Well, the first WFA show is in the books and overall I think it was a good event. I know, I know, this technically isn’t the very first WFA show, but really the company has completely changed and this is the first show for the “new” WFA.
As can be expected with any first time show, the PPV experience was a little lackluster. Hopefully that will improve greatly next time around. As for the fights; well, they weren’t quite what I think everyone was hoping for considering the names on the cards. The fights were decent but nothing outstanding. Add to that the whole Kimo being suspended incident and one of your main attraction fights didn’t even take place.
The Quinton Jackson vs. Matt Lindland match was everything it was hyped up to be. Both fighters went all out the whole fight and showed what they have. Quinton pulled out the slight victory, but Lindland showed he can hang at 205. Bas Rutten looked excellent in his return against Rueben Villareal. Rutten looked dominant with his strikes and only resorted to kicks due to Rueben’s great chin.
Ivan Salaverry looked great in his fight with Art Santore; he looked like the Ivan that is the world-class fighter we have seen before. Jason Miller had his way against an outclassed Lodune Sincaid. Ryoto Machida was the most disappointing fighter of the night for me in his fight with Vernon White. For all the hype surrounding Machida, he fought a very boring fight and lasted to a decision victory.
Rob McCullough did what he needed to do to avenge a prior loss to Harris Sarmiento. McCullough didn’t show the power and knockout punching that he is known for and this fight was a pretty boring fight. Ricco Rodriguez once again proved himself to be the definition of a “waste of talent” in his rematch with Ron Waterman. Just watching Ricco fight you can see the talent and skills that live inside his body as a fighter, but his physical being and weight won’t let him perform at that level. If he could cut the weight and return to around 255 he would once again be a dominant heavyweight in any MMA promotion.
A few questions now arise for the newly reborn WFA:
- Who does Rampage fight next? A rematch with Lindland seems like a given but would the WFA make the rematch right away? I hope not, but the WFA doesn’t have any other light heavyweights under contract that could match up with Jackson.
- Who does Bas Rutten fight next? Does Bas Rutten even fight again. It appears that Bas has several injuries and will need surgery on his knee. Will we see him in action again, and if so, against whom?
- Should Bill Goldberg stay as announcer? This may just be a personal question of mine, but I don’t think Bill Goldberg is in any way a knowledgeable MMA commentator. Not one time did I find any of Goldberg’s comments insightful.
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I enjoyed the show a lot. Been awhile since an entire card was filled with very compellign fights. As far as Rampages next opponent, I could see the WFA bringing in someone like Brandon Vera, some up and comer not contractually obligated, but yet still has been to the big show and had success. A rematch with Marvin Eastmen could be a possibility..though Marvin will get slaughtered. I thought goldberg did ok, I really didn’t like the three man announcer set up…it was distracting. No matter what the have to keep the fight professor. I think Bill is too much of a fan, it’s hard for him to keep personal feelings out of the commentary. I think he would be suited to do after fight (in-ring) interviews, and between fight filler crowd questioning….ala UFC celebrity interviews.