Roger Huerta was the UFC’s golden boy, and there was a time when the UFC was looking to build its entire brand around him. He had the looks, he had a way with words and he also fought with the sort of ferocity which is so often lacking from modern MMA …
Roger Huerta was the UFC’s golden boy, and there was a time when the UFC was looking to build its entire brand around him. He had the looks, he had a way with words and he also fought with the sort of ferocity which is so often lacking from modern MMA fights.
His fights with Clay Guida and Leonard Garcia are two of the more memorable in UFC history, but refusing to renew his contract with the organization and signing with Bellator instead proved to be a bad move.
Had Huerta signed on the dotted line it is doubtful whether he would have been given an opponent of Gray Maynard’s calibre in his final fight. Well aware that he was probably headed for pastures new, the UFC decided to give him a serious send-off.
His form since leaving the UFC has been poor, but the only time he has really been outclassed was against Eddie Alvarez; all of his other fights have been close. The statistics don’t make for good reading with five losses in six fights, but 21-6-1-1 is still a very respectable record.
I don’t think Huerta is a significantly worse fighter than he was when he went 6-0 in the UFC. Having watched most of his recent fights, I think he has maintained a consistent level. I’m sure he rode his luck at times when he won 11 straight fights, and that luck has since deserted him.
He is only 29, he has not taken too much punishment in his career and he remains one of the most entertaining fighters in the MMA world. Huerta could have a very bright future in the sport, but he is going to need to win at One FC 4 on Saturday.
Zorobabel Moreira is One FC’s best lightweight, at least until Shinya Aoki makes his debut later this year. If Huerta can beat him, he will find himself sitting somewhere near the top of a division he could conceivably go on to dominate.
One FC has some good talent in that division, and I have enjoyed watching Ole Laursen, Eduard Folayang and Felipe Enomoto recently. But none of those names will scare Huerta, and he would be the favorite against any of them.
The expected influx of Dream fighters could see Aoki, Satoru Kitaoka and Katsunori Kikuno sign for One FC which will make the 70 kg division very competitive indeed. While these Japanese fighters remain in limbo, Moreira and Huerta are competing for number one status.
In the space of a single fight Huerta could snap a three-fight losing streak and establish himself at the best fighter in the most competitive weight class in the biggest promotion in all of Asia. It is a mouthwatering opportunity, and after so many disappointments, he must be desperate to grab with both hands.
MMA thrives on good fights; without them the sport would eventually die. Huerta is guaranteed to provide them.
It would be refreshing to have a champion with such an honest style who sets out to leave it all in the cage every single time he fights.
Physically Huerta is still in his prime, and despite earning good money from fighting and acting, he still seems to have the same hunger to compete. His American adventure looks to be over, but this Saturday could see the start of a whole new chapter for Roger Huerta.
One FC is taking MMA to completely new countries and has been incredibly successful with 10,000 tickets supposedly sold for One FC 4 in Kuala Lumpur. If the people in the crowd at Stadium Negara on Saturday aren’t familiar with the sport of MMA, I can’t think of a better introduction than a Roger Huerta fight.
ONE FC’s first event in Malaysia, aptly named Destiny of Warriors, will take place on the 23rd of June in Kuala Lumpur’s Stadium Negara. Headlining the card is a light-heavyweight clash between Strikeforce and Pride veteran Renato ‘Babalu’ S…
ONE FC’s first event in Malaysia, aptly named Destiny of Warriors, will take place on the 23rd of June in Kuala Lumpur’s Stadium Negara. Headlining the card is a light-heavyweight clash between Strikeforce and Pride veteran Renato ‘Babalu’ Sobral against Dream veteran Tatsuya Mizuno. We take a look at 3 of the fighters on this card who could make a huge splash in the MMA circuit with a win.
1. Adam Kayoom
Adam Kayoom is a pioneer in Malaysia MMA. Well versed in Muay Thai and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, he carries the burden of fighting in front of an expectant hometown crowd.
Having won multiple regional Muay Thai and Jiu-Jitsu titles, Kayoom makes his ONE FC debut against Gregor Gracie.
A victory against a decorated Jiu-Jitsu opponent with the ‘Gracie’ surname is a surefire way to gain attention from MMA fans, and Adam Kayoom has the opportunity to do just that. Kayoom would have to try avoid leaving his limbs or necks exposed, and might be best suited to try keeping the fight standing as Gracie has yet to show significant development in his standup.
2. Leonardo Issa
Brazilian Leonardo Issa is riding a 6-fight winning streak heading into his fight with leglock specialist Masakazu Imanari. Imanari is a Dream veteran whose leglock submissions are one of the best, if not the best, in MMA.
Issa is no slouch on the ground either. He has finished all but one of his victories, and most of them by way of submission. It will be a huge feather in his cap if he manages to submit Imanari.
3. Zorobabel Moreira
Granted, Zorobabel Moreira has been a name that is slowly creeping up in MMA circles, but a win against Roger Huerta will catapult his stock into a whole different stratosphere.
Moreira has looked impressive in his two previous appearances under the ONE FC banner. He has demonstrated varied striking to complement his world-class Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu accomplishments. His versatility was evident in his last fight, where he overwhelmed his opponent Felipe Enomoto with kicks and punches before securing the win via armbar.
Roger Huerta was at one time considered a future UFC light-weight champion. He has an all-action style that has excited fight fans all over the world. Huerta took a temporary hiatus to film the movie Tekken, and is in the midst of his worst slump in his career.
A victory over Huerta would gain Moreira worldwide exposure. He stands on the verge of becoming ONE FC’s first bona-fide superstar.
We may be in a golden age, or at least an incredibly good season for new fight docs, taters.
There’s “Like Water,” on Anderson Silva, “I am Bruce Lee,” and soon, an interesting-looking doc on lightweight Eddie Alvarez (22-3).
In addition to being a GOP policy stance, “No Plan B,” is a new film by David Klayman that chronicles Alvarez in the lead-up to what may still be his most high profile to date: his bout with former Sports Illustrated cover boy Roger Huerta back in 2010.
The trailer for the movie shows Alvarez at home with family, as well as training and consulting with champion/east coast colleagues Bernard Hopkins and Frankie Edgar. The title of the film is derived from a quote and apparent philosophy of Alvarez’. “…I’m not much of a planner,” he says. “I set a goal and there really is nothing else. So, there is no ‘plan b.'”
Although Alvarez suffered a rare loss in his last fight to Michael Chandler, he will have a chance to avenge a prior defeat when he takes on Shinya Aoki (30-5) at the Bellator card on April 20 in Cleveland, Ohio.
Check out the trailer for “No Plan B” after the jump, and stay tuned for reviews of this and other docs coming soon to CagePotato.
By Elias Cepeda
We may be in a golden age, or at least an incredibly good season for new fight docs, taters.
There’s “Like Water,” on Anderson Silva, “I am Bruce Lee,” and soon, an interesting-looking doc on lightweight Eddie Alvarez (22-3).
In addition to being a GOP policy stance, “No Plan B,” is a new film by David Klayman that chronicles Alvarez in the lead-up to what may still be his most high profile to date: his bout with former Sports Illustrated cover boy Roger Huerta back in 2010.
The trailer for the movie shows Alvarez at home with family, as well as training and consulting with champion/east coast colleagues Bernard Hopkins and Frankie Edgar. The title of the film is derived from a quote and apparent philosophy of Alvarez’. “…I’m not much of a planner,” he says. “I set a goal and there really is nothing else. So, there is no ‘plan b.’”
Although Alvarez suffered a rare loss in his last fight to Michael Chandler, he will have a chance to avenge a prior defeat when he takes on Shinya Aoki (30-5) at the Bellator card on April 20 in Cleveland, Ohio.
Check out the trailer for “No Plan B” and stay tuned for reviews of this and other docs coming soon to CagePotato.
CagePotato Roundtable is a new recurring column in which the CagePotato writing staff (and some of our friends) share their opinions on an MMA-related topic, and hopefully inspire some discussion among our readers as well. For the inaugural installment, we took inspiration from Joe Rogan’s enthusiastic crowning of last weekend’s Tim Boetch vs. Yushin Okami fight as “the greatest comeback in the history of the UFC.” That’s debatable, to say the least — but isn’t everything? So what *was* the greatest comeback fight in MMA history?
Seth Falvo
When Joe Rogan first called The Barbarian’s victory the greatest comeback in UFC history, my first thought was “Come on, Joe, are you seriously the only MMA fan who hasn’t seen Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Bob Sapp?” That comeback exposed Sapp for the overhyped freak that he was while establishing the legend of Big Nog and his ability to come from behind to win fights. Hell, we at Cagepotato consider it to be the best freak show fight to ever come out of Japan. But in fairness to Joe Rogan, that fight didn’t take place in the UFC. So my second thought was “Come on, Joe, are you seriously the only UFC fan who hasn’t seen Mike Russow vs. Todd Duffee?”
What makes this comeback so great was the fact that Todd Duffee and Mike Russow were essentially photo negatives of each other. Before this fight, Duffee was destined to be the next big thing in the UFC’s heavyweight division, having just tied the record for the fastest knockout in UFC history in his promotional debut against Tim Hague. Duffee was on the cover of Muscle & Fitness, the poster boy for Muscletech and seemingly in every men’s magazine on the planet — no matter how loosely the content was related to sports. Meanwhile, Russow was quietly coming off of a unanimous decision victory over Justin McCully in his UFC debut and had more fat in his left bicep than Todd Duffee had in his entire body. Everything about this fight seemed like it was a squash match.
CagePotato Roundtable is a new recurring column in which the CagePotato writing staff (and some of our friends) share their opinions on an MMA-related topic, and hopefully inspire some discussion among our readers as well. For the inaugural installment, we took inspiration from Joe Rogan’s enthusiastic crowning of last weekend’s Tim Boetch vs. Yushin Okami fight as “the greatest comeback in the history of the UFC.” That’s debatable, to say the least — but isn’t everything? So what *was* the greatest comeback fight in MMA history?
Seth Falvo
When Joe Rogan first called The Barbarian’s victory the greatest comeback in UFC history, my first thought was “Come on, Joe, are you seriously the only MMA fan who hasn’t seen Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Bob Sapp?” That comeback exposed Sapp for the overhyped freak that he was while establishing the legend of Big Nog and his ability to come from behind to win fights. Hell, we at Cagepotato consider it to be the best freak show fight to ever come out of Japan. But in fairness to Joe Rogan, that fight didn’t take place in the UFC. So my second thought was “Come on, Joe, are you seriously the only UFC fan who hasn’t seen Mike Russow vs. Todd Duffee?”
What makes this comeback so great was the fact that Todd Duffee and Mike Russow were essentially photo negatives of each other. Before this fight, Duffee was destined to be the next big thing in the UFC’s heavyweight division, having just tied the record for the fastest knockout in UFC history in his promotional debut against Tim Hague. Duffee was on the cover of Muscle & Fitness, the poster boy for Muscletech and seemingly in every men’s magazine on the planet — no matter how loosely the content was related to sports. Meanwhile, Russow was quietly coming off of a unanimous decision victory over Justin McCully in his UFC debut and had more fat in his left bicep than Todd Duffee had in his entire body. Everything about this fight seemed like it was a squash match.
And for the first two rounds, it was. You could almost see the dollar signs in the eyes of Muscletech CEOs as Duffee smashed away at the doughy Russow, seemingly seconds away from a stoppage throughout the fight. Yet out of nowhere, Russow landed a hard straight right that crumbled Duffee, earning him the victory and single-handedly killing all of his hype.
(Not only am I getting paid for writing this, I’m taking a charitable tax exemption for sharing the video with you as well. -CC)
A shot of bourbon and this highlight video. That’s how a man starts his day.
I don’t know what comeback fights these other cats are trying to sell you as “the greatest ever,” but they are wrong. That honor belongs to Kazushi Sakuraba‘s war with Kestutis Smirnovas at K-1 Hero’s 6 — all of the evidence you need is right above if you don’t believe me. Still not convinced? Let me ask you a couple of quick questions:
Did their comeback fighters rebound from a “Falling Tree” KO?
Sakuaba did. Just forty seconds into his bout with Smirnovas, ol’ #39 was felled like a mighty oak then rattled with punches as his limp body crept out of the ring beneath the ropes. Rather than call the fight off, the referee, on sabbatical from a lucrative career producing snuff films, dragged “The Gracie Hunter’s” lifeless corpse back into the ring for another helping of abuse.
Did their comeback fighters score with a hail mary haymaker or a last-ditch submission?
Sakuraba didn’t. The tide wasn’t turned by a swing for the fences, nor did he snag an arm in a wild scramble. He simply fought back. Then he fought back some more. After absorbing a world of hurt that should have resulted in numerous stoppages, Sakuraba came out of rigor mortis with nothing but his will to fight intact. He gave as good as he got, hurting Smirnovas on the feet and finishing him on the mat with an armbar.
That’s a comeback fight, men.
Ben Goldstein
Boetsch vs. Okami could never be the greatest comeback fight in UFC history, because frankly, Boetsch vs. Okami doesn’t amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world. For a fight to be considered the best anything, the stakes have to be high to begin with. That’s why Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen at UFC 117 is my pick here.
Now, if you showed this fight to an MMA newbie, they probably wouldn’t get it; keep in mind that Silva vs. Sonnen was dominated by long stretches of one guy just lying on top of the other. And honestly, if these were two unknown fighters, we would have forgotten about this match the next week. What made the bout legendary is who these fighters were, and how profoundly the fight subverted our expectations.
Imagine buying a ticket to Rocky IV, and in the climactic battle, Rocky beats the shit out of Ivan Drago for eleven and a half rounds before the invincible Russian, with both his eyes swollen shut, throws a blind haymaker and turns Balboa’s lights out. Roll credits. That’s how bizarre this fight was. The guy who was supposed to get blown out was the one doing the blowing-out — until suddenly, he wasn’t. And that’s not to say that Chael Sonnen was anybody’s hero going into that fight. But he was a 4-1 underdog, and nobody was giving him a chance to win against the foreign champion who seemed more Machine than Man.
As I watched the fight with some buddies at a sports bar in New York — where every takedown and knockdown scored by Sonnen caused the patrons to erupt in stunned “OHHHHHH!”s — I realized that sports fans love to see an underdog do well, even if that underdog is one of the biggest heels in the sport. And no matter which team we’re rooting for, we like it when something completely unprecedented happens. But then, two minutes away from one of the greatest title upsets in the sport’s history, Sonnen’s Cinderella story abrupty ended with a triangle choke that nobody saw coming. And the champion was still the champion. And I guess we were supposed to feel happy about that.
Was the final result in itself that suprising? Of course not, considering Anderson Silva’s extra-dimensional brilliance and Chael Sonnen’s history of being submitted by Brazilians with that very same move. But no comeback fight has come close in terms of sheer drama, and I’m not sure we’ll see anything like it again.
Jefferey “Karmaatemycat” Watts
Have any of you guys ever been inadvertently kicked in the junk? I have, and it completely sucks. It can, in most cases, change the outcome of a fight! I would like to remind you of that fateful day in which Matt Hughes’s testicles were introduced to Frank Trigg’s knee during their second meeting at UFC 52. There was some crazy hype leading into this fight to begin with. Frank Trigg had really been laying on the smack talk leading up to their rematch, which was rather obvious when Mario Yamasaki brought them to the center of the cage. Then Hughes ate a knee to the groin a minute and ten seconds into the first round. I mean, that just sucks, but not as much as having the referee not see the low blow.
Then to make matters worse, Frank Trigg swarmed Matt Hughes! Trigg even established a full mount and was pounding away at Hughes. It was, to say the least, a very bad situation for Hughes as he proceeded to give Trigg his back so that he could survive the situation. A lot of guys are going to tell you this or that, but let me tell you rule #1 in a fight: Survive one situation so that you can attempt to survive the next. That’s exactly what Hughes did. I would wager a bet that Frank Trigg thought he had Matt Hughes locked in that RNC. God knows a lot of other people sure did. But being the Hughes nutthugger I am, I remember screaming and willing him to defend that choke. I was jumping off my couch, biting my lip, and cheering stereotypical MMA Fan stuff. I sure as shit did not expect Hughes to just grab Trigg and charge across the ring and slam him. Then he continued to beat the piss out of him, get his back, and rear naked choke Trigg.
To me, that’s always been a great example of fighting out of tough positions. Matt Hughes really showed his worth that night. I just don’t know a lot of welterweights at that time in the UFC who would have been able to take a shot to the groin, as well as all those shots from a mount, defend those submissions, and then have the energy to get up and slam his opponent, all while finishing him in the first. Just an all-around epic comeback. I mean, that shit’s right out of a Tarantino, Rodriguez film. Not even Xeno could argue that.
Jason Moles
Those are all great mentions, guys, but none compare to the exhilarating experience of watching the Immovable Object square off against the Unstoppable Force. I’m talking Roger Huerta vs. Clay Guida at the TUF 6 Finale back in ’07. “The Carpenter” dominated the opening round with his aggressive attack and breakneck pace. The fight didn’t stay on feet long until Clay took Roger to the mat and ground-and-pounded him into giving up his back, which lead to Guida’s rear naked choke attempt, and even more damage dished out to close out the round.
Round two started with Guida smothering “El Matador” like a wet blanket; with every “Toro!” shouted, the bull rushed in to gore his opponent. Without missing a beat, Guida continued his destruction of Huerta on the canvas, highlighted by a massive uppercut that sent him flying backward. Rocked and on Quiver Street, the horn at the end of the round saved Roger Huerta from certain doom.
And then something happened. I’m not sure if Huerta’s corner told him that Clay had sodomized his brother or what, because “El Matador” came out looking to hurt someone. In that first minute, he was more active and aggressive than GSP has been in all of his fights combined. (What? Rogan can jizz his pants about Tim Boetsch but I can’t get away with a little hyperbole?) Whatever, I digress. Huerta threw a perfectly timed knee, staggering the man who had just bullied him for the past ten minutes, and then swarmed Guida until he fell into the fetal position, allowing Huerta to sink in a rear naked choke to end the fight fifty-one seconds into the final round.
Jared Jones
Scott Smith is one of my favorite fighters. There, I said it. Sure, he fights with the strategy of a cokehead playing Tekken for the first time, but the man has been a part of some of the most poetic brawls in the history of the sport, and practically defines the comeback with his every performance. You know, except in his last three fights, or the Diaz fight, or the Lawler fight…
…anyway, you could make the case that his flash KO of Pete Sell was his greatest comeback, and I’d probably be inclined to agree with you. However, it was Smith’s third round drubbing of Benji Radach back at Strikeforce: Shamrock vs. Diaz that will forever remain one of my most treasured MMA moments.
After dropping Radach in the first round, Smith would rush in for the kill, only to find himself reeling from a perfectly placed counter right. Midway through the second, he was put on queer street compliments of a Radach left hook, and the end seemed all but imminent. As he slumped onto his stool heading in between rounds, Smith couldn’t help but tell his cornerman that he was in fact rocked, a revelation that most fighters are often too stubborn to admit. But as the Phoenix rises from the ashes of its former self, Smith would cough up some blood, wipe off his face, and enter the third round like a man possessed.
With just under 2 minutes to go, Mauro Ranallo remarked that Smith would need a knockout to win the fight. About ten seconds later, Smith would do just that, delivering a brutal right hand that sent Radach crashing to the mat in a pile. A follow-up right sealed the deal, and earned Smith the unofficial nickname of “The Comeback Kid,” a moniker he would prove worthy of in his come-from-behind victory over Cung Le the following December. Perhaps I’m just a sap, but watching Smith embrace his kids in the center of the cage after scoring the biggest victory of his career (at that point) was one of the more heartfelt moments I’ve seen in MMA, and made the fight all the more significant. At least in my eyes.
So what’s *your* favorite MMA comeback fight? Let us know in the comments section. If you have a question for a future Roundtable column, send it to [email protected], and we’ll send you a t-shirt if we decide to use it.
After a year in the pokey, War Machine finally returned to competition Saturday night at Ultimate Warrior Fighting 1 in Pharr, Texas, where he faced off against former UFC lightweight darling Roger Huerta in the event’s welterweight headliner. And even though prison ring-rust has to be the worst kind of ring-rust — nutraloaf and sandwich masturbation don’t exactly make for an ideal fighter lifestyle — Mr. Machine handled himself admirably, out-hustling Huerta in a gritty back-and-forth scrap.
Unfortunately, Huerta broke his rib during a scramble in round three, seemingly when War sneaks in that knee at the video’s 15:10 mark. War Machine took advantage of Huerta’s weakened state and laid on punches from the top until the match was stopped. And so, War Machine writes the first chapter of his unlikely comeback story, while Huerta picks up the fifth loss in his last six attempts.
After a year in the pokey, War Machine finally returned to competition Saturday night at Ultimate Warrior Fighting 1 in Pharr, Texas, where he faced off against former UFC lightweight darling Roger Huerta in the event’s welterweight headliner. And even though prison ring-rust has to be the worst kind of ring-rust — nutraloaf and sandwich masturbation don’t exactly make for an ideal fighter lifestyle — Mr. Machine handled himself admirably, out-hustling Huerta in a gritty back-and-forth scrap.
Unfortunately, Huerta broke his rib during a scramble in round three, seemingly when War sneaks in that knee at the video’s 15:10 mark. War Machine took advantage of Huerta’s weakened state and laid on punches from the top until the match was stopped. And so, War Machine writes the first chapter of his unlikely comeback story, while Huerta picks up the fifth loss in his last six attempts.
Special props to the always colorful Phil Baroni, who was particularly qualified for his commentary gig considering he’s trained with War Machine at Xtreme Couture, and used to drink snake-blood in Thailand with Huerta. But he’s an even better TV director. (“There’s a ring card girl with a nice ass; put it on her, not on me, dude…The camera guy’s telling me to look at him! Shut up camera-guy before I knock you out!”)
Lord knows the broadcast needed the help. You know you’re watching a second-rate MMA production when they show fans in the crowd while the fight is happening. Check out the portly cowboy at the 2:59 mark. Even he’s like, “bro, of all the people to film right now.”
In his first fight back after serving a year-long prison sentence for felony assault, War Machine, formerly known as Jon Koppenhaver, stopped Roger Huerta this past Saturday at the inaugural Ultimate Warrior Fighting event in Pha…
In his first fight back after serving a year-long prison sentence for felony assault, War Machine, formerly known as Jon Koppenhaver, stopped Roger Huerta this past Saturday at the inaugural Ultimate Warrior Fighting event in Pharr, Texas.
Huerta, who was fighting up a weight class at welterweight, said afterwards that he suffered a fractured a rib during the final scramble in the third round where he rolled out of War Machine’s submission armbar attempts to claim side control.
From there, War Machine escaped from Huerta’s side mount to directly take full mount with ease. Machine (12-4) then rained down punches for the referee stoppage at three minutes and nine seconds. Huerta (21-6-1) has now lost three in a row.
On the same stage as War Machine-Huerta, former UFC middleweight champion Dave Menne won by first-round guillotine submission over Eric Davila.
Thompson explodes after controversial decision
Last May at KSW 16, James Thompson submitted Mariusz Pudzianowski with an arm-triangle choke and he probably needed another finish as well to ensure victory at Saturday’s KSW 17 in Poland. In a two-round fight with a potential overtime round, Thompson won the first round clearly on ground control, while Pudzianowski arguably scored enough on punches in the second. But instead of going to a Thompson win or an overtime round, Pudzianowski was awarded the majority decision.
Stunned by the scores, Thompson took the mic away from the announcer and went off on the promoter.
“F—ing joke. Give Mariusz a big round of applause,” Thompson said. “What a f—ing joke. I thought KSW was really trying to be serious. If you can watch that back and call it serious, then you’re f—ed and KSW is going down the f—ing toilet.”
Bongfeldt wins tune-up
Two-time UFC competitor Jesse Bongfeldt (16-5-1) won by second-round submission over Brandon MacArthur (6-18) Saturday at Rumble in the Cage 45 in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. Bongfeldt was released by the UFC in June following his loss to Chris Weidman at UFC 131.
Zaromskis pulls off a front roll somersault kick Marius Zaromskis pulled off an incredible somersault kick to set up a KO finish against Bruno Carvalho at Rumble of the Kings 6 in Stockholm, Sweden. Zaromskis (16-6) was coming off a decision win over Eiji Ishikawa at DREAM in July.
Riggs snaps three-fight losing skid Joe Riggs won in 56 seconds against Shannon Ritch at Duel for Domination on Saturday in Phoenix, Ariz.
Roger Huerta was the UFC’s golden boy, and there was a time when the UFC was looking to build its entire brand around him. He had the looks, he had a way with words and he also fought with the sort of ferocity which is so often lacking from modern MMA fights.
