Ground and Pound

Lightweight fighters are the scrappiest of the bunch and much more entertaining than the fat ones. The very first match was won with a jaw-shattering knock out. There were other knock outs as well, including Shane Ott who was choked out in an arm triangle. Later, we would be treated to an excellent heavyweight ground and pound. It was my first fight.

IFL is a relatively new league where fighters compete on teams and (supposedly) receive weekly paychecks, and are required to fight every few months. Here, the action manifests itself in a roped ring rather than the weapon cage of the UFC arena. This was the IFL World Grand Prix in Hoffman Estates, IL - a mixed martial arts event featuring fighters from Brazil to Chicago. Also, it was the first IFL event to be broadcast live. We had pretty decent seats about eight rows back on the second tier. Towards the end of the night a fight broke out in the crowd a few sections across from us. I was unable to capture a glimpse of this bonus fight.


Roy Nelson (w) vs. Bryan Vetell


Matt Horwich (w) vs. Brian Foster


Chris Horodecki (w) vs. Bart Palaszewski