Local boy Kendall Grove looked impressive in his decision win over former UFC Middleweight champion Evan Tanner in Saturday night’s Ultimate Fighter Team Rampage vs. Team Forrest Finale show. Tanner looked old and defeated while the Maui native was active and aggressive. After the fight, Grove announced that he is opening a gym in Maui with friend (and fighter) Troy “Rude Boy” Mandaloniz. Good to see local boys giving back (following in the footsteps of BJ Penn on the Big Island and Egan Inoue on Oahu).

On the same card, Amir Sadollah did the unthinkable and caught favored CB Dollaway again with an armbar, as Dollaway ridiculously denied tapping. I’m so stoked for Amir! He’s such a humble, grounded (and funny) guy. I hope he does well in his MMA career. Click here for the results of the rest of the card.

In other news, there were two big losses this weekend due to heart complications: Kauai Mayor Bryan Baptiste died of an apparent cardiac arrest, and legendary comedian George Carlin died of heart failure. R.I.P. Baptiste and Carlin!

Talk to me!
* What’s next for Grove?
* Is Tanner’s career over?
* Think Sadollah has a bright future?
* Post your condolences for Bryan Baptiste and/or George Carlin.

In an exciting 59 seconds last night, Egan Inoue silenced all critics by walking right through his nearly 20 year younger opponent Hans Marrero is his return to the ring. On an otherwise lackluster card which included a Sean Sakata knee injury thrown on the very first kick of the night, a Lorenzo Moreno corner stoppage (rib), and what seemed to be a give-up by Ronald “Machine Gun” Jhun, Inoue’s fight turned out to be one of the most exciting bouts of the night. Congrats Egan!

Here’s what it looked like from VIP row. Yeah, junk camera, I know!

OK, working for the cable company, I know this is a bit self-indulgent, but since this blog is supposed to include the latest and greatest in MMA, I just had to plug the X1 Legends fight scheduled for tomorrow night. Not just because Oceanic Time Warner Cable is offering this event in Pay-Per-View for Digital, High Definition as well as on the web, but because it is history in the making as 42 year old local boy Egan Inoue comes out of retirement to fight for the first time in almost 5 years.

Yesterday, we had the unique opportunity to have Egan as a guest presenter on our monthly Road Runner Interactive Webinar. Following the show I got a chance to chat with him a bit and discover that he is one of the most humble, grounded guys around. It’s amazing that this very man, in the heat of battle, can turn on the fire within, and compete with the best. I mean, you’re talking a former world champion racquetball player, Navy Seal trainer and BJJ World Champion, in addition to being a former champion MMA fighter. Bruddah is driven!

Not sure exactly what the odds are against his 23 year old counterpart Hans Marrero (11-5), but you can bet that I’ll be pulling for Egan tomorrow night. Either way, I know he’ll succeed.

Fight Details:
X1 Presents Legends - The Return of Egan Inoue
Friday, May 16, 2008 @ 7:30PM
Neal Blaisdell Arena
Also, available Live on Oceanic Time Warner Cable PPV @ 7:30PM (replay at 10:30PM)
- Digital Channel 0260 - Standard Definition - $29.99
- Digital Channel 1260 - High Definition - $39.99
- x1ppv.oceanic.com - On the Web - $19.99

Fight Card (subject to change):
Hans Marrero vs Egan Inoue
Brandon Wolff vs Chad “The Grinder” Reiner
Richie Whitson vs Ray “Bradda” Cooper
Michael Brightmon vs Kolo Koka
Dylan Clay vs Ronald “The Machine Gun” Jhun
Albert Manners vs Kana “The Riot” Hyatt
Chris “Red Bull” Willems vs Brandon Visher
Sean Sakata vs John “The Warrior” Visante

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/cC6XJN6wfdY" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

P.S. I’ll be going to the live event so check back for photos shortly thereafter…