("Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results? To me, that’s the definition of ‘warrior‘." / Photo courtesy of allelbows.)
When you’re on a five-fight losing streak like former UFC light-heavyweight contender Keith Jardine, there’s two ways you can approach your situation. 1) You can take a few months off to completely re-assess your skills, weaknesses, and motivation. Or, 2) You can get back in the cage as soon as possible in a desperate attempt to wash off the stink of failure. The Dean of Mean, God help him, is going for option two.
Just two months after his demoralizing loss to Trevor Prangley at Shark Fights 13, Keith Jardine will take on Francisco "Kiko" France in the main event of "MMA Global Invasion," which will be held November 13 at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. (Props to MMAFighting for the heads-up.) France is a 6-1 light-heavyweight who has claimed all of his victories by submission, including four by arm-triangle choke. He’s competed for various organizations in Missouri and Mississippi; most notably, he appeared on the undercard of Strikeforce: Heavy Artillery, where he finished Lee Brousseau by first-round rear-naked choke.
If you check out the event’s official website, a couple things jump out. First off, the fight card is primarily a selling point for a 4-day MMA-themed "World Class Experience in Paradise." If only we had the vacation days saved up! But more importantly, the show is loaded with Zuffa castoffs. In addition to Jardine, MMA Global Invasion will feature Paul Buentello, Dean Lister, Jeff Curran, Kerry Schall, and Eliot Marshall; most of these names are misspelled on the site. On the bright side, the event advertises former UFC Octagon Girl Ali Sonoma as its "host," whatever that means. Hopefully she’ll be doing implied nude.
Since the Dominican Republic is a lawless place that doesn’t adhere to the rulings of American athletic commissions, Jardine should be able to compete there despite the indefinite suspension he caught after his ref-shoving incident at Shark Fights. Best of luck, Keith…
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Fortunately, there were some bright spots, some spectacular KO's, and blood. UFC needs to grab John Moraga for their new flyweight division, before he is snapped up by someone else. While he lost a close decision to John Dodson, he has the trifeca needed for the sport: personality, talent, and guts. Technically, he is good. A great base to work from. He takes hits that would knock others to the ground. Most importantly, he can get the crowd to their feet. He's got the sex appeal. He's photogenic. He's the bad boy down the street, until he smiles and can melt any father's heart. At the meet and greet, he was approachable and spent as much time as needed with the fans. John Moraga is the one to watch.