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 [Prologue]
From the beginning, much anticipation circulated around the debut fight card to be held by Bravado Productions. When we started this promotion, there were already three established companies competing for contracts within Las Vegas. Bad Boy Promotions, Carnage FC, and Casino Fight Nights. We had a difficult choice to make: open our doors in arguably the most competitive city currently available to us, or take the easy road and go elsewhere.
With a name like Bravado, the decision is made for you: of COURSE we're going to jump into the fray and compete. I'll admit that, in the beginning, it was slow going. As we struggled to sign our first forty fighters, people had a tough choice to make: sign with an established company, which had five or more events booked already, or take a gamble by signing with the new guys on the block.
At the time, I couldn't promise that this experiment would lead to success; all that I could promise those that entrusted me with their career was that I would never force them into an uncomfortable situation. The Bravado Productions Promise was meant to assure fighters that I would personally take responsibility for their success as well as their failure, and that I would own up to my mistakes.
Our first event didn't go off without a hitch; rumors on the grapevine would have you believe that the sheer magnitude of the fights that we had put together thrust the entire MMATycooniverse spiraling into a dimension where no time passes. The entire world sat with bated breath, anticipating the dawn of Bravado... twenty four hours later, our event passed through to the other side and we, the fans, caught up in real time.
This event would have been Michio and me playing tennis in the middle of the arena were it not for the super stars that signed their fights in a timely manner and signed on to bleed for the fans. So, seriously, from the bottom of my blackened heart, I thank you for your commitment to cause. Some of you waited patiently as I struggled to find everybody a suitable opponent in those early days. Tonight, you've all done spectacularly.
“How well did we do?” you might ask.
We had an event rating of 103.62. By itself, that number is meaningless; let's put into perspective, shall we?
Comparing our first card to the first card of other Las Vegas based promotions, this is what we find:
Carnage FC, which is under the operation of a good man in Larry Mizzou, pulled in a rating of 27.56.
Casino Fight Nights pulled a debut rating of 55.11 which is a solid, respectable number.
Bad Boy Promotions brought a rating of 60.29 which is actually pretty impressive.
And, for fun, Synchronicity, which is a promotion that I have a lot of respect for, pulled in a rating of 57.15.
We couldn't have accomplished this feat without you, the fighter. Thank you guys SO much for this.
Anyways, let's get on with the fights, shall we? We have all been waiting for over twenty four hours for this thing, and here I am pouring my heart into the prologue like I'm Jon Jones, tearing up over a failed drug test.
[The Prelims]
(Middleweight Division) Brody Macbeth (0-1) versus Luiz Gustavo (2-0)
Round 1 – After the rampant confusion, as the entire event was forced to take place twenty-four hours late, the crowd in attendance was on its feet as the first fighters of the evening made their way to the cage. Brody Macbeth made his way to the arena to the heavy drumming Iron Maiden track “The Trooper”, while Luiz Gustavo walked out to the Hip Hop sounds of Smoke Serpent's “Jiu-Jitsu”.
Both Macbeth and Gustavo brought heavy intensity to the fighter announcements, although some critics questioned the resolve of Macbeth after his lightning fast submission loss in his pro debut. While this opening round may not have carried with it the high action that the fans were expecting, Macbeth put on a technical display.
By the time the ten second warning clapped across the arena, the fans were a tad bit restless due to the extremely defensive posturing of Macbeth, and the seeming inability of Gustavo to close the distance.
Round 2 – Both of the fighters refused to sit between rounds; Macbeth played to the crowd, waving his hands up, pandering for applause. As the second round progressed, events progressed in a similar order as the opening round: Macbeth circled, back pedaling quickly, and peppered Gustavo with straight punches from the outside. Gustavo did briefly obtain a clinch, but Macbeth circled away before anything could come of it.
Just as the fans began to grow restless once more, both Macbeth and Gustavo clashed in the center of the ring. Gustavo attempted to bull rush Macbeth, and was met with a barrage of punches for his trouble. Neither fighter really came close to finishing the other in this round, but the fans showed their appreciation just the same.
Round 3 – This round was absolutely dominated by Brody Macbeth. For every attempt at grappling from Gustavo, Macbeth would land five or six punches up the middle. As the minutes ticked by on the clock, it became horrifyingly apparent that neither man was able to really put the other in grave danger. As the final minute came and went, the fans cheered the technical fight on display before them.
“Ladies and gentlemen, after three rounds we go to the judges scorecards for a decision. All three judges score the bout 30-24 for the winner by unanimous decision: Brody Macbeth!”
During his post-fight speech, Macbeth thanked the fans for coming out. Gustavo, gracious in defeat, admitted that he would have to elevate his game.
(Light-heavyweight Division) Dewo Banget (4-4) versus Tray Brown (0-0)
Round 1 – Both men made their way to the arena, using the generic guitar riffs that the organization provides to fighters that do not have their own entrance music.
In the opening seconds of the round, Banget shot forward with a sloppy double leg takedown attempt; it was painfully obvious that he was concerned about the striking from Brown, who was reportedly a talented slugger. As if to prove this point, Brown caught Banget with a staggering three punch combination that had the crowd screaming for blood. With Dewo Banget against the fence, Brown clinched with the man and pulled guard on the Jiu-Jitsu brown belt. The ringside commentators noted that this was a poor game plan from the camp of Tray Brown.
After threatening three times with a leg lock, Banget slipped effortlessly into half guard on top. From there, Banget worked heavy ground and pound, forcing Brown to roll into a defensive position. As Brown's arms floundered to protect his vulnerable consciousness, Dewo Banget slapped on a tight armlock Kimura and forced the tap.
“Ladies and gentlemen, after one minute, thirty seven seconds of the very first round, we have a winner by tap out due to a Kimura: Dewo Banget!”
Our victor by submission, Dewo Banget, spoke of his inability to be defeated in grappling, and the crowd absolutely ate it up.
[Undercard]
(Welterweight Division) Flatbush Diaz (0-0) versus Jazz Wade (0-1)
Round 1 – This fight was advertised as being almost an exhibition match between two talented competitors; Diaz had never fought before, and Wade was coming off of a loss, but both had signed on to compete at this event all the same.
After the lightning quick finish between Banget and Brown, the fans were expecting a flashy submission from the Jiu-Jitsu brown belt Jazz Wade. Instead, they were treated to the heavy hands of Flatbush Diaz, who quickly took the center of the cage.
Jazz Wade, who was noticeably more muscular than in his last appearance, struggled to find an opening to wrestle; meanwhile, Flatbush Diaz was more than happy to punish his foe with heavy, heavy punches. Suddenly, Diaz rushed forward, landing a jab, cross, left hook, and cross combination! Jazz Wade shook his head, as if to say that it didn't hurt, but his nose was very obviously broken from the assault.
A badly hurt Jazz Wade started circling away, trying to avoid the onslaught from the brawler, Diaz; Flatbush Diaz barely missed with a series of lunging hooks, while literally chasing Wade across the cage. Wade backed up as far as he could go- with his back to the chain link fence, Wade attempted to cover up, in an enfeebled position, as Diaz hammered him with relentless punching combinations! Taking a page out of Chuck Liddell versus Tito Ortiz, Flatbush Diaz pressed forward. Just as Diaz seemed to be backing up to take a breather, he threw a spinning back fist that knocked Jazz Wade out cold! What a dramatic finish!
“Ladies and gentlemen, the referee has called a stop to this fight at thirty-three seconds of the very first round, declaring the winner by KNOCK OUT: Flatbush Diaz!”
(Heavyweight Division) Jeff Benjamin (0-1) versus Pillow Hands (2-0)
Round 1 – In what had become one of the most highly anticipated fights on the card, we were treated to the heavy punching power of the man with the ironic name as Pillow Hands faced off against the seemingly indestructible Jeff Benjamin.
Both men happily touched gloves to start things off, and Pillow Hands quickly established himself as the aggressor from the get-go. The camp of Jeff Benjamin had professed during the media tour that they knew they would have to weather a ferocious early storm, and they were absolutely correct. Pillow Hands connected with punches that had “bad intentions” written all over them; Benjamin responded by pumping the jab and attempting to circle away, but Hands was all over him like a lion on the hunt.
As the fighters paused to reset in the center of the ring, Jeff Benjamin darted forward out of the blue with a big right hand that snapped back the head of Pillow Hands. The crowd responded appropriately, and a freshly bloodied Pillow Hands resumed his assault with a new fire about him.
As the round progressed, the dynamic slowly shifted: Jeff Benjamin started fighting back, aggressively. He knew that he could take the power of this supposed front runner, and he happily waded into the thick of battle with a vengeance. With ten seconds remaining in the round, both men engaged in a wild exchange of punches. When the final buzzer sounded, the referee literally jumped between the two swinging brawlers and caught a left hook to the ear- luckily nobody was penalized for it.
Round 2 – Between rounds, Pillow Hands was taking some big, deep breaths while Jeff Benjamin sat on his stool with his mouth closed. The corner of Hands was a thing of chaos, with instructions being shouted to the fighter as the officials attempted to herd them out of the ring.
The dynamic of the fight had shifted dramatically since the opening round; Pillow Hands danced on the outside, pawing with jabs to the body, and Jeff Benjamin stalked with his hands down low, creeping forward with crisp counter punches.
Pillow Hands did little besides dance and try to get his wits back about him in this round; meanwhile, Benjamin pulled even further ahead on the scorecards.
Round 3 – As this round progressed, Pillow Hands attempted again and again to load up and counter with a big punch- early on, it appeared to be a body shot that he had in mind, although he threw a couple of hay makers that missed the mark completely. Meanwhile, Jeff Benjamin continued chugging along with beautiful, crisp boxing technique, without taking virtually any damage in these latter minutes.
By the end of the fight, this fight could have been remembered as existing in two pieces: the early storm of Pillow Hands, and the durability and crisp boxing of Jeff Benjamin.
“Ladies and gentlemen after three rounds of action, we go to the judge's scorecards for a decision. All three judges score this bout 30-27 to declare the winner by unanimous decision: Jeff Benjamin!”
(Super-heavyweight Division) Tarton McFukur (2-1) versus Jack Johnson (4-0)
Round 1 – In one of the most highly anticipated fights on the entire card, Tarton McFukur Rick Rolled the audience with his entrance music. Never one to shy away from his media obligations, Tarton played himself up as the heel that he continually represents. Jack Johnson, meanwhile, simply walked to the ring like a man with a job to do. His music, Fat Boy by Max-a-Million, may not have exactly had the crowd jumping, but that's really what Johnson is all about. He knows that he's not the stereotypical pretty boy that the fans expect to see; he just wants to let his fighting do the talking for him.
The two fighters came out to the center of the ring, and you could cut the tension between them with a knife. As the referee gave his instructions, Tarton continued to lambast Johnson, pointing at his midsection and making obscene gestures during a tirade that only ended when the referee sent them back to their corners.
A slightly annoyed looking Jack Johnson stormed across the cage with a big punching combination! The jab connected, but Tarton McFukur ducked under and spun the big man to the ground! Tarton landed in side control and immediately rolled for an armbar! Johnson defended appropriately, pulling his arm free, but Tarton remained in control on top.
Tarton McFukur attempted to pass the enormous belly of Jack Johnson in his quest to mount, but the sheer size of the Oregon native actually helped him to nullify the attempt. As Tarton took a breather on top, Johnson showed some slick defensive skills as he slipped a leg through and retained half guard. As the two big men simply laid in position, breathing heavily, the fans began to show their disdain for such tactics, booing and screaming obscenities at the fighters.
Tarton would switch from stalling on top to throwing up a token submission attempt, simply trying to catch Jack by surprise with something. Tarton held on, but began isolating the left arm of Jack from the far side. Jack seemed oblivious to the peril that he was in, and simply held on, hoping the referee would become as impatient as the paying audience was. Finally, McFukur passed to the left side of Johnson and locked in a tight arm triangle! Jack fought the arms of Tarton rather than defending the submission appropriately, and soon began tapping to avoid being put to sleep.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the referee has called a stop to this contest at four minutes and thirty-two seconds of the opening round, declaring the winner by submission due to an arm triangle choke: Tarton McFukur.”
Given his time on the microphone, Tarton McFukur talked about the strength of his unstoppable Jiu-Jitsu skills and the audience booed, which is understandable after the inactivity they had been put through in this fight.
Jack Johnson took to the mic, gracious in defeat, and said, “The fans believed in me. The fans knew I would win, but I made mistakes today and I was not the best fighter in the cage today. My training starts tonight and my next fight will be my revenge. I pity the next person to step in the cage with me.”
To read the fully formatted version, which includes appropriate coloration and fight result images, please visit our smack talk thread: http://www.mmatycoon.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=55272&page=2#entry770075
To visit Bravado Productions, please go here: http://mmatycoon.com/orgpublic.php?oid=4981
To request financial support from the NoobFund, which is an excellent foundation, please go here: http://www.mmatycoon.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=54763&hl=noobfund
To see a GIF image of a mother lion acting like a kitty cat, go here: http://i.imgur.com/PIutuLi.mp4
Up next is the official preview for Bravado 2: Refuse to Accede. Visit our smack talk thread for more information.
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