Sweden is lucky to have such professional and high-level events, so thank you to the organizers, fighters, sponsors, and fans in making all of this happen. Look forward to more quality MMA in Sweden!
Here are just a few random things I remember from the fantastic event on Saturday.
Bruno Carvalho’s Humor
There were some questions as to the exact finish from Carvalho, which left his American opponent yelling in pain. BC told me that “I usually go for a triangle from that position, but thought of the bonus for the kimura, so went for that instead”.
When I asked Bruno “BC” Carvalho what he would do with the 15 000 SEK ($2,500) Kimura Challenge bonus for finishing with a kimura, he said “ask my girlfriend”, who was holding the big check at the press conference sponsored by Ompu Fightline, GYMgrosisten and Orcbite.
Both Acacio and Leites expressed to me that they “feel at home” in Sweden. I asked them the question WHY Brazilians would feel that way about being here, then Bruno stepped in not let them answer claiming that he was THE Brazilian living here.
Jycken Not on the Card or Valborg Hurt Attendance More?
While there is no doubt that attendance was down for such a stacked card, there was some debate as to whether it had more to do with Magnus “Jycken” Cedenblad not being on the card or the youth seeking out a night of drinking and partying away at bonfires during the celebration of Spring (called Valborg in Sweden) instead. Cedenblad, veteran of 5 SC fights, has his theory, but I’m not saying which it was.
Super Hero?
Someone in the media leaned over (hint) and said that Lina Eklund looked like a “Super Hero”. The Swede’s physique and punishing fight style sure made her look like one at the event. How about Lina “The Super Swede” Eklund as a nickname?
For those that weren’t there to see the fights live, I’m working to get a full photo gallery on Sherdog of all the fights.
I Root For Free T-Shirts
I got a great shirt from the guys in the Kimura.se booth. Alexander Gustafsson was in the booth, talking to fans and signing autographs. The Mauler is a big guy, and nice as can be. He’s a lot taller than me (5’10”), and wouldn’t want to imagine getting hit by the 6′ 5″ striker. Perhaps we could ask Jared Hamman?
Still says that he’s waiting to hear who is opponent will be. Seems a bit odd that it’s taken so long… perhaps planning for the UFC date has something to do with it? I’m sure the guys at the booth know a lot more about it than I do…. they are always breaking news.
Christian Lindell of Orcbite was also standing near the booth. I root for him, too. The well-designed shirts say “I root for” Alexander Gustafsson, which seems to be the start of a fun campaign.
Sirwan Kakai’s Nose
He didn’t seem too happy with his performance, but he looked very impressive to me by stopping another top bantamweight. Talking to Kakai backstage, he says his nose is broken, and will be looking to get it fixed. Seems like its been an ongoing thing. OK, this isn’t funny, but Kakai’s positive attitude has a way of making you imagine that the best will come for this up and coming prospect.
Clementi Loses to European
Clementi told me at the Meet and Greet that in his career, he hasn’t lost to a European. I guess that statement will have to be amended from here on forward.
“He’s cocky, just like me. I like that.” said Clementi when talking about his upcoming fight with Mad Dog.
Post-fight comments
“I felt I dominated the stand-up”
“I enjoyed fighting him”
“It was a cool fight for me”
Simon Kölle and Blood
Simon of Kimura.se was sitting next to me and my photographer Henrik Wall. Blood landed on Simon’s arm in an exchange between Acacio and Gonzalez. I guess cage-side seats have their pros and cons.
For the record, I have dubbed Kölle the “MMA Maestro” for his music composing mastery and deep knowledge of MMA. If this ends up to be the title of his upcoming book on MMA, I think I should get some royalties =)
Leites Respects Horn
A few quotes I wrote down in the post-fight press conference.
“He’s too tough”
“It’s a pleasure to me” (to fight Horn)
“It’s a great honor”
“MMA legend”
“This belt means a lot for me”
Superior Virus 7
Martin Johansson of MMANytt.se got a virus on his PC from Superior Challenge’s site. Through a twitter dialogue, we came to label it the “Superior Virus 7”. Alternately, I guess “Rise of Virus” would have been good, too. Anyway, Superior Challenge’s website still says :
Warning: Something’s Not Right Here!
www.superiorchallenge.com contains malware. Your computer might catch a virus if you visit this site.
Google has found malicious software may be installed onto your computer if you proceed. If you’ve visited this site in the past or you trust this site, it’s possible that it has just recently been compromised by a hacker. You should not proceed, and perhaps try again tomorrow or go somewhere else.
What a Night!
We were at Hovet at 4:30pm to eat before heading in to the event. Fights went to past midnight, then the press conference, and finishing the Sherdog article.
Thanks again to Henrik Wall (Henrik.Wall [at] gmail.com) took some amazing pictures. His first time at a sporting event taking pictures, and I couldn’t be more impressed. I’ll announce when the gallery on Sherdog is up. These crappy pictures are from my phone or facebook grabs, so don’t hold these against him.
Also, my dad (visiting from the California), and waiting for me to finish my article, then walked home from the event in close-to-freezing weather at 2:30am. It was good timing however, as Facebook fights and live UFC 129 at the same time were on. Fell asleep at 6am as Shields was walked into the Octagon.
