RVA or NKOTB?

This blog entry is dedicated to Lauren Brandt, a friend and fight fan who passed away just before the holidays.  She was excited for this event and probably would have  carpooled  with me from Richmond to Fairfax and back.  Lauren will be missed.

Ultimate Fight Night 20 was my first in-person UFC event. Held at the Patriot Center on Monday, January 11th, it was also the first for the state of Virginia.  The way the event sold out and was nearing capacity during the preliminary bouts, it’s pretty clear that Virginians have been eagerly waiting for a chance to see the big leagues of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) in their own back yard.  Another attraction for locals was Richmond’s own, Amir Sadollah, a relative novice in MMA, who was catapulted from MCV surgical technician into pop culture infamy by winning season 7 of The Ultimate Fighter reality show in 2008.  Sure, it’s not on network TV (Spike, available thru most cable outlets), Amir’s exciting tenacity in the cage combined with his Forrest Griffin-esque unassuming presentation and constant self-deprecation has made Amir one to watch whenever he’s broadcast over the airwaves.

On top of Amir’s notoriety, I think announcer Mike Goldberg said “Richmond, Virginia” upwards of 15 times during the Spike network broadcast.  Despite all of this, there has been virtually no coverage of Amir or the UFC’s debut in Virginia by the Richmond media, or anywhere in Virginia for that matter, except for the Washington Post.  The same was the case when Amir won the reality show, prompting me to step out of my frugal food disposition and come out of the closet as a physically addicted MMA junkie and break the silence on Amir.  Of course, he has relocated to Brooklyn (Williamsburg, of course), so maybe his roots as news-worthy as I’d assumed (but isn’t it very Richmond to move to Brooklyn?).

Being in the arena for the main card opener, I can tell you that fight fans of every pedigree (meaning total MMA geeks, and totally uninitiated newbs) howled like mad dogs for Amir, the only guy who remotely resembled a home team on the 11 fight card.  Throughout Amir’s dominant performance, we chanted his name in the vein of various sporting traditions.  His muy thai training from trips to Holland have paid big dividends as Amir showed a disciplined striking game with creative combinations.  He had Bad Brad Blackburn staggered in each of the three rounds.  Amir probably should have finished the fight, but that was like an epidemic across the whole card, with lots of talented standout fighters letting their bouts go to decision.  The amateur error is the reason these guys aren’t in title contention and are featured on a non-pay-per-view event given to the public for free on Spike.  However, that doesn’t mean they aren’t exciting performers with bright futures.

After Amir’s Fight

This guy might be more Richmond than Amir, but he’s not from here. When this awesome entrance unfolded before my eyes, right after Amir’s fight, I about lost my shit. Filthy Tom Lawlor did a convincing Hulk Hogan impression while marking to the cage to the tune of Hogan’s 80’s anthem, “I am a real American.”  I was definitely a Hulkamaniac as kid.  So, Filthy Tom Lawlor has definitely won me over big time with his inventive antics. Maybe I’m a sucker for a class clown, or I’ll always have a soft spot in my heart for pro wrestling theatrics.  Either way, I was on hand for a historic entrance to the octagon.  At the end of Lawlor’s surprising performance, he was robbed of an obvious 2 rounds to 1 decision.  I joined the whole arena in a relentless shower of boos as Joe Rogan attempted to interview the dubious decision victor.  Be sure to make note of Tom Lawlor.  It’s not his fault that Virginia MMA judges don’t know how to score a fight.

The last fight I wanna mention involved undefeated Efrain “Hecho en Mexico” Escudero, the UFC reality show winner for season number 8.  As he took it to his opponent in the first round, and really looked like a world-beater, the crowd hurled every anti-latino racial slur their drunk white asses could come up with.  At first, it looked like he was set to make them all eat their words, but by the third round, the tide had turned. Submission artist, Evan Dunham caught Efrain in a triangle choke that turned into a gruesome armbar.  Efrain grimaced through obvious hyper extension of his elbow and eventually called it quits as his shoulder seemed to dislocate under the leverage of the submission artist’s torque.  My stomach turned over and over as doctors and trainers tended to the writhing Escudero. Around me, the jolly racists simmered down observing the gravity of the situation.  Soon enough, Efrain was up, holding his arm tightly to his body, and he hurried back to the locker room with a distressed expression on his face.  (I’ll attempt to answer your “Why do you watch this stuff?” questions in the comments section)

During the Spike broadcast, we got to hear commentator Joe Rogan explaining that Escudero should have tapped out earlier, but didn’t due to his tremendous heart and pride.  On a lighter note, we also heard his interview with the ever goofy Amir Sadollah, who seemed to mumble through his post fight close-up.  If he’s somewhat underwhelming in his dry delivery of irony, you can check him out on Twitter, for… well, more of the same.  Weirdness with a hipster haircut, putting Richmond on the map (if he weren’t totally under Richmond’s own radar).