The second installment of the Shotime/EliteXC Elite Challenge Series made for a decent night of fights that looked much less satisfying considering that I watched it immediately after UFC 74. Let's just get right to it.
Victor "Joe Boxer"Valenzuela vs. Charles "Krazy Horse" Bennett - Both fighters came out swinging big in the first round, with the crisper boxing belonging to Valenzuela. Always the showman, Bennett showed little respect for Valenzualea's punching prowess and kept his hands very low. Bennett did a decent job of avoiding damage with some head movement, but the same hands-at-his-sides technique that excited the crowd would ultimately cost Bennett the fight. Joe Boxer found his range and began landing some solid shots. He dropped Bennett, punished his body, took his back, and pounded him out for the submission win (via strikes) at 3:23 of Round 1. I like Krazy Horse, but any promotion that's looking to make waves on the MMA world should not feature him in a pay-per-view main event. Krazy Horse is becoming a caricature and needs to prepare for his fights like a professional athlete.
Seth "Mass Destrution" Kleinbeck vs. Jaime "El Cucui" Jara - Kleinbeck won a relatively uneventful Round 1 after landing some solid low leg kicks. Jara, on the other hand, mounted virtually no offense in the opening round against the larger Kleinbeck. Jara let his hands go a bit in the second round, but things were still slow. Kleinbeck continued attacking Jara's legs and, in the closing seconds, landed a vicious two- or three-punch combination that dropped and dazed Jara. The referee stepped in and called the fight with just one second left in thr second round, giving Kleinbeck the TKO win. I was rooting hard for my man Jaime Jara, who I'm sure will enjoy better success as a welterweight.
Jon 'Sherpa" Murphy vs. David "Bad Man" Huckaba - Although sloppy and frantic at times, Round 1 was an exciting one, with both men giving it everything they had. Huckaba, the Gladiator Challenge heavyweight champ, seemed to be the more effective striker, but Murphy showed some good wrestling and was aggressive in his late-round arm bar attempt. In the opening seconds of Round 2, it was the pony-tailed Murphy who landed a jab, followed it with 2 big hooks, and put Huckaba out for the night for the KO at :19 of Round 2.
Victor "Joe Boxer"Valenzuela vs. Charles "Krazy Horse" Bennett - Both fighters came out swinging big in the first round, with the crisper boxing belonging to Valenzuela. Always the showman, Bennett showed little respect for Valenzualea's punching prowess and kept his hands very low. Bennett did a decent job of avoiding damage with some head movement, but the same hands-at-his-sides technique that excited the crowd would ultimately cost Bennett the fight. Joe Boxer found his range and began landing some solid shots. He dropped Bennett, punished his body, took his back, and pounded him out for the submission win (via strikes) at 3:23 of Round 1. I like Krazy Horse, but any promotion that's looking to make waves on the MMA world should not feature him in a pay-per-view main event. Krazy Horse is becoming a caricature and needs to prepare for his fights like a professional athlete.
Seth "Mass Destrution" Kleinbeck vs. Jaime "El Cucui" Jara - Kleinbeck won a relatively uneventful Round 1 after landing some solid low leg kicks. Jara, on the other hand, mounted virtually no offense in the opening round against the larger Kleinbeck. Jara let his hands go a bit in the second round, but things were still slow. Kleinbeck continued attacking Jara's legs and, in the closing seconds, landed a vicious two- or three-punch combination that dropped and dazed Jara. The referee stepped in and called the fight with just one second left in thr second round, giving Kleinbeck the TKO win. I was rooting hard for my man Jaime Jara, who I'm sure will enjoy better success as a welterweight.
Jon 'Sherpa" Murphy vs. David "Bad Man" Huckaba - Although sloppy and frantic at times, Round 1 was an exciting one, with both men giving it everything they had. Huckaba, the Gladiator Challenge heavyweight champ, seemed to be the more effective striker, but Murphy showed some good wrestling and was aggressive in his late-round arm bar attempt. In the opening seconds of Round 2, it was the pony-tailed Murphy who landed a jab, followed it with 2 big hooks, and put Huckaba out for the night for the KO at :19 of Round 2.
Hector Urbina vs. Ray Lazama - Not fun to watch. From early on, both fighters seemed to tire and neither landed punches of kicks in any succession. Such was the case for all three rounds, and the judges awarded the unanimous decision win to Urbina.
Umar Love vs. Brendan Tierney - After both fighters spent a good part of the opening frame working for position, Love found Tierney's back, sunk in the rear naked choke at 4:08 of Rd. 1, and then broke down like a sissymary.
The highlight of the evening - without a doubt! - was the EliteXC girls. Compared to the UFC ring girls, the EliteXC gals are better built and they actually dance a little bit for you.
If Gary Shaw and the EliteXC want to offer cards on the same night of a UFC pay-per-view event, they're going to have to deliver something better than this.
