Ring Girl
10th May 2005, 08:18 AM
Just returned from Primm, Nevada yesterday afternoon after going out to see King of the Cage: Mortal Sins. I haven't been to a KOTC show in probably two years - since they made their debut in Vegas for KOTC 23: Sin City.
Thanks to a friend I wound up with a fantastic ringside seat -- and I mean ringside as in sitting next to the photographers and judges on the Octagon apron. It was a great seat, except for a couple fights that got bloody and we all had to scoot our chairs back to avoid getting it on us!
Marvin Eastman vs. Jason Lambert was the first of the final three, and best, fights of the night. It was a real back and forth war that went the distance. The judges awarded Lambert the split decision, but a lot of people felt Eastman won. I honestly think it could be justified either way, depending on who you think won the second round. Either way, both fighters put on a great show - Lambert, who has fought heavyweight in the past, showed amazing cardio at 205lbs. Eastman looked tired at the end of round one, but really dug deep and continued to battle and unleash some great combos during the second and third round. Eastman also demonstrated some amazing takedown defense and a couple VERY powerful slams.
The second to last fight was between 145lbers Urijah Faber and Hiroyuki Abe. I had never seen Faber fight before, but hear a lot of great things about him. I was not disappointed! Abe is a tough opponent with an impressive record, but Faber dominated him. Faber showed amazing speed and never stopped coming at Abe the entire fight. Faber's clinchwork and elbows on the ground were effective and impressive. Faber took Abe down numerous times and kept landing in front of where I was sitting -- everytime Faber would land an elbow on Abe there was an incredible popping sound. I started wondering how Abe wasn't bleeding more, and before long he was indeed bloody and the fight was stopped by the doctor's due to a nasty gash on Abe's forehead.
Bobby Hoffman vs. Eric Pele was the final match of the evening. Pele, who fights in the Super Heavyweight division, had a considerable weight advantage over Hoffman. Hoffman, meanwhile, literally looked half-dead. His head was shaven, his skin tight and pale, and his eyes seemed sunken. The fight went back and forth, tiring out both men. Hoffman delivered some great shots to Pele that had him covering and running. In the end however, Pele finally managed to get Hoffman down on the ground and pin his arms. Hoffman literally couldn't get out from under Pele. Pele pitter patter shots to Hoffman's head for a bit, then finally landed a couple heavy shot and referee Herb Dean jumped in and stopped the match.
Randy was in attendance to watch the fights, as well, and was mobbed the entire time! I saw him come into the arena and make his way toward his seat and within no time a huge crowd had gathered around him to get autographs and photos. I think it must have taken him a good hour before he made it all the way to his seat. Then between every fight there were long breaks, and people would run over to Randy during every one! I think by the end of the night the entire arena must have had some sort of Randy memorabilia!
Aside from the fights, I had a lot of fun hanging out with friends and meeting some new people. There were a number of fighters in attendance, Mayhem Miller, Crazy Horse, Rampage, and plenty more.
I also had a chance to hang out with my favorite referee/judge, Cecil Peoples, as well as Herb Dean and Doc Hamilton. Let me tell you, say what you want about the decisions these guys make, but from spending time with them I can tell you they take their jobs very seriously and spend a lot of time making sure they understand the rules for each promotion and how best to implement them. They are very concerned with following the rules and doing the best job possible for all parties involved.
I did get one photo taken with Heath Herring - who lives and trains in Las Vegas these days:
http://www.tqfc.net/photos/rgheath.jpg
Next up is WEC next week! I'll be relaying the live PBP to MMAWeekly for their SoundOff Forums. So if you're interested in live results, make sure to check it out!
Thanks to a friend I wound up with a fantastic ringside seat -- and I mean ringside as in sitting next to the photographers and judges on the Octagon apron. It was a great seat, except for a couple fights that got bloody and we all had to scoot our chairs back to avoid getting it on us!
Marvin Eastman vs. Jason Lambert was the first of the final three, and best, fights of the night. It was a real back and forth war that went the distance. The judges awarded Lambert the split decision, but a lot of people felt Eastman won. I honestly think it could be justified either way, depending on who you think won the second round. Either way, both fighters put on a great show - Lambert, who has fought heavyweight in the past, showed amazing cardio at 205lbs. Eastman looked tired at the end of round one, but really dug deep and continued to battle and unleash some great combos during the second and third round. Eastman also demonstrated some amazing takedown defense and a couple VERY powerful slams.
The second to last fight was between 145lbers Urijah Faber and Hiroyuki Abe. I had never seen Faber fight before, but hear a lot of great things about him. I was not disappointed! Abe is a tough opponent with an impressive record, but Faber dominated him. Faber showed amazing speed and never stopped coming at Abe the entire fight. Faber's clinchwork and elbows on the ground were effective and impressive. Faber took Abe down numerous times and kept landing in front of where I was sitting -- everytime Faber would land an elbow on Abe there was an incredible popping sound. I started wondering how Abe wasn't bleeding more, and before long he was indeed bloody and the fight was stopped by the doctor's due to a nasty gash on Abe's forehead.
Bobby Hoffman vs. Eric Pele was the final match of the evening. Pele, who fights in the Super Heavyweight division, had a considerable weight advantage over Hoffman. Hoffman, meanwhile, literally looked half-dead. His head was shaven, his skin tight and pale, and his eyes seemed sunken. The fight went back and forth, tiring out both men. Hoffman delivered some great shots to Pele that had him covering and running. In the end however, Pele finally managed to get Hoffman down on the ground and pin his arms. Hoffman literally couldn't get out from under Pele. Pele pitter patter shots to Hoffman's head for a bit, then finally landed a couple heavy shot and referee Herb Dean jumped in and stopped the match.
Randy was in attendance to watch the fights, as well, and was mobbed the entire time! I saw him come into the arena and make his way toward his seat and within no time a huge crowd had gathered around him to get autographs and photos. I think it must have taken him a good hour before he made it all the way to his seat. Then between every fight there were long breaks, and people would run over to Randy during every one! I think by the end of the night the entire arena must have had some sort of Randy memorabilia!
Aside from the fights, I had a lot of fun hanging out with friends and meeting some new people. There were a number of fighters in attendance, Mayhem Miller, Crazy Horse, Rampage, and plenty more.
I also had a chance to hang out with my favorite referee/judge, Cecil Peoples, as well as Herb Dean and Doc Hamilton. Let me tell you, say what you want about the decisions these guys make, but from spending time with them I can tell you they take their jobs very seriously and spend a lot of time making sure they understand the rules for each promotion and how best to implement them. They are very concerned with following the rules and doing the best job possible for all parties involved.
I did get one photo taken with Heath Herring - who lives and trains in Las Vegas these days:
http://www.tqfc.net/photos/rgheath.jpg
Next up is WEC next week! I'll be relaying the live PBP to MMAWeekly for their SoundOff Forums. So if you're interested in live results, make sure to check it out!