FIGHTS - Strikeforce and HBO Boxing Results: Josh Barnett, Canelo, and Corona. By Bowie Ibarra

"Death is the currency of Victory!"

Or is it beer?

All I know is that the fights on Strikeforce: Heavyweight Grand Prix and HBO Boxing from Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, were pretty good.

In fact.  There were a lot of suprises.  One of them is the following picture.

Holy crap, Mauro.  Talk about a style change.  Mauro typically has hair that lends him the kind of geeky credibility any announcer should have.  However, it's clear he's trying something new, going for a "Dana White" cut.

Dana White with hair, pre-douchebag

Dana White without hair, transitioning to cool shirt Loretta Hunt-insulting douchebag Dana White

Then, there was Frank Shamrock, one of my MMA heroes and a legend in the sport.

Suprise!  Frank finally getting to those messed up teeth he's always had with traditional braces.  They were pretty gnarly back in the day, with a snaggletooth that would make Jewel say, "Damn, Frank.  You got some f**ked up teeth."  So kudos to Frank for getting that fixed, finally.  We'll only have to tolerate him for a few more months looking like the kid at lunch who talks about everything you don't want to hear about.

The opening fight started with Alistair Overeem's brother, Valentjin Overeem, collecting a check by tapping out to punches.  Then came Jeff "The Anarchist Snowman" Monson vs. Daniel Cormier.  Cormier pretty much owned The Anti-Government Snowman with solid punches and kicks. 

But yet another suprise was one of the bad ass brother of Frosty's tattoos.

Do I see a PowerPuff Girl?

Yep.  Yep, that's Bubbles.

Also, don't judge me for knowing that.

KJ Noons took on Jorge Masdival in what I anticipated to be a victory in favor of Noons.  I was wrong.  Masdival clearly watched a lot of tape, as he was looking for a knee that came late in the first round splitting Noons open.  I still admire Noons for taking it all the way to the end like a true warrior should, but it was Masdival's night.

And by the end, they had to bring out the Sam's Mart No-Swell for Noons.

Josh Barnett's antics throughout the weekend cracked me up.  During his open workout session for the press, he engaged in a pro-wrestling style workout session.  If you didn't see it, check it out here.  You will crack up:

JOSH BARNETT OPEN WORKOUT-POST WORKOUT PROMO

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqoe0VTiFLI

The Josh Barnett match went as expected.  However, we didn't get the Michinoku Driver as promised.  We had to settle for a SpineBuster.  I'm alright with that.  Barnett via Side Headlock choke.

Also, I'm glad Bret's boss gave him Saturday off.  If you want to wish him luck, check that tire shop Mauro always mentions.  You might find him there.  He might be working the late shift tomorrow, since his boss probably would give him Saturday, but not the entire weekend off.  Damn AutoZone, or Pep Boys, whatever.

The Overeem/Verdun Matchup was garbage, thanks to Verdun and Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu. 

What? 

Yes, that's right.  Verdun performed in the way that has made me hate BJJ Fighters since Murilo Bustamante vs. Tom Erikson at the short-lived Reality Superfight.  The picture below was just like that match ancient match, except add 30 minutes.

Here's my gripe.  BJJ guys want to fight on the ground.  Great, that's part of the game.  But only an idiot would fall into the guard of a BJJ master voluntarily.  Erikson didn't.  And, wisely, Overeem didn't, either.  If Verdum wanted Overeem on the ground, he needs to bring him there, which he failed at for a majority of this fight.

Because Verdun wanted to lie on his back like a woman of ill repute, he lost out on time to attack Overeem's true Achillies heel:  His chin and conditioning. 

In the end, it was Overeem with the decision victory and the breathless interview that found him catching his breath several times just to speak.  Nice job, Verdum, for riding that momentum from defeating the indefatigable Fedor Emilianenko to absolutely nothing.  Nice one, BJJ man.

By the way, as a general rule of thumb for MMA fighters and casual fans.  If the guy is chisled like Adonis...

No, not Adrian Adonis...

THE Adonis, you have to remember the guy has to feed oxygen to all those muscles.  Sure, he looks good for a Van Damme movie.  But give him 2-3 minutes, and he's cooked.  For reference, see Brock Lesner, Cheick Kongo.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The boxing was great as well, featuring Canelo Alvarez vs. the brit Ryan Rhodes in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico.  I imagine several people were also wearing Chivas jerseys at the event, but I have no solid evidence.  Club America Aguilas fans were probably not allowed in.

The fights were sponsored by Corona.  It's a beer.  It's not very good, but I'd still drink it if I was offered it.

Canelo, just a few weeks away from his 21st birthday, was ready to rumble.

Oh, and did I mention Corona sponsored the night?

The also sponsored the cornerposts.

And the apron.

The picture below pretty much sums up the fight.  Canelo dominated with combos as if the limey was a punching bag back at the gym.  Though I enjoyed watching Canelo dominate, I was frustrated with the London native.  All he used was an ineffective jab for a majority of the fight, and never went to his power punch.  I was hoping to see Canelo get pushed a little bit.  But, in the end, Canelo took it by decision.  He's one of boxing's new up-and-coming greats.  Watch for him.

And did I mention the event was sponsored by Corona?

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Bowie Ibarra is the author of the "Down the Road" zombie horror series.  He is also the author of "Pit Fighters: Baptism by Fire", a combat sports themed fiction book.  You can network with Bowie at ZombieBloodFights.com.

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