Funny MMA Video Of The Day: Even Fighters Wear Masks!

It’s not just a wrestling thing, apparently. This past Saturday night, while we were all watching hoops & UFC 111, Kim Couture-yes, the former Mrs. Randy Couture and the fighter bold (crazy) enough to wear a near-thong to weigh-ins once-was fighting in Mexico against a fighter who basically took the fight on no notice when plans fell apart. The funny part is being in Mexico, she & her corner came out in Lucha-style masks: I recognized a Spider-Man mask, a Chivas mask (something I’ve seen in CHIKARA) and others. The video is after the jump, stick around after the intros for the fight (it’s pretty short) if you wish.

Eddie “Umaga/Jamal” Fatu Death Update: Cause Of Death Revealed

The official cause of death of former WWE star Eddie Fatu, who competed as Jamal & Umaga in the promotion was revealed today: the simple explanation is drugs. From Irv Muchnick’s blog:

The results are in for the toxicology study of World Wrestling Entertainment performer Eddie “Umaga” Fatu, who died at age 36 of a heart attack in Houston on December 4, 2009.

Dan Morgan, supervisory forensic investigator for Harris County, told me in an email, “The cause of death is acute toxicity due to combined effects of hydrocodone, carisoprodol, and diazepam.”

Hydrocone is a painkiller. Carisoprodol, commonly called soma, is a muscle relaxer. Diazepam, commonly called Valium, is an anti-anxiety medication.

In the statement of condolence published on the WWE website at the time of Fatu’s death, the company for which U.S. Senate candidate Linda McMahon was the long-time CEO made what many observers felt was the gratuitous point that he was no longer under contract to WWE. Fatu had been released six months earlier after failing a drug test under the company “wellness policy” and refusing to go to rehab.

The Fatu toxicology results come just a day after Brian Lockhart reported, on the front page of Hearst newspapers in Connecticut, that a Congressional committee and a White House drug policy office “dropped the ball” on the investigation of drugs and death in pro wrestling that followed the June 2007 murder-suicide of Chris Benoit.

Linda McMahon will be appearing in a live televised debate with the other GOP Senate candidates in Hartford on Tuesday night.

http://wrestlingbabylon.wordpress.com/2010/03/01/exclusive-wwe-wrestler-umaga-died-of-acute-toxicity/

Unfortunate that drug abuse/addiction to painkillers and/or other meds claims another one too young, but that’s the sad nature of the business in WWE and wrestling in general. You work so many dates, you’re on the road so much with little or no time to really rest up without serious injuries, it all adds up. Hopefully this at least brings a little closure to the Fatu & Anoai families.

Eki/Eddie “Jamal/Umaga” Fatu Death Update: Funeral Services Planned

On December 18th, there will be a private family viewing for Eddie Fatu, while December 19th will be an open service to the public. Services will take place at the following address:

Davis Funeral Home
6200 South Eastern Avenue
Las Vegas, NV. 89119

Flowers and cards may be sent to the same address.

I haven’t heard any more regarding the exact cause of death, I’ll pass it along when I do.

Eki (Eddie) “Umaga” Fatu, 1973-2009

The wrestling fraternity lost another brother today, tragedy again struck the famed Anoai wrestling family with the loss of Eki (Eddie) Fatu, best known to wrestling fans as WWE star “Umaga”. Fatu died earlier today after what could have been a heart attack. He was only 36. He also competed under the names “Ekmo” and “Jamal” in wrestling, including multiple WWF/E stints. WWE released him again in June after a failed drug test.
This statement was released today by WXW (World Xtreme Wrestling), the promotion owned & operated by Anoai family patriarch Afa The Wild Samoan:
“On behalf of the Anoai Family and front office of WXW C4 it is our sad duty to announce that earlier today, December 4th, we lost another member of not only our wrestling family, but immediate family. Eki “Umaga” Fatu passed away today in Houston at the age of 36. While we mourn the passing of Eki, we also remember all the good times that we were able to share with him and the smiles on the millions of fans faces around the world when he walked to the ring to do what he loved most: wrestle. During this difficult time, we please ask for the fans and the press to respect the privacy of his family during this tough time. When there is more information to be made public, his family will do so. The worst thing that could happen would be to have false information about this horrible situation out there, only to make the situation even worse. We’d like to thank everyone for their sympathy and prayers and ask that everyone celebrate the life of Eki Fatu.”

Eki (Eddie) “Umaga/Jamal” Fatu, 1973-2009. R.I.P. and God Bless, our fallen brother.

Funny MMA Video Of The Day: Fighter vs. Wrestler-Who Wins?

Yes, it’s a real fighter vs. a “not quite real” fighter. Albeit in UFC Undisputed but it’s still almost funny. After beating Anderson Silva in the Japanese Xbox 360 version of the game, Yushin Okami-played by Yushin Okami-faced New Japan Pro Wrestling IWGP Heavyweight Champion Shinsuke Nakamura-who’s dabbled in MMA before in his career-so who wins? See for yourself after the jump. And yes, you probably have to understand Japanese to figure out what they’re saying.

4 Years Later…

WWE superstar Eddie Guerrero was found dead in a hotel room 4 years ago today. As a longtime wrestling fan it was one of the darkest days for me. While I wasn’t always a fan of him as a heel he was still a great wrestler and a good family man too. I bought a special Eddie Guerrero t-shirt after his death in part because some of the proceeds went to his family. We still miss him very much today and on this sad anniversary I take a moment to remember Eddie, he is still greatly missed.

Viva La Raza. Siempre.

Funny MMA Video Of The Day 2: Carano & Cyborg At The ESPYs

Yes, MMA got some love at the ESPY Awards. MMA didn’t win in the best fighter category (that went to boxer Manny Pacquiao), but they still were graced by the presence of 2 of the top female fighters in MMA-Gina Carano & Cristiane Santos, who looked good for the camera, had some fun with this reporter (who looked & sounded like Chris Rock with an afro), and the party even featured an appearance by former WWF/E Champion The Iron Sheik who apparently still has a beef with Hulk Hogan. Funny stuff. I can’t embed this video and can’t put it in the vodpod either, so hit the link below to check it out. Enjoy.

http://vidego.multicastmedia.com/player.php?v=ad94dn39

Mitsuharu Misawa: Appreciation from A Gaijin

As you probably guessed, I spent a good part of the weekend grieving over the loss of Japanese wrestling legend Mitsuharu Misawa. It did bring back some painful memories of the last loss I really mourned, when Owen Hart died a decade ago during a ring entrance for a match. But I decided that to help me move on and remember one of wrestling’s all-time greats, I would try and write an appreciation of him through the eyes of a gaijin who came to know the name in the 90s through magazines, the internet, and DVDs and came to recognize and root for him as one of the sport’s all-time greats. Here then is my appreciation column of the late great Mitsuharu Misawa.

Mitsuharu Misawa, 1962-2009 (Updated)

Indescribably tragic news out of Japanese wrestling today-legendary wrestler Mitsuharu Misawa, one of the greatest of not only Japan but of all-time, is dead. According to various reports, he suffered either a heart attack or cardiac arrest after being knocked unconscious during a match today (last night Japan time) in Hiroshima, Japan. According to reports from witnesses, Misawa was taking a “routine” back suplex from opponent Bison Smith but did not get up. CPR was administered in the ring but apparently it was unsuccessful. His heart stopped beating in the ring and, sometime between being then and being hospitalized he was pronounced dead. The wrestlers were told of this a short time later.

Misawa was the Japanese high school national wrestling champion at 187 pounds in 1980, and was recruited by Giant Baba into All Japan Pro Wrestling.  He gained his first taste of stardom in 1984 when he was chosen to be the second Tiger Mask.  After unmasking in 1990, he became an even bigger star after a series of singles matches with Jumbo Tsuruta. He was Japan’s biggest pro wrestling star of the 90s, and one could make a strong case for him as the top wrestler of the decade.  He was the Wrestler of the Year in 1995, 1997 and 1999. After the death of Shohei “Giant” Baba, Misawa wrestled a little over one more year for All-Japan Pro Wrestling, while working as company president.  After consistently butting heads with owner Motoko Baba, the widow of Shohei Baba, he and 90% of the All Japan roster, including Kenta Kobashi-who many consider “the perfect champion” and another of the greatest of all-time- quit the company to form Pro Wrestling NOAH.

Misawa would’ve turned 47 Thursday.

Mitsuharu Misawa, 6/18-1962-613-2009

(Image courtesy of NOAH’s english-language website, noah-usa.cc)

告別、三沢。 ありがとう神は賛美する。(English: Farewell, Misawa. Thank You, And God Bless)

6/15 UPDATE: According to an English-language article published today by the Japanese newspaper The Mainichi Daily, the official cause of death is damage to the cervical spinal cord.

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20090615p2a00m0na009000c.html

Only In Japan: More MMA Craziness

And you probably thought DREAM adding Jose Canseco vs. Hong-Man Choi to their upcoming DREAM 9 event was crazy enough. Brace yourself, we’re about to top that with an idea straight out of wrestling. Click below to read the crazy details.

Hitman Hart: Wrestling With Shadows (FREE Movie)

Something I came across just a moment ago on 411mania.com, if you’re a wrestling fan you might want to check out this feature-length movie:

http://www.nfb.ca/film/hitman_hart_wrestling_with_shadows

This movie was originally released in 1998 and followed wrestling legend Bret “Hitman” Hart, one of my favorites of all-time (I even had “Hitman” shades as a kid) for a year through the world of wrestling, culminating with “Bret Screwed Bret” aka “The Montreal Screwjob”-the biggest double cross in pro wrestling.

This film is a free presentation of the National Film Board of Canada, you can find more free movies at their website, nfb.ca.

(I couldn’t embed it in this post, but it’ll soon be in the vodpod)

Confuseyus: World Victory Road Sengoku 7 Preview & Predictions

Confuseyus

IMPORTANT: If you are looking for the 3/20/09 Sengoku 7 preview and predictions, PLEASE CLICK THE LINK BELOW! This post was for the January event, which was later revealed to have been called Sengoku No Ran. They just didn’t tell anyone outside Japan ahead of time.

https://dcrage.wordpress.com/2009/03/14/confuseyus-world-victory-road-sengoku-7-take2-preview-amp-predictions/

This Sunday (January 4) is World Victory Road Sengoku 7 from Saitama, Japan…which has the unenviable task of going up against the biggest puroresu event of the year in Japan-New Japan’s Tokyo Dome Blowout Show (the Japanese equivalent of WWE WrestleMania). Sengoku 7 is headlined by title fights to crown the promotion’s first Lightweight and Middleweight champions, but as always, we must start at the bottom to get to the top:

Standard disclaimer: As is always the case, these picks are strictly for entertainment purposes only and should not be used as the basis for any real life betting/wagering. Also, Sengoku is one of few Japanese promotions, if not the only one, to use the Unified MMA Rules, which are similar to those used by UFC. Most notably, it means that all fights are 3 5 minute rounds. Also, when it appears in a fighter’s records the “NC” stands for No Contest. All records are based on the fighters’ records according to the Sherdog Fight Finder.

Minoru Kato vs. Hidetada Irie
Records: Kato 2-5, 1 NC, Irie 3-3-2
Only in Japan is a sub-.500 record not the touch of death for your career. It’s not uncommon over there to see fighters with more losses and wins or guys with a lot of draws, as evident by the records here. Granted, 2 of Irie’s 3 losses were to guys named Gegard Mousasi & Dan Severn, who are really good fighters, but when you also beat guys with names like Jino Jino & Rikio Rikio (seriously. Look up Irie on Sherdog’s Fight Finder), kinda makes you wonder…then again I do remember there being a fighter named Dong Dong. Kato has actually staged a decent turnaround in his career, after starting 0-3 with 1 NC he’s since gone 2-2. And in his last fight just 9 days ago, it was over before you even settled in-he TKO’d his opponent in just 9 seconds. That being said I have trouble picking the guy with the losing record, so I see Kato being laid out fairly quickly and Irie going above .500.
Prediction: Irie by 1st round KO/TKO.

Maximo Blanco vs. Seigo Inoue
Records: Blanco 1-1, 1 NC, Inoue 5-5-1
These guys have fought their entire careers for their respective promotions-Blanco for DEEP, Inoue for Japan excluding 1 fight for the M-1 Challenge. Since they both seem like average guys, this is where I go with experience and that favors Inoue. I’ll overlook his beating a guy named Mike Mike (don’t you just love Japanese MMA?) and say Inoue will make a guy whose name translates loosely as “Maximum White” see Maximo Negro y Azul (Spanish for Black & Blue) in the 1st round.
Prediction: Inoue by 1st round submission/tapout.

Muhammad Lawal vs. Yukiya Naito
Records: Lawal 2-0, Naito 15-4-2
On paper this almost looks like a “booked to win”. Lawal, or “King Mo” as he’s nicknamed, has made a giant impact on the scene since debuting earlier this year. A collegiate wrestling standout, Lawal debuted for Sengoku in September and made a statement by TKOing Travis Wiuff in under 3 minutes. In his second fight it took until the 3rd round but eventually he TKO’d Fabio Silva. I don’t expect Naito to be such a pushover, he’s a veteran tho can TKO you or make you tap. He rarely goes the distance. Naito is a heavy underdog in the MMAPG game, but he’s hot right now-6 straight wins, 9 of his last 10, so I’m feeling like he’s got a shot to dethrone the King. I’m rolling the dice, going for the underdog bonus, and picking Naito to stop Lawal midway through the fight.
Prediction: Naito by 2nd round submission/tapout.

Dave Herman vs. Mu Bae Choi
Records: Herman 13-0, Choi 7-3
With EliteXC’s apparent demise, Herman heads to this event to show why he’s considered one of the top Heavyweight prospects outside of UFC. He’s been a machine to date-only one of his fights has lasted longer than 3 minutes (that fight went to a 3rd round) and when he beat Ron Waterman in EliteXC it gave him serious legitimacy. Choi has fought twice this year after being inactive in all of 2007, compiling a 1-1 record this year. He’s a wrestler with a good ground game even though he probably will give up a good 15 pounds to Herman. This could be a trip-up fight for Herman, but I don’t see Choi giving “Pee Wee” too many problems. Herman should lay Choi out early, just a question of how fast. Over/under: 2 minutes.
Prediciton: Herman by 1st round KO/TKO.

Sergey Golyaev vs. Eiji Mitsouka
Records: Golyaev 12-6, Mitsuoka 14-6-2
Both guys took very different paths from Sengoku 6 to this fight. Golyaev was booked to lose, and lose convincingly, to top Lightweight Takanori Gomi en route to Gomi getting a title shot…only Golyaev shocked Japanese MMA to the core by stealing a split decision win in a fight where Gomi clearly wasn’t himself. Mitsuoka faced Satoru Kitaoka in the Sengoku Lightweight GP Semifinals but came up short, being submitted in 76 seconds. This fight is the “Hot Bout” on MMAPG right now, and with pretty good reason. Both guys have identical 7-2 records in their last 9 fights, but Golyaev has won 5 straight while Mitsuoka’s loss snapped a 3-fight win streak. This one could go the distance and will be a technical fight more than anything. Golyaev has a lot to prove coming off the Gomi fight, so the pressure is really on him. I think he’ll be able to make Mitsuoka tap late in the fight, the question is will it really happen. We’ll see.
Prediction: Golyaev by 3rd round submission/tapout.

Sanae Kikuta vs. Hidehiko Yoshida
Records: Kikuta 27-6-3, 1 NC, Yoshida 8-6-1.
Another one that ‘s something of an “old-timers” fight, Kikuta has been fighting since 1996, Yoshida is going on 40 and has been fighting since 2002. Both have fought exclusively in Japan, Kikuta even has a UFC fight to his credit from when they visited Japan years ago as well as having competed once on the Japanese game show “Sasuke” (which airs in the US as “Ninja Warrior”).  Yoshida, with one fight being an exception, fought exclusively for PRIDE until it folded in 2006, then came back earlier this year for Sengoku. This is a classic grappler vs. grappler/judoka fight, Yoshida has won all his fights by submission while Kikuta has won 15 of his by tapout. That makes this one a safe bet to go the distance, based on experience, and admittedly to a degree age (Kikuta is 2-3 years younger than Yoshida), I’ll go with the former King Of Pancrase here and take Kikuta in a close decision.
Prediction: Kikuta by unanimous/majority decision.

Yoshihiro Nakao vs. Antonio Silva
Records: Nakao 7-1, 2 NC, Silva 10-1.
This fight is more about the back stories than the fight himself as both have histories. Nakao is infamous for being the fighter who actually legit kissed Heath Herring before their fight at K-1 Dynamite 2005, Herring returned the favor by kissing him goodnight with his fists. It was ruled a No Contest before it even began. Silva has been something of a lightning rod in the US, he’s the first (and possibly only) EliteXC Heavyweight Champion, a victory tainted by the revelation that he tested positive for, to put it in plain english, horse steroids, in a test by the CSAC. It got him suspended for 1 year which the CSAC head, Armando Alejandro Estrada…oops, wrong Armando-I meant Garcia…expected him to uphold. When you’re suspended for a drug test you’re expected to honor the suspension and not fight ANYWHERE in the world or you risk never fighting in the state again-or if you’re Garcia, anywhere in the US period. So Silva is defying the suspension and fighting in Japan because, like everyone else, a fighter’s gotta eat. And this is equal booked-to-win and freakshow because, by MMA standards, I can only think of one fighter that’s in Silva’s league in terms of height and weight: Hong-Man Choi. Silva is a freak at 6’4″ and 300 pounds. Nakao may be big in his own right but I have a feeling he’s going to just do best by get in there, take a quick fall, then head out and cash his paycheck and enjoy some good living for a while. Silva should finish Nakao quickly then we’ll see what the backlash from the CSAC might be, that’s gonna be the bigger story to a degree.
Prediction: Silva by 1st round KO/TKO.

Takanori Gomi vs. Satoru Kitaoka for the inaugural Sengoku Lightweight Championship
Records: Gomi 29-4, 1 NC, Kitaoka 23-8-9
Gomi is the #7 Lightweight in the World according to MMAWeekly.
OK, let’s start with the bizarre: This fight should not be happening. Gomi was guaranteed this fight if he beat Golyaev at Sengoku 6. As noted above, he didn’t, but Sengoku decided it was best for all involved to make the match anyway, specifically best for Kitaoka, who won the Sengoku Lightweight GP to earn his title shot. Sengoku helped bring Gomi out of a hiatus he was forced into by the collapse of PRIDE, and perhaps offered a chance to move on after his final PRIDE fight-a loss to former UFC star Nick Diaz…but Diaz would fail a post-fight drug test when it showed marijuana in him, and the result was changed to No Contest. Gomi won his first 2 Sengoku fights before the Golyaev loss. Kitaoka, meanwhile, had all but one of his previous career fights in Pancrase before joining Sengoku, where he won his first 4 fights with the first 3 being by submission all in under 77 seconds. Kitaoka has won 9 of 10 going into this fight and, although he’s the clear underdog, I see a lot of variables working for him. He’s hot, he’s earned his shot, and Gomi may not be all there after not being his old self in the Golyaev loss, which may still leave him less than 100% mentally. Gomi clearly has more to lose here as he’s one of the faces of Japanese MMA, but a dice roll says make way for a new face and a new champion in the form of Kitaoka by a razor-thin nod.
Prediction: Kitaoka by split decision.

Kazuo Misaki vs. Jorge Santiago for the inaugural Sengoku Middleweight Championship
Records: Misaki 21-8-2, 1 NC, Santiago 20-7
Misaki is the #5 Middleweight in the World according to Weekly.
Both took similar paths to this fight withwinning streaks spanning both Senoku and Strikeforce. Misaki has won 3 straight since a NC at the 2007 NYE event in Japan (KO’d Yoshihiro Akiyama with an illegal soccer kick) while Santiago has won 8 straight since a 2-fight losing streak that got him dropped by UFC, a streak punctuated by an indescribably brutal KO of Sean Salmon in Strikeforce’s One Night Middleweight Tournament that Santiago won. This is another tough one to call, and I’m fairly certain it’ll go the distance. This one’s a coin flip to me, my flip came up Misaki so that’s who I’m going with to take the title. Should either one go back to Strikeforce next year, the winner could go to the top of the short list of challengers for Middleweight Champion Cung Le’s title when Le returns from shooting movies in spring. If he does-it’s not definite.
Prediction: Misaki by unanimous/majority decision.

Results & recap coming January 4.