Talk N Text OR Alaska… P500 Danger Zone

Supposed to be, I’ll do a live game blog now, but my internet connection is moody at best, just like Cardona’s game. From a spectacular semis clincher, to a stinker finals first game. And so, live blog is canceled. Will still try in the second half though.

After Mac Cardona sucked big time… 6 of 21 fgs and firing out of set plays thus they have no chance of getting offensive rebounds coz his teammates are clueless when and where and HOW he’ll fire the shots… and he registered 8 mega turnovers as well…

I am now only 3 games away from losing P500.00. I am for TnT on this PBA all filipino finals.

Man, P500 can already buy me decent t-shirt or 2 pcs of SCRED SHIRTS. =)

LA Tenorio, in the words of Chot Reyes, ate TnT guards the last time. May I say too, Tenorio sniffed them? To the detractors, saying that ALASKA made a bad move in getting Devance for the right to get Solomon Mercado, look who made the right choice now says Coach Tim Cone. But I highly doubt if Tenorio could register high 20s scoring in this second game.

By the way, Joe Devance had a decent 14 points in the first game.

The game will start in a few minutes. Ranidel De Ocampo will suit up this time (he’s suspended in game 1).

Hopefully, TnT bounces back and GO ALL THE WAY. If you are a TNT fan, vote for them, in the HOOPS poll. GO HERE.

Update: January 31, 2009

Here’s Willie Miller doing the Game 2 post game press chat…

Prospect watch: Nicholas Hailey

I can only remember my last prospect watch like it was yesterday now, Josh is playing for Hapee at the PBL and although they got eliminated last night he did pretty well in the PBL in his first year.

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GINEBRA, PUREFOODS, AND AIR21 (SOON TO BE BURGER KING) SWAPS PLAYERS!

GINEBRA, PUREFOODS, AND AIR21 (SOON TO BE BURGER KING) SWAPS PLAYERS!

The Fiesta Cup is nearing. And with the changes that has been happening from L to R let us glimpse the “awesomeness” of these swaps.

PUREFOODS

So… they finally let go of the Harbour Centre experiment. Oh… that’s right… Mikee Romero is one of the stockholders of A21/BK so this should be a good deal for him. But Purefoods, getting two big names should be enough to make people worry. They have Allado, who is a main event journeyman, and KG Canaleta, an inconsistent pseudo-bomber that whose main claim to fame is that he can hit those rim-rattlers with collective ease.

DON ALLADO

Wow. What did this guy do to deserve this? Playing for his third team for this sole season must be hard for this ex-King Archer. For one, he will lose the minutes that he will inherit as part of the Ranidel de Ocampo deal. Playing alongside Enrico Villanueva, Kerby Raymundo, Jondan Salvador, Rich Alvarez, Romel Adducul, and the import that the Giants pick would definitely send Richard Yee to a lucrative assistant coach job. However, Allado loves winning. With all these guns to backstop PJ Simon and Thunder James Yap, expect the Giants to be feared in the Fiesta Cup.

In 20 games, he scored 6.2ppg, 6.6rpg, 1.5apg, and 0.8bpg in 25 minutes. For the Express, he had 10ppg, 8.5rpg, 2.0apg, 1.3spg, and 1.5bpg.

KG CANALETA

Honestly, he gone stale after a great rookie showing. It seems that this trade should wake up his game after settling for the play-all policy the Express preach. He is settling in the sense that he would often prefer jumpers than going straight to the basket. His dunks are usually more of breakaways rather than “and ones” which made him expendable when the Express realized that Arwind Santos is a natural SF in the PBA.

Still, this does not discount that he will give height mismatches in the SF position where the big lineup of the Giants could also push him to the SG spot. In the Philippine Cup, he produced 7.1ppg, 4.5rpg, and 1.2apg in 20 games and 22 minutes of action.

AIR21/BURGER KING

Like I said, Mikee Romero is thrilled to re-claim the former players he had in his PBL dynasty (although I wonder why they didn’t take Chico Lanete who was one of their cornerstones). While Beau Belga and Chad Alonzo aren’t Grade A names, the kicker here perhaps is the three first round picks they acquired from the Gins and the Giants. Too bad they’ll earn this four years from now. Perhaps they are thinking of Ryan Buenafe, Kiefer Ravena, and those other second generation upstarts?

BEAU BELGA

Belga is the lucky recipient of the minutes that was left by Ranidel de Ocampo. Although, you have to wonder if Jondan Salvador is happy sitting on a bench filled with players who can play his position. Picked seventh, he will bring the size that the Express/Whoppers lack. Is he ready for this challenge? With the exit of Kramer and Allado, I think Belga should be ready to become the main man in the middle alongside JR Quinahan. In 17 games, he has made 3.9ppg and 3.2rpg in 13 minutes of action.

CHAD ALONZO

The former Adamson U standout will welcome this development. Playing in a team coached by Yeng Guiao, expect him to get the minutes that could shape his PBA career. While a natural SF, he can play the PF position he once played in his PBL days. However, can he be effective? That is the question. In seven minutes of action he could only produce 1.6ppg, and 1.4rpg for nine games. Surely this would improve in the future.

GINEBRA

Last conference, the Kings paraded 16 players. This is without Mark Caguioa and Mike Holper has been traded to Red Bull. Now they are taking in three more players. I guess this is the perfect time to bid adieu to Johnny Abarrientos’ playing career. Jong Uichico’s biggest problem lies on the health of his players. Sunday Salvacion, Paul Artadi, Macky Escalona, and Willy Wilson are the only players that played in all the Ginebra games. Wilson played important minutes for the Kings but he wasn’t supposed to be in the active rotation of the Kings in the first place! Escalona was lucky to even play at least 10 minutes for the Gins!

JC INTAL

Unlucky. This is the case of the Rocket’s route in the big league. Despite the fact that he came in Air21 with Gary David at sickbay, the ex-ADMU standout still couldn’t get his game going. Now I doubt if a stint in Ginebra could get his act right, especially with Ginebra’s insanely stacked slasher and shooter rotation. Imagine if Mark Caguioa becomes healthy and decides to play again… Intal would be lucky to get even ten minutes. Intal played for 17 games and produced 5.7ppg, 2.4rpg and 1.3apg in 14 minutes of action.

DOUG KRAMER

Now this is a player that surely Jong Uichico could use. Ginebra’s most tumultuous problem lies on their weak frontline. The Gins relied on Wilson, Junjun Cabatu, and at one point Mike Holper because their bigs Billy Mamaril, Rafi Reavis, and Eric Menk are either injured or unconditioned. This guy could surely bring the excitement with his tenaciousness under the basket. For the record, in 19 starts, the ex-Eagle scored 5.2ppg and 4.1rpg in 16 minutes of action.

CHICO LANETE

His entry to the team will disrupt the overly-deep GInebra backcourt. I could have hoped they brought Salvador or even Richard Yee to the fold since GInebra is in serious need for height. Lanete gives you the X factors not seen in Escalona. But for a team that has Helterbrand and Artadi, this is a serious case of player assassination. While I could expect Artadi’s minutes to trim, I don’t see Helterbrand’s minutes to lessen in the near future. Playing in the Philippine Cup, the 2-time PBL Finals MVP churned 5.7ppg, 2.7rpg, 2.4apg, and 1.2spg in 19 games and 22 minutes of action.

VERDICT: Burger King wins the trade because they have first of all, they got the players they wanted, despite their non-A-list status. Also, they gain three future picks that could be trade baits.

I’m not the type that writes Finals previews but I will try to check on the series after Game 1.

Until then,

SURF PORN!

Nike Philippines to Release Zoom Kobe IV Chaos Edition

Nike is set to release only 24 pairs of the Zoom Kobe IV Chaos Edition on February 13, 2009 at Nike Park, The Fort.

To get a chance to purchase this special shoe, participants must submit their own NikeiD design of the Zoom Kobe IV through www.nikeid.com. Simply click on the Zoom Kobe IV feature on the site and start creating your own design of the shoe and click the ‘E-MAIL IT’ button once done to submit your entry, indicating your valid e-mail address. Note that e-mailing it does not confirm a NikeiD purchase but a submission of a design.

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SYDMAN’S SIDE EFFECT: THE TOP ROOKIES OF THE 2008-09 SEASON (PART 1)

THE TOP ROOKIES

The 2008 Draft gave us a new breed of players where excitement and awesomeness flourish! A couple of names stood out this conference and you can thank this for all the teams that had lackluster talents. However, there were some names in the list that took on the fact that they entered a team filled with overpriced superstars and made the team owners realize that they should be the ones to have their play when their contracts expire! Almost making the list are Kelvin Gregorio, Mark Borboran (the only first rounder that did not qualify), Kelvin Dela Pena, Chad Alonzo (undrafted from last year’s batch), and Lawrence Bonus (undrafted from this year’s batch).

POINTS SYSTEM: If you are playing the PBFANTASY game, you’ll know that the points are good for 1 point, the rebounds 1.5, assists 2, steals 2.5, and blocks 2.5. However, you have to factor in the minutes they play and how effective they play in those minutes.

Now lets try and go back in time to 1992. Ask yourself: Why the fuck Presto’s Vergel Meneses, the number one pick, THE AERIAL VOYAGER, who was averaging 16 points per game, despite playing alongside Allan Caidic, lose the Top Rookie honors to Bong Ravena, THE COSMIC AVENGER, a player barely inserted in the game because he is third in the rotation after Ato Agustin and Samboy Lim??

This is because SMB was winning championships and played more games than Presto!!!

Yes, the winning column and the games played reflects the selections as well.

GAME STARTS NOW.

10 ROB REYES – TROPANG TEXTERS (PICK 4)
The problem with this Flagier college standout is that he brings nothing new to Chot Reyes’ team. Sure, being a high pick means he was sought after… but then again, Samigue Eman was a second pick overall in the 2007 Draft where he is pitted with an absurdly flushed SMB lineup. Reyes saw his minutes dwindle that eventually led to him getting lost in the thick of things. Add the fact that he had to compete with Ali Peek, Harvey Carey, Yancy De Ocampo, Yousif Aljamal, formerly Don Allado and now Ranidel de Ocampo for minutes? He is also easily thrown out because his size can withstand the other teams’ bulkier players. Gilbert Lao is used more than him now!?!?! UGH!
NEEDS TO IMPROVE ON: Scoring, defense, shot selections, confidence, muscle.

9 BEAU BELGA - GIANTS (PICK 7)
The ex-PCU Dolphin could be the big man that would get his spurts in the future. While his shooting range needs to have depth (he is mediocre at best when he is not scoring via tip-ins and offensive rebounds), he is an able big man that could defend inside the paint. This was seen in a game where he scored 14 points. With Kerby Raymundo injured, Ryan Gregorio resorted to this former Harbour Port Master to deliver in the paint and he did it with gusto. While I doubt he’ll get the same recognition with Romel Adducul returning and with the import-laden conference coming up, Belga should improve and play a bigger role for the Giants in the near future.
NEEDS TO IMPROVE ON: Scoring, shot selections, quickness, dribbling.

8 TY TANG – ELASTO PAINTERS (PICK 12)
Tang should be happy to be picked behind Pong Escobal, who can’t seem to get the minutes to jumpstart his PBA career. For every second Tang steps in the court, he brings something good for Caloy Garcia’s Painters. He is confident to take the big shots (as what we have seen in one Ginebra game where he erupted for 20), and he can orchestrate for the Painters whenever Garcia wants Norwood and Mercado to concentrate on their offense. With a reed-thin Rain or Shine backcourt, I can see his second year to be a breakout year. Until then, his team should be happy for all the maturity that his game commences.
NEEDS TO IMPROVE ON: Consistency, shot selections.

7 JEFF CHAN - BARAKO (PICK 17)
The lowest player to be picked in the 2008 Draft (Mark Cuevas and Christian Cabatu were lower but they didn’t end up in any PBA team), coach Yeng Guiao saw potential on this Ex-Tam. He blossomed in the second half of the eliminations and quickly displaced Jojo Duncil as Guiao’s chief guy in place of Cyrus Baguio. What’s good in his game is that he can also play defense, which is a Super A plus in Guiao’s book. I don’t know how Gee Abenilla would use Chan in the Fiesta Cup but expect him to take over as one of the flag-bearer of this “budget-meal” Bulls squad.
NEEDS TO IMPROVE ON: Consistency, shot selections, clutch, becoming a superstar for a lackluster team.

6 LARRY RODRIGUEZ – BARAKO (PICK 9)
Usually a Division II collegiate player would find it hard to break in the pros. But, just like the mold of Ronjay Buenafe, the former EAC General made the most out of his tenure in the PBL to give his stint in PBA perceivably viable. With Red Bull’s lineup being the worst in the league, he stepped up big to give the Bulls a helping hand in terms of offense and defense. He will get some action in the season’s second salvo because of his no-nonsense play. He is looking more and more as a Freddie Abuda with offense arsenal.
NEEDS TO IMPROVE ON: Consistency, shot selections, clutch, becoming a superstar for a lackluster team.

5 SOLOMON MERCADO – ELASTO PAINTERS (PICK 5)
He is lucky to be in Rain Or Shine instead of Alaska (although if you think about it, he’ll have a 50 percent chance to get a PBA title if he stuck with the Aces). He is one-third of the ROS triumvirate where his scoring and assists are the factors that make his game dependable. Losing his grip in the Sta. Lucia series eventually resulted to the end of ROS breakout season. His inability to make his shot selection is another burden that he needs to vanquish. However, thanks to his efforts who would ever think that Rain Or Shine would finally end their bottom dwelling years?
NEEDS TO IMPROVE ON: Shot selections, clutch, turnover proneness.

4 JASON CASTRO – TROPANG TEXTERS (PICK 3)
Harbour Centre’s lucky charm eventually gave the Texters a chance to have their moment up top. The 4-time PBL MVP ended his Singapore Slingers contract just to be in the TNT lineup. At first he was a mere sub for Jimmy Alapag but in the second half of the eliminations he picked up his game up a notch. He is an able scorer as well as a crafty defender and an all-around performer. His resurgence paved the way for Renren Ritualo’s lesser role and at one time gave Alapag a scare in his starting spot. There is no question that Castro deserves all the accolades he has been getting. I bet Singapore would try to get him when the Asean Basketball League gets down and dirty.
NEEDS TO IMPROVE ON: Scoring, clutch, offensive angst.

3 GABE NORWOOD – ELASTO PAINTERS (PICK 1)
Before he entered the league Welcoat was the league’s laughingstock. The team claimed only 14 wins in their 2-year stint and the team owners desperately tried to haggle a big name to dig them out of the proverbial grave we call end of the team standings. While Joe Devance was not the answer they yearned, their other first overall pick injected the team with the passion they’ve been lacking. Norwood is a staunch scorer, rebounder, and playmaker. He is also an impact player when they needed a boost in the endgame. While most critics find his game soft, and he often would rather pass than score, there is no question that his Mutt and Jeff tandem with Solomon Mercado is one of the best in this season.
NEEDS TO IMPROVE ON: Scoring, consistency, offensive angst.

2 JARED DILLINGER – TROPANG TEXTERS (PICK 2)
He was discovered by one of the TNT scouts and they quickly gave him a chance to excel. As member of the TNT Liga franchise, the Smart-Pampanga Buddies, Dillinger would make a name for himself as a 6’5 slasher in the mold of a Danny Seigle. Coming in second overall, Dillinger would display the skills that would make coaches drool. His 27 points against San Miguel in their semis matchup and his all-around game brilliance in the series could be one of the reasons why he is four games away in winning a championship title in his rookie conference. Despite scouting reports showing he is inconsistent and has questionable decisions during crunch time, the reason Jared is on top of Norwood in the rankings is he overcame the vastly-crowded TNT rotation and partly helped the team in reaching the finals.
NEEDS TO IMPROVE ON: Scoring, consistency, clutch, defense.

1 BONBON CUSTODIO – BEERMEN (PICK 8)
Surprise… surprise! Remember in the 1990’s where SMB had a bunch of stars but the one leading them was a second-round pick by the name of Ato Agustin? More than a decade later, here comes the Bon-fire! After being instrumental in giving UE a second place finish in the 2006 UAAP season, he was benched and let go which resulted to UST beating Ateneo in the finals of the said season. Rumors circulated that there was some sort of anomaly that he was involved and except for a Magnolia stint in the PBL, his name was unheard of. That is why it was a shocker when SMB selected him as the eighth pick of the 2008 Draft. But the most shocking thing here is that he is playing steady minutes for the Beermen in the duration of the conference, playing more than tried and tested vets like Danny Seigle, Lordy Tugade, Olsen Racela and Mike Cortez (when the Cool Cat played for four games at the start of the tourney). He is inserted in every crucial moment and he mostly delivers (although remember when he called a timeout, which they didn’t have?). That open and close parentheses statement could never be said against him, for that fault seemed to give him nerves of steel unseen for a rookie. He has the size of Franz Pumaren, the court savvy of a Hector Calma, and penetration moves that could rival Samboy Lim. One the league’s steals king is the biggest steal of the draft, and the currently, the rookie with the most this season.
NEEDS TO IMPROVE ON: Shot selection, consistency, turnover proneness.

Yes, the rankings should change with Dillinger, Castro, Reyes, Escobal, Borboran, and Dela Pena (haha on the last four players) playing four more games at the minimum. Until then, the next installment should be before the first game of the Fiesta Cup finals.

Until then,

SURF PORN!

Good Basketball TV Today, Friday

@ 8am over at BTV

TNT’s All-Star Announcement Special- Live

Because NBA allstar is for the fans, we get to choose the starters… and what happen is, guys like like Tmac and AI sneak in as starters. The two could possibly be bumping off more deserving players like Rondo, Roy, Jameer Nelson, Deron Williams, Nets’ Harris or Vince Carter,  etc.

Likely starters as of this writing…

WEST - Tim Duncan, Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady, Yao Ming and Amare Stoudemire or Carmelo.

EAST - LeBron James, Kevin Garnett, Dwyane Wade, Allen Iverson and center Dwight Howard of Orlando.

On Dwight Howard getting over 3 million votes… dunno why they are making a big a deal off this. Look, a fan needs to vote one East center. He basically beat out Kendrick Perkins or Z Ilgauskas or Dalembert. Of course, he’ll get ALL the East center votes.

@ 9am over at ESPN

The defending NBA champion Boston Celtics visit the Orlando Magic for east coast supremacy LIVE at 9 a.m. (replay at 9:30 p.m.) on ESPN.

Boston and Orlando are currently in a tight battle for the best record in the Eastern Conference together with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Celtics is still expected to rely on its Big Three of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen while the Magic will be led by center Dwight Howard and point guard Jameer Nelson.

Though it’s 1/82 game of a regular season, this is a “must-win” for both teams. Orlando needs this just to get into the legit-contender-mix and boost their confidence in case the face Boston in the playoffs. For Boston Celtics, they are not exactly having a good month (from the Lakers Christmas game ’til present) and so each win is valuable, they can’t afford to slip a little now. Most especially, to a conference rival, the Orlando Magic.

@ 11.30am over at BTV

The Lakers look on to pad on their record as Cavs, Magic and Boston Celtics are all having great seasons as well. The Lakers will face the lowly Washington Wizards. Kobe who’s been playing with an injured ring player will lead the way. Will he dish out another triple double? I think he will. In their last 3 games, he was able to record 2 triple doubles. Washington Wizards concern is not only limited to Kobe. They will have to deal with Biggie-Bynum who was able to pump up 42 points last time he played. But wait, there’s more… Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, Derek Fisher will surely be able to chip n their regular games. Trouble in DC tonight/today.

@5pm over at CS9 RPN9

It’s Sta. Lucia versus Alaska, first game. Second game features SMB versus Talk n Text. Both TnT and Alaska are looking to close out the series tonight.

I just hope SMB could give TnT a better fight. They kicked my team out (the Brgy Ginebra), they better be THAT team that should win it all. Just to justify the Ginebra butt kick they did. I think SMB is better than 1-3 series record.

I might skip this 2nd game however, coz I need to play ball myself. This laptopping and blogging gives me jiggy-belly.

FIBA Asia - ASEAN Basketball League Takes Off

The first international basketball league in South-East Asia will take off in September 2009.

In the presence of FIBA President, Bob Elphinston and FIBA Secretary General and IOC Member Patrick Baumann, the South East Asia Basketball Association (SEABA) under the leadership of Mr Thohir and Dato Yeoh Choo Hock announced the launch of the ‘ASEAN Basketball League’ (ABL) yesterday.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, commonly abbreviated ASEAN, is a geo-political and economic organization of 10 countries located in Southeast Asia, which was formed on 8 August 1967 by Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand and has since then expanded membership to Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam.

Full Story.

The 10 Most Significant Matches in MMA History

I’ve been planning to write this entry for months now.. but thanks to lots and lots of work, the PBA Games heating up and a lot of procrastination I failed to write one.

Right now, with the help of the guys over at the Sherdog Forums, I’m writing the 10 most influential matches in Mixed Martial Arts History.

Since 10 fights are too short to count all of those fantastic matches that happened in Pride and the UFC.. here are some other fights that didn’t make the list. (Not in order)

Kimbo Slice vs Seth Petruzelli - Alright, I know it’s stupid but it’s just amazing how ONE JAB can take a whole organization down. The Kimbo loss marks the end of the stupid Slice hype and the organization called Elite XC

Matt Hughes vs Royce Gracie - Old school vs New school was the anthem at that time. Matt Hughes, probably the most dominant champion in UFC history takes on the guy the foundation of the early days of the UFC.

Dan Henderson vs Wanderlei Silva - This match marked the first time a fighter has ever held two titles on the same freaking time. Henderson, at that time the 183 pound champion, took on the reigning Pride 205 Champion Wanderlei Silva. Henderson won the match via knockout, being the first and only guy to hold two belts simultaniously.

Randy Couture vs Tito Ortiz - Randy at that time was struggling after losing back to back fights at Heavyweight. Randy then went on and beat Chuck to become the interim champion then defeated Tito to become the Undisputed Light Heavyweight Champion at that time. This also marked the end of Tito’s 6 fight win streak.

Royce Gracie vs Kimo Leopoldo - This fight showed the significance of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in a big way. You know why? At that time, Royce was being outweighed by about 50-60 pounds.

And now the list…

10) Quinton “Rampage” Jackson vs Dan “Hendo” Henderson

UFC 75: Champion vs Champion. Rampage won via Unanimous Decision

Background of the match: This would be Quinton’s first title defense afte taking the belt away from then UFC LHW Kingpin, Chuck Liddell. This would also be Dan Henderson’s first fight, coming into the UFC as the Pride Middleweight Champion.

Why it’s so signifcant: Well basically, this marked the first ever unification of the Pride and the UFC belts. It’s also interesting to note that Rampage at that time was coming off a win against Chuck Liddell and Henderson was coming off a win against Wanderlei Silva. They only happen to be two of the best evers at that division.

Watch here

9) Tito “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” Ortiz vs Frank “The Legend” Shamrock

UFC 22: Only one can be champion, Shamrock won via Submission in the 4th

Background of the match: Shamrock came in as the king of the 205 division and Tito was one of the hottest prospects at that time.

Why it’s so significant: It’s probably one of the biggest matches in MMA’s dark days. Tito at that time was the word of mouth, with that bad ass cocky persona and incredible wrestling, Tito was already a draw at that time. Frank however, was the dominant champion. It’s a great fight that lived to the hype, showcased Frank as the first ever “Complete Fighter” and halted the hype that the bigger Ortiz had in that time.

Watch here

8) Tito Ortiz vs Ken Shamrock 1

UFC 40: Vendetta, Ortiz won via Round 3 corner stoppage

Background of the match: The bad blood between the two is traced since UFC 18 when Tito defeated Lion’s Den fighter Jerry Bohlander. Since then, the two fighters have exchanged heat and in UFC 40, they finally met in the Octagon.

Why it’s so significant: Well, let’s just say that the feud between Ortiz and Shamrock helped the acceptance of MMA in the mainstream media. And the match didn’t disappoint, it drew PPV numbers and had a good gate attendance as well. It also kept the UFC afloat at that time.

7) Fedor “The Last Emperor” Emelianenko vs Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic

Pride Final Conflict 2005, Fedor won via Unanimous Decision

Background of the match: Fedor was being considered as the best Heavyweight on the planet and Cro Cop was the hot challenger, coming on a 7 fight win streak with all but one being stoppages.

Why it’s so significant: It’s two of the best heavyweights at that time going at it and it’s very rare to see that. This match also cemented Fedor’s legacy as the greatest Heavyweight ever.

6) Tito Ortiz vs Chuck “The Iceman” Liddell 1

UFC 47: It’s on!, Chuck won via 2nd round TKO.

Background of the match: The fight everybody wanted to see ever since the Iceman hype started. Tito at that time was hungry to get the belt back after losing it to Couture. Chuck however, was looking for a shot at Randy again.

Significance of the match: It was probably the biggest fight at that time. Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz.. if you get those guys to fight in the card, you’ll get asses on the arena seats and buys on PPV. It also answered a lot of questions at that time, is Tito scared of Chuck? is the Iceman the next big thing? This also marked the beginning of Chuck Liddell’s awesome run in the UFC.

Watch here

5) Fedor Emelianenko vs Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogeuira 1

Pride 25: Body Blow, Fedor won via Unanimous Decision

Background of the match: At that time, nobody cared about this Russian guy and Big Nog was the best Heavyweight in the world. Oh how things changed..

Significance of the match: As I’ve said, Nogueira was the heavy favorite to win this match and Fedor was just basically another guy on Big Nog’s resume. But that didn’t happen tho, as Fedor unleashed a brutal ground and pound, never done before by any human being on Big Nog, winning a dominating Unanimous Decision and being crowned the second Heavyweight Champion of Pride FC, a belt he held on  to until Pride was bought by Zuffa.

Watch here

4) Forrest Griffin vs Stephan “The American Psycho” Bonnar

The Ultimate Fighter Finale 1, Forrest won via Unanimous Decision

Background of the match: It was the finale of the first ever Ultimate Fighter, nothing special here, just two guys looking for a contract at the big league until…

The significance of the match: Up to now, it’s still known to many as the biggest fight in UFC history. An exciting slugfest of just two guys wanting to get that illustrious UFC contract. This match was the final kick into the UFC’s attempt to get into mainstream. Dana White refers to it as the most important fight in the UFC mainly because, it helped the struggling company into mainstream MMA. This match also invited new fans, many of them.

Watch here

3) Rickson Gracie vs Nobuhiko Takada

Pride 1, Rickson by Armbar in Round 1

Why it’s so significant: I’m not gonna lie and pretend to be a know it all and try to make up some things in this match. So why is it so significant? Well, let’s just say.. there’s no PRIDE FC if this match didn’t happen.

2) Royce Gracie vs Art Jimmerson, Ken Shamrock and Gerard Gordeau

UFC 1, Royce won all fights via Submission

Background of the event: It was the first UFC event, 8 man format tourney, winner gets 50,000 dollars. It’s that simple.

Why it’s so significant: Other than being the first event in the biggest organization in the world, it also showcased the technique called Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Fast forward 15 years later, almost every MMA fighter has trained BJJ.

1) Kazushi “The Gracie Hunter” Sakuraba vs Royce Gracie

Pride GP 2000, Saku won via corner stoppage in the sixth round.

Background of the match: It was just another fight in the 2000 GP, except that it has unlimited number of rounds.

Why it’s the most significant fight in MMA history: Well, let’s just put it this way, Sakuraba was the corner stone of Pride FC. He’s a hero to most Japanese MMA fans and Royce was the cornerstone of the first ever UFCs. Up to now, it’s still the longest fight in MMA history (90 minutes) and it showcased two of the most influential fighters at the time being.

Whew, that’s long. That would be it. Thanks for reading.

Polls: Manny Pacquiao’s Next Target

Ball Hog: Ginebra vs Slingers, Perasol to Coke, Pacquiao Loses, SBP Dangles P6.4M, Etc.

Slingers to host Ginebra

The Singapore Slingers will be replacing last Sunday’s cancelled match against India’s Sathbayama All Stars with a dream match against the Philippine’s most popular team – Barangay Ginebra – this Saturday at the Singapore Indoor Stadium at 7.30pm. “Ginebra is the Apple Computer of the Philippines. It is not the strongest team, but the most popular,” said Noel Saavedra of the Monozca Foundation. The match will be played at the Singapore Indoor Stadium on Saturday, Jan 17, 2009 at 7:30pm.

Perasol will join Coke

FOR a job well done at the Air21 Express camp, Bo Perasol is bringing in his basketball savvy to the Coca-Cola Tigers. The former University of the Philippines Maroons stalwart is excited to join a team that could open so many possibilities for his young coaching career. “I’m excited about the new possibilities with Coca-Cola,” Perasol told Standard Today. “This is a team that has a lot of potential to become a championship-caliber team with a mixture of veterans and young players on the squad.” Perasol will assist Kenneth Duremdes on the bench. The former Most Valuable Player was given a fresh term as mentor of the team.

Pacquiao, GenSan 5 lose ‘Liga’ tournament debut

As a boxer, Manny Pacquiao owns the world. As a basketball player, he’s almost just like everybody else. Pacquiao played 10 minutes and was barely a factor in the MP GenSan Warriors’ 63-59 loss to the Ilocos Sur Bravehearts in the opening playdate of the Smart-Liga Pilipinas Conference II on Wednesday in General Santos City. The Warriors had everything to their advantage going into their first franchise game – they had home-court advantage and inarguably the most prolific Filipino athlete in history.  Except the expansion team just didn’t have enough experience playing competitively to pull off a victory.

SBP dangling P6.4M for Basketball Pool Members

Salary-wise, it’s basically the same as playing in the professional Philippine Basketball Association. The Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas is dangling three-year pacts worth as much as P6.4 million for each prospective member of the national development pool. The SBP offer will be a boon for players in the pool who still have years of college eligibility left, like future PBA draftees Mark Barroca of Far Eastern University, Ogie Menor of San Beda College and Ateneo de Manila University’s Ryan Buenafe.

NBA: HORNETS VS. CAVS LIVE ON ESPN

The Cleveland Cavaliers will put their immaculate record at home on the line when they host the New Orleans Hornets LIVE at 9 a.m. (replay at 5:30 p.m.) on ESPN.  Behind leading MVP contender LeBron James, Cleveland has a perfect 19 – 0 card at home and the best record in the east while New Orleans, which is spearheaded by All-Star guard Chris Paul, is locked in a tight battle for the top spot in the Southwest Division in the west.  ESPN will air games live every Saturday.  Prior to the Hornets – Cavs match-up, NBA Action will be aired at 8:30 a.m. (replay at 1:30 p.m.) also on ESPN.  For more information, visit www.espnstar.com

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