MMA Reminder: WEC 47 Tonight On The Score; AFC II Live In Colwood BC

It's going to be a bit of a slow news day on the site today because I will be busy preparing for tonight's big show, Armageddon Fighting Championships II (Preview from Vancouver Sun). Be sure to check back after the fights tonight for quick results and again tomorrow morning for a detailed review of the event, which is easily the biggest MMA show to hit B.C. this year. Tickets still available.

For those of you who can't make it to the live show, don't forget there will also be fantastic card on free television tonight as WEC 47: Bowles vs. Cruz (Preview From Sherdog.com) broadcasts live at 7:00pm/PST. The show will be replayed at 11:00pm/PST and is stacked with big fights. It's a can't-miss for any serious MMA fan. In fact, I hope to make it home from tonight's fights in time to catch some of the action.

One more thing, a good friend of this site, stand-out Canadian welterweight Claude Patrick (11-1), has just announced that he has signed his first UFC contract (Full Story From MMACanada). It is rumoured that he will appear on the UFC 115 card that remains likely for Vancouver on June, 12th at GM Place. Congratulations Claude, you deserve to be in the big show and we all know you'll make Canada proud. Now if they would just sanction MMA in Ontario, right?

See you at the fights!

Adam Gabel Out Of KOTC Title Fight In Nainaimo (March 12th), Replaced By Gavin Neil

Vancouver Island MMA fans were already being spoiled this March with King Of The Cage: Uprising II scheduled for Nanaimo on the 12th, just one week after Colwood hosts Armageddon Championships Fighting II. Now, they have received a significant upgrade to the KOTC: Uprising II's main event as Adam Gabel (1-1) has pulled out of the Canadian lightweight title fight against Charlie Zak (3-2) and has been replaced by Victoria resident Gavin Neil (6-1).

According to KOTC Promoter John Cooper, "It's official. Gabel is out and Neil is in." When asked why the change had been made, Cooper responded, "Gabel called me to say that he didn't feel like he was ready and he didn't feel like he would be able to make weight." Cooper went on to explain that this news had not come as a complete surprise, "The rumour I was hearing was that he was not training very hard."

Gavin Neil is a far more experienced fighter than Gabel. He who sports a 5-1 record in Alberta's Maximum Fighting Championship, with his only loss coming against fellow Canadian lightweight stand-out Ryan Machan (10-3). Neil's most recent fight was a unanimous decision victory over Curtis Demarce (7-7), which came last August at Armageddon Fighting Championshps I.

According to Cooper, " [Neil] was pretty excited. It sounded like he had been training because, with two shows in ten days, I think he was expecting to get a call and this is probably the exact phone call he was waiting for because it's a great opportunity to get a title shot at a week's notice."

This new fight puts the pressure on Zak to elevate his game to face a stronger opponent. With all due respect to Adam Gabel, he probably made the right choice in opting to continue sharpening his skills before making the jump into a title fight. Nanaimo-based MMA fans will surely thank him on fight day-- sentiments which Cooper seems to echo, "I think our title fight now is as good a fight as we could have ever had for the lightweight belt."

Tickets for King Of The Cage Uprising II can be purchased online at http://kingofthecage.eventbrite.com/.

UFC Up To Old Tricks?-- May Counterprogram Strikeforce's April 17th Show

When Strikeforce first began its current growth spurt, following the acquisition of both EliteXC's remaining MMA assets in February 2009 and subsequent distribution deal with CBS, UFC president Dana White seemed to take a kinder, gentler approach to the upstart promotion. Gone were the verbal barbs he had consistently launched at now-vanquished enemies like The IFL, EliteXC, and Affliction.In their place were, gasp, friendly words of encouragement.

Well, one short year and a few key signings later, it seems that White's kid-gloves policy toward Strikeforce's Scott Coker has officially ended as it has now been strongly rumoured that the UFC will create a new live event to counter-program Strikeforce's recently-announced April 17th show. In the past, the UFC has used counter-programming to great effect, especially during Affliction's ill-fated promotional period. It is further rumoured that this unnamed April 17th UFC event would be co-headlined by an intriguing match-up of Matt "The Terra" Serra vs. Mike "Quick" Swick.

In response to this move, Strikeforce is now considering pushing their own April 17th show, called Stikeforce: Nashville, which features three title fights and the North Amerian debut of Shinya Aoki (23-4), up one week to April 24th. Doing so would put Strikeforce: Nashville in direct competition with Zuffa's secondary promotion, the WEC, as it attempts to make its long-awaited pay-per-view debut with a main event of Urijah Faber vs. Jose Aldo.

In the first scenario, Strikeforce: Nashville vs. UFC on April 17th, attempting to compete with the UFC will likely negatively impact Strikeforce's total ratings on CBS. However, given CBS' superior recognition and much wider distribution, the show would probably still beat the UFC on SpikeTV overall. Furthermore, Strikeforce would benefit from being seen standing its ground. Showing a willingness to go head-to-head with their biggest competitor, and quite likely winning, could only increase their legitimacy as a world-class promotion. The only drawback here is that CBS may be too concerned with overall ratings success to go along with this messy promotional showdown. On the other hand, SpikeTV finds itself in Strikeforce's position of only increasing it's legitimacy by taking on the biggest player in their industry-- in this case, CBS.

The second scenario, Strikeforce: Nashville vs. WEC 48 (PPV) on April 24th , would ensure Strikeforce a landslide ratings victory and could potentially devastate the WEC's PPV buy numbers, which are already expected to be dismally low due to their price-point of $44.99. The drawback here, though, is that, moving from their already-announced date of April 17th in order to avoid competing with the UFC, would be tantamount to an admission by Strikeforce and CBS that they consider themselves a second-rate show that is only capable of competing with the WEC's of the world.

So it comes down to a question of winning in public perception (April 17th) or total ratings (April 24th) for Strikeforce who have yet to make up their minds one way or another. In fact, the UFC has not officially announced a show on April 17th, though Dana white has confirmed their intention to do so soon. So, what you have here truly is a pretty twisted game of promotional chicken with millions of dollars in ad, ticket, and PPV revenue hanging in the balance.

Right now, it seems like the April 17th date is the most likely for Strikeforce: Nashville, thus setting up their first live showdwn with the UFC. The following quote is from Strikeforce President Scott Coker on MMAJukie.com:

"It hasn't been decided yet. I think we're meeting probably Monday. But for now, everything is going to be locked and loaded for the 17th. There's so many fights out there. We're going to do 20 fights this year, and they're going to do a bunch of fights. It's inevitable that there will be a conflict at some point."

B.C. MMA Fan.com will keep you posted on this story as it develops.

B.C. Bio: Justin Shaw -- "Athletics Has Been My Thing For My Whole Life"

Former Victoria Rebel and current member of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Justin Shaw (0-0), recently took time to speak with Josh Oliveira of B.C. MMA Fan about his upcoming fight at Armageddon Fighting Championships II and how he plans to balance Football and MMA.

J.O.: When and how did you first get interested in training MMA?

Justin Shaw: I've been interested in MMA since watching the first ones with Gracie and Shamrock and I used to wrestle around with my buddies. But, when did I actually start seriously training? That's a different question. Only about three months ago, if that. Two-and-a-half or three months, yeah, and I just jumped right in and started going five days a week. It's been quite the learning curve, but I like it. Everyday I'm learning something new and the stuff I first learned is becoming habit now. I don't have to think about escapes and submissions, it just comes natural now. I'm just doing it.

J.O.: Wow, that sounds like quite a lot of progress for just three months.

Justin Shaw: Yeah, people have been impressed that I've come along so quickly, but athletics has been my thing for my whole life. I have always played every sport possible and played football since I was seven. It's just kind of a natural progression, I guess, into the martial arts and the fighting stuff. I mean, you can take what you've learned in all the other sports like the explosiveness and the footwork and apply it to a new sport.

J.O.: Yeah, athleticism counts for a lot. I agree. Do you think it will be possible for you to have two simultaneous sports careers, or will MMA have to take a backseat to football for now?

Justin Shaw: Well, with the way the season works for football, even though you only play once a week, you're pretty banged up and it takes a lot out of you. As far as the off-season goes, it's a great way for me to stay in shape to be training for something. I know that ultimately I'm supposed to be training for football, but, when you're training for a fight coming up, you're going to be training a lot harder because it's more of a short-term goal. Instead of just knowing that six months down the road you're going to be playing football again. So, are they going to conflict? Well, they kinda do because I can't compete [in MMA] while I'm playing football, but the off-season is completely reversed. So I think I can make a good career out of both until I have to make a decision on which way I want to go. Right now, I haven't really been forced to.

J.O.: On that note, CFL training camps will be starting in just a couple of months. Do you think you'll try to fit another fight in before then?

Justin Shaw: That I don't know. I haven't really had full season of being healthy and playing from the beginning of the year in the CFL. So, I want to focus on that. I think this is my year because my injuries have gone away and my hamstring injury has kinda subsided. I feel like I have gotten past it now, so I really want to get a good year of football in and risking getting injured in a fight right before training amp is not something I want to do this year.

J.O.: Yeah, that's understandable.

Justin Shaw: I wanted to do this one event because Darren [Owen], my good friend is putting it on and it was an opportunity for me to try it out. Plus, I trust them to match me up with somebody of equal caliber in experience. Anyway, we'll just go from there. In the future I would like to fight two or three times in the off season, but, this year I'll probably just stick with the one.

J.O.: Sounds good. Not much is known about your opponent, Nathan Williamsen. What is known, though, is that he is physically huge. Do you have any specific gameplan in place for dealing with his size?

Justin Shaw: I'm going to go in there and just worry about me. When you don't know about your opponent, all you can really focus on is what you do well. So I'm not really gameplanning for him. Yeah, I've sparred with some guys who are taller than me to get my range down and things like that, but I have played against guys as big as him. They don't move as well from carrying all that weight, as opposed to guys my size, you know, around 240lbs. I think that might be my advantage. So, I'll go in and just try to feel it out. Eventually, I think my strength, if I have one, is to be on the ground on top finishing the fight with ground-and-pound.

J.O.: So you would say then that takedowns and ground-and-pound are your greatest strengths?

Justin Shaw: Yeah, for sure. It comes from football where you need explosiveness and the tackling where you're driving through guys. That's what I'm the most comfortable with. Then again, if I find that I'm faster, and he's looking a bit sloppy with the stand-up stuff, I might just keep it standing and pick him apart. I am not going to get caught playing his game, that's for sure.

J.O.: You've said in recent interviews that you have been losing a bit of weight in this training camp. Has that trend continued?

Justin Shaw: I have lost a bit of muscle mass up top, anyway. You need to be big up top for football. You need the big traps and chest and arms, but it's not the best for flexibility. So I've really laid off the weights for the last three-and-a-half months. I've just been strictly doing the five-minute rounds and the wrestling and conditioning. My legs have gotten a bit stronger from all the stairs I'm doing. I've been doing stadiums two times a week and an hour-and-a-half each time. So my conditioning has gotten a lot better and I've lost some muscle up top, which I feel is better because I've had less neck pain and I'm way more flexible.

J.O.: Yeah? So you feel a bit healthier at this weight then?

Justin Shaw: Yeah, and quicker. You can get the jab off quicker when you don't have as much to hold up.

J.O.: What message do you have for the fans who may be considering coming out on Saturday and what can they expect from Justin Shaw as an MMA fighter?

Justin Shaw: I suggest they check it out for sure. I mean, knowing the guys I train with, they're exciting in the gym and I'm not even speaking about myself. Derek Medler, he's an animal in the gym, and there are a couple of first-time fighters that are going to be very interesting as well. Not to mention you've got Kalib Starnes, an ex-UFC guy, so in Victoria this is a card like no one has ever seen. As far as I'm concerned, they're going to see what I can do for the first time. I'm going to put on a good show, I can guarantee you that. It won't go the distance and I'm going to come out on top.

J.O.: Sounds great. Is there anyone you want to thank or anything you want to plug at this time?

Justin Shaw: Really just Darren [Owen] and Jason [Heit] for for pushing me to do it. I talked about it for a while and I hate being one of those guys who talks about something and doesn't go through and do it. So, Darren kinda pushed me and trained with me for the first month. Then he got me going out there with Jay. So thanks to both those two guys and all my training partners for getting me in shape and teaching me what I know today.

J.O.: Alright, sounds good. Well, we'll see you on Saturday and best of luck.

Justin Shaw: Okay, man. I'll talk to you soon.

Tickets for AFC II are still available at Juan de Fuca Rec Centre, Island MMA, Sports Traders, Platinum Lounge in Mayfair Mall, Full Metal Jacket Racing in Duncan, online at www.armageddonfc.com, or by calling (250) 478-8384.

Accomplished Boxer James "Lights Out" Toney Signs With UFC

In a somewhat surprising move, UFC President Dana White has signed 41-year-old professional boxer James "Lights Out" Toney (72-6-3-2) to a multi-fight UFC contract. In his heyday, Toney was considered one of the best pure boxers of his generation and held titles in four separate weight classes, but there is very little to indicate that he has the well-roundedness necessary to succeed in mixed martial arts. On top of that, Toney has been caught twice taking steroids in recent years. Of course, the beautiful thing about MMA is that glaring deficiencies in a fighter's game are generally exposed early and often, so we won't have to wait long to see if Toney can compete among the best in the octagon. At least Toney knows he needs qualified help and has enlisted the former coach of "Rampage" Jackson, Juanito Ibarra, to get him up to speed.

All that said, White has really stuck his neck out for Toney with this move and could end up being heavily criticized if the experiment does not work out.

From Dana White via Yahoo Sports:

"To be 100 percent honest with you, all [expletive] aside, I haven’t thought it out. I like James Toney. He’s one of the greatest boxers ever. I have tremendous respect for him. He said he wanted to fight in the UFC and I was interested. Now he’s here and I have to figure out what to do with him. What we won’t do is make a freak show out of it. I’d be the first to scream if someone else did that, so I’m not going to do it. Hey, I don’t want this to be seen as a joke, and it’s not like Herschel Walker or Canseco or any of those guys. James Toney is a fighter. The worst thing anyone can ever say to me is that they were watching one of my fights and they changed the channel. That’s why I’ll never put [expletive] fights on. James is an interesting case. We know how much talent he has as a boxer and he insists he’ll surprise people by how much MMA he knows. I’ve still got some thinking to do ... James came to me and he literally chased me around the country to do it, so I’m giving him the chance. We’ll get it figured out one way or another."

It didn't take long for one of the biggest names in the sport to call Toney out, at least. The following quote is from Randy Couture's twitter account:

WEC 47 Set For This Saturday, WEC's First Trip To Canada Set For June 20th

While much of this week's coverage on B.C MMA Fan has revolved around this Saturday's Armageddon Fighting Championships II, which is set to become the biggest MMA card in British Columbia since AFC I last August, there is another fight card that even more MMA fans around the world will be focused upon and that's WEC 47: Bowles vs. Cruz.

It will be televised live across Canada on The Score beginning at 7:00pm/PST and features the first bantamweight title defense of current champion Brian Bowles (8-0) against challenger Dominick Cruz (14-1), as well as appearances by former WEC bantamweight champion Miguel Torres (37-2) and former UFC lightweight champion Jens "Little Evil" Pulver (22-12-1). For those attending AFC II in Victoria, the WEC 47 show will be replayed beginning at 11:00pm/PST, giving you just enough time to get home and unwind by watching a second fight card on Saturday, March 6th.

WEC officials also confirmed today with TopMMANews that their debut show in Canada has been booked for Calgary on June 20th. No word yet on any potential match-ups.


Event: WEC 47: "Bowles vs. Cruz"
Date: Saturday, March 6, 2010, at 9 p.m. ET on the Versus Network
Location: Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio

Main Event:

WEC Bantamweight Champion Brian Bowles vs. Dominick Cruz

Main Card:

Joseph Benavidez vs. Miguel Torres
Jens Pulver vs. Javier Vazquez
L.C. Davis vs. Deividas Taurosevicius
Karen Darabedyan vs. Bart Palaszewski

Preliminary Card:

Chad George vs. Scott Jorgensen
Erik Koch vs. Chad Mendes
Danny Castillo vs. Anthony Pettis
Leonard Garcia vs. George Roop
Bendy Casimir vs. Ricardo Lamas
Courtney Buck vs. Fredson Paixao

Nathan Williamsen Fights For His Community And For The Love Of The Game At "AFC II"

After a short drive inland from the tiny coastal hamlet of Bella Coola, British Columbia, you'll arrive at the even smaller community of Hagensborg, B.C. Once there, you'll find an enormous mixed martial artist with an even bigger heart. Nathan Williamsen (0-0) checks in at 6'5"/265lbs., personally runs a local youth group, and will make his MMA debut at Armageddon Fighting Championships II in Collwood this Saturday night against local football hero, and CFL player, Justin Shaw (0-0).

Williamsen is a longtime student of judo, as well as other disciplines including karate and tae kwon do. Though, in a charmingly self-deprecating way, he claims "I wouldn't say I'm any good at any of them." That's probably not quite true, but, in any case, Williamsen has recently used his years of experience and love for the sport as the inspiration for a budding MMA community group that seeks to give local youths an outlet for their aggression. "It's been fairly successful," says Williamsen, "I've got four youth who are really gung-ho to compete. They didn't get a chance this time, but they're going to come out with me and see how things are done."

One thing Williamsen did not count on is that he would be facing a quasi-celebrity in Justin Shaw who grew up in Victoria, had a successful career with the Victoria Rebels football club and currently plays for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Regarding learning the news, Williamsen said "I didn't realize [who Shaw was] at first. We're a little bit behind the times here in Bella Coola. When we looked him up I said, 'Whoa, That's a big boy...but I'm pretty stoked about it."

Regardless of Shaw's impressive conditioning, Williamsen feels he can be very competitive based both on his size advantage, Shaw is a couple inches shorter and about thirty pounds lighter, and his superior martial arts experience. On his strategy, Williamsen said "I'm hoping it will go right to the ground. I'll box if he wants to box and I'll kick if he wants to kick, but I'm feeling fairly confident if it goes to the ground."

Either way, however, Williamsen will certainly be proud to represent his community, "This fight will tell me where I'm at. If I win, that's great, and if not, I'm not too worried about it. I'm looking forward to it and I'm excited, but I'm also hoping that, after this fight, Bella Coola will start to get noticed a bit more so other promotions will contact us."

Tickets for AFC II are still available at Juan de Fuca Rec Centre, Island MMA, Sports Traders, Platinum Lounge in Mayfair Mall, Full Metal Jacket Racing in Duncan, online at www.armageddonfc.com, or by calling (250) 478-8384.

Strikeforce: Nashville Officially Announced For April 17th

After dominating the MMA landscape over the last few days with news of their struggles with Fedor Emelianenko (31-1) and a signing spree of major international stars, Strikeforce today has officially announced the date and location of their next card, which is set to be their second appearance on CBS. The now-official Strikeforce: Nashville will take place on Saturday, April 17th-- here is the reaction form CBS Senior Executive VP Kelly Kahl:

"When you have one event with three championship fights and this many top-ranked athletes, it's more than just a great card; it's a big night for MMA...Audiences are going to see a great range of mixed-martial-arts skills, styles and talent on one broadcast."

The three title fights mentioned above are:

Gegard Mousasi (28-2-1) vs. Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal (6-0) for Light Heavyweight Championship[205lbs.]

Dan Henderson (25-7) vs. Jake Shields (24-4-1) for Middleweight Championship [185lbs.]

Gilbert Melendez (17-2) vs. Shinya Aoki (23-4) for Lightweight Championship [155lbs.]


There is also some talk that former NFL superstar Herschel Walker (1-0) will return for a sophomore effort with Strikeforce on the April 17th card, possibly against former MLB player and walking-contraversy Jose Cansenco (0-1), which could be a hit with casual fans, but would surely be widely panned by hardcore MMA fans.

Dan Henderson shares his thoughts on the main event match:

UFC 115 in Vancouver (June 12th) May Be In Jeopardy

According to the personal blog of MMA pioneer Paul "The Mauler" Lazenby, there is a chance that the UFC's debut in Vancouver may not happen on its long-rumoured date of June 12th, 2010.

"The Mauler" attended a meeting of the Vancouver Athletic Commission yesterday (Mar. 2nd) and was discouraged to hear that sanctioning of MMA in Vancouver is not yet a done deal and may not be for some time. The following is an excerpt from Mr. Lazenby's blog, click it to view the entire post:

In spite of Vancouver City Council's approval of a two-year trial period for MMA, I found out that there are still no regulations in place to promote the sport professionally within the city. The problem lies in the fact that the city is still expressing grave concerns about legal and financial liability, while movement toward a resolution of those concerns appears to have been extremely sluggish.

At one point, newly-elected VAC chair Mirko Mladenovic (a supporter of properly-sanctioned MMA) asked Mr. Hammel when the legal issues might be resolved, to which Mr. Hammel replied, "About two months" in a manner that indicated to me that it may be even longer.

Hearing that a legislative process is being dragged out is far from surprising, so it probably is not the right time to hit the panic button just yet. There is a pretty good chance that the UFC can still ram the necessary santcioning agreements through the VAC like they have in the past when they ran up against similar regulation problems in Montreal. B.C. MMA Fan will continue to monitor this story as it develops.

AFC II Fighter/CFL Player Justin Shaw Speaks With Saanich News

Victoria B.C.'s Justin Shaw may currently be 0-0 in MMA, but this linebacker and defensive end for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, is quickly garnering the lion's share of the hype heading into this Saturday's Armageddon Fighting Championships II card. Little is known about Shaw's opponent, Nathan Williamsen (0-0) besides the fact that he's enormous at 6'5" - 265lbs, but the opportunity to see the local boy Shaw fight live is one that his many Victoria-based fans will surely jump at regardless of the match-up.

Justin Shaw shared some thoughts on the fight with Travis Peterson of Saanich News [Excerpt Below- click quote to read more]:

With five-time UFC competitor Kalib Starnes also on the bill, Shaw’s first fight can’t be considered a headliner. But there’s an undeniable buzz building around his muscle-bound, six-foot-four, 245 pound heavyweight-frame.
“I’m really excited but I'll have to remain calm, and in control. That’s how I play football and that’s how I’ll have to be when I fight.”

When Shaw enters the cage with six-foot-five, 260 pound Nathan Williamsen (also a relative newcomer to MMA), he doesn't anticipate using a lot of stand up.
“Striking, standing up, that’s a skill that takes a long time to use. Whereas with takedowns and wresting there’s going to be some crossover skills from football, especially in takedown,” Shaw said. “The footwork and particularly the explosiveness.
"

AFC II will be easily the biggest B.C. MMA show so far in 2010, and arguably the most significant MMA event thus far in the province's history. Tickets are still available at Juan de Fuca Rec Centre, Island MMA, Sports Traders, Platinum Lounge in Mayfair Mall, Full Metal Jacket Racing in Duncan, online at www.armageddonfc.com, or by calling (250) 478-8384.

Strikeforce Inks More Title Fights, Signs Andrei Arlovski to Longterm Deal

Despite their recent difficulties in wrangling their biggest star attraction, Fedor Emelianenko (31-1), Strikeforce has continued to make aggressive moves to sell fans on a pair of upcoming major cards, scheduled for April 17th and May 15th, both of which will likely lack "The Last Emperor's" presence.

For their April 17th event on CBS, Strikeforce has recently added a lightweight title fight between reigning champion Gilbert Melendez (17-2, #8 LW) and Japanese submissions sensation, and current DREAM champion, Shinya Aoki (23-4, #2 LW [Pictured Above]). Melendaz is returning from successfully avenging a previous loss to Josh Thompson (16-3), which happened at last December's Strikeforce: Evolution. Melendez' win meant that he has now avenged both of his two career loses. For Aoki, whose DREAM lightweight belt will not be on the line in April, his Strikeforce debut will be his first fight since he controversially broke an over-matched fighter's arm at this year's K-1 Dynamite New Year's show, then proceeded to flip off both his now-defeated opponent and the entire crowd.

Also on the April 17th card will be a light heavyweight title fight between champion Gegard Mousasi (28-2-1) and Muhammed Lawal (6-0). In addition, the night's main event will feature yet another five-rounder in which Dan Henderson (25-7) will attempt to steal the middleweight crown currently worn by Jake Shields (24-4-1).

As for Strikeforce's May 15th card on Showtime Sports, it is believed that the long-absent Strikeforce heavyweight champion, Alitair Overeem (32-11), who hasn't fought stateside since late 2007, will finally return to face Brett "The Grim" Rogers (10-1). It is unclear at this time if that fight will be for Overeem's heavyweight title. Strikeforce has also signed Belarusian brawler Andrei Arlovski (15-7) to a new four-fight deal; he is expected to debut on the May 15th card against Antonio Silva (13-2).

"B.C MMA Fan" At The Olympics, With Pictures!

As I sit here typing on Monday, March 1st, having just returned home late last night from the centre of the post-Olympic party in Vancouver, there are successive waves of powerful emotions still washing over me.

Yes, some of it is probably a mixture of exhaustion and malnourishment, and, yes, I am fully aware that an MMA blog is not the place you would expect to find a candid discussion of one's "feelings." I also recognize that, to some, the Olympics themselves are an overblown track-meet-- a dog-and-pony show with little bearing on their day-to-day lives. That said, to be on the corner of Robson and Richards receiving heartfelt embraces from total strangers, and enough high-fives to turn both palms maple-leaf red, was a rare and joyful experience that I believe any even remotely patriotic Canadian would have cherished. To put it succinctly, I felt unadulterated Love in the air. It was True, Patriot Love and I hope that, as a nation, we never forget what it meant for us to finally let it all out.

Surely, we all have our stories to share from this past weekend. These pictures may help to tell mine. As a nation, we rallied in every way possible both yesterday and over the last several days. With the whole world watching, Canadians proved ourselves to be resilient, confident, and , most of all, great.

Pic #1: Not the gold Medal game, I wish, but Czech vs. Latvia was a great time, nonetheless. (Feb. 20th)

Pic #2: In the daytime the line up to glimpse the torch up-close was atrocious. On this night, however, it became the site of an impromptu gymnastics display. Impressive, no? (Feb. 22nd)

Pic #3: Speaking of line-ups, here's the line to get into the Quebec House pavilion just outside GM Place, where I was lucky enough to watch the men's hockey gold medal game. What a treat that was. (Feb. 28th)



Pics #4-5: Inside Quebec House the atmosphere was running at a fever pitch throughout the game. The fact that French-speaking waiters were trolling the crowd constantly looking for anyone without a $10 beer in their hand certainly didn't hurt matters either. The broadcast was in French, but it didn't matter much because I couldn't have heard a word of it, anyway. Good on you, Sidney, you locked up your spot as an all-time great at just twenty-two years old. (Feb. 28th)

Pic #6: The scene during the medal ceremony outside Molson House, the hottest ticket in Vancouver yesterday outside of GM Place. You can bet we all pitched in when the Canadian National Anthem was played. (Feb. 28th)

Pic #7: That's me in the middle and, that absolute mob scene stretching away into the background, is downtown Vancouver painted red like never before and in more ways than one. (Feb. 28th)


Don't think B.C. MMA Fan has forgotten its primary mission, though. We'll be back to providing the absolute best MMA coverage in the province starting tomorrow morning, if not sooner.

And don't you dare think we've forgotten the biggest MMA event to hit B.C. so far in 2010, Armageddon fighting Championships II, is coming right up. The show is set for this Saturday night at Bear Mountain Arena just outside of Victoria and it should be a very memorable night. Maybe not as memorable as February 28th, 2010, but still...