MMA Crunch

While UFC Fight Night 14 may not be stacked with the most star-studded cast, the card does feature one fighter with a rather intriguing story. James Giboo will be making his first appearance inside the octagon when he faces Brad Blackburn this Saturday night. But when Giboo is not busy with his mma training, he spends a lot of his time instructing. Giboo makes his living as a high school science teacher in Des Moines, Iowa.

The Franklinville, NY native attended the University of Iowa where he excelled as a wrestler when injuries weren’t keeping him off the mat. However, Giboo was no stranger to injury even before college. He once played an entire high school football game on a broken leg.

While living in Des Moines, Giboo began his mma training although he initially had nothing more than a ground game. Working more facets into his wrestling background has now enabled Giboo to land a shot on mma’s ultimate stage. Giboo blogs more about his past and how this fight came about at Mmamania.com.

UFC Brad Blackburn, James Giboo

The latest move against Affliction by UFC president Dana White has done much more than create yet another night of action in the octagon. White quickly put together a Saturday night event to coincide with Affliction’s pay-per-view event which will air for free on the Spike channel. While Anderson Silva has been busy stealing most of the headlines for the July 19th event, there is an intriguing undercard which will introduce quite a few new fighters to the UFC.

There is no disputing that Silva’s jump to light heavyweight in a matchup with James Irvin will claim the spotlight. However, six new fighters will be making their UFC debut during the preliminary fights leading up to the main event. Veteran Rory Markham brings a professional record of 15-4 to his UFC welterweight debut against Brodie Farber.

Markham has plenty of IFL experience while Farber did have one WEC fight back in 2003. Since then, Farber, a submission specialist, has accumulated a 13-3 professional record fighting mostly for MAX fights.

Not an ordinary fighter

Perhaps one of the most intriguing fighters of the night will make his UFC debut in yet another welterweight bout. James Giboo will set foot in the octagon for the first time although he brings with him quite an impressive resume.

Giboo has an 11-2 professional record and has only been in three fights that lasted beyond the first round and those three fights concluded in round two. Outside of the cage, Giboo is a school teacher with six college degrees to his credit. He is currently working on a Master’s Degree to add to his collection. Giboo will take on IFL veteran Brad Blackburn who will get a crack at the UFC despite a mediocre record of 12-9-1.

Rounding out the newcomers will be a lightweight matchup between Dale Hartt and Shannon Gugerty. Hartt owns an unblemished 5-0 record as Gugerty carries in a 9-2 mark. Gugerty fought all but one of his fights for Total Combat and will see a significant upgrade against the promising Hartt.

A chance for glory

While these newcomers may not be the most widely recognized fighters, it still sets the stage for an intriguing set of bouts. The UFC has established itself as mixed martal arts’ most elite organization. New fighters long for the opportunity to test their skills inside the octagon. Now that these fighters actually have that opportunity, each figures to make the most out of it.

If anything, viewers will be treated to a display put on by some hungry fighters before Silva makes his way out of the locker room. And these fighters are fully aware of the fact that it could be one and done in the UFC. Not to say that more accomplished fighters wouldn’t put forth the same effort, however it is always exciting to see the dawn of a new career.

The UFC could very well witness the dawn of a few new careers if any of these fighters can come out and thoroughly impress. Conversely, spectators could also bear witness to the one and only appearance of these fighters in the UFC. In all likelihood, it will be back to much smaller venues for the losers of these bouts. Nevertheless, that makes for an utter sense of urgency throughout each of these fights. That sense of urgency should translate into some rather intriguing bouts come July 19th.

In White’s attempt to slam the door on Affliction, he has opened up new doors for a host of fighters. During the free television event, those fighters will have a chance to walk through those doors and make the most of their moment in the limelight.

Affliction, Recent News, UFC Affliction, Anderson Silva, Brad Blackburn, Brodie Farber, Dale Hartt, James Giboo, James Irvin, Rory Markham, Shanon Gugerty, UFC