Pacquiao versus Clottey: The Pompyangin Kita Review

Manny Pacquiao started the match figuring out Joshua Clottey’s defense.

In the end, the judges figured out that Clottey’s defense is the only thing that he has against the Pacman.

Read on.

Wow. I saw a lot of election ads. Happiness! Manny Villar’s new garbage kids TVC is not as catchy as the first TVC but it really makes him the most hard-working presidentiable in terms of advertising budget… and dirty kids.

I didn’t catch the undercard bouts. I was watching “A Very Special Love”, which is a Filipino love story starring John Lloyd Cruz and Sarah Geronimo.

What…

Is it a crime to get mushy?

Powerhug kita diyan e.

Anyway, I laughed at the Mike Velarde party list TVC. He misspelled sangol (this means baby in Filipino but the true spelling for this is sanggol)? Whoever thought Brother Mike is a great voiceover person must be awesome.

Eteman ang belog na huges etlog…

The Ghanaian National Anthem was English. I thought there would be some sort of African culture infused but I guess Western culture got the best of them. Arnel Pineda sung the Philippine National Anthem and it was good until the last two notes. Why the fuck did he “Journey-ed” Lupang Hinirang??? Dammit, the last note was very, very way off. The US National Anthem was sung extremely well by three almost-naked women known as the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders that reminded me of the pop/country group Atomic Kitten.

That’s America for you.

Joshua “The Grandmaster” Clottey danced his way to the ring. Manny Pacquiao came to the ring via Eye of the Tiger. We saw Jinkee Pacquiao and her twin sister at ringside. So, where the hell is Chavit? Bobby Pacquiao is in attendance too so I’m wondering whose groin will he low blow. Rafael Ramos is the third man in the ring and he looks like Andal Ampatuan.

Michael Buffer never seizes to amaze me but he did have trouble pronouncing all the world titles The Pacman acquired.

Round One – How can we see the footwork when the ads are blocking it? We can REALLY hear Buboy Fernandez dishing out instructions. Give him a headpiece already! Clottey is a counter-puncher with awesome defense but Manny tagged him mid-round. Manny was ramming his gloves on the Grandmaster’s ribs but this is leading to Clottey’s connecting jabs. Still, Pacquiao won the “feeling-out” round.

Round Two – Wow. Clottey is stepping on Manny’s feet and his defense is so annoying that it is frustrating Manny. This is destroying Manny’s game and he’s always getting tagged by Clottey’s jabs. Buboy was begging Manny to keep his distance since his punches are landing on Clottey’s gloves. The round belonged for Clottey. His dance after a Pacman shot means he remains unfazed on the power that is Pacquiao’s.

Round Three – Solid rights by Clottey. I like how Manny respects his opponents but Clottey’s turtle shell defense is seriously ANNOYING! However, Brian Viloria was right in saying that defense doesn’t score points as Pacquiao is the worker of the round. Clottey though seldom hits but is proving to be accurate. I’m going to give Pacquiao this round because Pacman carried the round even if Clottey looked good here.

Drats! I channel surfed and landed on the DZMM Teleradyo cable channel! ABS-CBN is seriously notorious for spoiling the outcome of the fights televised by GMA!

GUESS WHAT?

I JUST GOT SPOILED!

Round Four – For every ten punches Manny executes, Clottey will block nine. However, that “gloves to face” defense is getting weaker as the bombs of Manny are connecting and now getting impact. That defense might the only thing Clottey can have right now. The round belongs to Manny because Clottey looks like he’s merely surviving the fight. A funny spot in the round was when Manny punched Clottey with a left and the right AT THE SAME TIME! Yes, Manny getting a mouthful from the ref is funny. Oh Manny’s two-timing with his fists!

Round Five – Poor arms! Clottey’s arms have got to hurt! Clottey’s head trainer Lenny de Jesus wants Clottey to punch and be active. Manny got tagged by a right which infuriated the Pacman. Buboy was shouting for Manny to hit Clottey in the shoulders to make that defense go down. Still while Clottey punched a bit, Manny was still active. And now it seems like Manny is telling Clottey to slug it out. Clottey is in a no-win situation if he tries to abandon his game plan. Manny wins this round.

Round Six – See Round Five. Clottey is fighting but it is still Pacquiao who’s dictating the pace.

Round Seven – Pacquiao got rocked! But still, he is still dictating the pace. The welt in Pacquiao’s left eye will sting. Clottey’s corner asked the boxer to think out of the box. Clottey needs to gear his bombs now and not wait for Pacman to get tired. Just like what Quinito Henson mentioned, I too saw that unusual foot action Clottey executes when he’s about to punch. I’m going to give this round to Clottey for the amazing shot midway the round. Just kidding! One lucky punch won’t damage Pacquiao’s offensive onslaught!

Wait… did I just see a Manny Pacquiao campaign ad? The concept looks good but it was kind of shocking… and disturbing.

Round Eight – Pacquiao is so used to Clottey’s turtle-shelled defense that Clottey’s offense is always getting Manny off-guard. Clottey just dished out an accidental low blow. Pacquiao just gave Clottey an accidental head butt. All of a sudden, Clottey reverts back to his strictly defense ways. Clottey then handed out a punch after round ended. It was no biggie but Pacquiao wins Round 8.

Round Nine – Lenny de Jesus just exclaimed that they are losing every round. Clottey had two successive combinations with Manny egging him to do it. But then Pacquiao erupted with a smothering display of Clottey hurting! Quinito Henson is saying that Clottey is just looking for a lucky punch while Chino Trinidad is telling us that Manny shouldn’t be complacent. Brian Viloria reminded the two that Pacquiao is still controlling the fight. What Pacquiao will do in the last three rounds will spell the match’s aftermath.

Round Ten – Did Buboy say speed? ROUND TEN? SPEED!?! Shouldn’t he be tired by now??? Pacman is owning this fight! Clottey is like a moving and fighting punching bag! Wow! You can see the hint of desperation on Clottey but he is still hiding in his shell. There was a left uppercut that scored for Clottey but Manny continues to control the fight. Before the fight ended, Clottey drove an elbow to the back of Pacquiao. As far as Pacquiao is concerned, it continues to NOT hurt him.

Round Eleven – Clottey is now going for broke. Freddie Roach is telling his ward to look for a knockout shot. Clottey caused three uppercuts and a string of effective counters but Manny continues to dance and bomb his fists to Clottey’s face and body. By going kamikaze, this takes out the vaulted defense Clottey has been executing. Unfortunately for the Grandmaster/Hitter, Pacquiao found his face open and for the first time as Chino Trinidad pointed, was the first time we saw Clottey staggered. In an interview up and coming star Jorge Arce said that in no way was Manny Pacquiao going to win this fight by knockout. It looks as if he’s right.

Round Twelve – The two embraced and mere seconds after that “manly” encounter Clottey gave two hooks and a looper that eventually became an accidental head butt. It seems as if there was no desperation for Clottey to knock Pacquiao out. All he did was continue to do his normal game play that could have worked with the no-namers he defeated but for a quick fighter like Pacquiao, the judges won’t score the stance but the flurry of punches. From start to finish, except for the second round (which could have blinded me because I was amazed initially at Clottey’s defense), Pacquiao carried Clottey.

The Aftermath – The judges scored 120-108, 119-109 and 119-109… a unanimous decision victory for Manny Pacquiao. Whatever Freddie Roach said about this fight as exciting as hell are all lies! Clottey had his face glued to his gloves. I’m really guessing he just wanted to survive Pacman which is bogus considering this is a title bout. But this is still an important sight for fight fans everywhere to see Pacquiao fight a bigger and much heavier fighter and still win. If Floyd Mayweather’s name again floats to a possible megafight, Pacquiao needs to improve his power. During Clottey’s post-match interview, he said the Pacman lacked the power but his speed was blinding. Mayweather is also fast so that screams more training for an up and coming “dream match”.

This should be the points he should ponder.

Congrats Pacman! Again, you gave your all and made your countrymen proud.

Now if you can just make your province-mates pick you as their congressman… then that would be awesome.

The Collision Course and a New Beginning

The most popular team in the Philippines might visit some of their fans behind bars because of two Fil-Ams who thought they were those 90’s action stars that can take a whole gang.

Haha, you were wrong!

PAROLED FROM MURDER!

Congratulations for Rudy Distrito for his release from prison!

MAY YOU NEVER COME BACK AGAIN!

FRUSTRATED MURDER!

With one gone, a team could follow. Yeah, rich kids that roam the metro trying to cut a BUS for that matter, issued a challenge to Art dela Cruz and some of the Baranggay Ginebra Kings when they charged the players of frustrated murder. No offense, but I’ll dish the same love I gave Alain Katigbak here…

These peons have no business trying to cut a bus in the first place. Sure, they got sideswiped but stopping in the middle of the SOUTH SUPER F’N HIGHWAY!?! Even in a tollway, all they had to do afterwards was ask the Toll guys to reprimand the Kings and yet they thought it would be cool to hound… a lean and mean bunch of six footers!

What they need to do is put these guys on some dope test because I think these guys thought that they were above the law.

The bus door looked like a bad gift gone wrong.

However is in the wrong end of an Art dela Cruz facial punch, might either be a basketball player (I loved his fights with Poch Juinio back in the day) or should be placed in a mental institution.

Haha!

WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE

Brian Viloria and Donnie Nietes needs to salvage wins if they want to tuck their titles in their belts for a little more time. Cuneta Astrodome will stage this event dubbed “The Collision Course”. Catch the action on January 24. GMA Pinoy TV subscribers can avail access to the bouts at these times:

Japan time – January 25, Monday, 3:00am
AUS (EDT) time – January 25, Monday, 5:00am
KSA time – January 24, Sunday, 9:00pm
Italy time - January 24, Sunday, 7:00pm

Why do I know this?

* whistle * *whistle*

Before I end this, I wish all the Haitians could live past this tragic event. Yeah that earthquake pretty much destroyed lives and livelihood but we must see the beauty in ugly especially in these times that we are forced to see it that way.

Game over!

(cheap plug: www.sydrified.blogspot.com!)

TOP TEN: Floyd Mayweather reasons why he ditched the Pacquiao fight

10) He thinks Pacquiao is a bad PPV draw since his latest movie, Wapakman, flopped.

9) He wants to fight Juan Manuel Marquez on what is perceived as an exciting rematch.

8) Pacquiao wanted a one-on-one match but Mayweather wanted a bare-knuckled, no holds barred, table, ladders, and chairs match. He later backed out when Pacquiao thought of bringing The Big Show in his corner!

7) He hates the fact that Manny wouldn’t want to give him his mom’s cellphone number… EVEN WHEN HE PROMISED TO BE A GOOD STEPDAD TO PACMAN! DAMMIT, HE EVEN LEARNED HOW TO DANCE JUST TO DATE HIS MOM!!!

6) Mayweather wanted to switch trainers to spice things up!

5) He hates the fact that he would hear Pacquiao sing when he wins.

4) Nothing in his contract states a San Miguel Beer ad appearance.

3) He got depressed when some girl said that there is nothing “Pretty” about his “Floyd”.

2) It’s too late for him to postpone his sex change.

1) Deep inside his mind the thought of him having a loss makes him pretty much just a “regular” guy with nothing to brag about.

Game over.

* cough * CHEAP PLUG: www.sydrified.blogspot.com!!!

Monday Night War Part 2?

January 4, 2010 (US Time)

The biggest head-to-head in wrestling has happened.

Let’s check out the happenings!

GAME STARTS NOW!

ROUND ONE

WWE: BRET F’N HART!!!

The Hitman welcomed the crowd and the arena went FN nuts! He thanked the fans and then told the crowd how great it was to be part of WWE’s past and present. He calls out Shawn Michaels and he comes out. Bret wants to bury the hatchet and the two shake hands to the delight of the crowd. He then calls out Vince McMahon but he was a no-show!

TNA: TIME FOR A CHANGE

After a “Time for a change” video montage, Mike Tenay and Taz welcomed the audience for the first match which was a steel asylum match (TNA’s cage match). It features Chris Sabin and Alex Shelley, Homicide and Kiyoshi, Suicide and Amazing Red, and Jay Lethal and Consequences Creed. Later in the match Homicide assaulted everyone with a baton and was about to climb out when JEFF HARDY comes out to attack Homicide. Afterwards he sits on top of the structure with the delight of the crowd.

ANALYSIS: Wow. Bret is a great addition but the Hardy loss reeks for WWE. Is Hardy allowed to do that? Isn’t CM Punk STILL blasting Jeff in his promos? With Linda McMahon trying to be elected in the Senate, Hardy’s drug possession charge is bad for her campaign and whilst the Bret hype is still there, this is a slim win margin for WWE.

Hmmm… actually, let’s scratch this shit altogether (I’m just being lazy). WWE made its move to push the Royal Rumble with MVP becoming the number one contender for The Miz’ US belt. Maryse hits the French Kiss on Brie Bella to advance in the Divas Tournament. DX wins against Jeri-Show via the midget cheat, sending Jericho packing to never return to Raw again (not unless it’s an inter-brand joust). Sheamus owned Evan Bourne while Randy Orton defeated Kofi Kingston (loser gets the boot in the Legacy stable).

In TNA however, it seems like a bunch of WWE discards and former WCW employees are getting paraded to the fans.

Let’s do the roll call:

Bubba the Love Sponge – I think this guy is a radio announcer or something. He’s a backstage guy so I hope he doesn’t overact. I’m not peeved since I don’t watch TNA…

Shannon Moore – The Prince of Punk is Jeff Hardy’s best friend. I don’t know how he’ll play out here but past WWE work reduced him to jobber status.

Ric Flair – I hate him wrestling in the US because he will tarnish the amazing retirement ceremony WWE made for this 60-ish legend. However he could be awesome in some sort of mentor role…

Scott Hall – Formerly Razor Ramon and founding member of the NWO, his last TNA appearance was a no-show that sent Kevin Nash to anxiety land. I like him in the 90’s…

Sean Waltman – Formerly X-Pac and another founding member of the NWO, I don’t like the way this is playing out. Remember the sex tape he did with Chyna?

Eric Bischoff – This is a great pick for TNA because Easy E definitely brings credibility to the TNA as an organization. I just hope he doesn’t make TNA WCW dos because it will not work in their current setup.

Sean Morley – Better known as Val Venis, he will again play the persona of a retired porn star inside a wrestling ring. I just don’t know how he will be used since he is old and often injured.

The Nasty Boys – What the fuck? Why are these guys here? They badly wrestled in the 90’s and a decade later won’t help these heavy metal duds! I think they are back to feud with the Dudleyz (aka Team 3D). Just because Hulk is running the show doesn’t mean that they could put random things on air. Who’s next? Brutus the Barber Beefcake???

Orlando Jordan – Where is Rob Van Dam or John Bradshaw Layfield? Where is Monty Brown or Sabu or Tajiri or Super Crazy or Blue Meanie? Tommy Dreamer just got released… why pick up this uncharismatic person???

No Scott Steiner. No British Invasion. Booker T quit last month. Sting merely peeked in the rafters.

FINAL ROUND:

WWE: BRET VERSUS VINCE

Vince came out and thanked the hot crowd and the guest host which was Bret Hart. He then told the crowd that Mike Tyson will be the next guest host (Tyson was involved in the Austin versus DX storyline more than a decade ago). Then Bret came out and confronted Vince. Bret wanted to let bygones be bygones and Vince accepts… until he jammed a body part to Bret’s groin and ran out of the ring. This was simple but an effective way for Bret to grow animosity leading up to Wrestlemania’s main event.

TNA: ANGLE VERSUS STYLES

Throughout the broadcast we have seen TNA stars left laying by an unseen opponent. He also tarnished the already-rocky relationship of his with Jeff Jarrett. Then the main event happened – Kurt Angle was defeated by “The Phenomenal One” AJ Styles via the Styles Clash. Then Hulk heads to the ring thanking the two individuals. Then he notices Mick Foley forcing his way to the arena (Foley was barred from the arena at the start). Then as he goes to his office he sees Mick Foley getting pounded by Nash, Hall, and Waltman in front of Eric Bischoff. Hulk just stares in shock.

ANALYSIS: Ugh. In writing, whatever brilliance your concept has, you need to keep it simple… STUPIDS! What wonders would Vince Russo, Hogan, and Bischoff offer once this “bringing out of names” runs out of “mediocre” names to blast our eyes with!

ADVANTAGE: WWE

Unless Stone Cold, The Rock, a current WWE performer or a great Monday comes in, TNA will face rough times.

And yes, I’m not solely speaking with Orlando Jordan and the Nasty Boys…

Game over.

FANTASY versus REALITY 2 – Bret Hart’s back and the Philippine Cycling fiasco

Again, two sides of action go head-to-head in a battle where everyone’s a winner!

One deals with the whimsical world of sports entertainment. The other is the also whimsical world of Philippine Sports!

Game starts now!

FANTASY: Bret Hart signs with the WWE

It happened at the Survivor Series 1997 PPV held in Montreal, Canada. The Heartbreak Kid will battle the Excellence of Execution for the WWF Belt (this was before they lost the acronym to a panda). Shawn Michaels placed Bret “The Hitman” Hart in the Sharpshooter and mere seconds from the setup Vince McMahon ordered the timekeeper to ring the bell. Bret Hart was shocked. Michaels too was shocked. Referee Earl Hebner ran to the back and quickly rode a getaway vehicle while the wrestlers at the locker room were mad as hell. Bret punched Vince in the face and then stormed out of the arena. This was his last appearance in a WWE ring. Vince feared Bret will take the belt to WCW, which was where Bret Hart would be in a week. Bret doesn’t want to lose in Canada. Michaels? He just hates Bret.

This was the Montreal Screwjob – an accidental unforgettable event in the annals of professional wrestling. This was when the fakeness of wrestling and the realness of emotions merged. Afterwards Bret Hart moved to WCW where his fame staggered. Sure he was winning belts, but the WCW people can’t use him properly.

He retired from wrestling after suffering a stroke.

He returned to a WWE event to plug his book, plug his DVD and to receive his Hall of Fame recognition (although when the Hall of Fame recipients were standing in the ramp at Wrestlemania, he was absent).

Apparently, Vince and Bret have ironed out their differences… in the business sense.

Effective January 4, 2010 – the first time TNA will shoot a live Impact on Monday (Hulk Hogan, TNA President Dixie Carter, and former WCW President Eric Bischoff got this idea to go head-to-head with WWE), Bret Hart will be featured as WWE Raw’s guest host in Canada. His contract will end on April 10 – two weeks after Wrestlemania. For TNA, the ratings will make or break their decision to compete with WWE’s flagship program. For WWE, this is a way to crush a bug that has grown so fat that it thinks it could penetrate the sports entertainment audience.

At this point, let’s look at several scenarios that they could play out:

1 Shawn Michaels during the Slammy Awards, called out The Undertaker for a Wrestlemania rematch of their Match of the Year match (this is for The Undertaker’s unprecedented winning streak). Bret Hart could be the guest ref and this time, screw Michaels when he had The Undertaker beat.

2 This is a longshot but Bret will return as the permanent GM of Raw. He will be a heel in the US and give all the Canadian wrestlers an easy time. DX will face Bret Hart and The Hart Dynasty in a handicap match for Bret’s GM status. After DX wins, Bret leaves.

3 Bret Hart versus Vince McMahon could make fans salivate on how Bret would make this match in some ways… real. Think Matt Hardy versus Edge, two real life enemies battle out to one up the other. Unfortunately, this would be more like a street fight since Vince would suck in wrestling and I imagine a lot of interferences in this match.

4 Bret Hart versus Shawn Michaels should be like Vince/Bret but with more wrestling. Now, I don’t know if Bret is healthy enough to wrestle but if he still has 50% percent of wrestling goodness (better than The Great Khali), I see this as a Match of the Year contender for the hype alone!

This is the four scenarios that would suit best for the Hitman. I want the fourth scenario to become real but I think the first scenario could be better for him story-wise and health-wise.

REALITY: The Philippine Cycling Fiasco

Honestly, there is a SEA Games?

Sigh, no one can see how we’re doing because with basketball scratched out from the list of events – no station wants to broadcast it.

No NBN/IBC/RPN joint project…

No JEMAH/ Silverstar project…

Maybe Solar Sports? So this statement will change from no one… to no Sky cable subscriber can see the SEA Games.

Maritess Bitbit is a 31-year old cyclist that was initially bent to score three gold medals. Its not like she can’t do it… after all, she is the defending champion. With her main rivals retired or injured, this was her chance to claim a medal she can boast on her grandkids.

Only in the Philippines where you could see athletes going on a DNP because of politics.

Why do we have two sports commissions anyway? I just don’t get it. If you look at it, the Philippine Olympic Commission is only for Olympic events but the Philippine Sports Commission heads Philippine Sports as a whole. This is precise if you base it on names.

But we are the Philippines! We don’t care about international federations! I remember when our sports leaders battled FIBA which led to our suspension. No, I agree with the ouster because BAP without any support from the PBA, PBL, NCAA, and UAAP is basically an organization based upon nothing! But imagine the sight where the PSC-supported and the POC-supported athletes marching at the opening ceremonies as though they are “united”. Two sets of uniforms, two sets of chef de missions… CRAP!

Bitbit could be flip-flopping here but I believe an athlete’s main purpose is to compete. This is the only thing that separates them from us, less-skilled civilians. When Bitbit says she was threatened, you have to believe it. Bitbit is the only athlete UCI-accredited. No loophole should be used disrespectfully trash their authority. Instead of punishing her for not being like her team mates, Bitbit should have been sent to fight to “avenge” her restrained team mates.

POC Chairman Jose “Peping” Cojuangco called out PhilCycling head Bambol Tolentino as if to say that he was the one responsible for the debacle. PSC Chairman Harry Angping is saying that not making Bitbit compete is unpatriotic. Cojuangco stated that UCI could have dropped the ban on the athletes… if Tolentino approves it. Tolentino did not do it so Cojuangco is blaming him. Tolentino on the other hand, wasn’t approached by Cojuangco. Why would Conjuangco anyway? He is not recognizing Tolentino as the cycling head but businessman / sports supporter Mikee Romero. Romero, famous for creating a dynasty in the PBL called Harbour Centre (later named Oracle), said he just wants to help cycling and if he knew that the job would be this stressful, then he wouldn’t have accepted it.

And the roller coaster continues.

Ultimately, the main protagonists of this soap opera are Cojuangco and Angping. Unity will make sports better. This is actually one of the main facets of competition which is to develop teamwork among members.

Because of politicians lowly athletes like Bitbit are treated like pawns whose mission is to bring gold despite poor conditions. Sure, Bitbit was to be given the 300,000Php given by the sponsors for those that won the gold but Bitbit was about to compete in three events. That means 900,000Php. Fact is, cyclists could have had b are treated like pawns whose mission is to bring gold despite poor conditions. Sure, Bitbit was to be given the 300,000Php given by the sponsors for those that won the gold but Bitbit was about to compete in three events. That means 900,000Php. Fact is, athletes are often victims of lack of equipment, compensation, exposure, respect… if you are not a basketball player, a boxer, or a rich kid, the only training you’ll ever get is through joining the army.

I remember when the Marlboro Tour was one of the highlights of the summer. After these politicians submitted the anti-tobacco ad ban, the tour was cut to half, not televised, or simply not staged.

I hope the next administration address this situation seriously.

There can be only one… and one of these commissions NEED to go!

One is good and the other is bad. Which of these news stories will make people giddy?

Until the next installment.

Game over.

SYDMAN’s FANTASY versus REALITY 1

Welcome to the first installment of FvR. I’ll do a short take on the make-believe world of Sports Entertainment but I’ll mix this up with an actual news story.

Game starts now.

FANTASY: ECW v2 to close?

This version is not like the days where the “Land of the Extreme” was REALLY extreme. I guess WWE planned this to be their nationwide version of WWE Developmental. ECW served as a stepping stone for CM Punk, Even Bourne, Jack Swagger, and Sheamus and its title gave unlikely champions like Rob Van Dam, The Big Show, Punk, Swagger, Christian, Matt Hardy, John Morrison, Chavo Guerrero, and Tommy Dreamer a shot at the top (although it seems like the ECW title is pretty much in the level of the Intercontinental and US titles).

The deal with this concept died when Paul Heyman was booted out of his creation by Vince McMahon. In the first ECW One Night Stand, guys like JBL and Kurt Angle criticized the PPV especially the true-blue ECW warfare displayed by Masato Tanaka and the late Mike Awesome. Heyman tried to re-vision his creation but could he really? Extremeness is way past its expiry (the horrible December to Dismember PPV comes to mind).

So what happens now? Sure, this is an internet rumor but they are thinking of using their airtime for another WWE Superstars-like show (this is like the new Sunday Night Heat). Amongst the names in ECW land, Christian is poised to do something cool in Smackdown, William Regal could get Vladimir Kozlov and Ezekiel Jackson (who recently turned on Regal and Kozlov) to work for him when he moves to Raw, and newbies like Zack Ryder (seen in photo), Yoshi Tatsu, Abraham Washington, and newly signed indy circuit wonder Bryan Danielson will be sent to the two brands where they’ll either show promise or become the next guys released by the company. Shelton Benjamin could become a “spot” monkey on either brands while Goldust could sadly be waived or join Funaki, Jamie Noble and Dreamer in the sidelines… before getting waived (or a road agent role).

With Hulk Hogan getting a management role in Total Nonstop Action (TNA), I guess he could continue the trend where the TNA execs “fish” WWE’s residue.

REALITY: Tiger’s WOOD gets a BOGEY!

More like a whammy actually. One by one, endorsements are fleeing the grasp of this Asian-American superstar that once upstaged Michael Jordan as the highest-earning sportsman. Why? Golfing superstar Tiger Woods figured in a car accident recently when his SUV collided with a tree and a fire hydrant somewhere near his house at around 2:30am. This accident was nothing serious (minor lacerations) but this pulled him out of all golfing-related events until his injury has healed. He had to pull out of his own charity event because of the matter at hand.

No, he is fit to drive when this happened but when reporters asked him for more info, he went mum and asked for privacy. This spawned rumors of infidelity. Married to Erin Nordegren, a 29-year-old former Swedish model that had her own bouts against negative press (she was mistakenly tagged as a girl posing nude in a couple of mags), Woods is being linked to a Rachel Uchitel, a big-time nightclub owner based in New York City. Of course she denies this and people have yet to produce real facts against this rumor but it was said that this was one of the reasons behind the “incident”.

The car crash happened last November 29.

On December 1, he was charged with one count of reckless driving by the Florida Highway Patrol. The following day, he expressed regret for the transgressions and offered an apology in his website.

Moments after, some cocktail waitress from San Diego named Jaimee Grubbs (the spelling of her name is basically our Jhenifer, Bhernadette, and Rhizzahhhh) stated that she met Tiger Woods on April 13, 2007 in Las Vegas and a few days later they had sex. They kept the communication lines until October 2009. Quoting the US Weekly writeup, Grubbs received these lines from Tiger…

“I will wear you out… when was the last time you got laid?”

“Send me something naughty… go to the bathroom and take (a picture).”

Whoa Tiger.

Actually…

Poor Tiger.

If true, Woods just got bamboozled by some lass whose dream to become famous would poise her to launch this “Tiger hunt”. Grubbs appeared briefly on the VH1 reality show Tool Academy.

VH1… reality show… hmmm… UGH!

Tiger needs to fix these kinks stat… unless he wants to be an endorser solely for condoms.

Maybe alcohol?

Anyway, so did world of make-believe made enough stride to defeat the realms of reality?

You decide.

Game over.

UFC 106 and other thoughts

I was lucky to watch UFC 106. I didn’t know it was on but I figured to watch and rate it…

But I will only rate the final two bouts because these bouts featured three names I’m familiar with. Let’s start with these though:

Quentin “Rampage” Jackson will play Sgt. B. A. Baracus in the film version of the 1980’s action series The A-Team. Joining him in this cast is Liam Neeson as Hannibal Smith, Bradley Cooper as Faceman Peck and Sharlto Copley as Howling Mad Murdock. This is fitting vehicle for Cooper’s mainstream status but I wonder how Rampage will fare. Unlike other A-Team cast members, Mr. T is the most recognizable face in the TV series and TV in general in that era. YOU HAVE TO WONDER how he will pull off such an iconic figure as successfully portrayed by Mr. T.

For some reason though, he was showing his “bad-ass”-ness during The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights edition.

Come to think of it, Kimbo Slice could be a person that can fit the bill.

Josh Koscheck versus Anthony “Rumble” Johnson

I hated Koscheck during TUF. He was a bully. I cheered for Chris Leben even if he lost all of his bouts against this All-American. However, his arrogance makes him a great guy to cheer or hate. I was routing for him to win against Rumble because I don’t really know much about Johnson and I am a huge TUF 1 mark. Johnson was out-trash-talking Koscheck… what the hell?

Anyway, Johnson and Koscheck were getting amped on their match when Rumble’s intensity caused him to hit Kos with a knee to the head when Rumble was sitting down and Kos was kneeling. Kos staggered down and everyone knew that it was illegal and Kos was seen holding his eye. Before the kick, Johnson touched Kos’ eyes which proved a bad setup for the illegal blow. Afterwards the fight continued but Johnson, a recent eye surgery guy, found himself in the receiving end of two accidental eye pokes (Joe Rogan is blaming the handgear at this point). Kos went berserk when the battle went to his wrestling background with him bloodying Rumble. Koscheck, a NCAA wrestling All-American brought the fight to the ground and at 4:47 of the second round, Kos submits Rumble with a rear-naked choke.

We get our usual Koscheck arrogance by telling the crowd that Dan Hardy doesn’t deserve to be a number one contender.

Hmmm…

Forrest Griffin versus Tito Ortiz

We see a clip when Griffin won over Ortiz despite being bloodied. Lots of respect between these two men which makes me wonder if we’ll still see the Huntington Beach Bad Boy of old. Griffin comes out to a Chumbawumba song. Everyone loves one hit wonders. Tito came out with an Eminem song and you can see a blackeye. I will rout for Ortiz if he was facing Mark “The Hammer” Coleman but my bromance for Ultimate Fighter Season 1 contestants makes me mark out for Forrest. Forrest’s kicks proved key for Ortiz to second guess himself. Tito’s strikes are solid but you have to wonder how long will Forrest stand up in this fight. The action could have gone either way in the first round. In the second, while Forrest had his moments, Tito brought him to the ground and gave him a barrage of shots to the head which eventually popped a scar tissue in Forrest’s cheeks. This could have been dominating had not for Griffin’s attempts to frequently set up the triangle. In the third round though, instead of decimating Forrest, it seems like Tito stopped on the offensive! He was waiting for his chance so long that with a minute left in the fight, the judges are sure that Forrest was the worker of the round and Tito had zero attempts to win it.

Again the end of the match was decided with the scorecards with the fan favorite winning it via a split decision. Afterwards, crowd booed Ortiz for making excuses but Griffin grabbed the mic and told the fans to love the guy putting a helluva show. While I love Forrest, HE HAS GUTS (sick and foolish) for grabbing the mic away from Bad Boy. Not unless you have a deathwish, will you do that? Come to think of it, LONG AND PAINFUL DEMISE is what I expect if some random thug tries to pull that stunt on the HUNTINGTON BEACH BAD BOY! Luckily, Forrest and Tito have mutual respect for each other. And yeah, going 2-0 is cool so Forrest asking for more of Ortiz could either be stupid, or merely doing this for the sake of pwning a MMA legend.

Not MMA-related, Charice Pempengco will play one of the leads in the upcoming “Squeakwell” of Alvin and the Chipmunks.

Hmmm…

10 reasons why Cotto will lose to Pacman

10. Pac’s Speed. Yah, it’s not secret anymore that only Manny Pacquiao can rival or even surpass the quickness of Money Mayweather. Speed kills, according to many boxing experts. Truly, you cannot hit a thing that you cannot see, ergo, the power punch of Cotto would be irrelevant.

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Slice needs to Dice

The Tenth Season of The Ultimate Fighter takes a “slice” from the dark side.

In Episode 1, UFC Prez Dana White shocked everyone by introducing Kevin Ferguson, otherwise known as “Kimbo Slice”, as a contestant.

The 35-year-old former EliteXC champ will be one of the heavyweights featured in this installment. This somewhat took out the rivalry of this season’s coaches which were Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and “Sugar” Rashad Evans. Slice was picked second pick overall by Jackson after Evans selected James McSweeney as his top pick.

Slice is a great brawler. He’s like Yogi Bear… and you stole his picnic basket…

… and Booboo.

But the main problem for 6-foot-2, 235-pounder resident from Miami, Florida is he is only a striking and he doesn’t have much of a ground game. Exciting fights could catapult awesome matches but those boring matches could be his death. Actually it will become exciting when his opponent gets him into a submission position that would likely spell the end of this former underground fighter.

Let’s just remember that no one expected Brock Lesnar to become the MMA star that he is since he is a “sports entertainment” guy. Plus, he did defeat someone via submission… but that was an exhibition match that involves former WBO boxing champ Ray Mercer.

Slice got bad rep after the internet star was destroyed fourteen seconds after the start of the match when Seth Petruzelli creamed him in one lucky blow. This match also destroyed EliteXC whose only claim to fame is having the muscle-clad and erstwhile invincible Slice in their organization.

Dana White offered a contract to Slice but he needs to earn this deal through The Ultimate Fighter. White even stated that he will make a TUF strictly for heavyweights so that Kimbo could showcase his wares.

That idea is currently a reality.

Postscript: Kimbo Slice debuts in the TUF octagon (Episode 3) against Roy Nelson. Slice’s team coached by Rampage Jackson has lost two straight duels. A win for Slice could give him more chance to secure the UFC contract.

An early loss will shatter a possible career in the UFC.

Manny Pacquiao - Miguel Cotto Newslinks

Pacquiao vs Cotto: Manny Begins The Hectic Tour

Filipino boxing hero and the world’s top pound-for-pound fighter Manny Pacquiao is set to begin a hectic schedule on a promotional tour for his “Fire Power” showdown against WBO welterweight champion Miguel Cotto at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on November 14.  Pacquiao’s adviser Michael Koncz said the champion had “a good rest on the flight from Manila to New York” after wrapping up his commitments in the Philippines which included shooting a movie, TV shows, commercial endorsements and other activities. Pacquiao gave way to his musical inclinations when he began playing the grand piano in his New York hotel suite shortly after being checked in. Pacquiao is in New York along with Cotto, the pride of Puerto Rico, to kick-off their cross country, five city tour with a huge press conference at the spanking new, state-of-the art Yankee Stadium on Friday, Manila Time. Complete Story

ON DECK: THE COTTO/PACQUIAO PRESS CONFERENCE

On September 10th at the new Yankee Stadium, a fight wasn’t held, but a press conference was. Miguel Cotto and Manny Pacquiao were in New York City hyping their November 14th showdown, which will happen in Las Vegas at the house that MGM built. This mega-fight, between the current pound-for-pound best against one of the toughest, smartest and most resilient fighters in the sport, promises to be a classic. Pacquiao is brutal aggression. Cotto is brutal counter-aggression. It’s a styles-make-fights formula that has fans looking past Marquez/Mayweather. Complete Story

Pacquiao has Cotto figured out

“I don’t only know what are my advantages over Cotto,” said Pacquiao, who was met at the airport by members of the L.A. Boys, made up of his basketball and dart buddies living in Hollywood. “It’s not enough for you to know your strong points but what is important is how to use them in the actual fight.” Pacquiao, 30, regarded as boxing’s best pound-for-pound, said he doesn’t see Cotto imposing his will by bullying inside or dancing around to keep him away from punching range. “I would welcome him if he decides to slug it out at close range and if he intends to run, I know a lot of ways how to pin him down,” said Pacquiao. “I have a feeling, though, that he will try to dance around.” Complete Story

Exclusive Interview: Freddie Roach

8CountNews caught up with famed fight trainer Freddie Roach Monday morning and got his thoughts on the upcoming Manny Pacquiao vs Miguel Cotto fight. Roach talks about the current press tour currently underway, and also touches on the situation between himself, and Michael Koncz. Roach also informs 8CN that training camp will be split between the Philippines, and Los Angeles, 4 weeks in each country. Complete Story

Pacquiao mulls legal action vs Mayweather over ‘steroids’ claim

“Pinag-aaralan na namin kung sasampahan namin siya ng kaso tungkol sa mga pinagsasabi niya,” said the 30-year-old boxing champ.  Pacquiao was quick to deny he’s taking steroids and other type of supplements that resulted in his sensational victories over boxing legend Oscar De La Hoya and Hatton – two fighters bigger and stronger than him, but whom he brutally beat in succession. Complete Story

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