Pride GP Total Elimination 2004 Preview
Gan McGee vs Ron Waterman
Apr 21, 2004
Alternate Tournament Bout: “Giant” Gan McGee vs. >a
href='/fighter/ron-waterman-217'>Ron “The H2O Man”
Waterman
GAN MCGEE: American submission wrestler and kickboxer, Cal Poly wrestler, IFC 7 Heavyweight Tournament Champion, Bas Rutten Invitational veteran, trains with Chuck Liddell, Scott Adams, John Hackelman and members of The Pit Fight Team, with a 12-3 record in MMA, making his 2nd appearance (0-1) in the PFC
Abbreviated Fight History: McGee was a wrestler at Cal Poly
and a friend of Chuck Liddell and Scott Adamsand was an early
member of S.L.O. (San Luis Obispo) Kickboxing with trainer John
Hackelman. They now make up The Pit Fight Team. Gan debuted in the
Bas Rutten Invitationals scoring a win over UFC veteran Sam Adkins.
McGee fought in the IFC shows in California and taking the IFC 7
heavyweight tournament before making his octagon debut at UFC 28:
High Stakes. McGee fought twice on training partner Scott Adams
World Extreme Cagefighting shows before returning to the UFC last
September. Below are some of McGee’s more significant contests.
McGee/Tim Lajcik: Lajcik was able to avoid the takedown and keep this one for about two and a half mnutes but McGee was able to mount and rain down forearms. He opened Tim up with a strike to the forehead and he taps out.
McGee/Josh Barnett: McGee faced former UFC Heavyweight Champion Josh “The Baby-faced Assassin” Barnett at UFC 28: High Stakes in the Octagon debut for both fighters. McGee was able to hang with Barnett early but soon fell victim to poor stamina. Near the end of the second round Barnett was able to overpower the giant and secure a win via strikes.
McGee/Pedro Rizzo: Pedro had control early and was fending Gan off well, even stunning him momentarily. Near the end of the first round Gan countered a leg kick with a straight right hand to the head and made Rizzo’s nose was a memory. In between rounds it was determined Pedro’s nose was broken and the fight was over.
McGee/Alexandre Dantas: Gan stopped the reemerging jiu-jitsu fighter Alexandre “Café” Dantas as Dantas tried to move up in weight and state his claim in the heavyweight division. It was not to be as McGee used his size and limb length to punish the Brazilian fighter, finishing him with strikes late in the 1st round.
McGee/Tim Sylvia: McGee comes out hands low and swings lazy jabs at Sylvia and even lands one early. Sylvia looks totally composed and is defending well. Tim shoots jabs out of his defense but didn’t cut loose right away. They exchange in close and Tim lands a right to the face as Gan spins away from a failed takedown attempt. Tim keeps pressing the action and Gan answers back with a jab and low roundhouse kick but back peddling the whole time. The punches get stiffer as Sylvia closes the gap and then he unloads. Three hard rights set it up and send McGee to the mat. Gan gets to his knees but Tim lands five unanswered blows to his head on the canvas before John McCarthy breaks it up.
McGee/Heath Herring: Bout discussed under Heath Herring bio.
Also worthy of note: McGee battled Sam Adkins (win/knees), Aaron Brink (win/strikes) and Seth Petrucelli (win/ankle lock)
Strengths And Weaknesses: Gan likes to stand up and strike with his opponents and has a majority of referee stoppages on his record. McGee seems to keep his hands low sometimes but I imagine some of that has to do with his opponents being so much smaller than he. At this level of competition, he needs to work more on his basic defense. He has also had issues with stamina in and outside of the ring.
How He Can Beat Waterman: Using his size and avoid being taken down. Gan is a wrestler but can usually dominate a stand-up exchange with reach alone. However the bouts with Sylvia and Herring showed him he can’t continue to leave the hands low and paw at his opponent. If he can take Waterman down and immediately fire down on him from the standing position ala Alexandre Dantas, he could have another TKO victory.
RON WATERMAN: American wrestler, jiu-jitsu black belt, University of Northern Colorado Wrestler, All American Wrestler, 1993 Olympic Wrestling hopeful, Greeley West High School Head Wrestling Coach, 25 years amateur wrestling, former WWE professional wrestler, minister of Team Impact power-lifting team, WEC Heavyweight Champion, UFC veteran, IFC veteran, Pancrase veteran, Bas Rutten Invitational veteran, has trained with Nathan Marquardt, Larry Parker and members of the Colorado Stars Team, with a record of 10-2-2 in MMA, making his 3rd appearance (1-1) in the PFC
Abbreviated Fight History: Ron first saw fellow wrestler and UFC triple crown winner (8-man tournament winner, Superfight winner, Ultimate Ultimate winner) Dan “The Beast” Severn fighting in the UFC. He felt it was something he could do and began training with friends who studied jiu-jitsu. He entered the Bas Rutten Invitational which was refereed by then UFC matchmaker John Perretti and won the event. He debuted at UFC 20 and fought in 4 bouts going 2-1-1. A friend worked for WWE and mentioned him to Shane McMahon. After an interview with Jim Ross and a background check Ron was offered a 4-year contract. Ron came back to fighting in 2002 at the Pancrase Anniversary Show and is 5-0-1 since his return. Below are some of Waterman’s more significant contests.
Waterman/Chris Condo: Chris “Big as a Two Flat” Condo debuted against Waterman in UFC 20. Ron rushes Chirs into the side of the cage, takes him down and pounds him with about a dozen unanswered left hands until the ref stops the bout.
Waterman/Andre Roberts: Waterman lands punching combinations and continuously throws knees from the clinch to bloody “The Chief” up early. He stays busy and the check the cut after a minute and a half. They resume with Roberts trying to mount offense but Waterman is quicker and continues to land good strikes. It’s punch for punch in the side of the cage with Waterman scoring consistently. Roberts lands a combination finishing with one solid left that sends Waterman to his knees. Andre follows up but he’s too tired to finish and Ron grabs a leg to stop his momentum. They grapple for position with Roberts on top and then both fighters stand. “The Chief” drops “H2O Man” with what looks like a lazy left to the head and the bout is over.
Waterman/Tim Lajcik: They trade standing with Lajcik scoring. Waterman gets the takedown and works from sidemount pounding Lajcik’s head with the left while trapping Tim’s left arm. Ron has him pinned and then seizes his back but Tim is able to stand. They clinch in the side of the cage and trade knees and elbows until the end of the round. They open the second round standing and Lajcik appears to be the quicker and more precise puncher. Ron goes for a takedown but Tim sprawls and momentarily gets his back. Waterman quickly rolls to guard and Lajcik is able to open him up with strikes. A kick from the ground frees Waterman and they resume standing. Waterman shoots again but Lajcik sprawls and when Ron chases him, Tim nails him with a solid short left hand in the head. Additional takedowns from Waterman are stifled and met with right hands from Lajcik. Late in the round Ron puts his striking together and lands some lefts to the head. With under a minute both fighters look tired. Waterman misses a knee to the head and Tim gets a takedown to finish the round. In the third Lajcik looks fresher with good striking but Waterman gets the takedown. They grapple from Tim’s guard but there very little offense from this point on and the bout is ruled a draw.
Waterman/Kengo Watanabe: Waterman takes Watanabe down and establishes sidemount. Kengo pulls guard and Ron works for a series of neck cranks while pounding Watanabe’s face and body. Ron goes back to sidemount and muscles out a keylock.
Waterman/Mirko Filipovic: Bout discussed under the Mirko Filipovic bio.
Also worthy of note: Waterman battled Valentijn Overeem (win/submission) and Jimmy Ambriz (draw)
Strengths And Weaknesses: Ron is a wrestler and taking people down and pounding them is what he does best. His stand-up game is good for a man his size and his left hand does most of the damage. Like Randy Couture, Waterman utilizes knees in the clinch very effectively. He can apply submissions as well, scoring wins by keylock, ankle lock and neck crank. As for weaknesses, word is his stamina has not been good in his last few bouts. His weight fluctuates from 250-300lbs so while that affords him the opportunity to get bigger or smaller depending on the opponent, it also increases the likelihood of him showing up out of shape.
How He Can Beat McGee: Pound him standing or bring him down and submit him. If Gan is still keeping his hands at chest level, he needs to make him pay. He also needs to commit to the takedown early. It will be easiest to bring him down early when Ron’s skills are sharpest and he hasn’t absorbed much punishment.
MY PICK: Waterman. McGee was controlled by a less than stellar Heath Herring. Waterman has more drive and focus the Heath at this point in their careers. Ron should look at this like a second (or third if you count his debut) chance to make some noise in Pride. I feel it will be Waterman by TKO from strikes in the 2nd Rd.
GAN MCGEE: American submission wrestler and kickboxer, Cal Poly wrestler, IFC 7 Heavyweight Tournament Champion, Bas Rutten Invitational veteran, trains with Chuck Liddell, Scott Adams, John Hackelman and members of The Pit Fight Team, with a 12-3 record in MMA, making his 2nd appearance (0-1) in the PFC
Advertisement
McGee/Tim Lajcik: Lajcik was able to avoid the takedown and keep this one for about two and a half mnutes but McGee was able to mount and rain down forearms. He opened Tim up with a strike to the forehead and he taps out.
McGee/Paul Buentello: In the IFC tournament final, Gan showed
little offense standing and pushed Buentello into the side of the
cage to brink him down. Much like the bout with Lajcik, McGee took
the mount and pounded him with forearms, cutting him open and
stopping the bout. Paul complained after the bout that McGee was
slippery and that he received the cut from an illegal elbow and not
a forearm.
McGee/Josh Barnett: McGee faced former UFC Heavyweight Champion Josh “The Baby-faced Assassin” Barnett at UFC 28: High Stakes in the Octagon debut for both fighters. McGee was able to hang with Barnett early but soon fell victim to poor stamina. Near the end of the second round Barnett was able to overpower the giant and secure a win via strikes.
McGee/Pedro Rizzo: Pedro had control early and was fending Gan off well, even stunning him momentarily. Near the end of the first round Gan countered a leg kick with a straight right hand to the head and made Rizzo’s nose was a memory. In between rounds it was determined Pedro’s nose was broken and the fight was over.
McGee/Alexandre Dantas: Gan stopped the reemerging jiu-jitsu fighter Alexandre “Café” Dantas as Dantas tried to move up in weight and state his claim in the heavyweight division. It was not to be as McGee used his size and limb length to punish the Brazilian fighter, finishing him with strikes late in the 1st round.
McGee/Tim Sylvia: McGee comes out hands low and swings lazy jabs at Sylvia and even lands one early. Sylvia looks totally composed and is defending well. Tim shoots jabs out of his defense but didn’t cut loose right away. They exchange in close and Tim lands a right to the face as Gan spins away from a failed takedown attempt. Tim keeps pressing the action and Gan answers back with a jab and low roundhouse kick but back peddling the whole time. The punches get stiffer as Sylvia closes the gap and then he unloads. Three hard rights set it up and send McGee to the mat. Gan gets to his knees but Tim lands five unanswered blows to his head on the canvas before John McCarthy breaks it up.
McGee/Heath Herring: Bout discussed under Heath Herring bio.
Also worthy of note: McGee battled Sam Adkins (win/knees), Aaron Brink (win/strikes) and Seth Petrucelli (win/ankle lock)
Strengths And Weaknesses: Gan likes to stand up and strike with his opponents and has a majority of referee stoppages on his record. McGee seems to keep his hands low sometimes but I imagine some of that has to do with his opponents being so much smaller than he. At this level of competition, he needs to work more on his basic defense. He has also had issues with stamina in and outside of the ring.
How He Can Beat Waterman: Using his size and avoid being taken down. Gan is a wrestler but can usually dominate a stand-up exchange with reach alone. However the bouts with Sylvia and Herring showed him he can’t continue to leave the hands low and paw at his opponent. If he can take Waterman down and immediately fire down on him from the standing position ala Alexandre Dantas, he could have another TKO victory.
RON WATERMAN: American wrestler, jiu-jitsu black belt, University of Northern Colorado Wrestler, All American Wrestler, 1993 Olympic Wrestling hopeful, Greeley West High School Head Wrestling Coach, 25 years amateur wrestling, former WWE professional wrestler, minister of Team Impact power-lifting team, WEC Heavyweight Champion, UFC veteran, IFC veteran, Pancrase veteran, Bas Rutten Invitational veteran, has trained with Nathan Marquardt, Larry Parker and members of the Colorado Stars Team, with a record of 10-2-2 in MMA, making his 3rd appearance (1-1) in the PFC
Abbreviated Fight History: Ron first saw fellow wrestler and UFC triple crown winner (8-man tournament winner, Superfight winner, Ultimate Ultimate winner) Dan “The Beast” Severn fighting in the UFC. He felt it was something he could do and began training with friends who studied jiu-jitsu. He entered the Bas Rutten Invitational which was refereed by then UFC matchmaker John Perretti and won the event. He debuted at UFC 20 and fought in 4 bouts going 2-1-1. A friend worked for WWE and mentioned him to Shane McMahon. After an interview with Jim Ross and a background check Ron was offered a 4-year contract. Ron came back to fighting in 2002 at the Pancrase Anniversary Show and is 5-0-1 since his return. Below are some of Waterman’s more significant contests.
Waterman/Chris Condo: Chris “Big as a Two Flat” Condo debuted against Waterman in UFC 20. Ron rushes Chirs into the side of the cage, takes him down and pounds him with about a dozen unanswered left hands until the ref stops the bout.
Waterman/Andre Roberts: Waterman lands punching combinations and continuously throws knees from the clinch to bloody “The Chief” up early. He stays busy and the check the cut after a minute and a half. They resume with Roberts trying to mount offense but Waterman is quicker and continues to land good strikes. It’s punch for punch in the side of the cage with Waterman scoring consistently. Roberts lands a combination finishing with one solid left that sends Waterman to his knees. Andre follows up but he’s too tired to finish and Ron grabs a leg to stop his momentum. They grapple for position with Roberts on top and then both fighters stand. “The Chief” drops “H2O Man” with what looks like a lazy left to the head and the bout is over.
Waterman/Tim Lajcik: They trade standing with Lajcik scoring. Waterman gets the takedown and works from sidemount pounding Lajcik’s head with the left while trapping Tim’s left arm. Ron has him pinned and then seizes his back but Tim is able to stand. They clinch in the side of the cage and trade knees and elbows until the end of the round. They open the second round standing and Lajcik appears to be the quicker and more precise puncher. Ron goes for a takedown but Tim sprawls and momentarily gets his back. Waterman quickly rolls to guard and Lajcik is able to open him up with strikes. A kick from the ground frees Waterman and they resume standing. Waterman shoots again but Lajcik sprawls and when Ron chases him, Tim nails him with a solid short left hand in the head. Additional takedowns from Waterman are stifled and met with right hands from Lajcik. Late in the round Ron puts his striking together and lands some lefts to the head. With under a minute both fighters look tired. Waterman misses a knee to the head and Tim gets a takedown to finish the round. In the third Lajcik looks fresher with good striking but Waterman gets the takedown. They grapple from Tim’s guard but there very little offense from this point on and the bout is ruled a draw.
Waterman/Kengo Watanabe: Waterman takes Watanabe down and establishes sidemount. Kengo pulls guard and Ron works for a series of neck cranks while pounding Watanabe’s face and body. Ron goes back to sidemount and muscles out a keylock.
Waterman/Mirko Filipovic: Bout discussed under the Mirko Filipovic bio.
Also worthy of note: Waterman battled Valentijn Overeem (win/submission) and Jimmy Ambriz (draw)
Strengths And Weaknesses: Ron is a wrestler and taking people down and pounding them is what he does best. His stand-up game is good for a man his size and his left hand does most of the damage. Like Randy Couture, Waterman utilizes knees in the clinch very effectively. He can apply submissions as well, scoring wins by keylock, ankle lock and neck crank. As for weaknesses, word is his stamina has not been good in his last few bouts. His weight fluctuates from 250-300lbs so while that affords him the opportunity to get bigger or smaller depending on the opponent, it also increases the likelihood of him showing up out of shape.
How He Can Beat McGee: Pound him standing or bring him down and submit him. If Gan is still keeping his hands at chest level, he needs to make him pay. He also needs to commit to the takedown early. It will be easiest to bring him down early when Ron’s skills are sharpest and he hasn’t absorbed much punishment.
MY PICK: Waterman. McGee was controlled by a less than stellar Heath Herring. Waterman has more drive and focus the Heath at this point in their careers. Ron should look at this like a second (or third if you count his debut) chance to make some noise in Pride. I feel it will be Waterman by TKO from strikes in the 2nd Rd.
