Canseco Gets Bundled

Roger Clemens and Alex Rodriguez can take solace in this. Jose Canseco got knocked out 77 seconds into his MMA debut by Hong Man Choi.

Hoho, look at the size of this thing. Canseco runs around from this Yao Ming until he gets absolutely caught. Think he'll fight again?



Shades of Johnnie Morton (the former Kansas City receiver) in his MMA debut. Although Morton lasted 33 seconds less:



--Nick

Few Updates

-I decided that Urijah Faber is my fav mma fighter earlier today so I wanted to make sure I caught him against Pulver on Versus tonight. I did, and Faber dismantled him in the first round. Like I said in a previous post, Faber got caught when he fought Mike Brown and lost the WEC belt. In the rematch I think Faber tramples him and my wallet might think the same thing. Brown is getting all hyped but he doesn't impress me that much, just a heavy handed brawler and nothing special. Faber is fast, strong, explosive, a former wrestler, can stand with anyone, great submissions, sick tempo, and has maybe the best cardio in MMA. The only way you really beat him is to catch him with a lucky punch like Brown did when Faber went for a flying elbow. Interesting note is that Joe Lauzon and Hermes Franca who are matching up in a couple weekends, both hold submission wins over Mike Brown.

-Ovechkin and the breakaway challenge at the skills competition. Chara also hit 105 on the slapshot competition and set the all time record. Ovechkin really needs his own post though soon. Jesus he is a gap toothed creature.

-We are getting good feedback on the blog so far but we've got some work to do in terms of traffic. Nick checked our old wordpress blog and realized we still get over 500 hits a day and up to 1500 on some days. Thats more than we get here and we haven't updated the old blog in a year. What the? Wordpress tags get scooped by search engines much better than blogspot I guess. We'll figure it out soon enough. Keep spreading the word for us in the meantime.

-I got an Ipod touch yesterday and damn, that thing is extremely ill. If you have wireless in your home, it might be worth getting. Legit life changing possibilities. All the applications, the wifi, the music, google earth, youtube, safari, dvd's, games, shows, etc, are very awesome. Also I have Pandora for it and if you were late to the party on that thing then get on it asap. It just feeds you nonstop music over the internet and it learns what kind of music you like over time and gives you stuff you would like. I could do a whole post on Pandora alone but if you have an iphone or a touch you need this.

-Im copying this from the old blog but oh well. I know some people have already watched this one but I cant risk someone not seeing it. Mullet head got walloped and pwned. Sounded like a gunshot. Look at the look on the punchers face as shes winding up, then the double fast walk away. Check out the old lady at the beginning too. Love this clip so much. Rlol


-This next youtube is actually pretty recent. You know the quote that says trust the art and not the artist? Well that would probably apply to Joaquin Phoenix' decision to pursue music. Great actor, but are you toying with my life man? Get a grip bro. Seriously grab a mach 3 and come back to planet earth.



-Wolfie

Let Me Upgrade Ya: Dan Lauzon Q&A

Dany Lauzon made time for us the other day and we really appreciated it. His fight against IFL lightweight champ Chris Horodecki is scheduled to be the first on the Affliction card Sat night on PPV, so don't miss it. This card is getting a ton of attention and is billed as can't miss. Get your boys together, split the cost, and order it. Support our hometown fighter here at WKFTB. Plus a lot of you casual fans haven't yet seen Fedor fight. That alone is worth the price, nevermind the fact that the entire card is stacked.



Wolfe: Hey Danny, thanks for making time for the blog on such short notice. The fight is only a few days away. All around the MMA community this card is getting a lot of attention, and around here we are all pulling hard for ya. Good luck Saturday night and just do your thing. I really believe you've got this thing.

D-Lau: Thanks. I'm excited and very confident.

Wolfe: I was in attendance at your last two fights at WCF in Wilmington and you just ran through the competition. The local fighters at your weight just aren't close to your level so I'm glad you are getting a PPV fight against a top fighter. How do you think you match up with Horodecki in terms of style and skill?

D-Lau: My all around game is better than his. I can wrestle, I can submit people, and I can knock people out. He's a good kickboxer. He gets ahead on the score cards but doesn't do too much damage. His last 6 wins have been decisions. My last 7 wins have been finishes. I go into every fight looking to finish it as quickly as possible. You don't get paid for overtime. Although he's the favorite, this is a very tough fight for him.

Wolfe: About those hands of Horodecki. Can we expect to see you throwing with him or is the better strategy to show off some of your ground game?

D-Lau: His ground is his weakness, but I'm not scared to stand with him. I'm going to fight him wherever I feel most comfortable.

Wolfe: How is your cardio right now?

D-Lau: My cardio is great for once. I always struggle with this. I have been training for this fight for almost 4 months. My warm-ups each night start with 5 rounds that are 5 minutes with 1 minute rest in between all stand-up. Then, I do my MMA rounds or shark baits. (Me in the middle with fresh guys cycling through me, while I'm tired)

Wolfe: I'm glad the era of wrestler's laying and praying has come and gone. One thing I love about you and your brother is how active you are in the ring. Horodecki has 6 knockouts, 6 decisions, and 0 submissions. Once he got to the IFL, he became champion but went to decision in 6 of his 8 wins. You on the other hand have never went to decision and neither has your brother Joe in his 21 fights. You have 6 KO's and 5 submissions in your victories. Do you think your style of dictating the tempo and pressing the action makes your opponent uncomfortable and gives you a big advantage? And I haven't seen many of his fights but how the hell does a standup fighter like Horodecki go the distance so often?

D-Lau: He goes the distance so much because, like I said, he just racks up points by scoring with leg kicks. He doesn't commit and try to finish people. Joe's and my style is come at you and come aggressive. Hurt you with our hands and if you survive we look for the submission. We're very well rounded, and we're dangerous no matter where the fight goes.

Wolfe: You are 11-2 and Horodecki is 12-1. I know Horodecki dominated in the IFL, but none of the guys he beat had a win-loss record like yours. He ran through the local fighters in Canada and then had success in the IFL. You haven't really been tested either besides Fisher, which I will get to later, but my point is that I think MMA is still learning how to build up fighters like boxing does, but this is a good example of how it should be done. I think you both have bright futures but the winner of this fight will be on a fast track to becoming a superstar.

D-Lau: Definitely. The guy I fought in New Jersey, which is my only other loss, is even better than Spencer. Devidias Taurosevicious, look him up. He was a professional rugby player in Russia before moving to the United States. His only losses are to UFC veteran Frankie Edgar and UFC veteran Jim Miller. Also, he fought Ryan Schultz in the IFL to a 5 round decision. At the time, I wasn't ready for a fight like that. And I was dealing with a bunch of EB (East Bridgewater, MA) drama bullshit. Since then I have matured and gotten on the right track. The winner of this fight is definitely going to make a big step in the right direction.

Wolfe: I was looking at your fight history earlier, and I kind of forgot how early you were thrown into the UFC. You only had four local fights at the time when you got the call to fight 19-2 Spencer Fisher as an 18 year old kid, the youngest in UFC history. I went back and watched that fight today to refresh my memory. What I saw was you kicking Fisher's ass for 4 minutes straight before you completely gassed and ate some shots until the ref stopped it. I really believe you would have beat him if you didn't take the fight on short notice. But anyway, I don't want you to have to rehash that fight. My question is, how much better of a fighter are you today as opposed to when you made your debut over 2 years ago? What have you most improved on?

D-Lau: I'm ten times the fighter today, both mentally and physically. My biggest improvement since that fight is in my stand-up. When I fought Spencer I was a brawler. Now I'm a mixed martial artist that can box.

(Watch that Fisher/Lauzon fight here)

Wolfe: Joe told us he would probably beat you 8 out of 10 times if you guys laced them up full UFC rules. Do you agree? And what would be your strategy fighting him?

D-Lau: I disagree, obviously. I actually asked him about this when I read his interview. I won't give my strategy to beating him because I don't want any of his opponents in the future to get any ideas if they read this. My boxing coach says if me and Joe fight 10x. I take the first 3 and Joe takes the next 7. I think if me and Joe fought 10x it would be very even with Joe winning 6-4 or vice versa, maybe split 5 and 5. All depends on the day.

Wolfe: Joe has his own big fight coming up against Hermes Franca. Im sure you think hes going to do well, but what impresses you most about Joe's skills? Did notice that he come back with new tricks after training with BJ Penn in Hilo for a while?

D-Lau: When Joe first returned from Hawaii he was a beast. His postioning was very tight and he was slicker than ever. He showed me some tricks. But, me and Joe grapple differently. He has a better top game than me and I have a better game from my back than him.

Wolfe: Who is the biggest named fighter in the UFC that you would love to get a shot at?

D-Lau: I'm not really sure. I would love a rematch with Spencer.

Wolfe: Do you have any plans to move up in weight at some point? You walk around a lot bigger than what you fight at.

D-Lau: As long as I can make 155, that's where I want to stay. How much longer will I be able to make 155? Time will tell, I'm still growing.

Wolfe: I heard you always liked Vitor. Would you ever have thought you would be fighting on the same card as Vitor Belfort? I mean you were in 4th grade when Belfort knocked out Vanderlei Silva in that famous blitz.

D-Lau: Vitor Belfort is my all time favorite fighter. He fought in the UFC at such a young age. It's an honor to be fighting on the same card as a lot of the guys on it, like Fedor, Arlovski, Belfort, Barnett. So many veterans that paved the way for our sport.

Wolfe: Is there anything specifically you want to focus on in terms of your skill set for 2009? Like maybe improve your wrestling, or get your standup to a level where its even more devastating? Anything like that?

D-Lau: I just want to keep improving on my cardio, keep myself focused, and improve my all around game.

Wolfe: Some fans still don't realize how much technique matters in real fighting. I've seen you beat Sev in a fight easily, even though he is a freak of nature. Do you think you could beat Ray Lewis in a fight in the cage? Or is that asking too much?

D-Lau: It's a fight, anything can happen. I think I would definitely give Ray Lewis a tough fight. He's a football player, I'm a fighter. I know what I'm doing when the fight hits the ground. I could get him to walk into a choke or armbar. Also, look at it like this, How would Chuck Liddell do in a rushing attack against Ray Lewis? Ray would chew him up and spit him out. Is that a bad example? I don't know but it sounds cool. ha ha.

Wolfe: As for the last analogy, I would maybe go with how Brock Lesnar was awful and got cut in mini camp when he tried out for the Minnesota Vikings even though he was physically just as impressive, if not more, than the other defensive ends. He probably couldn't even play D1 NCAA football until he was coached up. But anyway lets move on.

Wolfe: If you are going to drink a light beer, Bud, Miller, or Coors? And has the wild side of D-Lau calmed down a little bit these days and focused more on training to be a champion? Or is the partying just part of the package?

D-Lau: Coors or Bud light. The wild side is still in me. I can still get crazy but I've really matured in the last couple years. I look back at shit I've done and think about what a dueshbag I used to be. I do still go out and party, but I'm much calmer now. I have too much to lose and I've worked too hard to fuck it up now. People that know me, they know I have grown up and matured. I don't want to be remembered as the drunk idiot, I use to be. I want to be remembered for my fighting ability.

Wolfe: Lastly, we asked Joe this but hes a wealthy computer nerd and entrepreneur so we thought we might have a better shot with you. 300 bucks and I will wash your car if you say "everybody check out whitekidsfromtheburbs.com" when you are getting interviewed after the fight. Any chance?

D-Lau: Keep the $300, don't wash my car and when I win I'll give the blog a shout-out if I remember.

Wolfe: Haha thats very awesome. The guys would be dying back home if it happened. But alright thanks for the time Dan. We all have been looking forward to this card for weeks. East Bridge in the hizzy Sat night.

D-Lau: Thanks Wolfie and Thanks to everyone for the support. I'm going to try to make EB proud and bring home a win.

-J. Wolfe
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UFC Title Rundown

Guest blog from Rich McLaughlin. Richard is finishing up his docorate of physical therapy. Hes one of my best friends in the world and the guy I go to if I need to know the deal with a sports injury. Actually I should ask him break down Brady's knee. (you guys don't want to know what he thinks) Rich is also a big fan of MMA so I asked him to break down the champions for the casual fans who read this blog. This is a pretty general article but it should catch you guys up on the current state of the champions. Thanks for taking the time Rich.

MMA and the UFC in particular are exploding in popularity. As evidenced by the highlights on Sportscenter now, the sport is ready to go mainstream. I love boxing, and Jake will probably keep you guys up to date on it, but MMA needs its due. Lets just hope it doesn't get too WWF on us. And lets hope they build their fighters and find a few superstars to fill the seats. Dana White is hoping this first fighter can be that guy...

Heavyweight Champion (205-265):

Brock Lesnar: Physically, Lesnar is the equivalent of Lebron James rookie year in the NBA. The man is still pretty raw, but physically he is a freak. 6’3’’ 265lbs of straight power. He put together a pretty impressive resume prior to entering MMA. He was a 2 time All-American college wrestler (106-5, one of those losses to New England Patriots guard Stephen Neal), WWE wrestler, made final cuts for the Minnesota Vikings (DE). In 3 UFC fights (2-1), that one loss to the revitalized and interim champion Frank Mir, in Lesnar’s MMA debut (knee bar submission). Man’s fists are the size of 16 oz boxing gloves.

Frank Mir (Interim): Personally not a huge Mir fan, however, his skills are undeniable. He is primarily known for his grappling/ground game, but in demonstrated very impressive striking in his demolition TKO of “Big Nog”, making him the first MMA fighter ever to finish “Big Nog”. Mir is as cocky as they come, but with a 12-3 MMA record, with some impressive wins on his resume including Tim Sylvia(snapped his arm), Big Nog, and Brock Lesnar, who can blame him.

Light Heavyweight Champion (185-205):

Sugar Rashad Evans: Explosive athlete. Appeared on the second season of the Ultimate Fighter, winning the heavyweight class. Sugar Rashad was a National Junior College wrestling champion before wrestling at Michigan State. 18-0-1 MMA record, while fighting some of the biggest names in the history of the sport. Decision victories against Bonnar and Bisbing, KO wins over Griffin and Liddell. Only blemish was a draw with Tito Ortiz. Tested fighter who occasionally appears to be out of shape, but manages to win none the less. Explosive striker, and excellent wrestler. (Liddell KO / headkick video)

Middleweight Champion (170-185):

Anderson “the Spider” Silva: Straight finishes fights. This man is a ninja, and arguably the best pound for pound fighter in the world. Even though he is relatively new to the UFC, he is by no means new to MMA fighting (23-4). He is a primarily known for this Muy Thai skills, but no one has found a weakness in his game yet. He is been virtually unstoppable since arriving in the UFC, and seen the 3rd round only once. Wins over Leben, Lutter, Franklin (2), Henderson, Irwin (fought at 205lbs). Arguably the most skilled striker in MMA today. Its as good as over once he locks in the Thai Clench.

Welterweight Champion (155-170):

George “Rush” St Pierre: Possibly the best athlete in the UFC, arguably one of the best pound for pound fighters in the world. Demonstrates a scary combination of speed and power. Looks much larger than 170lbs. Holds an impressive 17-2 MMA record with victories over Parysian, Hughes, BJ Penn, Sherk, Serra, Koschek, Fitch. Basically he has beaten the highest quality of fighter in each of his UFC fights. Pushes the pace, rarely fails on a take down, athletically is on another level than his opponents at this weight class.

Lightweight Champion (145-155):
BJ “the Prodigy” Penn: The most flexible fighter I have ever seen. Fights at 155, but will be fighting George “Rush” St Pierre (Jan. 31, 2009) at 170lbs. World renound BJJ fighter, he was the first American born black belt World Jiu Jitsu Champion. Skill set extends far beyond just his incredible ground game. Penn is an excellent striker (just ask Sean Sherk), and an iron head. Holds a 14-4-1 MMA record including wins against Din Thomas, Pulver, Hughes, Stevenson, and Sherk.

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Nice breakdown Richie. I decided to throw in one more youtube for the casual fans trying to get a handle on who's who in the MMA game.

WEC Featherweight Contender - Urijah Faber

The WEC is owned by the UFC. It focuses on lighter weight fighters and holds the majority of their events in California. I wanted to let you know about Urijah Faber, a kid in the featherweight that doesn't even hold the title. Faber got caught and knocked out by Mike Brown in November but that almost doesn't even matter. Faber is 21-2 and dominant in that 145 lb weight class. Lauzon trained with him a little last year when Faber was training to fight Pulver, and he was telling me the guy is just unreal. Very explosive striker, can wrestle, well rounded, and even tapped Lauzon once when they were sparring. And Im pretty sure the only person who taps Joey is BJ. Anyway, Faber will get the title back and if he goes on another long win streak I wouldn't be surprised if they throw big money at him to make a run at the UFC lightweight crown. (which would be hard because hes such a natural 145) Peep the highlight.

WKFTB Exclusive: Joe Lauzon Interview

Joe Lauzon is a professional fighter in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is fighting in the main event of UFC's Ultimate Fight Night 17 against Hermes Franca on Feb. 7 on Spike TV. This is a very big fight for our hometown hero. The winner will have some serious momentum in terms of buzz and respect in the LW division. Joe will be doing a ton of interviews soon but he was kind enough to give the first one to the hometown cats so enjoy.

Wolfe: Hey Joe, thanks for taking the time out to do us a favor and give us an interview. We know you will have to do about 84 to 85 thousand more of these before the fight, but this one is for the EB (East Bridgewater) boys. So the fight will be the main event of UFC's Fight Night live on Spike TV Feb. 7. Tell us a little bit about your opponent, Hermes Franca. What style of fighter would you say he is, and how do you think you match up with him in terms of style and skills? Does he fight anywhere near your tempo?

Lauzon: Hermes Franca is a bad ass. Guy is a black belt in Jiu-Jitsu, heavy handed on his feet and doesn't always press the action, but the moment you get tired he is there to take advantage. Guy is super dangerous but his pace is the exact opposite of mine. I press the action from the start and try to wear people down. I just need to be careful I don't wear myself down and give him that opening he is waiting for. I think I have the right attributes to make it a tough night for him though. He is like 5'6"... I am 5'10". We both will make 155 but I will be a lean 165 by fight time and I think he will be a little heavier but softer. I think on the ground we are competitive; I think on the feet he hits harder but I throw faster and straighter punches. I think it has the makings of a great fight with one of us getting beat up.

Wolfe: It seems like you and Franca were both on the fast track to the belt (Franca beat Spencer Fisher and Nate Diaz back to back to cap off an 8 fight win streak before losing to Sherk) but each had a setback. You with a loss to Kenny Florian and Franca with the steroid suspension. Now whoever wins this one is right back in the title shot conversation. Would you agree or disagree with that?

Lauzon: I think its a pretty good assessment. I was fighting to win a title shot though while Hermes actually did fight for the title. He made it further than me but I will bounce back higher when all is said and done.

Wolfe: In your last fight you kept it standing and traded with Kyle Bradley almost the entire fight. I heard you did that to conserve energy in the first round. Regardless, you do seem more and more comfortable on your feet as your career progresses. I remember being at your first MMA fight, right when you turned 18, and you literally had zero interest in standing up. I know since then you have worked hard at it and have come a real long way. Can you tell us a little about what you like to do when youre on your feet in the ring these days?

Lauzon: I put a lot of time into my standup now a days. The Kyle Bradley fight was all about showing that I could hang where he was most comfortable. I knew I was going to have the advantage on the ground but didn't want to rush it and get caught with something stupid. When I started out fighting I was just using punches to set up my takedowns. Flailing a few wild punches and shooting worked back then, but it's all changed now. Everything I throw is to hurt you on my way in. I knocked out Pulver because I changed from using punches as a distraction to using them to do some real damage.

Wolfe: OK Joe, I gotta be honest. I don't think we saw the real you against Kenny Florian. To me it seemed like you just gassed early and that affected you a lot more than any elbows to the head. Would you love another shot at Kenny? Or have you moved on and there are other fighters you would rather fight more?

Lauzon: It was whole bunch of things... altitude, nervousness being main event for the first time, getting elbowed in the head and losing my takedown... whole bunch of things that didn't go my way. It just wasn't my night. I am not getting hung up on it but I would love another fight with Kenny.

Wolfe: Alright, the rest of the questions will be a little lighter. Some of my friends were wondering this and the guesses were all over the map so set us straight. If you and your brother Danny fought full out UFC rules, how many times do you win out of 10? I'm going with 7. Also, his standup seems pretty impressive these days. With his size and kicks, is he better on the feet than you?

Lauzon: I think I win 8... because Danny gasses real bad and I would have a tough time in the beginning but as we went on more I would catch him easier. His boxing is better than mine, but I know his game better and can stop most of what he does. My biggest problem would be dealing with his power, but when he has to make 155 its not as much of a problem as when he is 180.

Wolfe: Speaking of Danny "The Upgrade" Lauzon. He fights a tough fighter in Chris Horodecki on the Affliction card Jan. 24. How good do you think Horodecki is? And Im not sure if you are allowed to comment on it or not, but how is the Affliction league looking? Is there more talent than WEC [World Extreme Cagefighting]?

Lauzon: I think Horodecki is awesome. Kid is super talented and its really going to be a war between two rising stars. I think Dan is going to bully the hell out of him though... Dan is just too big and hits too hard. Affliction has some promise with the guys on their card but they are nowhere near as organized as the UFC. The UFC has a few shows a month whereas Affliction is just getting their feet wet. UFC is far more mobile and can adapt and make changes. Affliction is much slower moving but as I said, has some potential. For now, UFC is king and is what Affliction is hoping to be. UFC also has a WAY deeper talent pool. Look how many great 155'ers there are in the UFC. Affliction has two: Dan and Horodecki. They have a long way to go.

Wolfe: Fedor Emilianenko, widely considered to be the best heavyweight in the world, is with Affliction. Do you think the lack of success of the Pride guys in UFC puts his merits into question?

Lauzon: Fedor put an end to those questions when he played with Tim Sylvia like my dog with a chew toy. He is definitely a bad ass. You are right about the Pride guys not performing -- the UFC has far better athletes and their cardio is much better as a whole. Pride was about a beating and the UFC is a sport.

Wolfe: I love how you put that. Give us two fighters in the UFC right now, who haven't yet fought for a title, that you see having a really bright future in the game.

Lauzon: Lyoto Machida at 205... and I am going to jump to WEC and say Josh Grispi (who is from Mass.).

Wolfe: Who is the best grappler you have ever rolled with and who is the best standup guy you ever sparred with?

Lauzon: Best grappler and best striker is BJ [Penn]... never felt so helpless in either position.

Wolfe: Whats the real deal with money being paid to the fighters? What are the undercard guys getting as opposed to the top names? Is anyone clearing a million for one fight?

Lauzon: Some of the higher ups are clearing a million if they headline a PPV and get a piece of the buys, but those are the only guys. The money is getting a lot better though and it won't be long before more guys are making that kind of money.

Wolfe: Was it tough agreeing to do this interview knowing that one of our writers (his name rhymes with lake) claims that he had your number in many fights while growing up?

Lauzon: Well... the only real fight is the one where I broke his nose with the same hook that took out Pulver. I don't count the times I was jumped mid-play in football. So no, it doesn't bother me at all.

Wolfe: If we gave you 300 dollars and washed your car twice, would you mention our blog when Rogan interviews you after the fight?

Lauzon: I don't think so... however... I will post this on my MySpace, Facebook and website when you get it up.

Wolfe: Sounds good. So Joe Lauzon decides to order some local takeout, what does he get and from what restaurant?

Lauzon: The 99 in Bridgewater is like my second home. We used to always go there before fights but now we go at least once a week after training. Place is the best.

Wolfe: Im not sure about the food choice but thanks again for taking time out to answer some questions from the local boys. Good luck against Franca. Anything else you would like to add?

Lauzon: Thanks guys... check out my MySpace and send me a friend request, and go to my website and sign up for my newsletter!

___

Here is a highlight of Franca and one of Lauzon below that.