You couldn’t visit an MMA website this week without seeing articles about Vitor Belfort and testosterone replacement therapy and commission loopholes and the UFC’s complicity in the thing and OH MY GOD FIGHTERS ARE DOING STEROIDS LEGALLY?!?!

Then Vitor Belfort knocked out Luke Rockhold halfway through the first round with a spinning kick worthy of UFC highlight reels for years to come, and the I’m-only-sort-of-joking-but-not-really jokes started rolling through my Twitter timeline. Jokes about getting on TRT. Jokes about getting all the fighters on TRT. Jokes about who cares if Vitor’s doing TRT as long as he’s knocking out handsome, perfect-haired men with those crazy spinning kicks.

Are these jokes or an honest look at what people think of all this TRT nonsense? (“You know, on second thought, it’s just professional sports, right? Why do I care so much?”) I don’t know. But it seems as if Belfort’s use and the general TRT culture pervasive in the sport is such a farce, those complaining about it so much would avoid the fights and go watch other, “clean” sports or do something productive, otherwise.

Belfort is not the only fighter to deal with TRT backlash, though this might be the most visible. Chael Sonnen, Frank Mir, Forrest Griffin, etc., etc. All have had words of varying harshness written about their medical needs (or “needs”), from long, malicious diatribes (Sonnen) to offhanded snarky remarks (Mir, Griffin).

Yet, one man has (mostly?) survived the wrath, despite being the Jackie Robinson of Legalized Steroids: Dan Henderson. Henderson’s use started in 2007. Before 2007, he notched KOs against names like Akihiro Gono, Ryo Chonan, and Murilo Bustamante. After 2007, those names became Wanderlei Silva, Michael Bisping, and Fedor Emelianenko. Noting the obvious sample size caveat, his KO rate rose from 31% to 42% despite fighting a much higher level of competition at an age further and further away from 30.

How much of his post-2007 success can we attribute to our wonderful new miracle drug? I don’t know. (I don’t care too much, either.) But the relative lack of attention Henderson’s use has received (in contrast to the recent Belfort/Sonnen circuses), despite the seemingly obvious benefits of his use, is interesting nonetheless.

*    *    *

Amidst in all the TRT hoopla and the usual Old Vitor, New Vitor/dinosaurs and lions routine is the oft-mistaken career narrative of Vitor Belfort.

Get talking with some media type or hardcore fan about Vitor’s legacy and you’ll hear words and phrases like “inconsistent,” “up and down,” and so on. The reality is that Vitor Belfort is one of the most consistent fighters in MMA history.

Look at the names in his loss column. Couture, Sakuraba…Silva, Jones. Outside of Overeem, every single one of those fighters deserves a spot in an MMA hall of fame.

The only comparable name in his win column is Wanderlei Silva. I could list a number of caveats (sub-minute finish, Wanderlei wasn’t WANDERLEI yet, great style matchup for Vitor, etc.), but even without them, it doesn’t escape the reality that it’s the only elite fighter Belfort has ever beaten.

Which is to say this: Vitor Belfort is a gatekeeper. The best kind of gatekeeper. If you can claim a notch on Belfort, you’re a very good fighter, and there’s a very good chance you’re a great fighter.

I can’t be sure as to why Belfort’s been given the inconsistent/disappointment reputation, but through discussion on Twitter, I think I’ve stumbled on a hypothesis. Given his entrance into MMA, his quick work of Wanderlei Silva, his looks, his physique, and his name (I’m talking aesthetics here; “Vitor Belfort” sounds like a badass from some fantasy novel or video game), Belfort had all the making of a superstar. At the time, people expected him to beat guys like Couture and Ortiz. It seems like the stigma of “disappointing” losses has followed him throughout his career. But when you instead look at Belfort as a guy who, for whatever reason, didn’t have the makeup of a truly elite fighter, you see a clearer picture of his career.

*    *    *

-I don’t think the UFC could have scripted “Jacare” Souza’s win over Chris Camozzi any better than the actual result. The fight had the makeup of a showcase for Jacare, and a showcase it was. Camozzi was game for the short time they stood across from each other, but Jacare showed UFC fans what BJJ and hardcore MMA nerds have known for a long time. I expected the UFC would move fast with a Jacare win, and I stand by that. At 33, Jacare’s window is small, and the middleweight division always stands for fresh contenders. I see him matching up with x, or y, and perhaps a title shot after that.

-Camozzi fell asleep quicker than anyone else I’ve seen, which just goes to show you what level of grappler were dealing with when it comes to Jacare.

-Rafael dos Anjos and Evan Dunham didn’t win Fight of the Night, but they did deliver exactly the type of fight expected of them. I scored the fight for Dunham, and was surprised when Bruce Buffer announced dos Anjos as the winner. (Disclaimer: I had money on Dunham.) This is third close decision loss of Dunham’s UFC career, and you’ve got to feel for a guy who’s found himself on the wrong side of variance that often.

-Rafael Natal and Joao Zeferino’s fight had everyone glad the pizza guy showed up at the opening bell.

Mike Fagan writes a weekly column for MMA Owl, and hosts Untethered MMA every Thursday at 7 p.m. ET at FightFansRadio.com. 

“He/she should’ve gotten 5 minutes to recover after that foul!” “The fighter’s allowed 5 minutes!”

How many times have we heard this? As a referee, I’ve heard it from literally every single fight I’ve ever seen, heard about, officiated, watched, listened to, you name it where there was  a foul committed.  Most recently was the case of eye-poke in UFC 159, Ovince St. Preux vs. Gian Villante that caused referee Kevin Mulhall to wave the fight off because Villante was not able to see properly—that was determined by the ref after the question was asked, “Can you see?” My email, Twitter, Facebook inbox and text messaging blew up after that fight. Everyone asked me about why he wasn’t given the 5 minutes to recover. After about the 15^th time of explaining this, my finger tips were bleeding and I was screaming for my 5 minute recovery time! Thank goodness for copy and paste…best ability Apple gave the iPhone!

While I’m not here to discuss nor debate protocol regarding foul procedure, I do want to clear up the 5 minute assessment and recovery time for a foul and groin shot and the differences between the two rules.

Taken directly from the ABC (Association of Boxing Commissions) website, this is the wording about the 5 minute recovery time in a foul occurrence: “If a fighter is fouled by blow that the referee deems illegal, the referee should stop the action and call for time. The referee may take the injured fighter to the ringside doctor and have the ringside doctor examine the fighter as to their ability to continue on in the contest. The ringside doctor has up to 5 minutes to make their determination. If the ringside doctor determines that the fighter can continue in the contest, the referee shall as soon as practical restart the fight. However, unlike the low blow foul rule, the fighter does not have up to 5 minutes of time to use at their discretion. For a foul other than a low blow, the fouled fighter is not guaranteed 5 minutes of recovery time. If deemed not fit to continue by the referee or ringside physician, the referee must immediately call a halt to the bout. If the fighter is deemed not fit to continue by the referee or ringside physician but some of the five minute foul time is still remaining, the fighter can not avail himself the remaining time.”

Now, about the groin shot foul; again from the ABC website: “A fighter who has been struck with a low blow is allowed up to five minutes to recover from the foul as long as in the ringside doctor’s opinion the fighter may possibly continue on in the contest. If the fighter states that they can continue on before the five minutes of time have expired, the referee shall as soon as practical restart the fight. If the fighter goes over the five minute time allotment the fight cannot be restarted and the contest must come to an end with the outcome determined by the round and time in which the fight was stopped.”

So, what that means is, if you, as a fighter, gets struck in the tenders (nuts, balls, dick, vagina [hurts girls, too] etc), then you get to say how long of the 5 minutes you want to use to recover. If you’re fouled by an intentional or un-intentional foul, then the ref and /or ringside dr get UP TO 5 minutes to assess the injury and determine whether or not you can continue. You have no say what-so-ever about how long you get to recover.

Now, here/s the deal; as a ref, we want you guys (general term-no sexism!) to fight. We want you to continue. The hardest thing to do as a ref is to call a fight due to injury—you’d think it was to hear all the boos or chants of, “You suck, ref!” But that’s actually quite easy to take in! You’ll notice next time you see it happen, the ref will take their time in going through foul-protocol, if they’re seasoned, trained and know what they’re doing. They’ll call in the doctor knowing full well the fighter is ok just to have said doctor say they’re fine to continue fighting—giving the fighter a chance to recover a bit. The ref will walk casually to each corner and the commission to notify them of their decision (intentional/un-intentional/point deduction/etc.), then check-in with the fouled fighter one last time then re-start the fight. All that might have taken up a couple of minutes which is just about long enough for the fouled fighter to have recovered.

I hope this clears that rule up. I’ll be back soon for more rule explanations. In the mean time, if you have any questions or want clarification about anything MMA related, hit me up! I’m on Twitter @mdrakebrowning

Your friend in the cage,

MDD

Arena has a seating capacity of 15,000 and the reported attendance - 7,642

50K bonuses

FOTN – Lucas Martins vs Jeremy Larsen

KOTN – Vitor Belfort

SOTN – Ronaldo Souza

Main Card – FX

Vitor Belfort def. Luke Rockhold – KO (spinning heel kick, strikes) – R1, 2:32

Ronaldo Souza def. Chris Camozzi – submission (arm triangle) – R1, 3:37

Rafael dos Anjos def. Evan Dunham – unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Rafael Natal def. Joao Zeferino – unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Preliminary Card – Fuel TV

Nik Lentz def. Hacran Dias – unanimous decision (28-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Francisco Trinaldo def. Mike Rio – submission (arm triangle choke) – R1, 3:08

Gleison Tibau def. John Cholish – submission (guillotine choke) – R2, 2:34

Paulo Thiago def. Michel Prazeres – unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Yuri Alcantara def. Iliarde Santos – TKO (strikes) – R1, 2:31

Fabio Maldonado def. Roger Hollett – unanimous decision (29-27, 29-28, 29-27)

Preliminary Card – Facebook

John Lineker def. Azamat Gashimov – TKO (strikes) – R2, 1:07

Jussier Formiga def. Chris Cariaso – unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Lucas Martins def. Jeremy Larsen – KO (punches) – R3, :13

Luke Rockhold vs. Vitor Belfort

- There are two reasons to watch this card: 1) residence (past or present) in Brazil and 2) this main event. Rockhold and Belfort is all you can ask for with from a free TV headliner: an evenly-matched bout (the online books have this as a -125/-100 split for Rockhold), a compelling story (“old lion vs. new lion” in Vitor’s parlance), and a fun style matchup, on paper. This is fortunate because the main card opener features a fighter without a Wikipedia page. That’s never good.

- On merit, Belfort is a poor man’s Randy Couture. Similar records – Vitor is 22-10; Couture retired at 19-11. Couture won the big fights more often, and held world titles that have escaped Vitor throughout his career. Still, look at the names attached to Belfort’s losses: Couture (x2), Sakuraba, Liddell, Ortiz, Overeem (x2), Henderson, Anderson Silva, and Jon Jones. His best wins, excluding the UFC 46 farce over Couture: Wanderlei Silva, Heath Herring (when that still meant something), Matt Lindland, Rich Franklin, Michael Bisping. Outside of Wanderlei, a who’s who of Good Not Great. Belfort’s never had more than the look of a great fighter, but that shouldn’t cloud the fact that he is a very good one.

- That said, steroids and such. I’m surprised there aren’t more jokes and memes weaving Vitor’s TRT use and the self-coined “young dinosaur,” but I digress. The Nevada commission busted him for elevated levels of testosterone after a loss to Dan Henderson, and it’s reasonable to question how long he was using before that. Now he’s on the Flintstones vitamins. That colors things for people of a certain ilk.

- As for Rockhold, Belfort is a legit step up in competition. The Last Strikeforce Middleweight Champion’s best win was his first for that title: a five-round unanimous decision of “Jacare” Souza. He defended his title twice; first knocking out UFC washout and Awkward Jim Neidhart, Keith Jardine, and then taking a decision over Tim Kennedy. Prior to that, Rockhold’s ledger features such luminous names as Paul Bradley, Jesse Taylor, and “Third” Cory Devela. Belfort’s the biggest name, and, even at 36, arguably the best fighter Rockhold has fought.

- Despite only a 2-inch listed disparity, Rockhold, at 6’3”, seemed to tower over Jacare. Belfort lists at even 6 feet, and will give up three inches in reach as well. The fight hinges on Rockhold’s ability to leverage that length. Against Jacare, he allowed the Brazilian to close distance in the first two rounds, who made him pay for it with two staggering right hands in each frame. Rockhold found his range as the fight wore on, and used that to win the last three rounds going away. He can’t allow Belfort, possessing more potent power and hand speed than any of Rockhold’s prior opposition, the same courtesy.

- On May 18^th, it’ll be just over 10 months since Rockhold last fought. Belfort has fought twice in the interim. You’d expect the inverse given their career arcs.

The Undercard

- Speaking of Jacare! As a 5-1 favorite, his fight with Chris Camozzi is little more than a showcase. I would expect the UFC to fast track him after this, though. At 33 (and, somewhat surprisingly, 21 pro MMA fights), Jacare’s title window is closing, and any serious run at the top should come in the next two years. Expect a name in his second UFC fight, someone the likes of Brian Stann or Tim Boetsch.

- While the main event is the only compelling reason to tune in, the lightweight bout between Rafael dos Anjos and Evan Dunham is a nice bonus. Since breaking his jaw against Clay Guida, dos Anjos has gone 4-1 with wins over George Sotiropoulos, Kamal Shalorus, Anthony Njokuani, and Mark Bocek. The lone hiccup in that run – a split decision to Gleison Tibau – is one of two shared opponents with Dunham. Dos Anjos lost both those fights (Tyson Griffin being the other opponent); Dunham won both (by split decision). MMA math is a load of poo poo, though. Still, I have this closer than the online books, who chalk dos Anjos as a 2-1 favorite. And with six post-fight bonuses between them (including four “Fight of the Nights”), this is probably the favorite for that parenthetical award.

- Here’s everything you need to know about Joao Zeferino. He’s 27 years old and stands 5’11”. He’s 13-4, including a 7-fight win streak. His nickname is “The Brazilian Samurai.” His car is green.  He beat up a Baby. And a Salmon. (A big, fat, flopping salmon.) He fights out of Nitrix (for Ni-kids) Fight Team. He’s probably going to lose to a low-level UFC middleweight. That’s all I got for you.

Other Notes

- Jussier Formiga, the former number one flyweight in the world, is fighting on the Facebook prelims. He’s currently ranked sixth. His opponent, Chris Cariaso, is ranked tenth. Unranked (in the top 25, even!) Rafael Natal is fighting UFC newcomer and Harry Potter spell Joao Zeferino on the main card. Does not compute.

- According to Reed Kuhn, southpaws win 55% of fights against orthodox fighters (from a ~1,200-fight sample). He notes that is greater than homefield advantage in baseball.

- This article suggests Brazilians fighting non-Brazilians in Brazil are 4 wins better than expectation. Nothing conclusive with a 35-fight sample, but interesting nonetheless.

- Hot off the presses: Take a gander at Jon Snowden’s piece about UFC contracts.

Jack Mason def. Collin Reuter – unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Faycal Hucin def. Antoni Chmielewski – submission (triangle choke) – R1, 2:12

James Brum def. Olivier Pastor – unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Martin Buschkamp def. Matteus Lahdesmaki – unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)

Gregor Herb def. Mike Ling – split decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Preliminary Card – Facebook

Mauro Chimento def. Domingos Mestre – submission (guillotine) – R2, 4:30

Mohamed Ali def. Sylvain Potard – TKO (strikes) – R3, 4:07

Sean Carter def. Matt “Short Fuze” Hughes – submission (guillotine) – R2, 1:44

“We’ve got to do something about this, Mike. I don’t know what the answer is. Maybe some sort of webbing in the fingers, or gloves that cover the fingers or something.” – Joe Rogan

I’d love to tell you that quote is verbatim from a specific UFC event, but it isn’t. It’s probably pretty damn close, though, to the rerain Joe spouts off every time a fighter takes a finger in the eye. It’s Pavlovian for Rogan. As is my indignant groan that follows.

I asked Rami Genauer of FightMetric what sort of data they had on eye poke rates in the UFC. While they don’t have complete data, they did find 32 eye pokes (that led to a pause in the action) from a sample of 1333 fights, and Rami estimated you’re likely to see an eye poke in 3-4% of UFC fights. Taken at the high end, you’re likely to see an eye poke once every 25 fights or so.

That means if you’re picking out an event to watch from your totally-legit-DVD-hard-copy-not-downloaded-from-your-favorite-BitTorrent-tracker UFC library, you have just under a 50/50 chance at hearing Joe ramble on his diatribe against the current glove design. And it’s as much the tone of Joe’s rants as the content of that diatribe that causes my indignant groans.

Mixed martial arts requires a glove that protects the striker’s hands while allowing the flexibility and movement necessary to effectively grapple. Hence, the current gloves. (You can make an argument the sport would be better off without gloves at all. That would also require Bacta Tanks for hands.) The basic glove design should remain the same to avoid meddling with the striking/grappling balance of the sport.

Basically, if you want a sport where you can both punch and choke, you’re gonna have to accept eye pokes as a necessary risk.

Yet, conservatively, 96% of all fights transpire devoid of eye pokes. To add perspective, Rami estimated that groin shots are twice as common as eye pokes, and no one suggests the sport require old-school Pancrase leg pillows. (And, christ, no one mention this to Rogan, please.)

There is, however a simple solution: automatic point deductions. You poke your opponent in the eye, accidental or otherwise, you lose a point. Two eye pokes lead to a DQ. And warn a fighter who waves stray digits in front of their opponent’s face. Second instance is a point.

Harsh? Yes! Impractical? You bet!* But hell if it doesn’t provide an incentive for fighters to close their damn fists.

* – Actually, if you liberalize the scoring and automatically DQ a fighter for feigning an eye injury, you could probably institute something like this.

THE HISTORY OF EYE POKES IN MMA (VOL. 1)

Anthony Johnson vs. Kevin Burns – Arguably the most infamous instance of fingers to the eyes in the UFC, if not MMA. Burns poked Johnson’s eye multiple times during the bout, though referee Steve Mazzagatti did little more than warn Burns in the second round to “keep your hands closed on [the] jab.” Despite the warning, Johnson took another in the eye with 90 seconds remaining in the third. In a twist worthy of M. Night Shyamalan or Vince Russo, Mazzagatti awarded the TKO victory to Burns, on account of Johnson being unable to continue. Johnson’s appeal to the Nevada commission fell on deaf ears.

Georges St. Pierre vs. Jake Shields – The UFC pulled no punches with their first foray into Toronto: two title fights, including Georges St. Pierre in the headliner, before a sold out Rogers Centre crowd. The 55,000+ in attendance wouldn’t know until later just how close they were to witnessing a bizarre title change. St. Pierre looked troubled as he told his corner following the third round that he could not see out of his left eye. Trainer Greg Jackson assured him he was OK, he had one working eye, and as long as Georges could see him, he could see Jake Shields’ punches coming. Jackson’s pep talk prevented the referee or ringside doctor from overhearing talk of vision loss, and St. Pierre would go on to win a unanimous decision.

Don Frye vs. Gilbert Yvel – This one took place at Pride 16, less than two weeks after the plane hijackings of 9/11. Frye frustrated the younger Yvel with a mauling clinch/dirty boxing game. Yvel drew a yellow card for gouging early on as Frye had him in the clinch up against the ropes. As the fight wore on, Yvel shamelessly grabbed and hooked the ropes to prevent takedowns, flagrantly ignoring the warnings of referee Yuji Shimada. At the 7:27 mark, Yvel again found himself trapped in the clinch, this time up against the ring post. He went back to the gouge game, and Shimada quickly called the fight and awarded Frye a victory by DQ.

Gian Villante vs. Ovince St. Preux/Alan Belcher vs. Michael Bisping – The UFC went 20 years without a technical decision, then it got two on the same night at UFC 159. Villante took one in the eye from St. Preux, and informed questioning referee Kevin Mulhall he couldn’t see. Mulhall was forced to stop the fight, and the decision went St. Preux’s way. Belcher situation was less controversial, but more harrowing: Belcher was three years removed from surgery to repair a detached retina.

Randy Couture vs. Vitor Belfort – Not EXACTLY an eye poke, but Couture took a grazing punch from Belfort that cut his left eyelid.  The ringside doctor refused to allow the bout to continue, and Couture lost his title after 49 seconds. He would regain the title with a TKO victory over Belfort at UFC 49.

EDDIE VS. THE WORLD

At the time of writing, it has now been 6 months and 25 days since Eddie Alvarez last fought. Alvarez, in his words, is caught in a “big dick-swinging contest between two big companies” as Bellator/Viacom and the UFC/Zuffa battle in court over his contractual rights. Should the parties fail to reach a settlement (and given Alvarez’s recent rant, a settlement seems unlikely), it’s a good bet that Alvarez will be out of action for another 6 months. By that point, the New Jersey lightweight will find himself on the wrong side of 30. No matter what your opinion on the matter (and, if you have a soul, Bellator/Viacom are the bad guys here), no one benefits when a top 10 talent loses out on an entire year of his prime.

SPEAKING OF SOULLESS

It’s only the soulless who could watch the Youtube video of Miguel Torres recovering from his knockout loss to Michael McDonald at UFC 145. The footage, since removed by Zuffa, appears taken from UFC.tv, which allows the user to choose from a variety of video angles and audio tracks during a bout. Watching Torres struggle to regain consciousness and find the balance to sit himself on a stool is bad. The ensuing conversation between Torres and trainer Firas Zahabi is worse. Torres asks Zahabi how he lost (an uppercut), what weight the fight was took place (135), and who is opponent was (he mistakenly thinks it was Mark Hominick) before circling back around and asking just how he came to be knocked out (uppercut, still). I’m sure the video can be found through “alternative” means, though one risks losing their appetite for the fight game on viewing.

Mike Fagan is a dude who used to write about MMA for part of his living, and now does so on the side. He also hosts Untethered MMA, which can be heard Thursdays at 7 p.m. ET on FightFansRadio.com, or as a downloadable podcast on iTunes and other platforms.

2013 has already proven to be a very exciting year for WMMA (Women’s Mixed Martial Arts). Women are making history with the first ever female division in the UFC and in the 18th season of The Ultimate Fighter, airing this September, will include women in the house for the first time. With the spotlight finally on the women, making a fulfilling career out of MMA is becoming a reality for the female athlete. As more women turn their attention to the cage, the divisions will only get harder and women will have to train harder to keep up.  For athletes such as Jenny “The Phoenix” Silverio who has been grooming for an opportunity from day one, this shouldn’t pose a problem.

Currently 4-1 as an amateur, Atomweight (105lb) fighter out of Twin Dragons Martial Arts in Miami, Florida, Silverio is prepared for any opportunity presented to her in accordance with her trainer, Master Steven Tarrago’s counsel, “You have to be ready for the UFC today!” Silverio is the current Atomweight title holder for American Battle Championships where she took on Jody Lynn Reicher on April 22, 2013 earning a win by unanimous decision, and doesn’t plan to give up the title.

Whether Silverio is preparing for a fight or not, she trains consistently with the mentality that “if you’re always ready, you don’t have to get ready.” Six days a week (even seven if duty calls), Silverio trains three to four times daily. There are no easy days at Twin Dragons and Silverio is happy to push herself to the limits to see just how far she can go in the sport. “There are many reasons for doing things, some we may be consciously aware of and can be physically seen, some may be unconscious and intangible. I began my life path in the martial arts through the practice of Yoga and Tai Chi Chuan. Continuing this practice, I then expanded on to the fitness program at Twin Dragons, and slowly but surely, began the Kuntao Silat program.”

She explained further, “Studying in traditional martial arts and being a student, I wanted to test myself and know for certain that my Kung Fu is real. In China, practitioners test through engaging in ‘playing.’ However, in the United States these are recognized as street fights. As I am a law abiding citizen, the closest thing to being able to test my Kung Fu is through engaging in the practice of MMA. I do not want to wait for a test outside of the cage in which there is a true life threatening situation to then figure out whether I can preserve my life or not. I want to know.”

Aside from fighting, Silverio is also focusing her time on pursuing a PhD in Transpersonal Psychology. Her training in martial arts plays a part in her pursuit of her PhD as well. “I have come to learn about myself, others, the world, and the Universe,” Silverio explains as she talks about the topic for her dissertation she will write for her PhD program.

While not in the pro ranks yet, Silverio has discussed the possibility with her team and coaching staff at Twin Dragons. Should her training continue to go as planned, there is a potential of a pro debut at the end of 2013. “However, one day at a time, one fight at a time, and one title at a time,” Silverio says as she discusses the importance of not entering the pro ranks without an amplitude of experience.

Fresh off her title win at ABC, Silverio and her coaching staff are already working out the details for her next fight, a possible match in June. Focusing her training one day at a time, she will continue to prepare for whatever opportunities come her way. To find out more about her upcoming plans, visit her www.JennySilverioMMA.com and on facebook.

There were 11 bouts on the card with a combination of Muay Thai kickboxing and mixed martial arts with the introduction of the recently approved ‘ground and pound’ for this event. Fight results included four decisions, three finishes (TKO), two submissions and even two judge’s draws.

The originally scheduled main event between Mike ‘Monster’ Wilson vs current SBFL Flyweight Title holder, Victor Flor was canceled after Flor withdrew due to illness and his replacement, Dan Mitchell, a teammate of Flor, also withdrew. Wilson was then awarded the interim Flyweight title by default and will challenge Victor Flor at Super Brawl 18 in the upcoming months in a unification title bout.

The new main event saw Kate Pierre vs Ralph Delinois in a rematch for the SBFL Welterweight Championship. In their first meeting back in March, the fight went the distance and the judges scored in favor of Ralph Delinois. This time around, the fight went to the judge’s score cards as well but it was Pierre who got his vindication as the judges awarded him the unanimous decision.

In perhaps the best Muay Thai striking display of the night was between Ryan Lopez of ATT Copans and Kamilo Petkoff of FFA Miami.  Lopez was making his amateur MMA debut and Petkoff coming in with a 1-0 record. Both fighters with little to no exhibition experience had excellent technical, crisp striking throughout the match. The two fighters were so evenly matched that even the judges couldn’t determine a decisive result and agreed on a judge’s Draw.

In the shortest fight of the night, heavyweights Romeo ‘Rome Diesel’ Valdes and Gazu Abreu faced off in an intense striking battle with ‘ground and pound.’ After Abreu hit the canvass, Valdes gave Abreu a one sided beating with punches until the referee mercifully stepped in and stopped the fight before the end of round one, giving Valdes the TKO win.

Fight Results

SBFL Welterweight Title  (Main Event) 

Kate Pierre def. Ralph Delinois – unanimous decision

*SBFL Bantamweight Title  (Co-main Event)

Chris Tobies def. Joshua Gill – submission (rear naked choke) – R2, 1:42

Muay Thai – Lightweight match

Luis Manuel def. Alberto Perez – TKO (strikes) – R1, 1:51

*Romeo ‘Rome Diesel’ Valdes def. Gazu Abreu – TKO (strikes) – R1

Travis Huessmann def. Mark Valero – TKO (doctor stoppage*) – R2

*Valero sustained cut under left eye & after R1, doctor stoppage

*SBFL Featherweight Title

Yoel Rojo vs Joseph Billingsley – judge’s draw

Edgar Plazaolin def. Jason Santana – submission (guillotine) – R2, :29

Mario Morales def. Cesar Jordan – unanimous decision

Muay Thai – 140 lb match

Ryan Lopez vs. Kamilo Petkoff – judge’s draw

Muay Thai – Lightweight match

Eric Martinez def. Ryan Engler – unanimous decision

Muay Thai – 140 lb match

Matt Bloome def. Brandon Baquero – unanimous decision

*ground and pound allowed

Related stories:

http://mma-insider.com/News/tabid/78/MMAi/896/Super_Brawl_16_Picks__Preview.aspx

http://mma-insider.com/News/tabid/78/MMAi/887/Super_Brawl_16_Card.aspx

Middleweight Title

Jesse Taylor def. John Phillips – submission (guillotine) – R1, 2:43

Danny Roberts def. Diego Gonzalez – TKO (strikes) – R2, 3:02

Lewis Long def. Mark Glover – unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Ivan Buchinger def. Jason Ball – unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28)

Brett Johns def. James MacAlister – TKO (punches) – R2, 3:23

Martin McDonough def. Mark Platts – submission (rear naked choke) – R2, 1:18

Preliminary Card – Facebook

Shaj Haque def. Kris Edwards – split decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Matt Inman def. Leon Kenge – TKO* (strikes) – R3, 1:03

*Kenge corner threw in the towel to stop the fight

Jamie Rogers def. Brad Wheeler –split decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Steve McCombe def. Joe Orrey – technical submission (rear naked choke) – R3, 1:48

Owain Parry Rob def. Rob Leybourne – submission (rear naked choke) – R2, 1:11

Amateur Card – not televised

Rory Evans def. Keiren Bennett – submission (rear naked choke) – R1, :56

Josh Reed def. Marley Bennett – submission (armbar) – R1, 1:29

Paul Rogers def. George Thomas – submission (armbar) – R2, 2:47

Light Heavyweight Title

Jon Jones def. Chael Sonnen – TKO (elbow strikes) – R1, 4:33

Michael Bisping def. Alan Belcher – unanimous technical decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Eye poke to Belcher’s eye, unable to continue

Roy Nelson def. Cheick Kongo – KO (punch) – R1, 2:02

Phil Davis def. Vinny Magalhaes – unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

Pat Healy def. Jim Miller – submission (rear naked choke) – R3, 4:02

Preliminary Card – FX

Ovince St. Preux def. Gian Villante – majority technical decision (30-28, 30-29, 29-29)

Eye poke to Villante in R3, :33, referee halted the fight

Sara McMann def. Sheila Gaff – TKO (strikes) – R1, 4:06

Rustam Khabilov def. Yancy Medeiros – TKO (dislocated thumb) – R1, 2:32

Medeiros was body slammed by Khabilov & dislocated his thumb when he landed on the ground

Bryan Caraway def. Johnny Bedford – submission (guillotine) – R3, 4:44

Preliminary Card – Facebook

Cody McKenzie def. Leonard Garcia – unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

Nick Catone vs. James Head – canceled due to Catone being hospitalized for dehydration

Steven Siler def. Kurt Holobaugh – unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)