Friday, May 14, 2010

By Isaac Kuhlman

  Julio "Kidd" Diaz has been on quite the bumpy ride in his career recently. He has been fighting for over 11 years, but it has been the last three that have really tested his mentality OUTSIDE of the ring. Diaz, who has fought against the likes of Jose Luis Castillo, Juan Diaz and Angel Manfredy, took on Herman Ngoudjo on Friday night at the Star of the Desert Arena in Primm, Nevada as part of ESPN2's "Friday Night Fights." The fight started out looking to be a very close fight with the first five and a half rounds being give and take by both fighters. However, there was a defining moment in the sixth round where Ngoudjo accidentally spit out his mouth piece that Diaz (and myself) noticed that Ngoudjo was past his gas tank, and Diaz took the fight over.

Friday, April 23, 2010

By Isaac Kuhlman

  Tonight's Tuff-N-Uff fights from the Orleans Casino were jam packed with fast finishes and furious fights. Ten of the thirteen fights ended in the first round, and, in somewhat of a surprise, there were no actual KO's (only two TKO's due to strikes). What this meant for fans, was a spectacular night of very skilled amateurs finding their moment to pull off some slick submissions. In fact, one of the quickest submissions I have ever seen (27 seconds) came on the fight card as John Gettle pulled off a triangle choke against Erick Kapp. The most impressive thing was that the sub came from having to structure a perfect position so quickly. However, the best fight of the night was absolutely the main event between Jimmy Jones and Larry Mir.

Tuesday, April 12, 2010

By Isaac Kuhlman

  Jennifer Harman hosted her 4th annual charity poker tournament to raise awareness and funds for the Nevada Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The Venetian's poker room brought in the celebrities and poker pros from around town (and other parts of the country) to raise awareness for this good cause. As many celebrities walked the red carpet, they were accompanied by animals that had been rescued at some point. Poker pros such as Doyle Brunson, Howard Lederer, Harman and more sat down with benefactors and other celebrities such as Nancy Cartwright, the UFC's Roy "Big Country" Nelson and Tyson Griffin, Carrot Top, and others. The event raised over 450,000 dollars in the last 3 events, and it remains one of the top charity tournaments in the country.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

By Isaac Kuhlman

  Gegard Mousasi is one of the premiere mixed-martial artists in the world. He is the current Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Champion, and he has won other titles and belts including the Dream Middleweight Tournament title, making him the first Middleweight title holder in the organization. Since that time (September 2008), he has moved up in weight to the Light Heavyweight division, and won fights in both this current weight class and an open weight during Dream's Super Hulk tournament. Simply put, he is an undeniable threat in multiple weight classes, and he has become one of the biggest stars of MMA who are not currently in the Ultimate Fighting Championship organization. I recently had the opportunity to ask Mousasi a few questions, and here is what he had to say.