and would like to see more of those even if the guys don’t say much and there’s not a lot to recap in them. It makes for a better viewing experience.
The show is still not perfect as tonight’s fights were nearly 2 months old and had no impact on the playoffs. Though they did have an impact on the Grand Prix so I guess there is that to be thankful for. I’d like to see the turnaround time between these fights taking place and airing shrink considerably though I’d honestly prefer they air them live or on same night tape delay. If you watched in the early days and found it hard to follow what was going on give the revamp version a try.
Here are the promised brackets for the IFL Grand Prix which begins on 11/03.
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