The Blog of Doom

“The New York Bad Ass” Phil Baroni vs. “Smokin’” Joe Villasenor

Phil Baroni is a former bodybuilder, shameless self promoter and mouthpiece but backs up his brash talk with some devastating power and crisp boxing.  Baroni has had some spectacular KO victories throughout his career and his heart will never be questioned, so win or lose he’s a fighter that fans always look forward to watching.  Baroni has hit a rough patch lately with a record approaching .500 and been finished brutally inside the bell his last two fights against Frank Shamrock and Kala Kolohe Hose, betrayed by his oft criticized lack of conditioning that’s plagued him throughout his career.  Unfortunately he’s also become somewhat of a one trick pony who only looks for the one-punch KO and seems to have forgotten how to put together combos or utilize his much underrated wrestling skills, which he honed for years at the Hammer House as a complement to his 2x All-American standing at Central Michigan.  Now training out of Xtreme Couture with renowned striking coach Shawn Tompkins one thinks he might realize what a crucial opportunity he has and come into Saturday’s fight with a strong game plan.

Greg Jackson fighter Joey Villasenor spent a majority of his career toiling in the smaller King of the Cage, compiling an impressive record.  In the past few years he’s stepped up to the big leagues with mixed success – being stopped when facing higher level competition in Murilo “Ninja” Rua (Baroni’s original opponent) and Robbie Lawler and losing a razor thin decision to Ryo Chonan.  Recently Joey has rebounded to find himself on the winning end of fights and looks to have recaptured his old form.  Villasenor has KO power and is duly capable on his feet and taking opponents down and smashing them out with effective g’n’p or snatching a submission win.

It’s no secret that both these fighters love to stand and bang it out, so it will be of little surprise when one of these fighters is staring at the lights while the other is celebrating a victory and one step closer to challenging for the Elite XC Middleweight crown.  Considering Baroni’s recent beatings, predictable if valiant game plan and poor conditioning combined with Villasenor’s more varied relentless attack and recent success seem to spell another exciting but crushing defeat for the New York Bad Ass.

Villasenor by TKO, Rd. 3.

Gina “Conviction” Carano vs. Kaitlin Young

Gina Carano is Elite XC’s other ace in the hole when it comes to marketable fighters.  Beautiful and personable this current American Gladiator star is slated to be the face of woman’s MMA in the U.S.  Lately however, Gina seems to have become a “Tito Ortiz” of sorts, who looks to have used MMA to gain notoriety and develop a Hollywood career while having a diminishing desire to train and do battle in the cage.  Carano trains with Xtreme Couture which speaks for itself with ever improving wrestling, a smothering ground game and dangerous g’n’p skills to go with her deadly muay thai background.  While some have argued she’s over protected, she finishes fights in vicious fashion and will need to bring everything she has against the dangerous Young.

Kaitlin Young is a highly touted woman’s fighter who made her name in BoDOG’s Hook’n’Shoot tournament where she KO’d all three of her opponents in less than two minutes combined.  She’s coming off a loss in her most recent fight via submission, so this may be the chink in her armour that Carano and her team will key in on Saturday.

Carano’s had difficulty making weight at 140lbs (which some say was a class created solely for her benefit) and tough cuts leave fighters drained come fight night.  Her weight issues combined with her crazy schedule and seeming lack of interest in MMA leave me questioning where her head will be at Saturday, while Young looks to be very hungry and trying to make an impact on network tv.  Ironically, the muay thai specialist Carano will probably be best served to take Young off her feet and maul her on the ground with her strong ground attack, while Young’s greatest chance for victory will be keeping it on the feet and finishing Carano in punishing fashion.  I believe Gina realizes what a great chance this is for her and that a big win will bring major media exposure, so expect her to come into this fight well prepared and to take advantage of her experience under the bright lights against the less seasoned Young.

Carano by submission, Rd. 2.

“Ruthless” Robbie Lawler vs. Scott “Hands of Steel” Smith

Lawler was at one time a “can’t miss” prospect for the UFC at 170lbs. with a great team (MFS – Militech Fighting Systems), electrifying striking and an excellent look, all at only 19 years of age.  However, his trip to the top was derailed with losses to Pete Spratt, Nick Diaz and Evan Tanner and he soon found himself on the outside looking in.  His move outside the UFC seems to have been a blessing in disguise as was able to develop a more well-rounded and controlled fighting style, while also benefiting from a move up in weight to 185lbs.  Lawler has also matured as a fighter and is less inclined to get drawn into wild, frenetic brawls and has begun to utilize his freakish strength and strong takedowns to compliment his deadly striking.  He’s coming off an injury that caused him to vacate the ICON Middleweight title, but has been on a roll with exciting and punishing KO victories over Frank Trigg and Murilo Rua.

Smith is a former union ironworker who was also a hot prospect with a penchant for putting his opponents to sleep.  His step up in competition in the UFC has lead to mostly disappointing results, where he sported a 1 – 4 record, but he will be best remembered for one of the greatest “hail mary” comeback KO’s against Pete Sell.  With a nickname like “Hands of Steel” it’s a given that Smith possesses some dangerous stand-up skills, but he’s also a good wrestler with brutish strength.

This has the potential to be one of the most exciting fights of the night, as with most of the main card, this fight will likely spend a majority of the time on the feet until someone’s lying flat on their back removed from consciousness.  The ever maturing Lawler who has faced and beaten far stiffer competition will probably prove too much for Smith and will keep him off balance with a mix of his crippling striking and highlight reel high-angle slams.  Smith’s biggest chance to win will be if he can tag Lawler in an exchange and bring out the “Man Up” Lawler, who will try “defend” by wildly throwing down to his detriment against a KO artist like Smith.  I have a feeling this could be a real coming out party for Lawler and on CBS and a chance for Elite XC to take advantage of this opportunity and have another certified star fighter.

Lawler by KO, Rd. 3.

Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson vs. James “the Colossus” Thompson

This is probably the most hyped non – UFC fight in recent history, unfortunately for a lot of the wrong reasons.  Elite XC is wisely capitalizing on the Kimbo phenomenon, but one has to ponder if the short term gains outweigh the long term effects of this strategy.

Ferguson is a certified street brawler who made the transition to MMA at the age of 34 and sports an official record of 2-0 (3-0 counting a defeat of former heavyweight boxing champ Ray Mercer), albeit against less than noteworthy competition.  With all the criticism levied towards Ferguson he seems to have taken a very humble and serious approach to learning and plying his trade under the tutelage of “El Guapo” Bas Rutten.  It goes without saying that his stand-up is his bread and butter and he is technically sound with very heavy hands.  From the little we’ve seen of him he’s displayed excellent head movement, crisp combinations and a strong chin – but his ground game has yet to be tested and critics await his first trials on the mat.

James Thompson is the self style king of the “gong and dash” technique.  There’s no questioning that this monster has a great physique and looks like a promoter’s dream.  Unfortunately for him that’s about as far as his talents extend.  He’s a fighter with a million dollar body and a ten cent chin that has time and time again spelled his undoing.  It doesn’t help that his game plan involves running head long towards opponents, wildly throwing haymaker punches, which usually leads to his fights ending with him facedown on the floor.  It’s very questionable why he’s fighting in the main event, given the fact that the fighter who beat him in his most recent fight is on the undercard (who says life is fair?). 

Thompson is tailor made for Kimbo, but has expressed sentiments that he’s coming in with a real game plan this time to take Kimbo down and impose his size advantage.  I’ve seen nothing from the Colossus that makes me think he’ll have any advantage when he takes Slice down and given the world class training Slice has been getting, I’m willing to bet that he’s able to defend and get back to his feet, if the fight even makes it there.  This is Slice’s big coming out party and I don’t expect him to disappoint, this will be a short and exciting fight that likely won’t see outside of the first minute, let alone the end of the first round.

Kimbo Slice by KO, Rd 1 (inside the 1^st minute)

Final Thoughts: While MMA purists have criticized this card for its lack of “skilled” fights, it will no doubt be the casual fans dream.  Expect very little ground action and the possibility of every fight ending within the first round.  This is Elite XC’s big chance to make an impression on the viewing public and to possibly attract the casual fans whom have sided with the UFC over the last part of the decade.  If things go as planned Elite XC will have introduced some big stars to the audience and possibly created some new ones, but if this event goes badly one can presume this is a death knell for Pro Elite and a disaster for those expecting MMA to reach the big time and be accepted as a viable network entity.