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Sapp vs. Lashley Primer
By: Jake Rossen
Ultimate Battleground. Ultimate Cage Combat. Ultimate Ring Fighting. Ultimate Conflict. Ultimate Throwdown.
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There may be a decided lack of imagination on the part of mixed-fight promoters -- and there’s simply no competing with the UFC’s “Ultimate Ultimate” events of 1995 and ’96 in terms of caffeine-fed hyperbole -- but you may not much care about the marquee. If so, that’s good news for “Ultimate Chaos,” a debuting event courtesy of Prize Fight Promotions (the local ticket-pusher for numerous high-profile boxing events) and Ricky Derouen’s Fight Force International. -
Truth in Advertising: Lashley Expects ‘Train Wreck’ vs. Sapp on Saturday
By: Jake Rossen Nathan Padgett/Coomer Media Group
Though there are exceptions, fighters -- especially those in the upper-tier of competition -- tend to stick to canned-ham answers when it comes to event promotion. They’re coming to win. They’re prepared. They’re at 100 percent. (And by sheer coincidence, none of those statements usually hold up in a loss: They were injured. They were at fifty percent. No one is ever, ever just outclassed.)
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So credit to Bobby Lashley for calling it like it is. In an interview with attending media in Biloxi for Saturday’s “Ultimate Chaos” program, Lashley shrugged and admitted that his main event with Bob Sapp is likely to be a “train wreck” of epic proportions. -
Ultimate Athletes: MMA moonlighters III
By: Jake Rossen
You’ll never see a professional golfer attempt a fight. And if you do, they’ve clearly gone far off the reservation. But other mainstream athletes -- usually from the equally gritty sport of football -- find the cage to be a compelling second career.
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Two more who took off their helmets, only to get hit harder:
Alonzo Spellman (1-0)
Affiliation: Defensive Lineman, Chicago Bears
Resume: Just five months of the basics before his debut; freaked out on a plane shortly after 9/11, sentenced to 18 months in prison, charged with taking medication for a bipolar disorder. Naturally, a perfect fit for MMA.
Bench? He’s appeared to have made the decision already: Spellman fought just once in 2006, a win over unheralded Antoine “Herc” Hayes. He was arrested again in 2008 after a convenience store altercation led to a 20-minute police chase.
Bob Sapp (10-4-1)
Affiliation: Self-professed “assback” for Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings, Baltimore Ravens, Oakland Raiders. Played in one league game.
Resume: Massive; trained inconsistently in Seattle and Japan; frequently preoccupied with Japanese superstardom, then praying his size would prevail in bouts. Recently defeated by relative infant Ikuhisa Minowa via submission.
Bench? Unwarranted. Sapp’s size -- think chest freezer with board shorts -- usually precludes any serious beatings.
