Two Cent Tuesday

It was another great MMA night in Estevan with Hard Knocks 24 at Spectra Place. There were a lot of great fights and most of the local fighters were successful on Friday. After reading Sportsnet's Showdown Joe's article about an amateur MMA card in Ontario, I have even more respect for Hard Knocks and the job they do.

The main event was a great bout between Devon Smith and Derek Daku. Daku was impressive in defeat as he dominated the majority of the fight. There were a couple of moments where I thought Daku was going to submit Smith, but it wasn’t meant to be. Both fighters put on a good show and were class acts. And I’ll even give the crowd credit, even though Smith won the fight I don’t think they gave him a harsh reception when he was crowned champion.

It was nice to see Felix Jiminez and Wade Baldwin to pick up convincing wins. With the wins, I think each fighter is not too far away of getting another crack at Smith. It should be interesting at the next Hard Knocks card in September.

I was really impressed with Estevan’s Roark Franke and Christian Crowthers junior fight. Franke did a great of positioning and forcing Crowthers up against the cage. Franke displayed some solid takedowns and applied a nice armbar, the kid definitely has a future in the sport.

I had a chance to watch a couple of lacrosse games on the weekend with the Tarpon Energy Estevan Big Dogs. This team has really developed into an entertaining bunch and are now on the verge of being a serious title contender. If you’re looking for some free entertaining sports to watch, I recommend you check out the Big Dogs. Their next home game is June 22. 

The Estevan Bruins will be holding their Annual General Meeting next Thursday. I’m looking to see how successful the first year for the Bruins was inside of Spectra Place. 

It’s hard to believe a few months ago everyone thought Dustin Brown was considered to be traded, Jeff Carter was labelled a bust, everybody was wondering what was wrong with Drew Doughty, Mike Richards was struggling and everyone was wondering what the heck Dean Lombardi was doing hiring Darryl Sutter. Everything has turned around for the LA Kings, and it’s been fun to watch during the playoffs. 

It’s really exciting now that it’s Rider season. I’m really looking forward to seeing who will be in the Riders starting lineup in Hamilton. I think Sinorice Moss is going to be one of those Americans who has a big impact in the lineup as a kick returner and receiver. I’m not saying he’s the next Weston Dressler but I think he can be that type of player.

This Friday will be the last day for Craig Stein on the airwaves. I must really like the guy, because I went to his wedding instead of going to the Riders vs Eskimos game with the 1989 Grey Cup Champion team reunion. I missed a chance to get a picture with Bobby Jurasin and my autographed Jurasin jersey. But I’m going to miss you Steiner, all the best.

Hopefully everyone has a great week