Remy Rutledge
March 11, 2010
Huddled at smoky sports bars across the land, armchair toughguys often muse aloud on their unrealized greatness. "If only I'd get my shot, I could hang with the big dogs. If I took it seriously, I could be pretty good. I'm not saying I could take Kimbo, but . . . the openings are there. "
You've heard it; I've heard it; we all know the chords.
Last January, 5150 fight promoter Ginny Myers gave a handful of local hot heads a chance to prove it.
And prove it they did.
In arguably the biggest show in state history, 5150 Promotions, in conjunction with Dale Cook's XFL, brought half-a-dozen seasoned UFC and Pride veterans in to Tulsa, OK, to face local standouts at New Year's Revolution -- an 18-bout mega card that saw 11 subs, six TKOs, and one . . . yes ONE decision.
The most consequential bout of the evening featured Joey "The Mexicutioner" Beltran taking on the feared-but-faltering UFC brawler Houston Alexander. Beltran combined elusive striking with effective wrestling to frustrait and eventually stop Alexander with a devastating 2nd round TKO -- something Kimbo Slice, Keith Jardine, and Alessio Sakara were famously unable to accomplish.
That's how stars die.
Beltran's win catapulted him into consideration for a late fill-in spot opposite the UFC debut of Rolles Gracie just weeks later; where, again, Joey used versatility and pressure to end the fight with a devastating 2nd round TKO. Beltran is now slated to take on the highly touted Chad Corvin at UFC 113.
That's how stars are born.
In other action, local grappler John Brown took former UFC title challenger Jeff Monson to a controversial split decision in what was, by any standard, the least eventful match of the night.
Not all big names came up short in T-town. The veteran's veteran Jeremy Horn picked up a solid submission win over Victor Moreno in what Horn estimates was his 140th fight. Sherdog has his total at 108, but who's counting? Horn almost missed the event, though, showing up for fighter check-in without mouth piece or cup and unable to leave the building, the fight was in serious doubt. No stranger to such situations, Horn pulled his hood over his head and slipped out the back door and through the parking lot, returning 20 minutes later with a brand new boil-and-bite mouthguard ready to rumble. Horn said he'd like to keep fighting as long as he's physically able and has no real ambition to return to prime time.
Former UFC slugger Tim Boetsch also looked sharp in his bout, nabbing a 2nd round guillotine over then XFL LHW champion Rudy Lindsey. Tim said the cut to 205 was tough having come down from 230ish over the past 4 weeks. He was around 220 at fight time and appeared calm and almost pleasant just minutes before his scrap (see video below). Tim said he feels like he's starting to peak and sees himself making a serious run at the UFC strap in 5 years.
His opponent, Lindsey, was recently in action against former UFC MW and Oklahoma State wrestling prodigy Jake Rosholt in the very same venue. The two met just last weekend at a catch weight of 195 lbs as a co-headliner for another of Cook's XFL shows. After scoring early with low kicks, Lindsey found himself badly outmatched on the mat. The fight ended by RNC late in the 1st.
Easily the most competitive fight of the night featured local talent and former Olympic speed skater Mike Budnik squaring off against TUF graduate Rich "No Love" Clementi in a 23-minute scramble that ended mid-way through the 5th when a slowing Budnik gave up his back and his claim to the XFL 155lb title.
Fight Night Video Excerpts:
Other highlights included special guest announcer Beau "One Man Army" Taylor of Kimo-is-dead infamy and special guest Forrest Griffin in an exhibition bout against a break dancing midget. I shit you not. Ever the entertainer, Griffin told me that his next goal is to try to actually win a fight. He admits that he doesn't have the chin or the power to contend at HW and enjoys being a large 205er. He said he currently weighs around 1,007lbs and that since breaking his foot in training he's become noticeably hungrier. Griffin did say that he'd like a rematch with Keith Jardine at some point but that he's taking things one fight at a time these days. He also revealed that he's never slept with a porn star - sure buddy - and that his dream fight is Bill O'Reilly vs. Bill Maher ending in a double KO. Somebody book that.
Big night for a small town; chock full of reality checks and ticket punching. We saw a former t-shirt vendor put on a truly spectacular show. We saw a small town tough guy finish off a PPV punisher. We saw that, much like American Idol, a no-name kid from the middle of nowhere with a little talent and a lot of balls can be just as big and bad as the Vegas-groomed superstars that get a one-way ticket to Spike TV. Most of all, we saw and were reminded why we love this sport -- because once that cage door closes, all the bullshit fades away and we're left with something so real and so primal that no hype or reputation or entourage can penetrate the barrier or detract from the essence of what goes inside these walls: we fight. And when that bell rings it doesn't matter where you're from or what PPV you headlined; it's you and me and only one of us is walking out of here a winner. That's how stars die and how they are born in the firey womb of war.
