In the weeks leading up to Saturday's WFA show in Los Angeles it appeared as though there was actually going to be a game competitor to a UFC dominant MMA market. After the event was over however, it became obvious that Dana White and the Zuffa gang have little to worry about; at least in the short term.
This was a card that was tailor made for the hardcore MMA fan. With names like Rutten, Machida, Rampage, and Rodriguez long time fans were afforded the opportunity to see fighters previously only seen on YouTube or scratchy bootleg MMA videos. What actually took place was an event with obvious low level production values, a somewhat uneducated play-by-play commentator and a lack of organization. This was surprising considering the amount of marketing and promotion the event received, including a well produced preview show that aired on Showtime. It certainly didn't help to have one of the fighters in the main event fail a drug test a few days before the event leading to a drastically lopsided mismatch. Appreciated though, was Bas Rutten's reaction to Kimo's drug test. Rutten took Kimo to task, calling him a pussy for having to rely on drugs rather than hard work to get in shape for a fight.
The actual fights themselves were not the blockbusters they looked to be on paper. Certainly, WFA can't be held totally responsible for the performance of the fighters but at some point they are going to have to make an effort to encourage the well paid athletes to entertain. Here's a breakdown of the fights as they took place Saturday:
Rob McCullough vs. Harris Sarmiento
This is had to be a point of concern for the WFA executives. It was obvious that the plan was to start the televised card with these two with the thinking that there would be fireworks immediately from the bell. What happened instead was a conservative slow moving kickboxing match. McCullough pelted Sarmiento's legs with low kicks. Sarmiento made the occasional attempt to brawl but McCullough wanted none of it. Rob picked his shots for 15 minutes and earned an uninspired decision.
Ricco Rodriguez vs. Ron Waterman
You'd be hard pressed to find someone who would have thought that this fight would be more action packed then McCullough vs. Sarmiento but it was. Ricco still looked overweight but is obviously trimming up. He pressed the action, listened to his corner and fought a smart fight. Despite having Ron in considerable trouble a few times in the first round, Ricco was unable to finish. As it turned out, it didn't matter. Ricco did enough damage to Waterman to cause the doctors to call the fight in between the first and second round.
Ivan Salaverry vs. Art Santore
Ivan came out looking like a completely different fighter than the guy who circled for three rounds against Nathan Marquardt a year ago. This may have been his most impressive performance to date. His striking looked calculated and powerful and he came with a high level of aggressiveness. In the second round Ivan was able to hurt Santore and jumped at the chance to finish, landing in the mount and pounding Art to a referee stoppage.
Jason Miller vs. Lodune Sincaid
Miller declared himself a pro-wrestler in his prefight interview. While this is amusing to most hardcore MMA fans, the uninitiated might have taken him seriously. It's not clear how well the joke went over considering the broadcast team bought it as "a shoot". Lodune was completely outclassed in this fight. It seemed early on Sincaid decided to stay in the turtle position and dare Miller to submit him. Jason was happy to oblige with an easy rear naked choke victory in the first round.
Ryoto Machida vs. Vernon White
Towards the end of the first round of this fight MMA fans had to be screaming the question "Is this the guy that beat Rich Franklin and B.J. Penn?". Indeed, this is the guy. Machida unimpressively stood and kickboxed with White in what was another disappointment from this card. Ryoto was able to earn the decision but certainly made no fans in the U.S. with his performance.
Bas Rutten vs. Rueben Villareal
Rutten gets the nod for ring entrance of the night. He was able to ignite the crowd and it was clear he was a huge draw for the crowd. Villareal deserves a ton of credit for taking the fight on such short notice. Clearly Bas was ready to go. His punches looked well timed and sharp. It's a testament to Ruben's chin that Rutten had to resort to leg kicks to finish him in the first, but he was way overmatched to the surprise of no one.
Quinton Jackson vs. Matt Lindland
This fight was the saving grace for WFA. Both fighters left everything in the ring in what turned into a fantastic ground war. Quentin's power was impressive was able to slam Matt almost at will. Matt on the other hand was able to show that he can compete with the strongest 205lb fighters in the world. The close split decision victory for Rampage may lead to a rematch.
If what is said about first impressions is true, then WFA has a lot of work to do to establish itself as a contender to UFC dominance in the U.S. Production values must improve for the scheduled October show. In addition, WFA should pay close attention to the style matchups that are arranges. The jury is still out on how much success WFA can have but after Saturday's event there's not much else to do but improve.
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