BIG BANG (PART 1)

Scientists still to this day debate the big bang theory what is fact or fiction. What parts make sense and what doesn’t. One thing you or any scientist won’t have to question is the newest big bang to the world of MMA, Union Grand Prix. The newest force in Mixed Martial arts has indeed come to the world with a big bang of it’s very own. The Battleground Net extension, known home for wrestling dynamos such as Union Battleground and Death Trip Wrestling, has exploded into the MMA scene with UGP and with it a slew of new talents able to showcase their skills inside the cage instead of the ring.

I for one am thankful because now I have a steady job. (just saying) More than that I will use this platform to bring the news with of course the analyst view. I’ve been covering MMA for the better part of 11 years before that an Olympic caliber judoka with BJJ training who made a few bad decisions thus halting my career and my dream. Turn the lemons into lemonade. Learning from my mistakes and making the best out of bad I’m now here Union GP. Before that I was a freelance writer in and out of the many small but strong MMA promotions in the US, Japan, and South America.

There’s your introduction and background. Now here is your Hard Takes with Toussaint Harper.

The big bang came in the force of UGP #1. A sold out show of 9,500 new fans excited for a night of highlights. The UIC Pavillion in Chicago rocked welcoming Union GP to the forefront. They received their money’s worth to say the least. Now to the start of the card.

ROSCOE ROBINSON vs KEVIN VAN DAMNE

The silent Van Damne against the mouth Robinson. I say that with appreciation of the energy. It’s hard for fans to get into a fight without reason. Roscoe Robinson has burst onto the scene giving many MMA fans a reason for that excitement. Whether they do or don’t like his tactics this fight proved he’s not one to take lightly. What I saw from ringside was a tactical job of feeling an opponent out. Allowing him to show his game and then responding in form. In round one there was the first exchange and from there it was all Robinson taking advantage of control and position on the ground. I feel Van Damne really found himself overwhelmed and as ready as he felt it is a big difference once the lights and heat is on. Round two much of the same but with a little more fight out of Van Damne. There were good moments for Van Damne in this round but it turned with his rash striking. Sloppy doesn’t win the race and Robinson shows it in full.

The headbutt I feel was by Robinson was intentional but call as you feel on it. Either to shake Van Damne up or outright mess with his head with so much control of the fight so far it seemed unnecessary. Rather classless.

Round three you could tell KVD didn’t want anymore. The way he rose from his stool and his body language easily depicts Robinson beating the will from him. One last kick, that’s it. In the UGP #1 Press Conference Robinson states.

“What’s on my mind right now is turning his lights out Saturday night and advancing to whoever is placed in front of me.”

Robinson showing his rookie status doesn’t mean a damn thing. Will be one to watch in this Junior Heavyweight Tournament fighting the winner later between The Battle of Brothers, Seth and Robb Daniels.

SIMON BISHOP vs KIRA IZUMI

I wanted to ask The Prince of Darkness a question or two at the press conference but the jerkmo just talked a rushed off. Couldn’t get a word in with Strangla but I know it comes with the competition of the media. This fight intrigued me because of the ground game. Two submission guys toe to toe. Now I will admit I gave the edge to Izumi and Bishop definitely made me eat my words. The man comes out firing and putting Izumi to the mat quickly. Then the technical work begins and was a joy to see. Reversals, attempts, and positioning galore. Bishop obviously getting the better of most the attempts. Stand up wise, Izumi had no answer and if I had to stay what’s the first thing the Prince needs to work on it’s that. In the second round Bishop drops and stops him. The eyepoke from his top position over Izumi didn’t look intentional to me as he was placing the hand over the mouth and nose. Basically taking air making Izumi work against his conditioning more. What was impressive was Bishop’s ability to transition to the kimura so quickly from that mount. Obviously can be done yes but so smoothly? I had to admit made me stand up and take notice. Not to mention he damn near ended Izumi’s arn. Bishop with the impressive submission win giving himself a boost in his Round Robin hopes in the Light Heavyweight Division. Izumi with the good effort and pride with fighting to the end. He might not want to make a habit of that though because, yeet.

AERON ROBERTS vs CRISTIAN BONANNO

My first surprise...Bonanno’s comfort in that pocket. No seriously the man by be a wrestler but he knows his reach, his sweet spot, and worked Roberts half to damn death with it. When you don’t want a wrestler to be a wrestler anymore you’ve done something. Not to say Roberts didn’t have heart in the fight, she did. It’s hard to enjoy anyone working you in your area of expertise and it’s even more exasperating once you get to the feet and have to deal with even more punishment. That was this fight. From round one Bonanno kept the pressure on high. Even as his corner instructs him to get the fight back to standing it seemed like he felt it wasn’t broke so why fix it. There was an eyepoke midway of Round one by Bonanno after a jab but it didn’t seem that intentional to me. Didn’t shake Roberts at all. Toward the end of the round all you see is Roberts eating elbows as if it was a buffet.

The buzzer saved her from this fight being cut short a LOT earlier. In the second round I do feel Roberts was still on shaky legs and Bonanno took full advantage. This is where I’ll give Roberts credit but she kept going even though you could tell she was slightly out of it. Still fighting and defending but in the end once they stood up again after fighting Bonanno off, it’s all downhill for Roberts. A sprawl from Bonanno followed by clean footwork in dodging and bringing a countering hook. Mean way to go and Bonanno shows immense power in his hands in the process. Uccisore starting off on the good foot for the Light Heavyweight Round Robin tournament while Roberts looks to bounce back from the loss.

DERRICK LA’BELL vs. FERDINAND DIAO

When the big bodies comes to play the games rarely last long. The story remained true in this case of Heavyweights. Bombs. Pure Bombs. Thrown by both. I could elaborate more but it wouldn’t make sense this one was quick and still entertaining with the short time. Diao had the right idea coming out looking for that first strike to set the pace but what he wasn’t looking for was La’Bell’s ability to make him miss and make him pay. To me from that first counter strike from La’Bell he was in a danger zone. Diao responded though throwing that stunning haymaker making La’Bell think but it wasn’t enough to deter him as recollects and changes levels. The feint timed perfectly with Diao still gathering his bearings and I’ll say it. La’Bell has death for hands. People turned around when they saw that uppercut. Nothing pretty about it. Endgame. I will give credit with Diao because like I said that first punch had him in a different place but still had the wherewithal to respond, just wasn’t enough. The best result you can have in a Robin Robin format is to start with a win. Long Island Strong.

ROBB DANIELS vs SETH DANIELS

Of course you have to dub this the battle of brothers. Yes I know they are not brothers but come on you have to make a play on the name. The chances they both get their names pulled together? What else can you call it? Maybe Cain and Abel? I don’t know them at all to say who would play who but this was another short encounter overall which seemed to be the theme of this night until later on in the card. First off Robb was winning this match in the beginning came out countering well and taking Seth for a ride. Not to mention that flying triangle, I see you Headliner. Thing is a round is a full five minutes, not two. What’s funny is Seth kind of outlined it all in his comments in the pre-fight presser.

“Because if dude steps into that Octagon and starts flashing around like a professional wrestler, he’s gonna get his lights turned out real quick. This isn’t professional wrestling and if he treats it as such, all I have to do is stick to my strengths and take a nice quick round one victory.”

Seth gives a low kick to the knee of Robb almost taking the piece with him and it pretty much tells the story from there. Couple more kicks and then a flurry and ref Jordan Ripley runs in to save Robb from further punishment.

Here’s a hard hit: That was an early stop.

Yes, I said it. Standing right at ringside I saw it as well if not better than most of you. I know some people won’t appreciate it but his leg was out. His hands were still in a position of defense Robb was just struggling to stand. Was he groggy? Hell yeah but if you’re giving an opportunity for a groggy Ferdinand Diao to respond to Derrick La’Bell then Robb should’ve been given the same opportunity or be knocked down completely. I understand the unnecessary damage. I understand it’s their job to keep the fighters safe but this is a dangerous sport and when we start softening it up we are no better than the NFL. Robb could’ve been more active but I don’t think he was given the time to show response. Seth should’ve knocked him to hell with that kick to the chin and he didn’t so Robb was still there. Sorry Jordan Ripley you are a good ref but you missed the mark on this one.

HANAKO TAKEUCHI vs HAILEY MCINTYRE

I have seen power. You see it in the big guys all the time. Quick fights due to heavy hands.

This…I was not expecting this.

Takeuchi put the entire Union GP universe on notice in one kick. I sipped my tea then spit it the hell out. I recall a quote Takeuchi said in the pre-fight press conference.

“I see she doesn't have a bad stand up game based on what's out there, but she can't go with me standing up.”

You didn’t give us the opportunity to find out. Goodness!

LUX FORTE vs XABIER BELAZCO

I want to start by saying...this was a really one sided affair on the feet. To the credit of Belazco, it didn’t START OFF that way but I’ll tell you water is wet, fire burns, and Forte is a very dangerous person on the feet. First round started with a great ground affair with both fighters. Great movement and great transitions by both anyone who is a fan of the ground game they both gave a wonderful performance full of examples to learn from and emulate. Now that second round, remember what I said...dangerous. If Belazco can learn anything from this fight it’s the striking game can be a terrible mistress. You have to give it some attention and if you don’t she just might end up at your front door ready to beat you and your wife the hell down.

From the haymaker that started the round it totally became a dismantling. Belazco being on wobbly legs from then on but to his credit the heart you see in him for these next two rounds. He doesn’t go down and out fighting to a decision but it’s a bloody massacre in the process with Forte dominating the moments. Biggest problem for this fight, Belazco completely throwing his ground game to the wind and fighting Forte’s fight on the feet. After being wobbled in the second round it was like he completely forgot one of his bread and butters with the ground game. Now that can is to the credit of Forte making sure even when he hit the ground that she allowed him to get right to his feet and not becoming overzealous and playing the ground game with him. Some would see it as not having the killer instinct or power to finish the fight, I see it as playing it smart. She will be a force among the Cruiser-weights moving on in the tournament.

KENZI GREY vs KAELAN LAUGHLIN

This fight surprised me in a big way. A lot of people have their prejudices about professional wrestlers transitioning to MMA. To me, a fighter is a fighter and in the cage is where we find out who is legit or just for show. Those that take it seriously and work at the craft usually shows when the lights come on. I’m pleased to say watching this fight between both these wrestlers they are taking their MMA careers seriously. I will gladly call out when I see otherwise. The first round starting with some stand up but when it goes to the ground is where it intrigues me most. I wanted to see just how far each fighters training has taken them in the full MMA field. The technique shown blows me away honestly. I did not expect them to be as proficient as they were. The submission attempts were ok.. Yes some of them easy to escape from but not nearly a sloppy mess as I was expecting. Ref Dusty Whittaker did have to stand them up toward the end of the round but it was a good call in my opinion as work wasn’t being done. This first round was a close round but I edged it for Laughlin due the edge she showed on the standup as well as more submission attempts on the ground. I do keep in mind of Grey’s takedowns but I feel Laughlin was more active once down there.

Round two is where the lack of experience shows. Both even possibly getting tired showing a little less on the technique side of things especially with their striking. The beginning just wasn’t pretty but once Grey gets in on the double leg takedown we see some of the proficiency come back into play. Laughlin going for that gogoplata...woman you go ahead. I have to give credit because it was beautifully done. Yes, Grey broke it up but again these are professional wrestler’s by trade in their first go around in the cage. Signs of really good training. Grey being diligent in breaking the attempts shows she’s done the same. Now here in this round I’ll admit too many stops to the feet. Dusty calls the first one a little early for me I believe there was more time to be given for them to work. Once on their feet a lot more strikeouts being thrown not really pretty but we get back to the ground. Dusty stands them up again which this one made sense because the activity stalled completely. It was becoming more of the fight I was expecting from these two at this point not as a diss but beginning is beginning we all have them. Due to the many takedowns and pressure I edged this round to Grey.

Third round Grey gets Laughlin to the ground and this triangle she pulls on Grey. I honestly thought that was it. I did not see an opening at first but Grey makes one getting out. Gotta say, impressive. At this point in the fight I’m wondering why Grey keeps going to the ground where Laughlin has been for the most part more dominant? Little did I know I’d soon get my answer. Two more stops to be placed back on the feet at this point I’m pretty sure this is due to conditioning. Grey gets the better of the second standup and after another break of the clinch by Dusty I’m getting tired of the breaks. Grey makes up for it with a takedown and pounds out the ribs a bit seeing a little more action now than before. Here’s where it gets interesting.

Laughlin had the hellish hold of that triangle but one thing that happens over time is that slippery sweat gets hard to keep grip once tired. When Grey slips out she sees the leg and goes straight toward it. It can happen in that short timeframe when both bodies are trying to scramble. I can’t even fault Laughlin for being caught by Grey in this kneebar. Near the end of the round it must be heartbreaking I don’t doubt it at all but the way this round was going Grey seemed to have a lot more control of how things were going in this round possibly enough to win with a split. Slight...SLIGHT...possibility. Instead Grey tries to carry Laughlin’s whole leg with her out of UIC Pavilion to a submission win.

SAKARIA KOA vs DONNIE CALABRESE

The main event of the night and the power strikes. One thing I liked, they men went FOR IT! From the second the round began they were in each others faces and didn’t turn until one went out. Now although I am partial to a technical showing no one can resist an all out brawl. That’s what this was and a good trade or two between them until Koa’s clinch pushing Calabrese against the cage. The vet in this situation and it proved to show with Koa slowing down the action. I did like the break of the clinch because it seemed like Koa didn’t want to do anything in the close ties, just slow things down. Then just like that they pickup from where they left off but in a much bigger way.

Koa just winds up and swings like hell. No technique. No style. Just power. The haymaker knocks Calabrese’s lights out in a crazy fashion. People might call me crazy and it wouldn’t be the first time but that clinch. That little break. Even though they went right back to swinging...Koa didn’t do it for no reason. Seeing Calabrese need help to regain consciousness a few moments later. That was the reason. Reset and reload. The two heavyweights ending the night with a big power show. Nothing to really say about this one about someone being overworked or outskilled. This was just an old fashioned swing till someone dies way to go.

HARPIE AWARDS

Now to hand out the Harpies. (Yes I have my own awards for the night. Hate on hater.) I might have different views from the official awards of the night given but that’s what I’m here for. My opinion won’t come with a bonus check either just letting you know. I have a car I can’t afford but it gets me play. To explain them so you understand. Holy S**t moment of the night is pretty self explanatory. Fight of the night, same. Submission of the night, same. Performance of the night, again...same. Cleanest counter is basically the one counter punch that makes me go hmmm, taste good. Throwdown takedown is the nicest or should I say best mix of power and technique in a takedown.

HOLY S**T MOMENT OF THE NIGHT: Hanako’s kick to the galaxy for sure. I’ve never seen the littles have power to do that.

FIGHT OF THE NIGHT: Lux Forte and Xabier Belazco made me feel more suspense in their fight. The many stoppages in Grey vs Laughlin kinda made it lose that momentum but still a damn good fight. Lux had a very dominant win but it seemed like every time Xabier would be counted out he still had life in him and would throw in response. A puncher's chance. Just the heart in it spoke more to me.

SUBMISSION OF THE NIGHT: Simon Bishop. Grey is a close second but you see I honestly thought Bishop ended Izumi’s career with that kimura.

PERFORMANCE OF THE NIGHT: I will give this to both Lux Forte and Roscoe Robinson. I believe they had the most control in their fights. Time being a factor here as well I’ll admit.

CLEANEST COUNTER: Cristian Bonanno. The footwork followed by the Babe Ruth knockout on Roberts was hmmmm, tasty.

THROWDOWN TAKEDOWN: Definitely Kenzi Grey. Although Bonanno had a nice sweep single in his fight with Roberts when Grey did it had a lot more boom to it. Also a lot more smooth overall.

Closing thoughts:

I want to thank Navorro Williams for the interview also let all those know if you are in the stands instead of the cage for a night if I see you I’ll try and chat. Don’t be rude please? Just a black man trying to do his job. Help a brother out.

This is only part one. There will be a second for UGP #2. After that I’ll be more up to date with the upcoming Boss Fight Card and my current rankings overall with of course my numerous opinions.

If anyone has any questions or comments feel free to reach me on my twitter @HarperTUGP. I will stand by anything said or written. Never afraid of a classy debate. I said classy.