Wars Underscore TUF II Season Finale
Under Card and Dark Matches
Josh Gross Nov 6, 2005
Kenny Florian
(Pictures) finally had a chance to
show the ground skills for which he was so highly touted during his
time as a cast member of TUF season one, as the Boston native faced
local Las Vegas kickboxer Kit Cope.
Florian had early trouble with Cope’s size, but soon found the right leverage to put the tattooed fighter on the canvas. At that point it was elementary, with Florian dominating the striking on the floor.
As seconds ticked away to the culmination of round one, Florian
swiveled from the mount and took Cope’s right arm, hyper-extending
the appendage as the bell sounded. Cope tapped mere moments after,
though there was some confusion in the small venue when the two
fighters readied for round two.
There would be no controversy, as replays showed Cope’s tap came after the bell. Florian ensured the online forums would remain quiet when picked up where he left off, dropping Cope to the canvas, taking his back and sinking in the fight-ending rear-naked choke 37 seconds of round two.
Eerily similar to Tito Ortiz (Pictures)’ slam of Evan Tanner (Pictures), Josh Burkman (Pictures) ended Sam Morgan (Pictures)’s night just 21 seconds after the opening bell, when he violently sandwiched Morgan’s head between the canvas — no amount of padding would have saved him — and his own cranium.
The slam caught referee Jon Schorle out of place, and Burkman followed with three brutal elbows, which had Morgan’s eyes rolling around in his head as if it was a cheaply made child’s toys.
For several minutes Morgan remained motionless on the canvas. EMTs brought in a stretcher, though thankfully the middleweight regained his faculties enough to walk out of the Octagon under his own power.
Melvin Guillard (Pictures) was simply too much for Marcus Davis, who showed no fluidity or movement that would justify the lofty boxing credentials he claims to carry with him when he fights.
Multiple takedowns helped Guillard put the fight where he wanted when he wanted, and Davis was forced to defend the majority of the time.
In the second period, Guillard countered beautifully with a hip toss while the two scrambled, resulting in his securing the top position. From inside the guard, the New Orleans native unloaded consecutive elbows that opened an ugly gash above Davis’ left eye. Immediately referee McCarthy called time for a doctor’s opinion, which led to the subsequent stoppage at 2:55 of round two.
Kicking things off, Keith Jardine (Pictures) and Kerry Schall (Pictures) fought a plodding bout until Jardine unleashed a series of low kicks that forced his heavier opponent to crumble under his own weight.
Up until that point, Jardine’s offense consisted largely of jab-straight combinations. In the opening round, Schall stalked Jardine and absorbed the first group of leg kicks that would eventually result in his defeat.
Midway through round two, the pace increased, and Jardine actively went after Schall’s legs. After seven and a half minutes of sloppy kickboxing during which Schall failed to use his size to wear down his smaller foe, Jardine earned the TKO victory.
Florian had early trouble with Cope’s size, but soon found the right leverage to put the tattooed fighter on the canvas. At that point it was elementary, with Florian dominating the striking on the floor.
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There would be no controversy, as replays showed Cope’s tap came after the bell. Florian ensured the online forums would remain quiet when picked up where he left off, dropping Cope to the canvas, taking his back and sinking in the fight-ending rear-naked choke 37 seconds of round two.
Dark Matches
Eerily similar to Tito Ortiz (Pictures)’ slam of Evan Tanner (Pictures), Josh Burkman (Pictures) ended Sam Morgan (Pictures)’s night just 21 seconds after the opening bell, when he violently sandwiched Morgan’s head between the canvas — no amount of padding would have saved him — and his own cranium.
The slam caught referee Jon Schorle out of place, and Burkman followed with three brutal elbows, which had Morgan’s eyes rolling around in his head as if it was a cheaply made child’s toys.
For several minutes Morgan remained motionless on the canvas. EMTs brought in a stretcher, though thankfully the middleweight regained his faculties enough to walk out of the Octagon under his own power.
Melvin Guillard (Pictures) was simply too much for Marcus Davis, who showed no fluidity or movement that would justify the lofty boxing credentials he claims to carry with him when he fights.
Multiple takedowns helped Guillard put the fight where he wanted when he wanted, and Davis was forced to defend the majority of the time.
In the second period, Guillard countered beautifully with a hip toss while the two scrambled, resulting in his securing the top position. From inside the guard, the New Orleans native unloaded consecutive elbows that opened an ugly gash above Davis’ left eye. Immediately referee McCarthy called time for a doctor’s opinion, which led to the subsequent stoppage at 2:55 of round two.
Kicking things off, Keith Jardine (Pictures) and Kerry Schall (Pictures) fought a plodding bout until Jardine unleashed a series of low kicks that forced his heavier opponent to crumble under his own weight.
Up until that point, Jardine’s offense consisted largely of jab-straight combinations. In the opening round, Schall stalked Jardine and absorbed the first group of leg kicks that would eventually result in his defeat.
Midway through round two, the pace increased, and Jardine actively went after Schall’s legs. After seven and a half minutes of sloppy kickboxing during which Schall failed to use his size to wear down his smaller foe, Jardine earned the TKO victory.
