Play-by-play fight night at Saddledome
Top MMA company holds much-anticipated Alberta debut
CALGARY – What better time to break out the running journal than for Ultimate Fighting Championship’s highlyanticipated debut in Calgary. What was the evening like in the Saddledome? Read on and find out …
5:01 p.m.: As he heads out for the opener, Saskatoon’s Mitch Clarke decides against using Danger Zone, from the Top Gun soundtrack, as his walkout song like at UFC 140. Personally, I was hoping he’d stick with that movie except go for Playing With The Boys, because no song captures grown men in manly competition more than the beach volleyball scene in Top Gun.
5:05: Three generations of octagon girls are working the show tonight: OG Rachelle Leah, longtime favourite Logan Stanton and current Playboy cover girl Brittney Palmer. Notably absent is the uberpopular Arianny Celeste.
5:25 p.m.: Clarke’s fight plays out much like the Stampeders-Roughriders game on Thursday: the Saskatchewan product dominates early only to lose it late.
5:26 p.m.: Kuivanen does better than prior Finnish UFC competitor Tony Halme a.k.a. World Wrestling Federation heavyweight Ludvig Borga.
5:33 p.m.: Antonio Carvalho goes for the cheap but effective pop by using Bret (The Hitman) Hart’s theme song from his WWF days.
5:34 p.m.: Hopefully UFC boss Dana White doesn’t channel his inner Vince Mcmahon and jump up in the middle of the match when Carvalho is in trouble and tell the referee to “ring the (expletive) bell.”
6:03 p.m. Ontario’s Mitch Gagnon is tempting fate. Unofficially, the record for fighters walking out to an Eminem song is three wins, 295 losses and one draw.
6:04 p.m.: Bryan Caraway comes out to Whoomp! (There It Is). If you’re going to do that, you’d better win. Just sayin’.
6:05 p.m.: Caraway is the longtime boyfriend of Strikeforce women’s star — and the stunningly beautiful — Miesha Tate, notes UFC broadcaster Joe Rogan, “so he wins either way.” Well played.
6:11 p.m.: With Caraway flat on the mat, Gagnon throws a right — and misses. Left hand — miss. Right hand — miss. Right hand — miss. Gagnon is having as much success as John Kreese trying to punch Mr. Miyagi at the start of Karate Kid 2. At least he’s not smashing through car windows with each miss.
6:12 p.m.: How mad would you be if you came out that night and found Kreese bleeding by your car, your windows punched out? What a jerk.
6:23 p.m.: Caraway is booed like crazy after submitting the Canadian. Of course, the fans might just still be annoyed that Caraway came out to Whoomp! (There It Is).
6:37 p.m.: Here we go. It’s Edmonton’s Ryan Jimmo versus Anthony Perosh.
6:37 p.m.: Plus seven seconds: One right hand and Jimmo is victoriously heading to his after-party. He gives fans a glimpse into the dance moves they can expect to see, notably The Robot. He dances longer than his fight took.
7:04 p.m.: Winnipeg’s Roland Delorme bears a stunning resemblance to Justin Trudeau. Much like Trudeau’s Liberal Party in the last federal election, Delorme gets brutally beat down.
7:10 p.m.: With quick finish after finish, beer sales are going through the roof. Nothing could go wrong there, right?
7:32 p.m.: Calgary’s Nick Ring heads to the cage — with Bret Hart. The crowd loves it. If I’m not mistaken, the last time Hart made this walk at the Saddledome was 15 years ago, almost to the day, when he main evented one of the most memorable WWF payper-views ever.
7:50 p.m.: From MMAFighting’s Mike Chiapetta on Twitter — “Brazilian fans: ‘You’re going to die!’ Canadian fans: ‘Go, Nick, go!’ I appreciate manners, but advantage, Brazil.”
8:10 p.m.: Shaggy-haired welterweight Matt Riddle opens the pay-per-view against Chris Clements. I think Riddle came straight from the set of Beverly Hills, 90210.
9:21 p.m.: Relax and have fun, coach Greg Jackson tells pupil Shawn Jordan. Perhaps my favourite piece of Jackson wisdom came after Georges StPierre came back to the corner in a 2009 bout against Thiago Alves and said his groin was seriously hurt. Replied Jackson: “This is how champions are made! Fight on it and hit him with your groin!”
9:40 p.m.: Hector Lombard, the five-foot-10, 185-pound former Cuban judoka and Incredible Hulk body double, heads to the cage with a black bandana on his face. Because, um, he’s not scary enough?
10:08 p.m.: Main eventer Renan Barao walks out to All I Do Is Win. For a guy who’s undefeated in 31 fights, good choice.
10:46 p.m.: Barao dominates Urijah Faber for five rounds. With fan-favourite Faber unable to muster any offence, the loudest fan reaction during the main event is for a scrap in the stands.
10:50 p.m.: Barao celebrates joyously after winning the interim bantamweight title. More boos from the crowd. Personally, this Saskatchewan writer thinks the Calgary fans should relish the occasion.
It’s a rare moment a championship is won in the Saddledome.
Good night, everybody.