1. There's no pleasing some people.
While certain writers have decried putting Kimbo into a fight where he was, to those without giant dollar signs blocking their vision, over-matched, they complain in the same breath that the still-improving Carano is handled with "kids' gloves." It seems that for some, bringing a fighter through the ranks slowly is only appropriate as an idea in retrospect, after the developing fighter has already crash-and-burned.
The fact is that at 16-2-1 heading into the contest, Kelly Kobold was a tough, experienced opponent for Carano. Carano's decision win over Kobold pushed her record to 7-0-0 against competition with a collective record (at the time of their respective fights) of 36-10-1. Put another way, her opposition held a .766 win average. This is noteworthy when you consider that Tara Larosa (one of Carano's biggest critics who has, among other things, accused Carano of being fed opponents) fought her first seven fights against opposition with a collective record at the time of 24-9-0 (that's an average of .727).
Looking at these numbers, we can see that, in her fledgling career, Carano has performed just as well against competition just as stiff as Larosa during her early years. While her peers could begrudge EliteXC officials and fans for taking to the fighting bombshell so quickly (though they probably shouldn't--welcome to the real world, pretty people have it easier), at a certain point Carano's detractors have to acknowledge that her in-cage performances deserve just as much respect as their own.
And while it's true that to deny audiences a fight between Carano and Cristiane Santos--a fighter who is possessed of striking skills just as good and likely better than Carano--would be an injustice to both the fighters and fans, it's an unlikely eventuality. Both fighters have benefited from some very positive public exposure, and with Santos now 2-0-0 following a nearly two year break from the sport, some time soon rather than last week is the right time for this fight to happen.
2. "Sloppy bastards."
"Who are Benji Radach and Murilo Rua?"
I'm a big fan of Radach but, short of a total overhaul, its hard to imagine that the approach that earned him number one contender status over Rua could likewise overcome the newly disciplined, stalking style of champion Robbie Lawler.
3. Security guard from Jerry Springer show wins heavyweight MMA fight.
After two losses to Tim Sylvia and a couple of underwhelming follow up acts (those would be the TKO win over Marcio Cruz, and his appearance on Jerry Springer as a guest security guard) Andrei Arlovski is now rapidly regaining the momentum and mystique he enjoyed as UFC heavyweight champion. With explosive KO victories over former IFL kingpins Ben Rothwell and most recently Roy Nelson, we finally have an answer to that nagging question: could "The Black Dragon" Ron Van Clief have led Andrei Arlovski and a team of ethnically-themed super fighters dubbed The Des Moines Silver Monkeys to an IFL championship?
All Van Cliefs aside, Arlovski may have shown a resurgent killer instinct, but also a certain penchant for landing underneath his opponents in a scramble. For Rothwell it happened when Arlovski dropped back for a sloppy heel hook. In his fight last Saturday, Nelson used his preternatural spherical qualities to reverse Arlovski during a takedown. He also smothered Arlovski with his massive stomach, which was good for some laughs. Likewise on display was Arlovski's habit of starting out slow, as he took a full round or so in both the Nelson and Rothwell fight before he could really pull the trigger. Both of these qualities are huge liabilities when considering a fight with Fedor Emelienenko, whose dynamic grappling and concussive strikes allow him to go from zero to beating the shit out of Tim Sylva in 36 seconds flat.
4. Now 70% less goofy looking.
Conor Heun, besides earning a cash bonus for his win over Edson Berto, got himself a little upgrade in the Profile Picture Department of Sherdog.com.
Prior to his fight Saturday, Heun was depicted as something like Keanu Reeves' retarded younger brother, grimacing as he soils himself and gets punched in the chest (exhibit A).
exhibit A. "Stranger Danger!" Heun exclaimed as he shied away from his attacker.
Immediately following his win, though, Heun's picture had been changed to show him as determined, combat ready, and only mildly cross-eyed (exhibit B).
exhibit B. Eyes are crossing...every so slightly...
Good job everyone.
Incidentally, Marcus Hicks lost his last high-profile fight to Jamie Varner, so he still has to be immortalized in Sherdog's Fight Finder as Black Quasimodo.
"Sanctuary and so forth!"
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