Author: Luke Irwin

By Luke Irwin | April 9, 2020 Date: July 29, 2005Card: K-1 World Grand Prix 2005 in HawaiiChampionship(s):Venue: Aloha StadiumLocation: Honolulu, Hawaii [embedded content] Combat, MMA, Undercard Superstar View the original article on Undercard Superstar: Fight of the Day: BJ Penn vs. Renzo...

By Luke Irwin | April 8, 2020 (During the global pandemic and the halt of live combat sports, we’ll be running features a little outside the box.  In “Cards That Weren’t”, we’ll look at famous [or infamous] fight cards that never took place for one reason or another and discuss what was booked, what may have happened if it took place, and if the fighters ever faced off in the future.) The Promotion: After UFC 151, the UFC was familiar with cancelling events, and with Aldo pulling out over a month before the card, the UFC just decided to...

By Luke Irwin | April 8, 2020 Date: February 15, 1978Card:Championship(s): WBA/WBC World Heavyweight Championship (Ali)Venue: Hilton HotelLocation: Las Vegas, Nevada [embedded content] Combat, MMA, Undercard Superstar View the original article on Undercard Superstar: Fight of the Day: Leon Spinks vs. Muhammad Ali...

By Luke Irwin | April 7, 2020 Date: November 19, 2011Card: Bellator 58Championship(s): Bellator Lightweight Championship (Alvarez)Venue: Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & CasinoLocation: Hollywood, Florida [embedded content] Combat, MMA, Undercard Superstar View the original article on Undercard Superstar: Fight of the Day: Eddie Alvarez vs. Michael...

By Luke Irwin | April 6, 2020 (With all combat sports ground to a halt and stay home orders enacted, you’re stuck inside, we’re stuck inside, let’s watch some fun fight stuff on YouTube.) [embedded content] With respect to his extensive fighting career, this is truly Yoshihiro Akiyama’s crowning achievement, as a mafia boss in a K-Pop music video. Sexyama shines through the damned screen. Also, shoutout to Dong Hyun-Kim for his cameo as a henchman. [embedded content] In the second-ever women’s UFC fight, the goddamned TV crew missed Cat Zingano’s emotional entrance, as nothing captured the sense of...

By Luke Irwin | April 6, 2020 Date: March 17, 1977Card:Championship(s):Venue: Roberto Clemente ColiseumLocation: San Juan, Puerto Rico [embedded content] Combat, MMA, Undercard Superstar View the original article on Undercard Superstar: Fight of the Day: George Foreman vs. Jimmy...

By Luke Irwin | April 3, 2020 Date: March 2, 2001Card: Shooto 2Championship(s):Venue:Location: Tokyo, Japan [embedded content] Combat, MMA, Undercard Superstar View the original article on Undercard Superstar: Fight of the Day: Anderson Silva vs. Tetsuji...

By Luke Irwin | April 2, 2020 Date: October 14, 2012Card: Metamoris 1Championship(s):Venue:Location: Los Angeles, California [embedded content] Combat, MMA, Undercard Superstar View the original article on Undercard Superstar: Fight of the Day: Caio Terra vs. Jeff...

By Luke Irwin | April 1, 2020 (With all combat sports ground to a halt and stay home orders enacted, you’re stuck inside, we’re stuck inside, let’s watch some fun fight stuff on YouTube.) [embedded content] In the year of our Lord 2003, MMA legend, PRIDE color commentator, and incredible personality Bas Rutten released perhaps the finest instructional video ever created, the “Bas Rutten Lethal Street Fighting Self Defense System”. This gem, that appears to take place in my local Max & Erma’s, uses Bas’s history not only as a mixed martial artist, but bouncer and street fighter extraordinare,...

By Luke Irwin | April 1, 2020 Date: November 10, 2007Card: EliteXC: RenegadeChampionship(s): EliteXC Lightweight Championship (Inaugural)Venue: American Bank CenterLocation: Corpus Christi, Texas [embedded content] Combat, MMA, Undercard Superstar View the original article on Undercard Superstar: Fight of the Day: KJ Noons vs. Nick...

By Luke Irwin | March 31, 2020 Date: January 24, 1976Card:Championship(s): NABF Heavyweight Championship (Vacant)Venue: Caesar’s PalaceLocation: Las Vegas, Nevada [embedded content] Combat, MMA, Undercard Superstar View the original article on Undercard Superstar: Fight of the Day: George Foreman vs. Ron...

By Luke Irwin | March 30, 2020 (During the global pandemic and the halt of live combat sports, we’ll be running features a little outside the box.  In “Cards That Weren’t”, we’ll look at famous [or infamous] fight cards that never took place for one reason or another and discuss what was booked, what may have happened if it took place, and if the fighters ever faced off in the future.) The Promotion: If you’ve even accidentally clicked on this site, you know what the UFC is, there’s no need to dive into its history. This card, however, merits...

By Luke Irwin | March 30, 2020 Date: October 1, 1975Card: Thrilla in ManillaChampionship(s): WBA/WBC Heavyweight Championships (Ali)Venue: Araneta ColiseumLocation: Quezon City, Philippines [embedded content] Combat, MMA, Undercard Superstar View the original article on Undercard Superstar: Fight of the Day: Joe Frazier vs. Muhammad Ali...

By Luke Irwin | March 27, 2020 Date: October 30, 1974Card: The Rumble in the JungleChampionship(s): WBA/WBC Heavyweight Championship (Foreman)Venue: Stade Tata RaphaëlLocation: Kinshasa, Zaire [embedded content] Combat, MMA, Undercard Superstar View the original article on Undercard Superstar: Fight of the Day: George Foreman vs. Muhammad...

By Luke Irwin | March 26, 2020 (During the global pandemic and the halt of live combat sports, we’ll be running features a little outside the box.  In “Cards That Weren’t”, we’ll look at famous [or infamous] fight cards that never took place for one reason or another and discuss what was booked, what may have happened if it took place, and if the fighters ever faced off in the future.) The Promotion: Strikeforce. Dear, sweet, blessed Strikeforce, how I loved you. Strikeforce was actually started as a San Jose-based kickboxing promotion in 1985, but got into the MMA...

By Luke Irwin | March 26, 2020 Date: August 16, 2016Card: 2016 Summer OlympicsChampionship(s): Greco-Roman 66kg Gold MedalVenue: Carioca Arena 2Location: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil [embedded content] Combat, MMA, Undercard Superstar View the original article on Undercard Superstar: Fight of the Day: Davor Sefanek vs. Migran...

By Luke Irwin | March 25, 2020 Date: November 24, 2019Card: K-1 World Grand Prix 2019 in YokohamaChampionship(s): K-1 Heavyweight Championship (Mannaart)Venue: Yokohama ArenaLocation: Yokohama, Japan [embedded content] Combat, MMA, Undercard Superstar View the original article on Undercard Superstar: Fight of the Day: Chris Bradford vs. Roel...

By Luke Irwin | March 24, 2020   1. Minoru Kimura: Bulldozed his way through the K-1 70kg tournament. Three straight first-round knockouts crowned him the king of the tournament that the Japanese government didn’t even want them to put on.   2. Mason Jones: The new Cage Warriors lightweight champion after defeating Joe McColgan by TKO in the first round at Cage Warriors 113.   3. Takeru: The phoenom took care of business and gave the folks what they wanted, wholesale violence, knocking out Petchdam Petchkiatpetch just inside the second round in the co-main of K’Festa 3.  ...

By Luke Irwin | March 24, 2020 Date: April 4, 2007Card: K-1 World MAX 2007 World Elite ShowcaseChampionship(s):Venue: Yokohama ArenaLocation: Yokohama, Japan [embedded content] Combat, MMA, Undercard Superstar View the original article on Undercard Superstar: Fight of the Day: Kozo Takeda vs. Mike...

By Luke Irwin | March 23, 2020 Date: June 7, 1997Card:Championship(s): WBC International Heavyweight Championship (Tua)Venue: ARCO ArenaLocation: Sacramento, California [embedded content] Combat, MMA, Undercard Superstar View the original article on Undercard Superstar: Fight of the Day: David Tua vs. Ike...