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UFC Announces Grappling Superfights
By: Mike Fridley
Mike Fridley/Sherdog.com
The UFC on Tuesday made public its plans to host four grappling bouts at the 2010 UFC Fan Expo, which takes place at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nev., on May 28 and 29.
“For grappling fans, this is an awesome opportunity to see some of the world’s best ground fighters compete against one another,” stated UFC President Dana White in a press release.
May 28 Bouts:
Shayna Baszler vs. Penny Thomas
Hermes Franca vs. Bill Cooper
May 29 Bouts:
Caol Uno vs. Fredson Paixao
Javier Vazquez vs. Jeff Glover
Seating for the bouts will be limited and handled on a first come, first served basis, according to the press release. Tickets for the two-day expo are on sale now at UFCFanExpo.com. Read more -
Killing Me Softly
By: Loretta Hunt
God bless five-minute rounds.
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What a pleasure it was to watch Shayna Baszler and Sarah Kaufman both enjoy the upper hand for a time in their 15-minute tryst.
Those extra six minutes allowed an intriguing story to unfold between the pin-point accurate striker and inventive grappler –- one that would likely have been stilted by the previously abbreviated rounds. The bout also silenced any doubts that women aren’t capable of performing in the same time frame allotted the men (though to anyone that has seen the women ply their trade in the last two years, it was never really a question.)
Baszler stole the first round away from Kaufman by taking the Canadian’s feet out from under her and implementing a unique knee-to-head choke.
But the 23-year-old boxer found her groove in the second frame, baiting Baszler into her world with crisp combinations off a potent low kick.
