To prepare you as best we can for your week of Fantasy Football, we've devised this series of previews for each NFL game. We'll give you a taste of what to expect, then rank each significant Fantasy contributor on a scale from 0-5 logos (with five logos suggesting can't-miss; a player or unit without any logos suggests you probably shouldn't start him under any circumstances). The rankings take the matchup into account, but injuries and other significant factors also contribute. You should be able to compare the ratings for the players on your team and make an educated pick on who should start -- and sit -- in your lineup .
San Diego Chargers at St. Louis Rams - Sunday, 1:00 p.m.
The Chargers have been the most explosive team in the league, and that won't change here. St. Louis has been fine against opposing tight ends but Antonio Gates is a completely different story. Look for the Chargers to force the Rams to pick their poison between Gates and Malcom Floyd, and for Rivers to make them pay for their decision over and over again. St. Louis' run defense has actually been pretty good so far this season, and with Ryan Mathews still nursing an ankle injury and Mike Tolbert no longer trustworthy to handle the football regularly, Rivers won't have a problem putting the ball up a lot. The Rams got exposed a little bit last week when the Raiders were able to churn for yardage with Michael Bush and then take downfield shots. The Rams will likely lean on Steven Jackson to get the offense moving, then you could see Sam Bradford utilize his tight ends a little bit more. If the Rams operate out of a two-tight end set, they'll be able to keep the passing attack simple and effective, win the time-of-possession battle and set up longer throws. Remember, they can also be just as effective in three-receiver sets with Danny Amendola in the slot. The Rams will aim for the deep middle behind the Chargers' linebackers and in front of their safeties. It might not work every time, especially with Mark Clayton no longer providing a deep threat, but it could help them get some points on the board
Baltimore Ravens at New England Patriots - Sunday, 1:00 p.m.
The Ravens might start the game leaning on Ray Rice to try and three-peat his performance over the Patriots from his big games last year (262 yards on 33 carries with two touchdowns), but they don't have to finish that way. New England's secondary has been under the microscope all season, exploited by all of their opponents (even the Bills) to the tune of at least two passing touchdowns and 220 passing yards. Joe Flacco has been working his way out of his early-season funk, and with no big Pats pass rush to handle and a young secondary still finding its way, there could be some really good connections with both Anquan Boldin and Derrick Mason. Both starting cornerbacks, Devin McCourty and Kyle Arrington, will be in Flacco's crosshairs. The Patriots offense is an enigma post-Randy Moss, but here's a stab at what they'll do: They'll be balanced and run a decent amount. Sounds crazy, but when you realize just how well the Browns and Steelers ran against these Ravens earlier this season, the Patriots could try to do the same thing. With Fred Taylor unlikely, BenJarvus Green-Ellis isn't all bad (the Patriots have handed off to running backs 63 times and landed two rushing touchdowns in their last three against the Ravens, so they're not afraid to run). If they succeed on the ground, Tom Brady could actually lose opportunities to throw but could still attack and put up some stats. I do not think he'll deliver a huge game for Fantasy owners and others in the league will do much better. Wes Welker will obviously draw attention, and the Ravens have done a good job with him in the past, but we'll see how their cornerbacks do against versatile tight end Aaron Hernandez. He could score. The Patriots will have to make it work with him, and the Ravens might even sway their coverage toward him and take their chances with Deion Branch. The wild-card here is Brandon Tate, who might be used as a deep-ball receiver to help stretch defenses, though if he's in on special teams he won't play as often as someone like Moss did. Ultimately, expect the Patriots to throw a decent amount but not always deep. Ball control and balance will be the name of the game.
Atlanta Falcons at Philadelphia Eagles - Sunday, 1:00 p.m.
The Falcons will attack the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball in an attempt at payback from last season, a blowout loss in Philly. The Eagles gave up a slew of yards last week to Frank Gore, particularly because defensive tackle Brodrick Bunkley went down and the Niners' O-line was able to push around replacements Trevor Laws and Antonio Dixon. The Falcons' nasty O-line will do the same thing and give Michael Turner a springboard to put up good numbers. Matt Ryan can then do what he does best and use the run game to set up passes to Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez. Having Michael Jenkins back doesn't hurt things either for Ryan. The Eagles' offensive line is in just as bad of shape as their D-line as starting left tackle Jason Peters will miss the game with a knee injury. That's awful news for Kevin Kolb, who struggles enough as it is behind that line. The Falcons might opt to play back their safeties and send blitzes from their front seven in an effort to put the clamps on Kolb. Philadelphia should be able to make use of LeSean McCoy and tight end Brent Celek has a favorable matchup, but it will be harder for them to keep Kolb upright, and the Atlanta pass rush could force a number of turnovers.
Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers - Sunday, 1:00 p.m.
Expect the Browns offense to be varied: Some simple stuff for rookie quarterback Colt McCoy to be able to grasp, some Wildcat formation with Josh Cribbs and a big dose of the run game, perhaps with new running back Mike Bell. But don't expect miracles; the Steelers not only view this as a winnable game but as one they want to win for their returning quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger. The Browns' run defense might give an inspired effort in limiting Rashard Mendenhall -- he's still a good candidate to score -- but Roethlisberger should be able to air it out to Hines Ward and Mike Wallace, both of whom will have a field day against a very bad group of Browns cornerbacks. Ward especially has been a Browns beater over his career, but we can't deny Wallace's matchup, particularly if he ends up in single coverage against either Eric Wright or rookie Joe Haden.
New Orleans Saints at Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Sunday, 1:00 p.m.
The game is a meaningful one to the Buccaneers; they're having a hard time selling out games but would send a strong message to their fans in Florida that they're legit if they can knock off the champs and keep pace in the division. What helps them is that the Saints struggled with the Bucs in their most recent meeting, losing to them at home last year. Not having safety Tanard Jackson will hurt, especially since Drew Brees has been utilizing Jeremy Shockey recently. Look for the Saints to attack the middle of the field and exploit replacement Cody Grimm, who picked off a pass for a touchdown last week but was picked on otherwise. Robert Meachem was more involved in the second half last week and could be a candidate to deliver again. Hard to trust anyone from either team's run game even though both defenses give up over 115 rush yards per game on average. The Bucs could give a bulk of the workload to their backs and attack the Saints' front seven, but which back will get the most work? Cadillac Williams is a candidate, and he had a big game in the Bucs' win over the Saints last year, but the team might try to spread the wealth around to backs like Earnest Graham and LeGarrette Blount. Williams would have to break a long one for a touchdown as he'll get pulled deep in the red zone. New Orleans' pass defense has been good, but so has Mike Williams. You can tell that Josh Freeman has the ultimate confidence in his young receiver, and teams might have to start game planning for him like they do other top-tier wideouts. Expect Freeman to shoulder much of the offensive load for the Bucs, particularly in the second half.
Seattle Seahawks at Chicago Bears - Sunday, 1:00 p.m.
The Seahawks shouldn't waste much time getting Marshawn Lynch involved, giving them the run game they've been missing all year. Seattle running backs have totaled exactly zero offensive touchdowns this year and none have had more than 70 rushing yards in a game. Lynch has the potential to break both of those marks on Sunday; the Bears have been good against the run but there's no doubt that Pete Carroll will test his new running back several times. Lynch sets up the Seattle offense much better than Justin Forsett ever did -- with Lynch, Matt Hasselbeck can use play-action and maybe even catch the Bears' safeties off guard for long gains. With Deion Branch gone, look for Deon Butler to pick up his slack opposite Mike Williams and Brandon Stokley to land a decent amount of short-area catches from the slot. This rejuvenated offense could give the Bears' secondary some fits, though Julius Peppers may have something to say about that. Peppers could change the whole dynamic of the game if the Seahawks don't give rookie left tackle Russell Okung some help blocking him. The Bears will get Jay Cutler back and he should torment the Seahawks secondary. No one there is good enough to scare off the Bears in single coverage, and the team will probably test rookie safety Earl Thomas, who has played well in spurts and poorly in others. Greg Olsen could score again, and we're still waiting for Johnny Knox to find the end zone. If he can draw single coverage, perhaps against Marcus Trufant, he could land a big catch. Matt Forte was huge last week for the Bears, and he might have earned himself a little more run than normal this week if he can get a push from his offensive line. Seattle's been real good against the run so far this season, thanks in part to a good D-line rotation and their linebackers staying healthy. It's a tough challenge for Forte, but his opportunities shouldn't get "Martzed" as they were in previous matchups
Detroit Lions at N.Y. Giants - Sunday, 1:00 p.m.
Shaun Hill will be hard-pressed to have another big game against a Giants squad with a great pass rush. Then again, he had good numbers against the Packers two weeks ago and faced a defense with a similar scheme as the Giants last week. Still, you have to expect multiple turnovers for the quarterback, and he'll go into the game with Calvin Johnson at less than 100 percent. If he was healthier then Hill would have a better chance to produce. The Lions will lean on Jahvid Best as much as they can as both a rusher and a receiver -- at least until the game gets out of hand and forces Hill to drop back, and that's when the Giants' blitz could really make an impact. For the G-Men, this should be a repeat of last week's success as the Lions' pass defense is easy to exploit. Eli Manning and Hakeem Nicks might connect twice more for touchdowns and you have to consider any receiver for the Giants as appealing given the matchup. Even though Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh is making strides as a defender, the Giants should still be able to find 25 total carries for Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs, giving both a shot to score and have some good yardage with it
Miami Dolphins at Green Bay Packers - Sunday, 1:00 p.m.
This could be a field day for all the Dolphins. The Packers are thin at strong safety, and there's no doubt the Dolphins will test third-stringer Charlie Peprah if he drops into the box or if he plays in coverage. There's also the issue of the Packers' linebacking corps -- Clay Matthews isn't expected to play, Nick Barnett is sidelined -- they're both quality starters that rush the passer and stuff the run. If the pass rush fails to get to Chad Henne -- a very likely possibility without Matthews suiting up -- then look for a big day from the quarterback. He's developed his chemistry with Davone Bess further and will not take long to find Brandon Marshall. It's even a good week for Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams to do what Ryan Torain couldn't last week: Move the chains and keep drives alive. I think the Packers will have a shot to react and move the chains themselves if Aaron Rodgers ends up playing. Obviously Rodgers presents a lot of problems for the Dolphins, and even though Jermichael Finley will be out for a while it looks like Donald Lee will have a chance to play. That really helps since Rodgers is comfortable with him, he knows the offense and the passing game will be as close to full strength as possible. That means it won't be limited to short- and mid-range stuff and it gives a chance to Donald Driver, who likely won't see improving cornerback Vontae Davis on him for most of the game, to be productive
Kansas City Chiefs at Houston Texans - Sunday, 1:00 p.m.
In what's become your typical statistical anomaly, the Texans are ranked fifth against the run but have allowed six total touchdowns (five rushing) to running backs in their last four games and have been eaten up by rushing tandems in Oakland and the N.Y. Giants over the last two weeks. Here comes another tandem in Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones, and you can expect both to have plenty of opportunities to run on Sunday. In fact, the Chiefs should be able to repeat most of their offensive game plan for this matchup, complete with Matt Cassel taking shots downfield. Here's where things get tricky: How long will Cassel trust Dwayne Bowe? Last week's drops could change the philosophy of the offense and open up more chances for Tony Moeaki, Chris Chambers and Dexter McCluster to make plays. Even with the Texans' pass defense playing horribly, the Chiefs don't have the makeup to be a pass-dominant team, not with a liability in Bowe playing. The Texans didn't have their act together last week on offense, got behind early against the Giants and couldn't catch up. Kansas City will try to do the same thing here, leaning on their run defense to slow down Arian Foster and using their deep zone coverage to contain Andre Johnson. If they were able to limit Peyton Manning last week they'll be able to limit Matt Schaub this week. The lone difference is that the Chiefs can't "dare" the Texans to run like they did the Colts because they have shown this year that they will handoff if that's what it takes to win a game. All that said, the Texans should be on point this week and should be able to take shots downfield with Johnson and find gaps in coverage with Kevin Walter to make their passing game click again. After all, Kansas City's pass rush is nowhere near as dangerous as the Giants'
Oakland Raiders at San Francisco 49ers - Sunday, 4:05 p.m.
Jason Campbell is expected to be under center for the Raiders. That means good things for Michael Bush and Darren McFadden since the Raiders will lean on their run game to limit Campbell's propensity for turnovers. The 49ers took a drastic step back last week in run defense against LeSean McCoy and are ultimately a disappointment defensively. The 49ers' linebackers are getting wiped out of running plays and can't shed blocks, making it easy for running backs to get big yards, and the Raiders shouldn't be an exception. San Francisco has also struggled against tight ends near the goal line over its last four games, and that plays into the hands of Campbell. For the 49ers, it's all about Alex Smith not making any mistakes. Frank Gore should turn in a very productive day as the Niners will lean on him against this awful Raiders defense (speaking of linebackers who can't slow down the run, they're almost as bad as Buffalo). Smith shouldn't have much fear gunning for Vernon Davis or Michael Crabtree either, though Crabtree will see a lot of Nnamdi Asomugha, but he's been drawing flags and getting scored on this year, so maybe he's not playing at his best. The matchup for Vernon Davis is especially juicy after Antonio Gates followed up a good effort by Joel Dreessen in scorching the Raiders' safeties in back-to-back weeks
N.Y. Jets at Denver Broncos - Sunday, 4:05 p.m.
Out for the Broncos are starting safety Brian Dawkins, his backup Darcel McBath, starting cornerback Andre Goodman and upstart pass rusher Robert Ayers. Awful timing for them as the Jets are coming to Denver on a short week but full of confidence and wide-eyed considering the state of the Broncos defense. There should be some really good opportunities for Santonio Holmes and Dustin Keller to be playmakers as they take on backups at their respective positions, and the Jets would be cuckoo not to try and capitalize. Their run game should be equally solid; LaDainian Tomlinson is probably familiar with a couple members of the Broncos' front seven, including ex-teammate defensive tackle Jamal Williams, who struggled last week. The Jets could run the ball up the gut quite a bit. Denver will end up passing once more in this matchup, particularly since the Jets' secondary will be missing a piece of their own in cornerback Darrelle Revis. After Percy Harvin scored twice and caught five passes last week against these Jets, expect Kyle Orton to look for Eddie Royal quite a bit. And obviously Brandon Lloyd will be sent deep to help stretch the defense. We could see several passing touchdowns from both teams in this one
Dallas Cowboys at Minnesota Vikings - Sunday, 4:15 p.m.
This is essentially a playoff game -- the loser will be 1-4 and have dim hopes of catching up in the NFC. Expect both teams to pull out all the stops. The Cowboys might have found a solution to their run woes with Felix Jones, but don't expect him to see a ton of work here. Dallas will take some shots with him and Marion Barber on the ground, but the Vikings' secondary missing several key cornerbacks will be too appealing for Tony Romo to pass up. In fact, expect Romo to throw to the side opposite cornerback Antoine Winfield in an attempt to exploit the weak backups in Minnesota -- Cedric Griffin is out for the year and Chris Cook is out for this game, so the idea of Roy E. Williams lining up against Asher Allen or Lito Sheppard with a safety playing deep zone coverage will be very appealing. Jason Witten will also be a good option to eat up the deep middle of the Vikings defense. Minnesota's going to have a hard time here and might have to take some chances in sending a defender back into zone coverage and hope not to get burned by Jones on the ground. The Cowboys won't need to take quite as many risks, but they must take several precautions against this Vikings offense. Randy Moss has never had a bad game in his career against the Cowboys, and last year when the Vikings hosted the Cowboys in a playoff game Brett Favre threw four touchdown passes including three to deep-ball wideout Sidney Rice. Moss could land two touchdowns here. Adrian Peterson is also going to be invigorated seeing a Cowboys run defense that stood tall for over a year but has given up back-to-back 100-yard rushing games to Arian Foster and Chris Johnson. With Dallas unable to play a safety close to the line of scrimmage, there's going to be room for Peterson to gain ground. It all comes down to Favre and whether or not his elbow will keep him from completing throws he says he can make in his sleep. If he can, the Vikings should put up nice numbers. If he can't, then Fantasy owners will have a lot to worry about going forward
Indianapolis Colts at Washington Redskins - Sunday, 8:20 p.m.
The Redskins have given out a blueprint for how they defend against strong passing attacks: Play in zone coverage. Look for them to vary between Cover-2 and Cover-3 schemes depending on how many receivers the Colts put on the field on a given play. That's going to force Peyton Manning to keep his passes short and precise, and he can live with that. The difference is that he's got the options to break defenses like this and there could be a couple of big plays for Indianapolis to cash in on. They'll also run more than normal because of the defense daring them to, so Joseph Addai will be useful if he's active. The Colts play just about every opponent the same way defensively, so there could be a lot of targets for Chris Cooley and a lot of carries for Ryan Torain. Torain had a shot last week to cement his starting status but didn't play up to snuff and could lose work if he doesn't perform from the jump here. What the Redskins can do is have Donovan McNabb roll out of the pocket and complete passes downfield to Santana Moss and perhaps Anthony Armstrong. Look, if the Redskins are going to play catch-up, which is likely, this is something they'll have to prepare for, and their receivers should be able to at least get a step on the Colts' corners and safeties. McNabb could turn the ball over a couple of times, and that might make the difference in this game
Tennessee Titans at Jacksonville Jaguars - Monday, 8:30 p.m.
Expect plenty of running in this one on both sides of the ball. Chris Johnson has a great history against the Jaguars, and Maurice Jones-Drew has gotten it done against the Titans. Each should score, but it's the Titans who could branch out their passing game and attack Jacksonville's terrible secondary. Vince Young did it last week to Dallas, and we've seen Kenny Britt go from the dog house to the penthouse over the last few weeks as a go-to receiver for the Titans. Expect him to keep it going and for Young to put up some good stats. David Garrard has a chance to do the same -- the Tennessee secondary has begun to deteriorate over the last couple of weeks and has been burned by the big play. Not that the Jaguars have that big-play receiver (Mike Sims-Walker is struggling to separate from press coverage), but between Jones-Drew and Mike Thomas, they could be in position to make some red-zone strikes with Marcedes Lewis too hot to pass on if you're needy at tight end
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Browne gasses; Kongo loses point and fights himself into a draw at UFC 120
At 6-foot-7 and 251 pounds, Travis Browne is a heck of an athlete but he's also a relative pup when it comes to applying that explosiveness to his fight game. Cheick Kongo, a veteran of 22 fights, let Browne tire himself out, then chopped down the tree in the second only to make a stupid mistake in the third to cost himself the win. Kongo, rolling to a victory over the exhausted Browne, got a point deducted for constantly grabbing the big man's shorts. The result was a frustrating draw, 28-28 on all cards, between the two big heavyweights in the second fight of the televised card at UFC 120 in London.
The grabbing of the trunks was inexplicable on the part of Kongo. He was warned by referee Marc Goddard early in the final round. Less than thirty seconds later, Kongo did it again and lost a point. Kongo (15-6-2, 8-4-1 UFC) played with fire when he again grabbed the shorts on several occasions down the stretch.
Browne (10-0-1, 1-0-1 UFC) hurt his chances for a win by not managing his stamina in the opening round. He came out bouncing all over the ring and awkwardly charging Kongo. Browne landed a few good punches and leg kicks to win the stanza but by the end of the round, he was breathing with his mouth wide open.
Kongo took advantage in the second by clinching with the more stationary Browne and moving the action to the cage. The tired Browne was more than happy to rest along the cage but took a ton of Kongo knees to the inside of his right knee. In the final round, he could hardly put weight on his right leg. But Kongo refused to go in for the kill. It cost him a win.
Browne was fortunate to come out of the fight with a draw but he's clearly a guy worth watching down the road. At 28-years old, he's only been fighting since Feb. of 2009. He's training with a good camp, Alliance Training Center in San Diego. With better gameplanning and more composure, he could be a very dangerous down the road.
Bisping saves the day at UFC 120
LONDON – It was a night that began in turmoil for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, but in the end, the company was glad to have preserved the contender status enjoyed by their most marketable U.K. fighter.
The group’s problems began on Saturday afternoon, when management, media, and competitors alike were left stranded in England’s capital city, when the drivers chauffeuring them to the O2 Arena failed to account for the closure of the Blackwall Tunnel. Ultimately, none of the scheduled fights had to be canceled as first feared.
In the end, though, hometown hero Michael Bisping triumphed over Yoshihiro Akiyama by unanimous decision (all three judges scored the bout 30-27) in the main event, the worst-case scenario had been avoided, meaning he remains in the mix for a shot at UFC welterweight champion Anderson Silva.
The first round of the main event was largely Bisping’s, his boxing sharper and quicker off the mark, although he was caught with a left hand at the beginning of the round that he later admitted had him seeing double.
Despite being out-pointed, Akiyama, to his credit, didn’t appear to be in any danger, and in the proceeding five minutes he retaliated aggressively, catching Bisping consistently with short right hooks, rocking him again in the final 30 seconds before the bell.
The final round threatened to be marred by a brutal Bisping kick which caught the Japanese in the groin, but after several minutes of recovery, Akiyama built on his second-round performance, throwing wild hooks that his opponent evaded and countered with jabs, but it still wasn’t enough to keep Bisping from winning on all cards.
“Ultimately it’s up to the UFC, but I feel like I’m really maturing, and everything is coming together,” said Bisping of his career and future fights. “I’m ready. I feel now is my time. I want to fight the best out there, and I think with one more win against a credible opponent, I should get a title shot.”
Prior to the co-main event, to say that the ovation for Nottingham’s Dan Hardy was rapturous would be an understatement, and remarkably, the reaction remained the same even after he was knocked out in devastating fashion by Carlos Condit.
Hardy had initially done a good job of countering Condit’s strikes as he entered into range, even if a spinning backfist on the part of the former WEC welterweight champion hit the Briton’s chin hard. After 4:27 of the first round, though, both men went for simultaneous left hooks, with Condit planting his perfectly on Hardy’s chin at the very moment that “The Outlaw” over-shot by three or four inches. Hardy was knocked down and out, although Condit did sneak in a couple of punches on the ground to officially claim the victory.
“I feel comfortable on my feet,” said Condit after being asked if it was his gameplan to stand with Hardy. “But if it had gone to the ground, I would’ve done well, too.
“We (at Greg Jackson’s training camp) were worried about his left hand,” he added. “We trained for that quite a bit.”
When Hardy, who had just returned from hospital and remained quiet throughout the post-fight press conference, was asked what was next for him, he jokingly replied: “A headache.”
Mike Pyle found the element of surprise to be irresistible as he went for takedowns at the start of the first and second rounds in his match-up with the undefeated John Hathaway, whose own wrestling had dominated Diego Sanchez back in May. The benefit of the surprise really came in the second round, when Pyle had the Englishman trapped in a quasi-triangle from a side position, using the manoeuvre more for control as he rained down punches and elbows. Up until that point, Pyle’s stand-up had been sweeter, too, but in repeating in the third round the grappling dominance that he had in rounds one and two, he had Hathaway beaten on all counts, with each judging agreeing a 30-27 verdict.
Travis Browne’s good defensive footwork, by comparison at least, seemed to befuddle Cheick Kongo in the opening round of their bout, so much so that the Frenchman was tentative in spite of his usual strike-heavy style. Browne’s own punching, however, was a little wild, throwing down with so much intent that his agility was all but absent in the second round, a large portion of which saw both men battling for position against the cage. Kongo was docked a point for holding his opponent’s shorts in the third round, but even that didn’t seem to stir the Wolfslair fighter, and he was extremely lucky to escape from the fight with a rare draw.
Claude Patrick clearly had a huge strength advantage, muscling Ultimate Fighter 9 champion James Wilks to the canvas in three copycat rounds, but there was more damage done to Wilks’ ego in this unanimous decision (a 30-27 loss across the board) loss, than there was to him physically.
Cyrille Diabate and Alexander Gustafsson clearly came in with the intention of ending their bout decisively. Knocking Diabate down with a big shot in the first round, he immediately jumped on his opponent to attempt to finish, but was unable to strike there with anything like the same type of ferocity. Diabate survived that onslaught, but Gustafsson finally one via tapout at 2:41 of round two.
Known on the UK scene for his brawling brand of boxing, Rob “The Bear” Broughton did nothing to dismiss that opinion in the early going of his bout with Vinicius Queiroz. Ultimately, though, Broughton got the best of the jiu-jitsu specialist at his own game, as Broughton almost got an armbar submission, before getting the hooks for a rear naked choke, 1:46 into the third round.
Paul Sass’ first-round submission victory over Mark Holst was notable for the busy ground work of both fighters. Sass consistently looked for the triangle choke, which has become his forte on the UK scene. He eventually locked the move on, and reminiscent of Fabricio Werdum’s victory over Fedor Emelianenko in June, no amount of struggling by Holst could free him, with Sass getting the tapout with just 15 seconds remaining in the first round.
Low kicks were the order of the day for Spencer Fisher and Kurt Warburton at the beginning of their encounter, though Warburton was clearly using those to throw his opponent off-guard before attempting the takedown, which he duly got, almost finishing Fisher with a guillotine choke with two minutes remaining in the round. After some trading of knees in the second-round clinches, Fisher looked for the rear naked choke on two occasions in the third, perhaps concerned about the outcome of any judges’ decision. He needn’t have worried however, as he emerged with 29-28 scores across the board.
In the evening’s opening contest, London-born James McSweeney made his intentions for Fabio Maldonado clear in the first round, swinging wildly with punches and spinning back-fists, in addition to throwing a series of leg kicks. Unsuccessful in his attempt to grab a highlight reel finish, however, he was clearly drained come the second round, allowing Maldonado to take control, in particular using his superior grappling to good effect. Sensing his opponent’s fading cardio, Maldonado took the fight to McSweeney in at the beginning of the third round, after just a further 48 seconds, referee Marc Goddard was compelled to stop the contest after a series of hard punches against the cage
Mike Tyson plans to be a boxing ambassador in China
LAS VEGAS (AP)—Just call him Ambassador Iron Mike.
Mike Tyson was once the baddest man on the planet. Now he’ll be circling that planet as a self-titled ambassador to spread the gospel of boxing to the Chinese.
“I didn’t even know what an ambassador really was,” he said Thursday. “When I think of ambassadors I think of living off government money and jet-setting with girlfriends.”
No government money just yet, though a Chinese company is paying Tyson to visit in December. No girlfriends, either, especially since his wife is due with a baby boy early next year.
And no real formal agenda just yet for his trip to China in December, either.
“I know he wants to see Chairman Mao’s body,” said Gary Yang, an executive with Tianjin International Sports Development in China.
The Chinese want to see Tyson, too, if Yang and his partner, Qing Yu, are correct. They held a news conference Thursday to announce a deal for Tyson to visit the country and scout boxers for a series of matches in the city of Tianjin.
The news seemed to be news to Tyson, too.
“Mike hasn’t been brought up to speed really,” promoter Sterling McPherson said. “But if Mike likes what he sees there can be many, many more trips to China.”
Apparently Tyson hadn’t brought the Chinese up to speed, either, because he already saw Mao’s tomb on a visit to China in 2006. Tyson has spoken fondly of Mao in the past, and has a tattoo of the former Chinese leader on his right arm.
As appearances go, it was a far cry from the days when a glowering Tyson used to show up an hour late and then sneer at anyone who dared ask a question. Reborn over the last few years as an actor, dancer and pitchman, he got a chance to show off his new comedic side.
“Can we talk about what will take place on the trip?” someone asked.
“Yeah, tell me,” Tyson replied. “I’m pretty interested.”
Just what Tyson will be doing in China other than visiting Mao’s tomb in Tiananmen Square wasn’t quite clear, though what was clear was that he was being paid good money to do it.
“I’m just as clueless as you,” Tyson said. “But I’m an ambassador so I should have some say.”
Yang talked vaguely about having Tyson looking for talent for boxing shows in China, where amateur boxing is thriving, and perhaps helping to sell tickets to shows the company plans to put on.
“Chinese people just love Mr. Tyson,” he said. “He’s above (Muhammad) Ali there, though I shouldn’t say that.”
Tyson probably shouldn’t have said so much either, but the news conference was faltering and in need of rescue. In answer to a question, he said he liked Thai food better than Chinese, but remembered from his earlier trip how to say hello in Chinese.
When it came to the state of boxing in China, he had some ways to make it better, too.
“Didn’t you guys have an altercation with the Japanese people at one time?” he asked Yang. “Here’s what you do: You go looking for a Chinese fighter who will beat the evil Japanese guy and get revenge. That will sell.”
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