Tachi Palace 9 Preview
by Dallas Winston on May 5, 2011 11:00 AM EDT
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Another solid card has been assembled for Tachi Palace Fights 9 from Lemoore, California on May 6th, which will be streamed live on Sherdog.com for free starting at 8:30 PM EST.
The lineup features stellar talent in former UFC fighters Gerald Harris, Efrain Escudero, and Fabricio Camoes, and proves the promotion has the stateside lockdown on the flyweight division. Five of the world's top ranked 125-pound fighters are on the TPF roster, two of which will battle in separate fights on Friday's card.
Headlining the show is 9-2 Ian McCall, fresh off his shocking upset of Jussier "Formiga" Da Silva of Nova Uniao, who was widely considered the best flyweight in the game before McCall shattered his flawless record at TPF 8 in February. McCall, a.k.a. "Uncle Creepy", had a three-fight bantamweight stint in the WEC, where he finished Coty Wheeler with punches but suffered the only losses of his career against Charlie Valencia and #1 ranked 135er Dominick Cruz. The Team Oyama fighter has now dropped a weight class and rattled off two straight wins, vaulting into the elite 125-pound spotlight.
McCall is paired with undefeated Dustin Ortiz, who has finished all seven of his opponents by strikes or submission. Making his debut in the Gameness Fighting Championships and trampling six opponents in a row, Ortiz upgraded his status with an appearance on the January 7 Strikeforce "Challengers 13" card, where he stopped the well traveled Matt Horning by TKO.
Trademarking MMA's first and most distinguished afro since 1999, former Shooto featherweight (132 lb.) and bantamweight (123 lb.) champ Mamoru Yamaguchi makes his TPF debut versus 10-3 Kevin Dunsmoor. 25-5-3 Yamaguchi won the King of the Cage Junior Flyweight belt in January of 2010 on the promotion's "Toryumon" event in Okinawa, then defended the strap successfully against Greg Guzman on the August 5 "Sniper" card, which was Yamaguchi's first scrap on American soil.
Dunsmoor has replaced Greg Jackson product John Dodson, who dropped out earlier this week and was already filling in for #9 ranked flyweight and 1996 freestyle Olympic medalist Alexis Vila, who Yamaguchi was initially slated to face.
The rest of the exciting TPF 9 match-ups are previewed in the full entry.
In what should be the firecracker of the night, TUF 8 winner Efrain Escudero takes on Black House grappling machine Fabricio Camoes. Both lightweights were cut from the UFC despite turning in respectable performances against reputable contenders: after beating Phillipe Nover to win the show, Escudero beat Cole Miller and Dan Lauzon but was submitted by Evan Dunham and Charles Oliveira; Camoes would have defeated Caol Uno were it not for a point deduction for illegal up-kicks and was giving Kurt Pellegrino a handful before succumbing to a 2nd round choke.
Since their Octagon departure, Escudero has scored three in a row in smaller shows and will make his promotional debut, while Camoes crumpled Steve Lopez, another former UFC lightweight, with a vicious head-kick KO at TPF 8 in February.
In perhaps the most memorable falling of the Zuffa axe, 17-4 middleweight Gerald Harris was handed his walking papers after a disappointing defeat to UFC newcomer Maiquel Falcao, even though Harris chalked up three consecutive and demonstrative wins; two of which earned "Knockout of the Night" honors. Surprisingly enough, considering the widespread outrage from his release, Harris went on to drop a decision to James Head at Xtreme Fight Night 2 in February.
Harris draws seasoned veteran Anthony Ruiz, a heavy handed, 25-15 former heavyweight who has plummeted all the way down to 185. Ruiz holds wins over Hector Ramirez, Xavier Foupa-Pokam, Gan McGee, Brad Imes, and Jimmy Ambriz, and has brawled with a litany of tough competition throughout his career.
Rounding out the card are bouts between 9-3 Isaac DeJesus (who defeated Nam Phan but has dropped three of his last four) and 9-1 Russ Miura (on a six-fight streak with six career submission wins), 8-1 Wand Fight Team phenom Jorge Lopez and fan fave Waachiim Spiritwolf, and striker Chidi Njokuani, the younger brother of Anthony Njokuani, taking on Alan Jouban.
With no price tag, some of the best talent outside of the UFC's umbrella, clever match making, and a few of the best flyweights on earth, Tachi Palace Fights 9 is worth a watch on Friday night. The full card is listed below.
What: Tachi Palace Fights 9: "The Contenders"
Where: Tachi Palace Resort and Casino; Lemoore, CA
When: Friday, May 6, 2011, streaming live and free on Sherdog.com at 8:30 PM EST.
Mamoru Yamaguchi vs. Kevin Dunsmoore
Efrain Escudero vs. Fabricio Camoes
Anthony Ruiz vs. Gerald Harris
Isaac DeJesus vs. Russ Miura
Jorge Lopez vs. Waachiim Spiritwolf
Farkhad Sharipov vs. Tommy Vargas
Alan Jouban vs. Chidi Njokuani
Art Arciniega vs. Josh Herrick
Kenny Ento vs. James Chaney
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Sadly, Dodson was forced to pull out of his fight with Yamaguchi a couple of weeks ago. Kevin Dunsmoor (10-3) is Dodson’s replacement.
Fight Rankings - I don't know more about MMA than you, but I'll certainly pretend that I do.
And regardless of the replacement, this is going to be an awesome card. I’m wondering how Gerald Harris will look, especially after his February loss to James Head. Waachiim Spiritwolf always puts on a show (unless he’s getting poked in the eye) and Ian McCall looked pretty sharp against Jussier da Silva.
My main hope the stream is viewable. There were some early issues on MMAJunkie’s stream for Tachi Palace Fights 8, but it was fairly acceptable as a whole. I’m hoping the quality is decent for Sherdog, but I’m not sure what to expect.
Fight Rankings - I don't know more about MMA than you, but I'll certainly pretend that I do.
Thanks krcampbell
Corrections made.
I got confused with the Vila/Dodson/Dunsmoore musical chairs, but it’s still something I should have caught. Thanks for pointing it out.
"A philosopher and solitary by instinct, who has found his advantage in standing aside and outside, in patience, in procrastination, in staying behind; as a spirit of daring and experiment that has already lost its way once in every labyrinth of the future; as a soothsayer-bird spirit who looks back when relating what will come." -Nietzsche
by Dallas Winston on May 5, 2011 1:18 PM EDT up reply actions
this is a nice little regional card
its nice to see flyweights
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I hope
the winner between efrain escudero and camoes gets to come back, i feel they would have deserved it and can deff beat some of the lightweights in the ufc now.
Totally agree
I had to resist making a specific comment how Escudero and Camoes were some of the first to taste the increasingly harsh axe of the UFC.
"A philosopher and solitary by instinct, who has found his advantage in standing aside and outside, in patience, in procrastination, in staying behind; as a spirit of daring and experiment that has already lost its way once in every labyrinth of the future; as a soothsayer-bird spirit who looks back when relating what will come." -Nietzsche
by Dallas Winston on May 5, 2011 1:49 PM EDT up reply actions
This will be an awesome card. This could set up McCall for a title shot. Possibly even Yamaguchi as well.
It would be tough to give either fighter a title shot at Darrel Montague, especially with Alexis Vila, Jussier da Silva, and John Dodson in the mix. I think Vila should get the next title shot, and then maybe a four man, one night tournament could be held on the same card for the number one contender spot.
The first round could be McCall vs. Yamaguchi and da Silva vs. Dodson, and whoever comes out on top in the tournament faces the winner of Vila/Montague.
Problem solved most awesomely.
Fight Rankings - I don't know more about MMA than you, but I'll certainly pretend that I do.
McCall just beat the #1 ranked flyweight in the world. How does he not deserve it with a win here? And Yamaguchi is one of the top guys at this weight and has been for a long time. Jussier is coming off a loss, Vila hasnt really even beat anyone and Dodson should fight a top contender as well. Dodson/Yamaguchi would have been an awesome number one contender fight.
The way I see it, McCall beating Ortiz and Yamaguchi beating Dunsmoor won’t tell us anything new about either fighter. And McCall did beat the number one fighter, but because of that, most rankings (including mine) consider Yamaguchi to be the new number one. It’s almost impossible to choose between either fighter to get a shot.
I agree that Dodson vs. Yamaguchi would have crowned the number one contender, and honestly, I wish McCall and Yamaguchi would just fight each other at this event. That would go a long way in telling us who the true contender would be. Perhaps both fighters are more deserving than Alexis Vila, but I may just have a disproportionate love for Vila.
Vila has some good wins over Lewis McKenzie and Omar Choudhury, but since he’s yet to make his Tachi debut, he definitely hasn’t consistently fought the best at 125. That said, I think it’s a matter of time until he’s the number one flyweight in the world. Olympic bronze medalist wrestler with scary KO power? He’s going to go a long, long way at flyweight.
Fight Rankings - I don't know more about MMA than you, but I'll certainly pretend that I do.
Correction: I’ve got Yamaguchi as the second best flyweight, but I think my point still stands. Yamaguchi and McCall both have legitimate claims to fight Montague for the title.
Fight Rankings - I don't know more about MMA than you, but I'll certainly pretend that I do.
I actually have Yasuhiro Urushitani up there as well especially since he has W’s over Dodson and Yamaguchi
by PML on May 5, 2011 1:22 PM EDT up reply actions
Problem with Vila is that he’s 40 years old and speed is one of the first things, if not the first thing to go… Not good for a Flyweight.
Creator of the FightMatrix rating system [http://www.fightmatrix.com].
That Alexis Vila won his bronze medal 14 years ago might pose some problems, yes. Still, I think he’s got the skills to beat just about any other 125 pound fighter. Nobody in the division can match his wrestling, regardless of age. If he can maintain the explosive striking that he’s displayed thus far (perhaps a big “if”), then he’s a serious threat to any flyweight in the world.
Fight Rankings - I don't know more about MMA than you, but I'll certainly pretend that I do.
Too bad the Vila/Dodson fight never came to be in April
by PML on May 5, 2011 1:17 PM EDT up reply actions
It’s disappointing that what was originally McCall/Montague and Yamaguchi/Vila has turned into McCall/Ortiz and Yamaguchi/Dunsmoor.
Still, there are still a lot of awesome matches to be made in the future at 125 for TPF. I would love to see any number of fights between Montague/Vila/da Silva/Dodson/Yamaguchi/Gomez. It’d be even better if Yasuhiro Urushitani were in the mix, but that’s just wishful thinking.
Fight Rankings - I don't know more about MMA than you, but I'll certainly pretend that I do.
So many awesome fights for the flyweight division I cant wait for people to start gaining interest in the division
by PML on May 5, 2011 1:29 PM EDT up reply actions
McCall was set to fight Montague before Montague got injured.
So I would say giving him a shot after this fight (if he wins) wouldn’t be too tough.
Video blog updated every Sunday with exciting MMA fights from smaller shows:
Bro, check out this fight!
I will be there on Friday
I’m driving down to Lemoore this afternoon. Can’t wait to see the fights. I went to the last TPF and it was sic. They also had the first show of ballator’s season there as well. Tachi Palace puts on great fights and I’m sure they won’t disappoint. I bought my tix right when they went on sale so I got good seats. I’m bringing my big camera with my so hopefully I’ll get some good shots to post for everyone!!!
i'd love to see this promotion get some sort of tv deal
they put on pretty good shows, plus flyweights are pretty damn interesting
maybe they can go to spike once the ufc bounces
"I have smoked weed with alot of UFC champions" - Joe Rogan
"Você ta fudido. Se vai levar muita porrada, ta ligado?" - Anderson Silva
Hey krcampbell
I wish I would have known about your rankings when I wrote this. Obviously, world flyweight rankings aren’t widely popular, and Sherdog was the only reputable site I found.
I see you have some markedly different measures, so it’s good to have another solid source for comparisons. I’m also far from up-to-speed with the world 125 class, even though I’m an old Shooto fan.
"A philosopher and solitary by instinct, who has found his advantage in standing aside and outside, in patience, in procrastination, in staying behind; as a spirit of daring and experiment that has already lost its way once in every labyrinth of the future; as a soothsayer-bird spirit who looks back when relating what will come." -Nietzsche
I won’t profess to be an expert- I even include a disclaimer in my SB Nation signature – but maintaining rankings at flyweight has helped educate me about the division. I think my list is a pretty decent starting point, but of course, my rankings might be thrown to shit if Ortiz and/or Dunsmoor are victorious this Friday.
I did quite a bit of research about the 125 weight class before putting up my rankings. Sherdog is the only half-way reliable source with flyweight rankings, but there are some smaller sites out there that helped me figure out some of the key fighters in the division. I used this terribly unorganized set of rankings at Fight Trader to determine some of the active fighters to consider in the top 25. I also clicked through the fight histories of the more notable flyweights to find common names that keep popping up.
I also make it hard on myself by only rankings fighters at a single weight, so if fighters are more active in another division, I won’t really consider them at flyweight. Rambaa Somdet is a good example of this. He’s one of the top lighter fighters in Japan and is often ranked at flyweight, but he mostly competes at Strawweight – a division I haven’t even considered ranking. Most of the 115 pounders are in Shooto and I’m not nearly familiar enough to rank those fighters. At least we have a U.S. promotion like TPC putting on flyweight bouts.
And even though I rank 25 fighters, I think I have around 40-50 flyweights listed on my rankings spreadsheet at home (I do the same at all weight classes.) I’m trying to keep track of divisions as a whole to keep tabs on prospects and rising fighters who might enter the top 25. I don’t have any solid metrics regarding my rankings. Once I created the initial top 25 in January, I just track fights as best as I can and move fighters around based on recent wins and losses.
This ended up being way longer than intended. In short, thanks for checking my site! If you have any questions you want to ask, the contact portion of my page goes right to my e-mail box.
Fight Rankings - I don't know more about MMA than you, but I'll certainly pretend that I do.
TPC = TPF
Fight Rankings - I don't know more about MMA than you, but I'll certainly pretend that I do.
Slight LOL @ "Fight Trader"
Those are done by a guy that goes by “shanoknowsmma”, and I’m familiar with him from spending many years on the UG. I’ll give him his due respect for effort and fighter knowledge. His actual personality and ranking system have definitely rubbed me the wrong way.
I know what you mean about diving in to educate yourself. I used to have very strong feelings on rankings, and was firmly convinced that the only logical rankings in the popular weight classes were “UFC” and “Non-UFC” because of all the obvious problems comparing those two categories. It just seemed more logical to split them.
I will consult your rankings in the future and may hit you up with a question or two. Thanks for the input and discussion.
"A philosopher and solitary by instinct, who has found his advantage in standing aside and outside, in patience, in procrastination, in staying behind; as a spirit of daring and experiment that has already lost its way once in every labyrinth of the future; as a soothsayer-bird spirit who looks back when relating what will come." -Nietzsche
by Dallas Winston on May 5, 2011 6:20 PM EDT up reply actions
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