UFC 118 follow up

If former boxing champ James Toney wanted to find out how tough mixed martial arts is, he certainly found out when Randy Couture slapped an arm triangle on him during the first round of their bout at UFC 118 in Boston on Saturday.
Toney tapped out and Couture, a legend in the sport, won, just one of the highlights from the UFC's first trip to Boston.
This is proof of a couple things in the world of MMA. One is that not just anyone - no matter the background or how tough he thinks he is - can just walk into the cage and win a fight. Dana White, the president of the UFC, has said numerous famous athletes have approached him about fighting. Toney was at the top of that list, so White finally decided to give him a fight and it didn't go so well for the former pugilist.
There is a lot more to the sport than what appears on the surface. There is strategy, defense, a lot of thinking and endurance. Fighters always have to be aware of where they are, their body position, what their opponent is trying to do and any possible submission moves. It's not just going toe-to-toe and slugging away.
The second thing Saturday night proved is that MMA is popular in New England, and hopefully this will open the door for more local fighters. For years, the MMA scene has been growing here, but it hasn't received the national recognition because Massachusetts, the state with the best venues in the area, did not sanction the sport until last winter.
Now that is has been sanctioned in the Bay State and the UFC has expanded its kingdom to the TD Bank Garden, more fighters from the area should get a chance to fight on the preliminary card and possibly earn a contract with the UFC, or other companies in ths sport.

The wait is over.

This weekend, the Ultimate Fighting Championship will come to Massachusetts with UFC 118 at the TD Bank Garden on Saturday.

It is the first time the UFC has come to the Bay State since mixed martial arts was sanctioned last winter. As usual, the card is an impressive one and features some local fighters.

There are co-main events. One is for the lightweight championship when Frank Edgar (12-1) takes on BJ Penn (15-6-1). The other features MMA legend Randy Couture (18-10) against former boxer James Toney (0-0), whom UFC President Dana White said has been practically begging him for a fight.

On the local scene, former Boston College soccer standout and Massachusettts native Kenny Florian (13-4) will battle Gray Maynard (9-0) in the lightweight division during the main card. The preliminary card features some local fighters such as Joe Lauzon (18-4) of Massachusetts, who will take on Gabe Ruediger (17-5) of Liverpool, England, in the lightweight division.

Some Grit at the Whitt

Mixed martial arts continues to grow in New Hampshire, and next month Global Fight League will host an event at what is believed to be the biggest venue ever in the state when GFL 9 comes to the Whittemore Center on the campus of the University of New Hampshire.
The arena, which holds nearly 6,000 people for an event like this, will play host to an extraordinary card featurning several of the best local fighters.
The most intriguing match on paper is at 170 pounds, where Dennis Olson (11-5) of Amherst takes on Tom Moreau (5-1-1) of Derry. The most recent Northeast MMA rankings have Olson at No. 1 in the weight class and Moreau at No. 3.
Other matches on the card so far include: Justin Homsey (4-1) against Josh Laberge (7-4) at 145 pounds, Matt Smith (7-2) against Pedro Gonzalez (6-3) at 135 pounds, John Benoit (9-2) against Josh Hersey (4-1) at 155 pounds and Cody Lightfoot (4-1) against Shawn Gallano (4-1) at heavyweight.
The Northeast MMA rankings for this fighters are as follows: Homsey 5, Laberge 2; Smith 8, Gonzalez 9; Benoit 8, Hersey unranked; Lightfoot unranked, Gallano 5.