***The Official MMA Thread***

[reflector]

I think the Heavyweight Tournament is going to be awesome.




http://mmajunkie.com/news/22423/strikeforce-and-m-1-global-fedor-vs-silva-live-and-official-weigh-in-results.mma




http://mmajunkie.com/dyn/images/fighters/fedor-emelianenko-17.jpg



"Strikeforce and M-1 Global: Fedor vs. Silva" live and official weigh-in results
by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Feb 11, 2011 at 4:00 pm ET

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) is on scene and reporting live from today's "Strikeforce and M-1 Global: Fedor vs. Silva" fighter weigh-ins, which take place at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, N.J.

"Strikeforce and M-1 Global: Fedor vs. Silva" marks the first round of Strikeforce's ambitious heavyweight grand prix and hosts a pair of quarterfinal matchups, as well as three tournament reserve fights.

Today's festivities precede Saturday's HDNet- and Showtime-televised event, which which also takes place at the IZOD Center.

Today's weigh-ins are open to the public. Doors for the festivities open at 4 p.m. ET, and the first fighter is slated to hit the scale at 5 p.m. ET.

Weigh-in results will be updated as the contestants make their fights official, and a photo gallery of the proceedings will follow.

The full "Strikeforce and M-1 Global: Fedor vs. Silva" weigh-in results include:

MAIN CARD (Showtime)

* Fedor Emelianenko (230) vs. Antonio Silva (264) - heavyweight-tournament quarterfinals
* Andrei Arlovski (242) vs. Sergei Kharitonov (250) - heavyweight-tournament quarterfinals
* Shane Del Rosario (248) vs. Lavar Johnson (243) - heavyweight-tournament reserve fight
* Chad Griggs (229) vs. Gian Villante (227) - heavyweight-tournament reserve fight
* Valentijn Overeem (239) vs. Ray Sefo (249) - heavyweight-tournament reserve fight

PRELIMINARY CARD (HDNet)

* John Cholish (155.75) vs. Marc Stevens (156.5)^
* Igor Gracie (170.75) vs. John Salgado (170)
* Don Carlo-Clauss (170.4) vs. Sam Oropeza (169.75)
* Josh LaBerge (145.75) vs. Anthony Leone (146.2)*
* Jason McLean (145.5) vs. Kevin Roddy (145.75)

* - Leone has been give one hour to lose the remaining two-tenths of a pound
^ - Stevens weighed one-half pound over the contracted limit, but Cholish elected to accept the matchup

For the latest on "Strikeforce and M-1 Global: Fedor vs. Silva," stay tuned to the MMA Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.

(Pictured: Fedor Emelianenko)

[northspeter]

Still seems odd to me . . . he wanted to wait and let Shogun heal to fight for the belt. Guess he needs to get paid. :D

looks like there has been another change... im reading now that Matt Hamill has taken the fight and will now face Rampage at UFC 130...

[reflector]

looks like there has been another change... im reading now that Matt Hamill has taken the fight and will now face Rampage at UFC 130...

I read this as well.

[northspeter]

I read this as well.

kind of a strange pairing if you ask me... i think rampage should handle it fairly easily...

[Sooner_Bob]

looks like there has been another change... im reading now that Matt Hamill has taken the fight and will now face Rampage at UFC 130...

Yep (http://mmajunkie.com/news/22435/matt-hamill-replaces-thiago-silva-faces-rampage-jackson-at-ufc-130.mma)

[northspeter]

just read ESPN is reporting that Jorge Santiago has signed with the UFC and is expected to make his appearance at UFC 130 in May...

[northspeter]

junkie is reporting that Santiago will face Brian Stann at UFC 130...

[reflector]

Strikeforce Heavyweight Tournament


8x7FcWWVvjs


Don't forget the tournament starts tonight. It is going to be awesome!

[Canyonero]

Big Foot did it.

I hate to see Fedor go down.

[KC//CRIMSON]

Fedor showed a lot of heart in the second round. He could have gone on, but I'm glad they called it for the sake of his vision. He gave up forty plus pounds to Silva who came in at a reported 280-285lb. That's just insane.

[Collier11]

Showed a lot of heart by not answering the bell?

[KC//CRIMSON]

Showed a lot of heart by not answering the bell?

The ref called it due to a swollen shut eye.

[Collier11]

AH, the headline I read said he didnt answer the bell, very misleading ESPN

[KC//CRIMSON]

AH, the headline I read said he didnt answer the bell, very misleading ESPN

The ref called it in between the second and third round.

[Collier11]

gotcha

[northspeter]

fedor got his *** kicked... that was easily a 10-8 second round... the Dr. had to stop it.... bigfoot may have won the 1st round as well, it was pretty close..

[reflector]

I thought it was a good event. Hopefully all the winners will be able to continue all the way through the tournament.






http://mmajunkie.com/news/22448/strikeforce-fedor-vs-silva-main-card-recap.mma


http://mmajunkie.com/dyn/images/fighters/antonio-silva-6.jpg



"Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Silva" main-card recap: Silva wins, Emelianenko hints he's done

by John Morgan and Dann Stupp on Feb 13, 2011 at 12:25 am ET

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Prior to Saturday night's event at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, N.J., Antonio Silva told anyone willing to listen that he was going to hand Fedor Emelianenko his second-straight defeat.

When it came time to deliver on his promise, Silva made good.

After an evenly matched opening round, Silva battered Emelianenko from start to finish in the second frame and earned a TKO stoppage in the main event of the Showtime-broadcast event.

The heavyweight tournament fight opened as a tightly contested affair. Emelianenko's trademark hooks scored from both sides, and he remained upright as Silva tried to work the fight to the floor. Both fighters showed flashes of brilliance, and neither gained a true edge. In fact, the round was split on the judges' cards, with two scores leaning toward Emelianenko and the third to Silva.

But when second round opened, Silva took complete control of the fight. Ducking under the opening punch, Silva worked the fight to floor and put on a clinic. Working from top position, Silva spun from half-guard to side control to mount with relative ease, all the while pounding away on Emelianenko's head with his massive fists.

Emelianenko bucked and rolled, but Silva maintained his base and alternated between rear-naked choke attempts and ground-and-pound blows. As the round wore on, the damage mounted, and Emelianenko's face showed the signs of the wear.

In the closing seconds, Silva elected to change things up and turned to attack the leg. Leaving his own leg exposed, Silva gave hope to the pro-Emelianenko crowd as the Russian went for his own leglock. However, Silva quickly silenced the IZOD Center by waving his finger in defiance of the hold. Silva relaxed until the bell, and celebration would come shortly after.

Emelianenko returned to the corner, and his right eye was bruised and swollen shut. Attending doctors needed little time to determine the former top pound-for-pound fighter was unable to see, and the fight was waved off. It took a moment for news to spread through the cage, as Silva continued to prepare for the final frame.

He wouldn't need it.

Having outstruck Emelianenko 72-36 in the 10-minute fight, not to mention netting three of four takedown attempts, Silva was awarded the TKO win at the close of the second frame.

An emotional Silva gave respect to his opponent as he celebrated the win.

"I won over the best heavyweight in the world, Fedor," Silva said.

Meanwhile, Emelianenko made no excuses. This was not a split-second mistake. This was a beatdown, and the Russian strongly suggested he might have entered the cage for the final time.

"Something went wrong from the very beginning, and I didn't re-adjust myself," Emelianenko said through an interpreter. "Maybe it's time leave."

When pressed further on the matter by Showtime broadcaster Gus Johnson, Emelianenko didn't change his position.

"Maybe it's the last time," Emelianenko said. "Maybe it's high time. I thank God for everything. I've spent a great, beautiful, long sport life."

With the win, Silva (16-2 MMA, 3-1 SF) has now earned three-straight wins under the Strikeforce banner and will meet the winner of an April bout between Alistair Overeem and Fabricio Werdum in a semifinal match. Meanwhile, Emelianenko, he suffered just one controversial loss in nine years, has now dropped back-to-back fights.

In the evening's co-feature and first heavyweight tournament contest, tournament dark horse Sergei Kharitonov made an impressive statement to Strikeforce fans – and brought even more doubt to the future of Andrei Arlovski.

Arlovski opened up with slick footwork while displaying his trademark speedy striking. Finding a home for his jab and beating Kharitonov to the punch, Arlovski looked to have found the form that made him a UFC star in 2005.

But just as soon as it was established, the vintage form went away. Arlovski allowed Kharitonov to back him up to the cage, closing the distance and negating the speed differential. It was the beginning of the end.

Working the body and firing uppercuts from close range, Khartinov stunned Arlovski, and the former UFC champ never recovered. Dropped with a powerful punch, Arlovski tried to use his legs to keep Kharitonov away, but the Russian delivered a pair of ground-and-pound blows that left his opponent unconscious on the canvas.

Despite a striking edge of just 32 to 22 over Arlovski, Kharitonov earned the stoppage at just 2 minutes and 49 seconds of the opening frame.

Following the win, Kharitonov said he was unconcerned with the MMA pundits who give him little chance to earn the grand prix victory.

"I couldn't care less what the experts think," Kharitonov said through an interpreter. "I know I'm going to win this tournament."

Kharitonov (18-4 MMA, 1-0 SF) is now 5-1 in his past six outings and will face the winner of an April contest between Josh Barnett and Brett Rogers in the heavyweight tournament semifinals. Meanwhile, Arlovski (15-9 MMA, 0-3 SF) has now been knocked out in three of his past four appearances and will likely face intense questioning regarding the future of his career.

With nary a career decision between heavyweights Shane Del Rosario and Lavar Johnson, a quick finish seemed inevitable. When the two clashed at the opening bell of their heavyweight tournament reserve fight, the pre-fight predictions proved true.

Johnson looked crisp early as he worked frequently from the clinch with knees and punches inside while also striking heavy from the outside to the head and body. But Del Rosario weathered the early storm and turned the tide of the fight as the opening round wore on.

With Johnson off-balance from a lunging punch, Del Rosario countered with a few strikes of his own before scoring a critical takedown. With Johnson on his back, Del Rosario advanced to the mount and used a few peppering ground-and-pound blows to force his opponent to open up for a submission.

Johnson's arms extended, Del Rosario latched on and spun out for a perfectly executed armbar submission. Johnson's arm was fully extended, and while he tried to counter, he had no choice but to tap.

With the win, Del Rosario (11-0 MMA, 3-0 SF) maintains his perfect record and is expected to serve as the first alternate in Strikeforce's heavyweight tournament. Meanwhile, Johnson (15-4 MMA, 3-1 SF) sees a seven-fight win streak snapped.

Entering Saturday's heavyweight tournament reserve fight, the hype belonged completely to Gian Villante. When the opening bell rang, the action was instead delivered by Chad Griggs.

The two heavyweights each showed flashes of speed and power as they stood toe-to-toe from moment one. Villante mixed in a few knees in the early going, but it was Griggs' straight punches that were doing the most damage. Villante looked a bit wobbled in the opening minutes, but he answered with a flashy high kick and earned a brief reprieve after losing his mouthpiece.

Griggs was undeterred.

"The Grave Digger" fired off more heavy punches on the restart, and Villante dropped from the blows. With his ear bleeding from the earlier attacks, Griggs unloaded with a few ground-and-pound blows that forced referee Yves Lavigne to halt the contest at the 2:49 mark of the opening frame.

Despite entering the fight as a heavy underdog, Griggs (10-1 MMA, 2-0 SF) outstruck his opponent 39-17 en route to his fifth-straight win. Meanwhile, Villante (7-2 MMA, 0-1 SF) falls to just 1-2 in his past three outings.

With two hard-hitting strikers kicking off the evening's broadcast, it was Dutch banger Valentijn Overeem who reverted to grappling to claim victory over Ray Sefo in a heavyweight tournament reserve match.

The two traded briefly on the feet, but Overeem's speed advantage was countered well by Sefo's defensive tactics and powerful overhand countershots. Sensing little edge on the feet, Overeem ducked down for a telegraphed shot that somehow toppled his foe. From there, the end came quickly.

Finding himself in side control, Overeem wrapped his arms around his opponent's head and cranked the neck, forcing a Sefo tappet just 97 seconds into the bout.

With the win, Overeem (29-25 MMA, 1-0 SF) has now earned three-straight victories. Meanwhile, accomplished kickboxer Sefo (2-1 MMA, 1-1 SF) loses for the first time in MMA competition.

SEE ALSO: "Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Silva" prelim recap: Cholish, Gracie earn submission wins

OFFICIAL MAIN CARD RESULTS

* Antonio Silva def. Fedor Emelianenko via TKO (doctor's stoppage) - Round 2, 5:00
* Sergei Kharitonov def. Andrei Arlovski via knockout (strikes) - Round 1, 2:49
* Shane Del Rosario def. Lavar Johnson via submission (armbar) - Round 1, 4:31
* Chad Griggs def. Gian Villante via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 2:49
* Valentijn Overeem def. Ray Sefo via submission (neck crank) - Round 1, 1:37

OFFICIAL PRELIMINARY CARD RESULTS

* John Cholish def. Marc Stevens via submission (kneebar) - Round 2, 3:57
* Igor Gracie def. John Salgado via technical submission (arm-triangle choke) - Round 2, 3:04
* Sam Oropeza def. Don Carlo-Clauss via submission (strikes) - Round 1, 4:10
* Josh LaBerge def. Anthony Leone via TKO (cut) - Round 1, 5:00
* Jason McLean def. Kevin Roddy via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

For more on "Strikeforce and M-1 Global: Fedor vs. Silva," check out the MMA Events section of MMAjunkie.com.

(Pictured: Antonio Silva)

[Knippz]

WOW

[Knippz]

That beating made Silva-Sonnen look weak.

Idk what the deal was. Fedor looked slow and out of shape in this fight. He definitely didn't look like the used to.

[reflector]

Overeem On Fedor Loss


rbUSzmklYcM

[northspeter]

That beating made Silva-Sonnen look weak.

Idk what the deal was. Fedor looked slow and out of shape in this fight. He definitely didn't look like the used to.

idk, he looked the same to me... weighed the same and everythng.... i think the heavyweight division has just passed him by... thanks to his management team M-1, they totally screwed the pooch... should've changed up his training a long time ago... he could still turn it around if he wanted to, but he has to get rid of those m-1 ******s...

[Sooner_Bob]

Maybe Fedor will decide he needs to cut some weight and fight at LHW. I know he probably won't, but that's what he should seriously consider IMHO.

[Sooner_Bob]

The ref called it due to a swollen shut eye.

That thing was nasty looking . . .

http://www.mmaconvert.com/wp-content/uploads/post-images/fedor_eye.jpg

[Sooner_Bob]

http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q108/pridefc06/sergei_arlonrt9.gif

[reflector]

Jorge Rivera UFC 127 Interview


SCjmVCVIKvs


I am really looking forward to this fight.

[KC//CRIMSON]

That beating made Silva-Sonnen look weak.



I don't remember there being a 40-50lb weight difference in that fight either.

[KC//CRIMSON]

idk, he looked the same to me... weighed the same and everythng.... i think the heavyweight division has just passed him by... thanks to his management team M-1, they totally screwed the pooch... should've changed up his training a long time ago... he could still turn it around if he wanted to, but he has to get rid of those m-1 ******s...

Fedor has the tools to hang with anyone, he's one the greatest in the history of the sport. The HW division has passed a lot of fighters by because of the size of fighters that are coming out today. Their goddamn gorillas.

[Knippz]

"I rushed to declare my retirement. I will fight more. Possibly, I will return to the Heavyweight Grand-Prix.
I am capable of having a few more fights. I didn't make any analysis yet on why I lost. I need to recover, I can't see very well yet." - Fedor Emelianenko, after returning to Russia

[northspeter]

Fedor has the tools to hang with anyone, he's one the greatest in the history of the sport. The HW division has passed a lot of fighters by because of the size of fighters that are coming out today. Their goddamn gorillas.

during the pride days he fought a number of guys way bigger than silva and didint have the same problem... the difference is the guys now are so much better technically... fedor still just throws haymakers hoping to connect, he hits hard, but unless he gets lucky he can't connect anymore... the other guys are just better now...

[KC//CRIMSON]

during the pride days he fought a number of guys way bigger than silva and didint have the same problem... the difference is the guys now are so much better technically... fedor still just throws haymakers hoping to connect, he hits hard, but unless he gets lucky he can't connect anymore... the other guys are just better now...

He just throw haymakers? You obviously have no idea what you're talking about. He doesn't have the typical boxers approach to how he holds his hands. He keeps them low and throws from different angles. He does it on purpose because it makes it harder for the opponent to see where it's coming from.

And the main difference today from just a few years ago isn't technique, it's size.

[northspeter]

fujita, sammy schilt, hong man choi, mark hunt... all guys bigger than silva... he defeated all of those guys... the difference is... he beat those guys 4, 6, 8 years ago... mma has evolved... fedor has not... his training and fighting style is the same as it was 8 years ago... the guys haven't gotten bigger, there are more of them now... but there have always been big guys and he fought them back then too... if he wants to win against todays big guys... he has to do something different...

[KC//CRIMSON]

fujita, sammy schilt, hong man choi, mark hunt... all guys bigger than silva... he defeated all of those guys... the difference is... he beat those guys 4, 6, 8 years ago... mma has evolved... fedor has not... his training and fighting style is the same as it was 8 years ago... the guys haven't gotten bigger, there are more of them now... but there have always been big guys and he fought them back then too... if he wants to win against todays big guys... he has to do something different...

The guy is like what 34-2 and has how much experience? What is he supposed to change all of a sudden? Not a whole lot you can do when a guy who weighs 275lb plus is sitting on top of you rainy down blows left and right.

He's a small HW. Always has been.

[Sooner_Bob]

He's a small HW. Always has been.

And if he cuts to LHW I think he'd get beat by guys with more speed . . . he's getting old. It happens to the best of us. :D

[Sooner_Bob]

You'll never see him at 205. Too much weight to drop.



Honestly, if Forest Griffin can cut that much I think Fedor could. I know I would like to see him give it a try.

[KC//CRIMSON]

Honestly, if Forest Griffin can cut that much I think Fedor could. I know I would like to see him give it a try.

It sure would be weird to see a 205lb Fedor.

Hey, it's good to have you back in this thread, you've been gone a while.

[Knippz]

The guy is like what 34-2 and has how much experience? What is he supposed to change all of a sudden? Not a whole lot you can do when a guy who weighs 275lb plus is sitting on top of you rainy down blows left and right.

He's a small HW. Always has been.

Where are you getting 34-2? As far as I'm aware, he's 31-3-1. If he's 34-2, then Anderson is 29-3.

As for Fedor, he got outclassed. He was gassed, threw lazy punches, and didn't use his speed well at all.

As for your opinion, if that's the case, then Brock Lesnar should have no problem doing the same.

[KC//CRIMSON]

Where are you getting 34-2? As far as I'm aware, he's 31-3-1. If he's 34-2, then Anderson is 29-3.

As for Fedor, he got outclassed. He was gassed, threw lazy punches, and didn't use his speed well at all.

As for your opinion, if that's the case, then Brock Lesnar should have no problem doing the same.

I didn't bother looking it up, I just knew it was around that record somewhere.

He got outclassed? He was gassed? threw lazy punches? Either you're being a complete *sshole or you didn't even watch the fight.

You know, when the day comes that Anderson gets beat (and he will get beat) I'm sure he'll show more class than his fans.

[Sooner_Bob]

You know, when the day comes that Anderson gets beat (and he will get beat) I'm sure he'll show more class than his fans.

Funny how that works . . .

[Sooner_Bob]

It sure would be weird to see a 205lb Fedor.

Hey, it's good to have you back in this thread, you've been gone a while.

Thanks . . .

[Knippz]

I didn't bother looking it up, I just knew it was around that record somewhere.

He got outclassed? He was gassed? threw lazy punches? Either you're being a complete *sshole or you didn't even watch the fight.

You know, when the day comes that Anderson gets beat (and he will get beat) I'm sure he'll show more class than his fans.

LMAO more class? I'm sorry, will you direct me to where I was unclassy in my post? You're just butthurt because your boy is on a losing streak. If anyone is unclassy, it's you, claiming I'm an *sshole because I disagree with you.

Yes, he got outclassed. Silva controlled him in every aspect of the fight. Yes, he looked gassed, he was breathing very hard after the 1st and 2nd rounds. His punches were wild and inaccurate. He was too tired to scramble out from under Silva where he normally would. I have no clue what his gameplan was, but it was obviously weak. He got his face pounded in, and lost a 2nd straight fight to someone he was never supposed to lose to.

And to think, just a few months ago you were so adamant that Anderson wasn't P4P number one, and neither Fedor or GSP had taken a beating like the Sonnen fight. Now Silva is almost unanimously back at the top of the P4P rankings, while Fedor just took the beating of his life, much worse than Silva-Sonnen, and is gone from the P4P rankings.

[Knippz]

You know, when the day comes that Anderson gets beat (and he will get beat) I'm sure he'll show more class than his fans.
It's funny you say this, because Fedor's camp has been REAL classy in defeat.

Team Fedor Needs to Move on Instead of Making Excuses for Loss
Posted Feb 16th 2011 11:42AM by Mike Chiappetta
Filed under: Strikeforce
Fedor Emelianenko lost on Saturday night, and while a doctor's stoppage is not the most conclusive way to win or lose a bout, there's no denying that Emelianenko got decisively beaten up in the second and final round. Antonio Silva took him down and smashed him up for nearly the full five minutes. Even if Fedor himself says he could have continued, fighters agree to compete under the care of the referees and doctors in regards to their long-term health and protection, and the ringside physician feared for Emelianenko's vision after seeing his right eye completely closed.

It's only a few days later, but coaches on his team have been quoted many times in the Russian sports media talking about the loss. It's their right to explain what went wrong, but what about when they start floating conspiracy theories?

The most ridiculous one floated? One by his trainer Vladimir Voronov, who claimed in an interview with Lifesports.ru that illegal methods of psychological warfare were used. His claim? Hypnosis.

According to a translation of Voronov's interview, he believes certain "technologies" were used on both fighters from a distance that negatively affected Emelianenko's performance. His reasoning for the wild theory? Fedor did exactly the opposite of what they practiced beforehand. Also, before the fight, he thinks Fedor looked "a little depressed."

Of course, Voronov has no real evidence for the claim, and his only reason for it is the fact that Fedor lost. He also doesn't address how or why the hypnotists allowed Fedor to win the first round on two of the three judges' scorecards, risking their whole insane plot.

Hypnosis as an excuse? Now I've heard everything.

Also getting in a say was Emelianenko's striking coach Alexander Michkov, who spoke to another Russian site, Championat.ru. Michkov was asked about the size differential between Emelianenko and Silva.

Guess what? He pretty much accused Silva of juicing.

"Think about it, how can the normal human being gain 10 kilograms in 24 hours?" he said. "There is something fishy here. The fact is, all our fighters, I am talking about Russian fighters, that are fighting under the banner of M-1, train on their natural abilities. Of course, they take vitamins, but that's it. Meanwhile, all the foreign fighters, I think about 99 percent of them are taking chemicals. Obviously it was not a problem for Silva to make weight without problems. He weighed 264 pounds on the day of weigh-ins, and the next day, he was already over 280. He gained 10 kilograms. It's very hard to fight with a fighter like this."

Michkov's statement isn't so factually true. First off, not all of his M-1 fighters train on their natural abilities. Kirill Sidelnikov was busted for steroids in 2009 and served a one-year suspension.

Of course, Silva infamously tested positive for the steroid boldenone after a fight in July 2008, so the accusation is an easy one to make against him, but the size thing, well that's just puzzling.

Silva has always cut weight to make the 265-pound limit, and fought well over that on fight night.

Here are his weigh-in results of his last five fights before he fought Fedor: 263, 265.5, 263, 267, 261. Silva has always flirted with the very top of the heavyweight scale, and he's put on more size in the last year or so. Silva said after the event that he weighed 285 on fight night.

That should have come as no surprise to Emelianenko's team. Even if he had only gained five pounds, to 270, he still would have had a 40-pound weight advantage. Would that have made a difference in either fighter's performance? If this was going to be an excuse after the fight, it should have been a complaint before it.

Re-hydrating 20 pounds is not uncommon in MMA, and Emelianenko has certainly faced others who've done the same thing in his recent past, including Brett Rogers and Tim Sylvia. Are they really that flummoxed by something as simple as weight-cutting?

Michkov went on to talk about steroids testing in the tournament, charging Alistair Overeem with using steroids and saying that Strikeforce declined Olympic style testing "because everyone will get busted but Fedor."

Emelianenko's team had a right to demand an even playing field, and given the lengthy period during his re-negotiations process, they certainly had every chance to get it. Now, with Emelianenko essentially eliminated from the field -- barring an advancing fighter's injury withdrawal and reconsideration from the tournament committee -- all of this sounds like a lot of bluster and misdirection.

Emelianenko himself handled the loss with dignity. He congratulated Silva and walked out of the arena shaking the hands of fans on his way to the locker room. His camp hasn't handled it quite as well. Losing is never easy, and it's probably even more difficult when you're so used to winning, but accusing everyone else of cheating is hardly behavior worthy of the team of one of the greatest champions this sport has ever known. It would be more helpful if they took a page from their fighter and simply moved on.

[Knippz]

The actual quote, LMAO -


"We believe that forbidden psychological technology was used… It seems to us that not everything was right, and that certain technologies were used. Not ones that could be seen by the naked eye but psychological technologies that worked on both fighters at a distance," he said to Russian website LifeSports.ru

"That is why during the fight Fedor was just not like himself. It seemed very strange behaviour from Fedor. He stepped into the ring and did everything exactly the opposite of what we practiced before the fight. We were all shocked! Fedor had never previously done such a thing.

"Now nearly a week passes, everything settles, and we understand why all this happened."

[Sooner_Bob]

They actually said that?

[tbl]

His mgmt is about as bad as sports mgmt can get... and they have complete control of him. It's very odd...

[Boomer.....]

I'm sure that's what it was.

[Knippz]

Fedor can't f*ck with no Jedi

[KC//CRIMSON]

LMAO more class? I'm sorry, will you direct me to where I was unclassy in my post? You're just butthurt because your boy is on a losing streak. If anyone is unclassy, it's you, claiming I'm an *sshole because I disagree with you.

Yes, he got outclassed. Silva controlled him in every aspect of the fight. Yes, he looked gassed, he was breathing very hard after the 1st and 2nd rounds. His punches were wild and inaccurate. He was too tired to scramble out from under Silva where he normally would. I have no clue what his gameplan was, but it was obviously weak. He got his face pounded in, and lost a 2nd straight fight to someone he was never supposed to lose to.

And to think, just a few months ago you were so adamant that Anderson wasn't P4P number one, and neither Fedor or GSP had taken a beating like the Sonnen fight. Now Silva is almost unanimously back at the top of the P4P rankings, while Fedor just took the beating of his life, much worse than Silva-Sonnen, and is gone from the P4P rankings.

Funny how when Silva gets blasted for an entire fight you make every excuse in the book for him, and when someone else gets beat its all the reasons and harsh words above.

You're just a typical mouthbreather fan with a closet full of TapOut T-shirts and a poor sport attitude.

[Knippz]

Funny how when Silva gets blasted for an entire fight you make every excuse in the book for him, and when someone else gets beat its all the reasons and harsh words above.

You're just a typical mouthbreather fan with a closet full of TapOut T-shirts and a poor sport attitude.

Lol, FYI my closet is full of Polo and Brookes Bros, and would never touch a Tapout or Affliction shirt.

I have a poor sport attitude? You call people names because try point out facts. If my guy has a bad fight, you attack him and say he's not the best, and claim he got his *ss kicked. I don't even have to say anything about your guy - he embarasses himself. But I surely remembered how, even though Fedor has taken 10 times more damage in fights, and has been in serious trouble numerous times in fights, that he didn't take a beating for 4 and a half rounds. So he just got the living sh*t beat out of him, as well as the heart. So bad, in fact, that they called the fight.

You're the typical Fedor and Pride fan who hates anything Dana White says. Fedor is a cyborg who can't lose. Anyone who says different is a UFC nuthugger or an *sshole.

The thing is, Anderson won his fight, and other than a small amount of swelling on his cheek, looked just fine afterward. Fedor...not so much. Looked like hell and had the fight stopped to extend his losing streak to 2.

I also posted Anderson's excuse for his performance right after his fight. It happened to be a pretty legit excuse - rib injury. Fedor's excuse? Professor Xavier was in the audience and decided to take his energy and give it to Silva.

[Knippz]

I've got to continue this rant.

Really with the poor sport thing?! How many times have you directly insulted me because you didn't like my opinion? Don't hate me because your hero got tooled twice in a row. I don't hate you because you don't like Anderson Silva, but you most definitely can expect that if you blast him, I'll blast Fedor right back. Unfortunately for you, mine's setting records with every fight, while yours is blaming Darth Vader for his beatdown.

[KC//CRIMSON]

I've got to continue this rant.

Really with the poor sport thing?! How many times have you directly insulted me because you didn't like my opinion? Don't hate me because your hero got tooled twice in a row. I don't hate you because you don't like Anderson Silva, but you most definitely can expect that if you blast him, I'll blast Fedor right back. Unfortunately for you, mine's setting records with every fight, while yours is blaming Darth Vader for his beatdown.

Exhibit "A" ladies and gentlemen.

[Knippz]

Exhibit "A" ladies and gentlemen.

Do you realize you're a hypocrite?

[KC//CRIMSON]

Do you realize you're a hypocrite?

Do you realize there is a difference between saying "yeah, my guy lost, it happens, to saying "no he didn't! he's the best fighter ever! he's still the best even after he got mauled for five rounds!"

Again, humility is lost on you, TapOut.

[Knippz]

Do you realize there is a difference between saying "yeah, my guy lost, it happens, to saying "no he didn't! he's the best fighter ever! he's still the best even after he got mauled for five rounds!"

Again, humility is lost on you, TapOut.

I haven't really had that chance, since my guy hasn't lost. And if you actually read my posts, you'd see that I credited Sonnen for a great fight.

But I'm sure you'd be pissed too if people constantly bashed Fedor for winning a fight with hurt ribs against a guy on steroids who talks TONS of smack.

Oh but by the way, my guy is still the best - has been since I first posted in this thread.

[KC//CRIMSON]

I haven't really had that chance, since my guy hasn't lost. And if you actually read my posts, you'd see that I credited Sonnen for a great fight.

But I'm sure you'd be pissed too if people constantly bashed Fedor for winning a fight with hurt ribs against a guy on steroids who talks TONS of smack.

Oh but by the way, my guy is still the best - has been since I first posted in this thread.

Good grief, you're the most "less" humble fan on here. And yes, your guy has lost, 4 times. You've even tried to make excuses for those too. A loss is a loss. Some people just know how to deal with it better than others.

[northspeter]

i know its a little late in this discussion but forrest is bigger than fedor and he makes the cut to 205 for every fight... like i said before if fedor wants to get back on the winning track against top competition he needs to change something... come to the us or go to brazil and get a new perspective on the game... a cut to 205 would probably be most beneficial for him... he hits harder than anyone at that weight, plus strikeforce is not all that deep at 205 anyway so he could be at the top of the division rather quickly...

[Knippz]

Good grief, you're the most "less" humble fan on here. And yes, your guy has lost, 4 times. You've even tried to make excuses for those too. A loss is a loss. Some people just know how to deal with it better than others.

I think "least humble" was what you were looking for. If a loss is a loss, then a win is a win, right? Because you sure make a lot of excuses for Anderson's WIN.

Aside from the argument, I would like to know what you think about Fedor's camp's excuse. (Really, I'm not trolling you)

[northspeter]

I kinda doubt the story is true, but if so, they're fruit loops.

i've read it on 3 or 4 different mma sites today... it seems to be a legit story...

[Knippz]

You know, Fedor and Anderson both are mysterious people. For example, I really think Fedor is a part of every decision, and his management takes the heat. I also think that Anderson trolled us all in the Maia fight.

They're the two fighters in MMA that I just can't read, or aren't completely truthful. Gotta give GSP credit here, he has yet to really annoy me with his decision making. I mean, I hate that he constantly decisions people, but I understand why.

Random thoughts

[northspeter]

the thing with gsp's decisions is its not like he's struggling and sleepwalking thru the fights... he completely dominates those guys and doesnt even lose rounds and often goes for finishes he just doesnt complete them...

[Sooner_Bob]

I know I may get bashed for this . . . but if Randy can get by Machida I'd love to see how his style would fair against Anderson. If he can keep from getting Matrix kicked I think he can control Anderson as well or better than Sonnen.

[Sooner_Bob]

the thing with gsp's decisions is its not like he's struggling and sleepwalking thru the fights... he completely dominates those guys and doesnt even lose rounds and often goes for finishes he just doesnt complete them...

Which is why folks complain and call him boring . . . . to be honest, out of his 21 wins he only has 8 decision wins. But I guess if some fans rave about Randy Couture I guess GSP deserves his praise too.

[Sooner_Bob]

The Del Rosario/Johnson fight is a prime example. :D

[Sooner_Bob]

They can't all be explosive. Mir vs Cro-Cop almost put me to sleep.

Except for the lucky knee . . . . that thing was a love fest.

[Knippz]

The thing about HWs though is they tend to gas. Usually the best don't, but sometimes even they do. Luckily, those beasts usually end fights quick so we don't see their gas tank.

On GSP, I agree that he's incredibly dominant, but the way he goes for finishes is boring to me itself. He sets them up as safely as possible, which usually allows his opponent to see it coming and defend it well. My main problem is that he has great stand-up, but refuses to use it anymore after getting owned by a midget. I want to see him destroy opponents like he did before the Serra loss.

[reflector]

Hopefully this will be a good event tomorrow night.




http://www.mmamania.com/2011/2/17/2000165/strikeforce-challengers-14-weigh-in-results-for-beerbohm-vs-healy-on



http://cdn1.sbnation.com/imported_assets/656909/chall-14-short_medium.jpg


Strikeforce Challengers 14 weigh in results for 'Beerbohm vs Healy' on Feb. 17

Tiny by Andrew Mendez on Feb 17, 2011 8:22 PM EST

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Chall-14-short_medium

The official weigh-in event for Strikeforce Challengers 14 is now in the books. The last pre-fight event before tomorrow night's card, which airs live on Showtime at 11 p.m. ET, took place today in Austin, Texas.

Nine of the ten fighters set for the main card made their respective weights, with the lone exception being Nick "Ghost" Gonzalez, who came in nearly two pounds over the 150-pound limit for his bout against David "Tarzan" Douglas.

He will have one hour to shed the excess weight.

The main event will feature a lightweight battle between undefeated title contender Lyle "Fancy Pants" Beerbohm and Pat "Bam Bam" Healy. Also on the card is MMA legend Randy Couture's son Ryan Couture, along with up-and-comer Bryan Travers and knockout artist David Douglas.

Check out the Challengers 14: "Beerbohm vs. Healy" weigh in results below.

Star-divide

155 lbs.: Lyle "Fancy Pants" Beerbohm (155.7) vs. Pat "Bam Bam" Healy (155.5)
160 lbs.: Carlo "Neo" Prater (160) vs. Bryan Travers (159.7)
155 lbs.: Ryan Couture (155.5) vs. Lee Higgins (154.5)
170 lbs.: Erik "Bad" Apple (170.7) vs. Ryan Larson (170.2)
150 lbs.: Nick "Ghost" Gonzalez (151.75) vs. David "Tarzan" Douglas (150)

Remember MMAMania.com will provide LIVE blow-by-blow, round-by-round coverage of "Beerbohm vs. Healy" beginning with the Showtime telecast starting at 11 p.m. ET.

It's going to be a great night of fights so don't miss out, and remember to check us out for all the post-fight coverage after tomorrow night's card is wrapped up.

[reflector]

The main event ended up being a pretty good fight.





http://mmajunkie.com/news/22529/strikeforce-challengers-14-results-in-videogame-like-scrap-healy-edges-beerbohm.mma



http://mmajunkie.com/dyn/images/fighters/pat-healy-1.jpg

Strikeforce Challengers 14 results: In videogame-like scrap, Healy edges Beerbohm
by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Feb 19, 2011 at 12:45 am ET

Lyle "Fancy Pants" Beerbohm is unbeaten no more.

In a hugely entertaining headliner at Friday's Strikeforce Challengers 14 event, veteran Pat Healy delivered the top lightweight prospect his first-ever career loss.

The close unanimous-decision victory aired as part of a five-fight Showtime-televised main card at Cedar Park Center in Texas near Austin.

The back-and-forth bout proved a gem for fans of active ground fighting. While the two title hopefuls often clinched and worked for position against the cage, the real fireworks came on the mat, where they continually transitioned from dominant position to dominant position and submission attempt to submission attempt.

As an example, inverted-triangle-choke attempts were some of the more mundane submissions seen in the entertaining fight.

In the end, though, the judges gave the nod to Healy, two rounds to one.

"I think I outworked him, out hustled and won the exchanges on the feet," he said.

By the final bell, both fighters clearly were sapped of energy. Yet, both continued swinging with homerun shots while looking for the finish. The entertaining performances and relentless offensive attacks earned a rousing ovation from the night's crowd.

Perhaps that's a reason Healy decided to cancel some seemingly well-deserved gloating.

"He talked a lot of trash, and I said to myself, 'When I win, I'm going to get on the mic and throw it back at him,'" he said. "But I'm not going to sink to that level. I'm going to rise above that. Good fight to Lyle. If they want a rematch? Anytime."

A case certainly can be made for an immediate rematch, but Healy admits he'd also like to fight the winner of a March 5 bout between contenders Billy Evangelista and Jorge Masvidal.

"They both beat my brother," he said of Ryan, a former WEC fighter. "Being a proud Irishman, I want that revenge for my family."

Healy (26-17 MMA, 2-1 SF), a former IFL and UFC fighter, now has won four of his past five fights. Beerbohm (15-1 MMA, 3-1 SF), meanwhile, suffers his first career loss and goes to a decision for just the third time in his career.

Prater earns vintage win

At a time, former WEC fighter Carlo Prater was one of the most promising prospects in the sport. But after a 2-5 stretch over the past couple years, he considered his co-main-event fight with fellow 160-pounder Bryan Travers a new chance at a second life.

And he made the most of it.

After a few stand-up exchanges, Prater got the fight to the mat, locked in a choke, rolled his opponent over his body, and then forced a stoppage when the referee realized Travers was out cold.

The lightning-quick exchange, which resulted from what Prater called a modified anaconda choke, came just 38 seconds into the bout.

"No one likes to lose, and hell, my record alone says I'm not a perfect fighter," an emotional Prater said. "It's human drama We're up. We're down. We lose our jobs. We've got to get back up and look for another one.

"I'm sorry I'm crying like a wimp. I'm just very emotional. I'm coming off a series of losses. It's been a hard couple years."

Prater (26-10-1 MMA, 1-0 SF) picks up his first stoppage win in more than four years while Travers (14-3 MMA, 0-2 SF) suffers his second loss in three fights, both in Strikeforce.

Relentless Couture gets submission win

Ryan Couture took another solid step out of his famous father's shadow with an impressive and well-rounded submission victory over more-experienced lightweight Lee Higgins.

Despite it being just his second professional fight, Couture, the son of UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture, displayed patient and composed striking. The former standout high-school wrestler let that stand-up success set up multiple takedowns, which left Higgins in a variety of trouble throughout the three-round fight.

In fact, Higgins was saved by the bell from a D'Arce choke in the first round, he was dropped in the second by a right cross and ultimately forced to defend a rear-naked choke, and finally he was taken down for good in the third. Late in the final frame, Couture patiently worked for a rear-naked choke, which finally came after multiple attempts.

Higgins' tap-out came with just 19 seconds remaining in the fight.

"He was tough as nails and hand-fighting me like crazy," Couture said. "He wore out both my forearms. I can't hardly ball up my fists anymore. I'm real glad I was able to get him there at the end."

Couture (2-0 MMA, 2-0 SF), based in Las Vegas out of Xtreme Couture, said he simply wants to continue improving and finding comfort in the cage as his young pro career progresses.

Higgins (2-1 MMA, 0-1 SF) suffers his first career loss after a pair of submission wins.

Larson impressive in Strikeforce debut

Ryan Larson's big-show debut proved a successful one, and the Texas native upset fellow welterweight Erik Apple with an impressive second-round submission victory.

Larson jumped out to an early lead with a dominant ground position. He trapped Apple in a crucifix position and unloaded some heavy blows but ultimately spent the remainder of the round defending against kneebar and heel-hook attempts. In fact, Larson was warned against illegal kicks while trying to free himself of the holds.

The second round, though, offered Larson little in the way of a challenge. After after getting the takedown, he moved into dominant positions on Apple while pounding him with strikes from the mount position. After jockeying for position, Larson then corralled Apple with an inverted triangle choke from back mount but finally got the tap-out when he rolled over and settled for the traditional triangle choke.

The end came at the 3:14 mark of the second round.

"It's like a dream come to true," Larson said after the fight. "To fight for Strikeforce at a big show like this has been my dream for a long time."

The fighter said a trip to Greg Jackson's camp in New Mexico and the high-altitude training prepared him as much mentally as physically for the fight.

"I've learned that I have good cardio and if that I just push the pace, I can break guys," he said.

Larson (6-2 MMA, 1-0 SF) has won three of four while Apple (10-3 MMA, 1-2 SF) has dropped three of four.

Douglas blitzkriegs Gonzalez for submission win

David Douglas' first submission win came in blitzkrieg fashion, and it was set up by the fighter's vicious striking.

The Team Cesar Gracie member and former EliteXC fighter unloaded a quick barrage of hooks on opponent Nick Gonzalez. A perfectly placed right-left combo dropped the fighter, which prompted Douglas to pounce quickly. He then unloaded a steady stream of ground and pound before Gonzalez rolled to his back and allowed Douglas to secure the fight-ending rear-naked choke.

The end came at 1:05 mark of the first round.

"I wanted to show my jiu-jitsu skills because everyone says they've never seen it, so I wanted to give everyone a show in the crowd," Douglas said.

Prior to the win, Douglas (6-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) had posted knockouts in his first five victories. Gonzalez (16-9 MMA, 0-2 SF) falls to 4-5 (with one no-contest) over his past 10 fights.

MAIN CARD

* Pat Healy def. Lyle Beerbohm via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
* Carlo Prater def. Bryan Travers via submission (anaconda choke) - Round 1, 0:38
* Ryan Couture def. Lee Higgins via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 3, 4:41
* Ryan Larson def. Erik Apple via submission (triangle choke) - Round 2, 3:14
* David Douglas def. Nick Gonzalez via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 1, 1:05

PRELIMINARY CARD

* Ousmane Thomas Diagne def. Aaron Franco via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 4:22
* Drew Pendleton def. Dennis Dombrow via submission (guillotine) - Round 2, 2:38

For the latest on Strikeforce Challengers 14, stay tuned to the MMA Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.

(Pictured: Pat Healy)

[reflector]

I honestly think this will be a better fight. I think Davis will give Nogueira a better fight than Tito would have.




http://mmajunkie.com/news/22541/tito-ortiz-out-phil-davis-faces-antonio-rogerio-nogueira-at-ufc-fight-night-24.mma




http://mmajunkie.com/dyn/images/fighters/phil-davis-7.jpg


Tito Ortiz out, Phil Davis faces Antonio Rogerio Nogueira at UFC Fight Night 24
by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Feb 19, 2011 at 5:30 pm ET

The UFC's first-ever trip to Washington has undergone a major overhaul.

UFC president Dana White today announced that Tito Ortiz has been forced out of the UFC Fight Night 24 main event after receiving stitches, and Phil Davis has been tapped as a replacement opponent for Antonio Rogerio Nogueira.

MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) has learned from sources close to the promotion that an accidental training-session headbutt forced Ortiz to receive 22 stitches. An MRI indicated no serious damage, but the wound was severe enough to force Ortiz to withdraw from the bout.

A timetable has not yet been determined for Ortiz's return – a bout White has referred to as a "must-win" matchup for the former light heavyweight champion.

UFC Fight Night 24 takes place March 26 at KeyArena in Seattle and airs live on Spike TV.

Davis (8-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) had been expected to fight Matt Hamill at April's UFC 129 event, then Jason Brilz when Hamill was pulled in favor of a UFC 130 matchup with Quinton "Rampage" Jackson.

Davis, a former NCAA Division I national wrestling champion for Penn State, has made a smooth transition since his pro MMA debut in 2008. After signing with the UFC in early 2010, he extended his undefeated streak with decision wins over Brian Stann and Rodney Wallace and submission victories over Alexander Gustafsson and Tim Boetsch.

The recent win over Boetsch, which came via a modified hammerlock that Davis jokingly calls "the Mr. Wonderful" after his fighting nickname, earned him a "Submission of the Night" award.

Nogueira (19-4 MMA, 2-1 UFC), the twin brother of former UFC champ Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, recent suffered a unanimous-decision loss to Ryan Bader in a key UFC 119 bout. Prior to the defeat, the PRIDE vet owned a seven-fight win streak, which included UFC wins over Luiz Cane (which earned a "KO of the Night" bonus) and Jason Brilz ("Fight of the Night").

For more on UFC Fight Night 24, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.

(Pictured: Phil Davis)

[Knippz]

Davis' physique, namely his shoulders, is weird and creepy. He looks like an alien

[texaspokieokie]

what is "MMA" ???

[Boomer.....]

Mixed Martial Arts

[texaspokieokie]

thanx.

[Knippz]

Anyone want to bother to post their P4P top 10? I think it'd be interesting to see where everyone in this thread stands on that debate. I'll list mine, in case someone else decides to join.

1. Anderson Silva
2. GSP
3. Jose Aldo
4. Shogun
5. Frankie Edgar
6. Shields
7. Velasquez
8. Winner of BJ/Fitch
9. Jon Jones
10. Dominick Cruz

Honorable mention: Fedor. It was hard not to list him, as I think if he were the same size as the opponents he faces, he'd have an advantage over almost anyone skill-wise. But, he's coming off two straight bad losses, so I left him out.

[reflector]

Anyone want to bother to post their P4P top 10? I think it'd be interesting to see where everyone in this thread stands on that debate. I'll list mine, in case someone else decides to join.

1. Anderson Silva
2. GSP
3. Jose Aldo
4. Shogun
5. Frankie Edgar
6. Shields
7. Velasquez
8. Winner of BJ/Fitch
9. Jon Jones
10. Dominick Cruz

Honorable mention: Fedor. It was hard not to list him, as I think if he were the same size as the opponents he faces, he'd have an advantage over almost anyone skill-wise. But, he's coming off two straight bad losses, so I left him out.


I have no problem with this list. It looks pretty good actually. Mine would probably look really similar, if I were to make one.

[northspeter]

without looking at knipzz list, i formulated my own...

1. Anderson Silva
2. GSP
3. Jose Aldo
4. Shogun Rua
5. Nick Diaz
6. Alistair Overeem
7. Dominick Cruz
8. Frankie Edgar
9. Jake Shields
10. Cain Velasquez

i have rampage jackson, bj penn, jon fitch and rashad evans really close to the top 10... jon jones hasn't beaten a top 10 guy yet, so im waiting to see him against shogun before i give him that much praise...

[reflector]

This potential deal has been talked about for a while. I think it will be cool to see an M-1 event on Showtime.




http://www.mmamania.com/2011/2/23/2010945/showtime-sports-and-m-1-global-announce-m-1-challenge-event-to-air#storyjump


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Showtime Sports and M-1 Global announce M-1 Challenge event to air live on Showtime

Tiny by Press Release on Feb 23, 2011 4:32 PM EST

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M1_medium

NEW YORK (Feb. 24, 2011) - SHOWTIME Sports and M-1 GLOBAL announced today an upcoming mixed martial arts (MMA) event entitled M-1 Challenge: Damkovsky vs. Figueroa featuring two M-1 GLOBAL title fights. The bouts will air LIVE on SHOWTIME on Friday, March 25 at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast).

Artiom Damkovsky will defend his M-1 Challenge Lightweight (155 lbs.) championship against Jose Figueroa, while Tyson Jeffries and Magomed Sultanakhmedov will battle for the vacant M-1 Challenge Middleweight (185 lbs.) belt from Constant Center in Norfolk, Va.

In other action, Alexander Sarnavskiy will take on Josh Bacallao in a lightweight scrap and Vinny Magalhaes will fight an opponent to be named in a light heavyweight (205 lbs.) matchup.

"I am extremely happy about the venture between M-1 Global and SHOWTIME. There is no better TV network for M-1 than SHOWTIME. And no better market to seriously compete in than the U.S.," said Vadim Finkelchtein, co-founder of M-1 GLOBAL.

Star-divide

"Our ability to televise quality boxing and MMA fights at the highest level has been aided tremendously by our commitment to showcasing prospects and lesser known international stars on our feeder series like ShoBox: The New Generation and STRIKEFORCE Challengers," said Ken Hershman, Executive Vice President and General Manager of SHOWTIME Sports. "M-1 Challenge events fit perfectly into that mold and will enhance our mixed martial arts offerings even further."

Mauro Ranallo will call the action from ringside with Pat Miletich serving as analyst. The telecast will be produced by Chuck McKean and directed by Craig Farrell. The executive producer of SHOWTIME Sports is David Dinkins, Jr.

For information on SHOWTIME Sports programming, including exclusive behind-the-scenes video and photo galleries, complete telecast information and more, please go to the new SHOWTIME Sports website at http://www.sho.com/sports.

[northspeter]

meh... they aren't so special... hdnet has broadcast quite a few... i do like the announcers they typically used for there shows... but since showtime is broadcasting i guess we'll be stuck with those ******s..

[Sooner_Bob]

Gus Johnson needs to go . . . he's annoying. Showtime should do themselves a favor and hire Bas Rutten. Put him together with Frank and Pat and that would be quite the commentating trio. Who cares how good they'd do . . . they'd definitely be funny.

[reflector]

Gus Johnson needs to go . . . he's annoying. Showtime should do themselves a favor and hire Bas Rutten. Put him together with Frank and Pat and that would be quite the commentating trio. Who cares how good they'd do . . . they'd definitely be funny.


I am not a fan of Gus Johnson

[reflector]

Dana White UFC 127 Video Blog (NSFW)


44nvn8RvYog

[northspeter]

I am not a fan of Gus Johnson

i could do without frank too... i like bellator's announcing team,,, those are the guys that typically did the m-1shows on hdnet... jimmy smith and i cant remember the other guy... jimmy used to be on the show fight quest on discovery channel...

[reflector]

Dana White UFC 127 Video Blog 2 (NSFW)


eE9hTaPC4lw

[reflector]

I think this should be a good event.



http://mmajunkie.com/news/22598/ufc-127-live-and-official-weigh-in-results.mma




http://mmajunkie.com/dyn/images/fighters/jon-fitch-8.jpg


UFC 127 live and official weigh-in results
by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Feb 25, 2011 at 7:28 pm ET

All 24 fighters from this weekend's "UFC 127: Penn vs. Fitch" event hit the scales today to make their bouts official, and MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) will bring you live results from the ceremony.

Today's festivities take place at Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia, and begin at 10 p.m. ET (2 p.m. Saturday AEST local time). The same venue hosts the following day's pay-per-view event.

In addition to live, text-only results of the weigh-ins, a live video stream of the proceedings will also be available on the MMAjunkie.com homepage.

UFC 127's weigh-in ceremonies take place Saturday afternoon in Australia but air Friday evening in the U.S.

Main-event competitors B.J. Penn and Jon Fitch will lead a troop of 24 fighters to the cage, and with the UFC's bringing fights to both ION Television and Facebook.com in addition to the evening's pay-per-view card, a total of 10 fights are guaranteed to air.

The full weigh-in results include:

MAIN CARD (pay-per-view)

* Jon Fitch (77.2 kg/169.8 lbs.) vs. B.J. Penn (76 kg/167.2 lbs.)
* Michael Bisping (84.2 kg/185.2 lbs.) vs. Jorge Rivera (84 kg/184.8 lbs.)
* Dennis Siver (71.2 kg/156.6 lbs.) vs. George Sotiropoulos (70.8 kg/155.8 lbs.)
* Chris Lytle (77.2 kg/169.8 lbs.) vs. Brian Ebersole (77.2 kg/169.8 lbs.)
* Chris Camozzi (84.2 kg/185.2 lbs.) vs. Kyle Noke (83.6 kg/183.9 lbs.)

PRELIMINARY CARD (ION Television)

* Spencer Fisher (70.2 kg/154.4 lbs.) vs. Ross Pearson (70.6 kg/155.3 lbs.)
* Alexander Gustafsson (93.2 kg/205 lbs.) vs. James Te Huna (93 kg/204.6 lbs.)
* Riki Fukuda (84 kg/184.8 lbs.) vs. Nick Ring (84 kg/184.8 lbs.)

PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook)

* Tom Blackledge (93.2 kg/205.2 lbs.) vs. Anthony Perosh (93 kg/204.6 lbs.)
* Jason Reinhardt (66 kg/145.2 lbs.) vs. Tiequan Zhang (66.2 kg/145.6 lbs.)

PRELIMINARY CARD

* Mark Hunt (119.2 kg/262.2 lbs.) vs. Chris Tuchscherer (118.6 kg/260.9 lbs.)
* Maciej Jewtuszko (70.2 kg/154.4 lbs.) vs. Curt Warburton (70.8 kg/155.8 lbs.)

For more on UFC 127, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.

(Pictured: Jon Fitch)

[KC//CRIMSON]

Mark Hunt?

Wow.

[OUthunder]

I wonder which BJ Penn will show up? An interested/in great shape Penn, or a cocky/I got this **** covered BJ Penn?

[northspeter]

I wonder which BJ Penn will show up? An interested/in great shape Penn, or a cocky/I got this **** covered BJ Penn?

if he cant stop fitch's takedowns it'll be a long boring fight...

[reflector]

Dana White UFC 127 Video Blog 3 (NSFW)


dbvKTpvsh3k


Bisping looked really heated when I watch Weigh Ins online. You can hear what he and Jorge say to each other in this video.

[Knippz]

Looks like they may be doing the 2nd set of fights of the HWGP in Dallas. If that's the case, hellllll yeah!! I'll be attending'

[Knippz]

Dana White UFC 127 Video Blog 3 (NSFW)


dbvKTpvsh3k


Bisping looked really heated when I watch Weigh Ins online. You can hear what he and Jorge say to each other in this video.

That was intense! I like it from Bisping, keep it coming. I think he's gonna tool Rivera.

[reflector]

That was intense! I like it from Bisping, keep it coming. I think he's gonna tool Rivera.

I hope it is a good fight. I think Bisping will win though.

[Canyonero]

First fight about to start

[Canyonero]

Kyle Noke coming out to "Land Down Under"

[northspeter]

i enjoyed the card tonite... if you saw the prelims on ion, then you basically got to see every fight on the entire card...

[northspeter]

oh and bisping is still the count of all ******s...

[Canyonero]

Fitch seems like a good guy but I'm not a fan of his style. It would be hard to watch him fight five rounds if he became champ.

[northspeter]

Fitch seems like a good guy but I'm not a fan of his style. It would be hard to watch him fight five rounds if he became champ.

if gsp is in the division... fitch could never beat him... that fight was 50-45 2 years ago... gsp totally dominated him...

[reflector]

I thought Fitch won the second and third rounds. It was a good event though.




http://mmajunkie.com/news/22624/ufc-127-main-card-results-fitch-vs-penn-ends-in-draw-bisping-earns-dubious-tko.mma



http://mmajunkie.com/dyn/images/fighters/michael-bisping-12.jpg


UFC 127 main-card results: Fitch vs. Penn ends in draw, Bisping earns dubious TKO
by Dann Stupp on Feb 27, 2011 at 12:30 am ET

An otherwise-entertaining UFC 127 card ended with a thud when a No. 1 contender's bout between welterweight notables Jon Fitch and B.J. Penn ended in a majority draw.

The letdown of a decision (in an otherwise competitive fight) headlined the event, which took place at sold-out Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia.

The overseas show took place on Sunday in Australia, but due to the time difference, aired in its normal Saturday-night pay-per-view timeslot in the U.S.

The bout initially provided little action, but Penn soon surprised the former Purdue University wrestler with a textbook takedown and rear-naked choke attempt. Fitch survived the round, but he found himself in a hole, one round to none.

Fitch turned the tables in the next round with a quick takedown of his own. But before he could do any real damage, Penn was back on his feet. Fitch clung to him and delivered punches from the clinch, but Penn popped him with an elbow that resulted in a badly bloodied nose and eventual takedown of his own. Once there, Penn again took his back and secured his hooks, but Fitch again rolled free and took top position. It was another close round, and though Fitch tied up the fight with the effort on the MMAjunkie.com scorecard, the judges didn't agree.

In what both fighters likely considered a deciding final frame, Fitch struck first with a big right hand that set up a takedown. He immediately battered his opponent with punches from guard, but Penn quickly kicked his way free and got back to his feet. Fitch got the fight back to the ground, though, and continued the assault of punches and elbows. The sustained and damaging attack continued for the final three minutes of the fight. MMAjunkie.com nearly scored the round 10-8 for Fitch but settled on 10-9 and the fight 29-28 overall for the American Kickboxing Academy fighter.

In the end, though, the judges declared the bout a majority draw with scores of 29-28 (for Fitch), 28-28 and 28-28.

"I think I did enough to at least win a split decision," Fitch said. "My cardio was through the roof. It just threw me off because I did zero preparations for B.J. shooting. ... It was a great game plan, and it threw me off."

Penn, who admitted the gods "smiled upon me," hinted that he may have expected a loss.

"I think I got some dominant position in the first and second rounds, but he kicked my butt in the third round," he said.

That's why he's open to a rematch.

"If he wants to do it again, I'll do it again," he said.

Fitch (23-3-1 MMA, 13-1-1 UFC), who was promised a title shot if victorious, snaps a five-fight win streak since a 2008 title loss to champion Georges St-Pierre.

Penn (16-7-2 MMA, 12-6-2 UFC), who had lost his lightweight belt and a rematch to Frankie Edgar in 2010, is 1-0-1 (with a November victory over Matt Hughes) since his return to welterweight.

Bisping TKOs Rivera – with an asterisk

In the most heated and personal fight on the UFC 127 lineup, Michael Bisping scored a second-round TKO victory over fellow middleweight Jorge Rivera. But an illegal first-round knee and Bisping's post-fight comments are likely to steal the headlines.

In an effort to hype the fight and get himself some exposure on a successful tail end of his career, Rivera opted to do something that's proven especially easy: tweak Bisping pre-fight. A series of online videos took swipes at Bisping and his fighting style, and it led to some bad blood at the pre-event press conference and UFC 127 weigh-ins.

Things began innocently enough, but midway through the opening round and after a ground scramble, Bisping tagged Rivera with a clearly illegal and especially flush knee to the head. The referee immediately called for time, and Rivera was visibly rocked by the shot. Even after a few minutes of recovery time, Rivera still appeared fazed by the shot, which resulted in a one-point deduction.

Still, he opted to press on.

Bisping closed out the round with quick hands and an easy takedown, which resulted in a 9-9 tie through the first five minutes.

Rivera landed a flush right hand and wobbled his opponent in the next stanza, but Bisping quickly took control of the fight. A solid combo was followed by a stiff knee to the head, and dazed Rivera was forced to cover up while leaning against the cage. Bisping unloaded a couple dozen additional blows until Rivera dropped to a knee and prompted the TKO stoppage at the 1:54 mark of the round.

Neither the embarrassment of the illegal blow or the victory itself initially cooled Bisping's flame.

"Never talk about my family," Bisping warned Rivera at the bout's conclusion. "Go home, loser."

By his post-fight interview, though, Bisping calmed himself down.

"I apologize," he said. "I got a little worked up there. ... I'm a sensitive guy. I apologize for maybe losing my nerve a little bit there."

While still lacking a signature top-10 win to get his title shot, Bisping (21-3 MMA, 11-3 UFC) nevertheless owns a three-fight win streak and four victories in his past five fights. The lone defeat came in a close decision loss to Wanderlei Silva at UFC 110 in Australia.

Rivera (19-8 MMA, 7-5 UFC) snaps a three-fight win streak and loses his first fight in nearly three years.

Siver derails Sotiropoulos' title hopes

While fans complained about the matchup and said contender George Sotiropoulos was wasting his time, Dennis Siver got the last laugh.

The German fighter used a dominant first round and a pair of knockdowns to set up an eventual unanimous-decision victory over the Australian lightweight contender in one of the night's big upsets.

Siver set the tone early by avoiding takedowns. He also made a statement when Sotiropoulos caught and held a leg only to be popped anyway by a punch. As his confidence grew, Siver poured on the punches and dropped Sotiropoulos twice with crisp strikes. Each time, though, he allowed Sotiropoulos to get back to his feet instead of testing his jiu-jitsu prowess on the mat.

Sotiropoulos appeared largely recovered for the second round, but Siver continued halting the takedowns with his vastly improved defenses. However, the well-conditioned Sotiropoulos proved quicker to the punch, and a few especially solid counter strikes likely earned him the round.

In a slugfest of a third round, the fighters went toe to toe with power shots, and each landed some heavy shots. But by avoiding the takedowns and getting landing some well-time shots, Siver appeared to have a slight edge.

In the end, the judges agreed, and Siver's upset special came via scores of 29-28, 30-28 and 30-27.

"It was a hard, hard fight, but I could [implement] my game plan, and that's why I won," Siver said through a translator.

Admittedly, he worked hard to avoid ground fighting.

"That's why we trained it so hard everyday," he said of his trakedown defense. "That's why it worked."

Despite his opponent likely costing him a title shot, Sotiropoulos was nothing but complimentary.

"He was very strong, and he landed some heavy shots," he said. "He really defended well. ... It was very hard to take him down."

Siver (18-7 MMA, 7-4 UFC) now has won three straight and six of his past seven UFC fights. Sotiropoulos (14-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC), meanwhile, suffers his first defeat in the UFC and snaps an eight-fight win streak.

Ebersole upsets resurgent Lytle

If 60-fight veteran Brian Ebersole had a kitchen sink, he would have thrown it at 50-fight vet Chris Lytle.

Fortunately for the UFC newcomer and crafty replacement fighter, his unorthodox approach resulted in a few fight-altering blows that set up an eventual upset unanimous-decision victory.

The welterweight bout featured two Indianapolis natives on two different paths. Lytle had climbed into UFC title contention with a recent four-fight win streak while Ebersole moved to Australia and dominated the country's fight circuit.

At the start of the bout, Ebersole, a replacement for injured Carlos Condit, unloaded a variety of strikes, including a fight-opening cartwheel kick. Lytle, though, easily blocked it and spent the remainder of the round working for unsuccessful guillotine chokes.

After a facial cut was closed up, Lytle opted to stand and trade in the second. Ebersole's unorthodox striking resulted in a nice spinning back kick and some solid low kicks, but Lytle's punching proved quicker, more accurate and much more powerful. But a lunging knee to the head dropped Lytle midway through the round and instantly shifted the fight's momentum.

In what was likely a third and deciding round, Ebersole scored an early takedown but soon was forced to defend from multiple guillotine-choke attempts. Lytle eventually got back to his feet, but Ebersole scored some solid blows from the clinch and finished the fight in top position with a slicing elbow strike after another failed guillotine attempt from Lytle.

In the end, Ebersole, an 11-year vet who's competed on five continents, earned the decision win via scores of 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28.

"I'm overwhelmed with emotion," said Ebersole, who's long wanted a shot in the world's top promotion. "I brought a lot of emotion from the people in my life into this fight."

Ebersole (47-14-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) now owns an eight-fight win streak and 12 victories in his past 13 bouts.

The 36-year-old Lytle (30-18-5 MMA, 9-10 UFC), who had hoped for a title shot before retiring, likely saw those hopes dashed with the defeat.

Noke scored efficient win over Camozzi

Walking out to the fitting tune of "Down Under," Australian fighter Kyle Noke got the night's pay-per-view broadcast off to a boisterous start with a quick submission win over Chris Camozzi, a fellow cast member from "The Ultimate Fighter 11."

After getting the better of their brief stand-up exchanges, Noke scored a smooth takedown, immediately hopped into the mount position, and quickly went to work. After unloading a few punches, Noke readjusted his position when Camozzi rolled to his side. Noke swung his legs to the side and then secured his hooks when his opponent went to his knees. He then flattened out Camozzi and secured the fight-ending rear-naked choke.

The fight lasted all of 95 seconds.

"I was expecting a stand-up war with Chris," said Noke, who thanked trainer Greg Jackson in his post-fight interview. "But we went to the ground, and I was able to get the finish.

Noke (19-4-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) now has won five straight fights, and he's suffered just one defeat in his past 10 fights. Camozzi (14-4 MMA, 2-1 UFC), meanwhile, snaps a four-fight win streak and suffers his first UFC defeat.

SEE ALSO: UFC 127 preliminary-card results: Pearson tops Fisher, judges rob Fukuda

MAIN CARD

* Jon Fitch vs. B.J. Penn declared a majority draw (29-28 Fitch, 28-28, 28-28)
* Michael Bisping def. Jorge Rivera via TKO (strikes) - Round 2, 1:54
* Dennis Siver def. George Sotiropoulos via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-28, 30-27)
* Brian Ebersole def. Chris Lytle via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
* Kyle Noke def. Chris Camozzi via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 1, 1:35

PRELIMINARY CARD

* Ross Pearson def. Spencer Fisher via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
* Alexander Gustafsson def. James Te Huna via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 1, 4:27
* Riki Fukuda def. Nick Ring via unanimous decision (28-28, 29-28, 29-28)
* Anthony Perosh def. Tom Blackledge via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 1, 2:45
* Tiequan Zhang def. Jason Reinhardt via guillotine choke - Round 1, 0:48
* Mark Hunt def. Chris Tuchscherer via TKO (punches) - Round 2, 1:41
* Curt Warburton def. Maciej Jewtuszko via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

For more on UFC 127, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.

(Pictured: Michael Bisping)

[OUthunder]

Fitch lost the fight in the 1st. Draws suck.

The best fight of the night was the fat guys after the main event, That eye got messed up bad.

[Breadburner]

I have always liked Mark Hunt.....

[KC//CRIMSON]

I have always liked Mark Hunt.....

Yep, he's a good guy. Hope he can get back on track with his career.

[reflector]

I am ready for the new season to already be here.




http://mmajunkie.com/news/22639/the-ultimate-fighter-13-cast-unveiled-with-14-welterweight-fighters.mma



"The Ultimate Fighter 13" cast unveiled with 14 welterweight fighters
by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Feb 28, 2011 at 11:20 am ET

Spike TV officials today unveiled the official 14-person welterweight cast for "The Ultimate Fighter 13."

The long-running competition-reality series debuts March 30 on Spike TV with heavyweight contenders Brock Lesnar and Junior Dos Santos as coaches.

As MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) first reported earlier this month, UFC officials eliminated the "elimination round" from this season of the show, so the fighters won't have to win an opening-round matchup to secure their spot on the cast.

The cast includes notables such as Nordin Asrih, Shamar Bailey, Myles Jury and Charlie Rader, who all have at least nine professional fights. The fighters come from the U.S., England, Germany, Mexico and Canada. (See the full list and biographical information below.)

"TUF 13" production began this past month. The 14 fighters will be split into two teams and compete in a tournament format. Producers again will use "wild card" picks to give a pair of eliminated cast members a second shot in the quarterfinal round of the tournament.

The seventh, eighth and ninth seasons of the show saw the use of the elimination round, and "TUF 11" then saw the implementation of second-chance wild-card entries. Beginning with 32 fighters instead of 28, the show allowed two cast members who lost in the round of 16 to be handpicked by UFC president Dana White to fight for the final spot in the quarterfinals. The wild-card format, which eventually allowed Kris McCray to post a runner-up finish on "TUF 11," returns this season despite the loss of the elimination round.

Although initially expected to feature both welterweight and middleweight fighters, producers recently chose to go with a cast of all 170-pounders this season.

The cast includes:

Name: Nordin Asrih
Age: 32
Trains: Dusseldorf, Germany (Pride Gym)
MMA record: 16-5-1

Name: Shamar Bailey
Age: 28
Trains: Indianapolis, Ind. (Integrated Fighting Systems)
MMA record: 10-3

Name: Len Bentley
Age: 27
Trains: Olympia, Wash. (Victory Athletics)
MMA record: 9-4

Name: Michael "Mick" Bowman
Age: 26
Trains: Liverpool, England (Wolfslair)
MMA record: 7-2

Name: Keon Caldwell
Age: 26
Trains: Moultrie, Ga. (Team Reality)
MMA record: 8-1

Name: Chris Cope
Age: 28
Trains: San Diego, Calif. (Arena MMA)
MMA record: 4-1

Name: Zachary Davis
Age: 26
Trains: Rockville, Md. (Evolve/Team Lloyd Irvin)
MMA record: 4-1

Name: Anthony Ferguson
Age: 26
Trains: Ventura, Calif. (Knuckleheadz Boxing)
MMA record: 10-2

Name: Clay Harvison
Age: 30
Trains: Marietta, Ga. (X3 Sports)
MMA record: 6-1

Name: Myles Jury
Age: 22
Trains: San Diego, Calif. (Victory)
MMA record: 9-0

Name: Ryan McGillivray
Age: 24
Trains: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada (Legends Training Centre)
MMA record: 11-4-1

Name: Ramsey Nijem
Age: 22
Trains: Orem, Utah (River Academy/The Pit)
MMA record: 4-1

Name: Charlie Rader
Age: 29
Trains: New Orleans, La. (Power MMA)
MMA record: 16-5

Name: Javier Torres
Age: 25
Trains: Las Vegas, Nev. (Team Tompkins)
MMA record: 3-0

And for more on "The Ultimate Fighter 13," stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.

[reflector]

I think it stinks that there will be a delay in the tournament.




http://mmajunkie.com/news/22660/strikeforce-confirms-delay-to-heavyweight-grand-prix-diaz-vs-daley-slated-for-apr-9.mma




http://mmajunkie.com/dyn/images/executives/scott-coker-7.jpg


Strikeforce confirms delay of heavyweight grand prix; Diaz vs. Daley set for April 9
by Steven Marrocco on Mar 01, 2011 at 7:25 pm ET

The Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix's second event will be delayed until early summer in order to capitalize properly on the success of its first event.

So says Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker, who ended weeks of speculation about the fate of a second tournament quarterfinal event originally targeted for April 9.

Coker stated the April 9 event instead features two title fights: welterweight champ Nick Diaz (24-7 MMA, 5-0 SF) defends his title against Paul Daley (27-9-2 MMA, 2-0 SF), and lightweight champ Gilbert Melendez (18-2 MMA, 8-1 SF) defends his belt against Tatsuya Kawajiri (27-6-2 MMA, 0-0 SF).

"The overwhelming success in New Jersey set the bar high," Coker today told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) in a prepared statement. "With a record pre-sale for Strikeforce tickets and a record viewership on Showtime, we've now given ourselves the proper amount of time to promote in one of the country's biggest markets."

That market is Dallas, where Strikeforce plans to hold the second quarterfinal event on June 18 at American Airlines Center. The event features two tournament bouts: Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem vs. Fabricio Werdum and Josh Barnett vs. Brett Rogers. Overeem's Strikeforce heavyweight belt will not be on the line.

A venue for the April 9 event has not been determined, a Strikeforce official today told MMAjunkie.com. The promotion is deciding between two separate arenas, though the venues' respective athletic commissions have approved the event.

The official could not confirm if a rumored arena, Oakland, Calif.'s Oracle Arena, is one of the venues targeted for the spring event.

Additionally, a light-heavyweight matchup between former champion Gegard Mousasi and Mike Kyle is expected to take place at the April 9 event. Mousasi informed MMAjunkie.com of the targeted bout this past November.

On Tuesday, a report from MMAWeekly.com stated K.J. Noons is preparing to appear on the card, though his participation could not be confirmed at the time of this writing.

A full press release on the April 9 card and tournament delay are expected for Thursday morning.

Strikeforce held its first tournament event, "Strikeforce and M-1 Global: Fedor vs. Silva," this past month at IZOD Center in East Rutherford, N.J., and drew record TV ratings for broadcast partner Showtime. The Feb. 12 telecast averaged 741,000 viewers and peaked with 1.1 million viewers for a headlining bout between Fedor Emelianenko and Antonio Silva.

For more on the April 9 Strikeforce event and Strikeforce in Dallas, stay tuned to the MMA Rumors section of the site

(Pictured: Scott Coker)

[Collier11]

Just a reminder fellas, March 19th on MTV 2 is the Bellator tourney, my HS Buddy Zac George is in it, I believe he is 19-3 as a pro, check him out and hopefully he performs well and keeps working closer to his UFC dream

[reflector]

GSP Training With Freddie Roach


o9ANij0plXg

[reflector]

I think the fight between Sanchez and Kampmann will be good.



http://mmajunkie.com/news/22649/ufc-on-versus-3-live-and-official-weigh-in-results.mma




http://mmajunkie.com/dyn/images/fighters/martin-kampmann-9.jpg


UFC on Versus 3 weigh-in results: Kampmann (171), Sanchez (171) official
by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Mar 02, 2011 at 4:25 pm ET

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) was on scene and reporting live from today's "UFC on Versus 3: Sanchez vs. Kampmann" fighter weigh-ins, and all 22 fighters hit their required marks.

Main-event opponents Martin Kampmann and Diego Sanchez each tipped the scales at 171 pounds for their welterweight matchup, and the remaining competitors all made weight with little issue.

Today's festivities took place at the Kentucky International Convention Center in Louisville, Ky. The nearby KFC Yum! Center hosts Thursday's Versus-televised event.

Bantamweights Reuben Duran and Damacio Page, who face Takeya Mizugaki and Brian Bowles, respectively, each initially weighed 137 pounds. Each fighter removed their fight shorts and made weight on their second attempt on the scale.

In addition to the Sanchez vs. Kampmann headliner, the event features a middleweight co-main event between Mark Munoz and C.B. Dollaway. A handful of other notables are in action at the show, which includes a two-fight prelims stream on Facebook.

The full weigh-in results included:

MAIN CARD (Versus)

* Martin Kampmann (171) vs. Diego Sanchez (171)
* C.B. Dollaway (185) vs. Mark Munoz (186)
* Alessio Sakara (186) vs. Chris Weidman (186)
* Brian Bowles (135) vs. Damacio Page (136)+

PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook)

* Cyrille Diabate (205) vs. Steve Cantwell (206)
* Danny Castillo (155) vs. Joe Stevenson (155)

PRELIMINARY CARD

* Shane Roller (156) vs. Thiago Tavares (156)
* Reuben Duran (136)* vs. Takeya Mizugaki (136)
* Rob Kimmons (185) and Dongi Yang (186)
* Dave Branch (186) vs. Rousimar Palhares (186)
* Todd Brown (205) vs. Igor Pokrajac (204)

* - Duran initially weighed 137 pounds but removed his fight shorts and made weight on the second attempt
+ - Page initially weighed 137 pounds but removed his fight shorts and made weight on the second attempt

For more on UFC on Versus 3, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.

(Pictured: Martin Kampmann)

[Knippz]

Once again, stoked that I'll get to see part of the HWGP live. The UFC on Versus card is not bad. Diego vs Kampmann should be good. Tough to pick a winner in that fight.

[northspeter]

former cowboys went 2-0 tonite...

[northspeter]

great headliner!!! thought kampmann won 29-28... but that was a great fight...

[reflector]

I thought the main event was a very good fight. I would actually like to see Sanchez and Kampmann rematch some time in the future.




http://mmajunkie.com/news/22691/ufc-on-versus-3-main-card-results.mma






http://mmajunkie.com/dyn/images/fighters/diego-sanchez-10.jpg


UFC on Versus 3 main-card results: Sanchez outlasts Kampmann in three-round thriller
by John Morgan and Dann Stupp on Mar 03, 2011 at 11:10 pm ET

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – For perennial UFC contender Diego Sanchez, a main-card slot with Martin Kampmann proved anything but a dream.

The man formerly known as "The Nightmare" ran into a buzzsaw in Danish striker Martin Kampmann, who proved impossible to take down throughout a thrilling 15-minute affair.

Nevertheless, Sanchez's relentless forward movement and constant brawling eventually netted the bloody, battered welterweight a unanimous-decision victory.

The bout, which took place at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky., served as the featured contest of Thursday's Versus-broadcast "UFC on Versus 3: Sanchez vs. Kampmann" event.

Early on, things looked perfect for "Hitman." The Dane's takedown defense was impeccable, and his technical striking was on full display. Executing sprawl-and-brawl tactics at their finest, Kampmann dropped Sanchez with a right hand in the opening frame, and the blood began to flow freely from the face of "The Dream."

But Sanchez refused to back down, and even as he continued to eat blow after blow, he answered with his own wild, furious combinations. Kampmann appeared to land with more frequency, but Sanchez's activity level, coupled with a pair of shots that appeared to wobble his opponent briefly, apparently made an impression with the judges.

With Kampmann showing the effects of a broken right hand, Sanchez took control of the exchanges in the final frame. Kampmann still answered each strike from his opponent, and Sanchez's face was transformed into an absolute bloody mess, but the winner of the original season of "The Ultimate Fighter" gritted his way to a third-round win. With rounds one and three fairly clear, the decision ultimately came down to the judges view of the second frame.

All three saw it for Sanchez, who was awarded the unanimous-decision win, 29-28 on all three cards. The KFC Yum! Center crowd immediately erupted into a chorus of boos.

Despite the controversial result, Sanchez (23-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC) can now claim back-to-back "Fight of the Night" wins in the welterweight division. In fact, Sanchez's past four victories have all come along with a "Fight of the Night" bonus. Meanwhile, Kampmann (17-5 MMA, 8-4 UFC), who said he felt he won all three rounds of the fight, has now dropped two-straight fights for the first time in his career.

Munoz makes quick work of Dollaway in co-feature

"The Filipino Wrecking Machine" came to Kentucky in high gear. Facing fellow All-American wrestler C.B. Dollaway, Mark Munoz needed just 54 seconds to earn an impressive TKO finish.

Dollaway opened the fight well, earning an early takedown and setting up briefly in top position. But Munoz scrambled well on the bottom and escaped back to his feet. From there, Munoz's much-improved striking was on full display.

A straight right clipped Dollaway on the chin, and a follow-up uppercut sent his opponent tumbling to the floor. Munoz pounced with a few hammerfists that landed flush, and referee Mario Yamasaki rushed in to stop the fight.

Dollaway quickly recovered and rose to his feet to protest the stoppage, but replays showed the decision appeared to be correct.

"I came here to put on a show for you guys," Munoz said following the win.

With the result, Munoz (10-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) has now tasted victory in five of his past six contests, with the lone loss coming to perennial contender Yushin Okami via split decision. Meanwhile, Dollaway (11-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC) sees a three-fight win streak snapped.

Newcomer Weidman outlasts Sakara in blood-filled affair

Widely considered one of MMA's brightest prospects in the middleweight division, former All-American wrestler Chris Weidman delivered as billed against Italian striker Alessio Sakara in a bloody affair.

It was actually Sakara who looked the more skilled opponent in the first frame, shucking off a few Weidman takedown attempts while stringing together crisp combinations to the head and body. "Legionarius" did suffer a small cut over his right eye, but it was nothing in comparison to what would come in round two.

Leaning more heavily on his grappling prowess, Weidman was finally able to work the fight to the floor, where he took firm control of the contest. While Sakara showed adequate defense from his back, Weidman delivered an elbow to the forehead that opened a gushing cut on his opponent's forehead.

Things only got worse from there.

Sakara tried furiously to return to his feet over the final two frames, but Weidman dropped him back to the canvas each time. The Matt Serra product continued the ground-and-pound result and was awarded a clear-cut unanimous decision win, sweeping the fight on all three judges' cards.

Despite fighting on just two-weeks' notice, Weidman (5-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) remains undefeated in his budding professional career. Meanwhile, Sakara (15-8 MMA, 6-5 UFC) sees a three-fight win streak snapped.

Bowles earns repeat win over Page

Sometimes, lightning does strike twice.

In his first fight since losing his WEC bantamweight title to Dominick Cruz in March 2010, Brian Bowles proved his 2008 win over Damacio Page was no fluke. In fact, he even used the same finishing move, a guillotine choke, to seal the first-round victory.

Perhaps even more incredibly, the result came at the 3:30 mark in both bouts.

Page opened the fight with his trademark aggression, moving forward with punches and kicks from the opening bell. But Bowles evaded the early attacks and began to seek counters of his own. He found it with an uppercut that signaled the beginning of the end.

Bowles grabbed a woozy Page's kick and forced him to the floor. From there, a ground-and-pound assault led to an opening for a guillotine choke, and Bowles seized the opportunity. Bowles locked up the choke and squeezed until Page slipped into unconsciousness.

Following the win, Bowles said the pair's first fight laid the blueprint for the second

"He hits hard," Bowles said. "I know he comes out aggressive, but I was able to use my footwork last time, and I tried to so the same thing this time."

With his lone career loss coming to current UFC champion Dominick Cruz, the win likely puts Bowles (9-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) in an enviable position in the current title picture. Meanwhile, the always-exciting Page (15-6 MMA, 0-1 UFC) has now dropped two consecutive fights and may be on shaky ground with the promotion.

SEE ALSO: UFC on Versus 3 preliminary-card results: Diabate strikes early, cruises to decision win

OFFICIAL MAIN CARD RESULTS

* Diego Sanchez def. Martin Kampmann via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
* Mark Munoz def. C.B. Dollaway via TKO (punches) - Round 1, 0:54
* Chris Weidman def. Alessio Sakara via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
* Brian Bowles def. Damacio Page via submission (guillotine choke) - Round 1, 3:30

OFFICIAL PRELIMINARY CARD RESULTS

* Cyrille Diabate def. Steve Cantwell via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-25, 30-26)
* Danny Castillo def. Joe Stevenson via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
* Shane Roller def. Thiago Tavares via knockout (punches) - Round 2, 1:28
* Takeya Mizugaki def. Reuben Duran via split decision (30-27, 27-30, 29-28)
* Dongi Yang def. Rob Kimmons via TKO (strikes) - Round 2, 4:47
* Rousimar Palhares def. Dave Branch via submission (kneebar) - Round 2, 1:44
* Igor Pokrajac def. Todd Brown via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 5:00

For complete coverage of UFC on Versus 3, check out the UFC Events section of MMAjunkie.com.

(Pictured: Diego Sanchez)

[Knippz]

great headliner!!! thought kampmann won 29-28... but that was a great fight...
I had Kampann too, but it is what it is. Great fight though! Diego seems to be in a lot of those.

[reflector]

I actually added MTV2 to my cable lineup yesterday. The last hour of the Bellator event tomorrow is supposed to be the first hour of the Strikeforce event on Showtime. I imagine I will be switching between channels every 5 seconds or so, for that hour. I still think the fight between 'Feijao' and Henderson should be really good.




http://mmajunkie.com/news/22689/strikeforce-feijao-vs-henderson-live-and-official-weigh-in-results.mma




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"Strikeforce: Feijao vs. Henderson" live and official weigh-in results
by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Mar 04, 2011 at 4:00 pm ET

COLUMBUS, Ohio – MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) is on scene and reporting live from today's "Strikeforce: Feijao vs. Henderson" fighter weigh-ins, which take place at the Columbus Convention Center in Columbus, Ohio.

Today's ceremony begins at 5 p.m. ET, and MMAjunkie.com will have live results as each of the card's 20 competitors step on the scale.

Featuring a light heavyweight title fight between current champion Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante and top contender Dan Henderson, as well as a women's welterweight tile fight between champion Marloes Coenen and late replacement Liz Carmouche, "Strikeforce: Feijao vs. Henderson" takes place Saturday at the nearby Nationwide Arena.

In addition to the two co-main events, the Showtime-broadcast "Strikeforce: Feijao vs. Henderson" also featured a middleweight matchup between Tim Kennedy and Melvin Manhoef, as well as a lightweight scrap between Billy Evangelista and Jorge Masvidal.

MMAjunkie.com will have a full photo gallery of the proceedings later this evening.

The full "Strikeforce: Feijao vs. Henderson" weigh-in results include:

MAIN CARD

* Champ Rafael Cavalcante (204.5) vs. Dan Henderson (204.5) – for light heavyweight title
* Champ Marloes Coenen (135) vs. Liz Carmouche (134) – for women's welterweight title
* Tim Kennedy (186) vs. Melvin Manhoef (185)
* Billy Evangelista (155.5) vs. Jorge Masvidal (155)

PRELIMINARY CARD

* Roger Bowling (170) vs. Josh Thornburg (170)
* Billy Vaughan (152.5) vs. Jorge Gurgel (155)
* Jason "Jay" Freeman (221.5) vs. Jason Riley (259)
* Ian Rammel (180.5) vs. Brian Rogers (184.5)
* Marc Cofer (185) vs. Mitch Whitesel (182.5)
* J.P. Felty (170.5) vs. John Kuhner (170.5)

For the latest on "Strikeforce: Feijao vs. Henderson," stay tuned to the MMA Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.

(Pictured: Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante)

[Boomer.....]

I actually thought Diego won the 2nd and 3rd. The 3rd round was more in question but he was the aggressor and had a take down. Great fight!

[Sooner_Bob]

Kampmann got robbed . . . he stuffed takedown after takedown and the one time Diego got one he couldn't do anything with it.

[reflector]

I am excited for this event as well tomorrow night.





http://mmajunkie.com/news/22710/bellator-35-weigh-in-results-welterweight-quarterfinals-official.mma




http://mmajunkie.com/dyn/images/fighters/jay-hieron-5.jpg


Bellator 35 weigh-in results: Welterweight quarterfinals official
by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Mar 04, 2011 at 9:50 pm ET

Official fighter weigh-ins for Saturday's Bellator 35 event took place today, and the four quarterfinal matchups for the promotion's season-four welterweight tournament are now official.

The festivities took place at the Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino in Lemoore, Calif.

The same venue hosts Saturday's MTV2-broadcast event, the company's first season-four fight card.

Bellator 35 hosts all four bouts in the promotion's season-four welterweight tournament, and all eight competitors in the bracket made weight without issue.

Additionally, the preliminary portion of the card features Bellator 115-pound champion Zoila Frausto and Karina Hallinan in a non-title affair. Both females also made weight without issue in a 125-pound contest.

The full weigh-in results included:

MAIN CARD

* Lyman Good (170.8) vs. Chris Lozano (170.6) - welterweight tourney quarterfinal
* Jay Hieron (170.8) vs. Anthony Lapsley (170.8) - welterweight tourney quarterfinal
* Rick Hawn (170.6) vs. Jim Wallhead (170) - welterweight tourney quarterfinal
* Dan Hornbuckle (170) vs. Brent Weedman (169.4) - welterweight tourney quarterfinal

PRELIMINARY CARD

* Champion Zoila Frausto (125.6) vs. Karina Hallinan (125) - non-title fight
* Jamie Jara (174.4) vs. Waachiim Spiritwolf (173.4)
* Brandon Bender (146.4) vs. Josh Herrick (145.2)
* Jesus Castro (135) vs. Paul Ruiz (134.8)

For more on Bellator 35, stay tuned to the MMA Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.

(Pictured: Jay Hieron)

[reflector]

Don't forget that Bellator 35 begins in about 2 hours on MTV2 and in about 3 hours the Strikeforce event starts on Showtime. I think it is going to be an awesome night of fights.

[reflector]

I thought the Hieron fight was stopped too early. I think he still probably would have won though.





http://mmajunkie.com/news/22726/bellator-35-resuts-good-hieron-hawn-weedman-advance-to-semifinals.mma




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Bellator 35 resuts: Good, Hieron, Hawn, Weedman advance to semifinals
by John Morgan on Mar 05, 2011 at 11:10 pm ET

LEMOORE, Calif. – Former Bellator Fighting Championships champion Lyman Good, took the first step toward reclaiming his belt from current title-holder Ben Askren with a unanimous-decision win over previously undefeated contender Chris Lozano in a tournament quarterfinal matchup.

Good dominated Lozano for the three-round affair, which served as the featured contest of Saturday night's Bellator 35 event at the Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino in Lemoore, Calif. The main card was broadcast on MTV2.

The main event took place largely on the feet, and while Lozano was competitive in the early going, Good took over as the fight wore on. The second frame featured a powerful flurry from Good that damaged Lozano's left eye, and the laceration proved important to the contest. Lozano began to clinch the eye repeatedly in obvious discomfort, and by the end of the second frame, it appeared his vision was severely impaired.

In the third, it was obvious Lozano was having trouble seeing while on the feet, and he looked to take the fight to the floor. But after a missed guillotine attempt from Lozano, Good set up in top position and delivered damage for the remainder of the frame. Good worked to the back in the closing seconds and looked for a rear-naked choke, but Lozano lasted until the final bell. It hardly mattered, as Good was granted the clear-cut unanimous-decision win, 29-28, 30-27 and 30-27.

Following the win, Lozano said the victory was important for his own confidence.

"This is me redeeming myself from a loss, so I felt like I had lot more to prove to myself than I did anybody watching," Good said.

With the victory, Good (11-1 MMA, 4-1 BFC) rebounds from his first-ever loss as a professional. Meanwhile, Lozano (6-1 MMA, 1-1 BFC) loses a previously unblemished record.

Hieron stops Lapsley with controversial technical submission

Anthony Lapsley entered his quarterfinal matchup as a heavy underdog to Xtreme Couture's Jay Hieron. And while things were exactly going well for "The Recipe," Lapsley looked to be the victim of an early stoppage.

Hieron took his opponent to the floor early and unleashed a flurry of strategic ground-and-pound blows and non-stop submission attempts. From a D'arce choke to guillotine to rear-naked choke to the mount, Hieron had Lapsley trapped against the cage and completely on defense. When Lapsely rolled to his belly to avoid Hieron's punching attack, Hieron locked in the rear-naked choke that would ultimately end the fight.

Hieron looked to have the choke in place, but Lapsley prevented "The Thoroughbred" from locking in both hooks, and it appeared that he might be able to survive the hold. Nevertheless, Hieron continued to crank the choke for several seconds, forcing referee Josh Rosenthal to concern himself with Lapsley's safety.

With both fighters against the cage, Rosenthal was unable to gather a clear view of Lapsley's face, and he instead grabbed the arm to check on the welterweight's consciousness. He didn't find the condition he hoped, and the official waved off the fight at the 3:39 mark of the first round. Lapsley immediately jumped to his feet to protest the call, but the technical submission had already been awarded.

Following the stoppage, Rosenthal explained his decision.

"His base slipped out from underneath him," Rosenthal said. "I checked his wrist. He had no resistance, which is basically telling me he's out."

Hieron admitted he wasn't completely aware of Lapsley's condition, but he said the result would have been the same if the fight had carried on.

"I'm back," Hieron proclaimed. "I don't know what happened with the stoppage. It would have happened regardless."

In his Bellator debut, Hieron (20-4 MMA, 1-0 BFC) runs his current win streak to eight fights. Meanwhile, Lapsley (19-5 MMA, 1-1 BFC) sees a four-fight win streak snapped but has an awfully compelling case to claim a position as the welterweight tournament's first alternate.

Hawn outboxes Wallhead en route to decision win

In a quarterfinal matchup that featured judo specialists Rick Hawn and Jim Wallhead, it was boxing that proved the difference.

A former Olympic judoka, Hawn flashed improved striking skills as he out-maneuvered Wallhead on the feet, landing crisp punches and avoiding the vast majority of his opponent's counterstrikes. While neither fighter was ever in any real trouble, Hawn continued to mix in kicks for the 15-minute affair, remaining the more active and accurate fighter from the feet.

"Judo" Jim did finally look for a takedown attempt in the final frame, but Hawn easily shucked off the single-leg takedown attempt and returned to his original gameplan. In the end, there was little doubt that Hawn deserved to have his hand raised, and he walked away with a unanimous-decision win, 29-28, 29-28 and 30-27.

With nary a hip toss in the three-round affair, Hawn credited his opponent's own judo base for keeping the fight on the feet.

"Everyone knows I'm going to try and do the judo on them," Hawn said. "He's got a background in it, and I could feel it. He knew it was coming.

"He's a good boxer, and I wanted everybody to know my boxing is getting better."

Hawn (10-0 MMA, 2-0 BFC), who made his pro debut in January 2009, remains undefeated 10 fights into his career. Wallhead (21-6 MMA, 1-1 BFC) sees an eight-fight win streak snapped.

Weedman edges Hornbuckle in grappling-heavy three-rounder

In the evening's first tournament quarterfinal matchup, and a rematch of a 2006 bout, welterweights Dan Hornbuckle and Brent Weedman engaged in a tightly-contested three-round affair. Both contestants had moments of brilliance, but it was Weedman that ultimately earned the nod.

Weedman found himself in trouble early, as Hornbuckle took him to the floor and quickly worked to mount. Weedman wiggled free, but even in top position, he found himself defending a triangle choke and an armbar. But Weedman turned the tide in the closing seconds and ended the round with a near-submission from an inverted triangle.

In the second, Hornbuckle caught an early kick and dumped Weedman to the floor. "The Handler" again attacked on the floor, but Weedman flashed excellent submission defense while shucking Hornbuckle off of his back and setting up a leglock battle. Neither could capitalize, but Weedman finished the frame on the back, looking for a rear-naked choke.

In the final frame, the two opened with a bit of traded standup before Weedman dropped to the ground while looking for a kimura. It wasn't there, and Weedman was forced to compete from his back for the remainder of the contest. Hornbuckle couldn't capitalize, but the results of the bout were anything but certain when the final bell sounded.

The crowd apparently sided with Hornbuckle, as a chorus of boos erupted when Weedman was awarded the unanimous-decision win.

"I felt like I was attacking off my back, but Dan Hornbuckle deserves all the blessings in the world," Weedman said after the bout. "For the fans out there booing, it's a real disgrace to Dan Hornbuckle, who I think is a real champion. It was a real honor."

Weedman (18-5-1 MMA, 4-0 BFC), who advances to the semifinals, runs his current win streak to 10-straight fights. Meanwhile, Hornbuckle (22-4 MMA, 3-2 BFC) falls to a disappointing 1-2 in his past three fights.

Frausto, Ruiz pick up wins in card-opening contests

In a non-title 125-pound bout, Bellator's 115-pound female champion, Zoila Frausto, earned a measure of revenge against her doubters by handily defeating Karina Hallinan in a rematch of the "Warrior Princess'" first professional fight. Hallinan tried to slow down the action and grind away from the clinch, but Frausto battered her with knees and punches inside.

Frausto had trouble creating the distance she needed for a finish and instead settled for a one-sided unanimous-decision win, 30-27 on all three judges' cards. Nevertheless, Frausto (11-1 MMA, 5-0 BFC) runs her current win streak to six fights. Meanwhile, Hallinan (3-5 MMA, 0-1 BFC) has now dropped three-straight fights.

In the evening's card-opening fight, bantamweight Paul Ruiz needed just 67 seconds to dispatch of fellow first-time pro Jason Castro. An early right hand dropped Castro (0-1 MMA, 0-1 BFC), and Ruiz (1-0 MMA, 1-0 BFC) followed up with a flurry of ground-and-pound blows that forced the rapid stoppage.

OFFICIAL MAIN CARD RESULTS

* Lyman Good def. Chris Lozano via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
* Jay Hieron def. Anthony Lapsley via technical submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 1, 3:39
* Rick Hawn def. Jim Wallhead via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
* Brent Weedman def. Dan Hornbuckle via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

OFFICIAL PRELIMINARY CARD RESULTS

* Waachiim Spiritwolf def. Jamie Jara via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)*
* Brandon Bender def. Josh Herrick via submission (guillotine choke) - Round 1, 3:42*
* Champion Zoila Frausto def. Karina Hallinan via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
* Paul Ruiz def. Jason Castro via TKO (punches) - Round 1, 1:17

* - Bout took place following main card

For more on Bellator 35, check out the MMA Events section of MMAjunkie.com.

(Pictured: Lyman Good)

[reflector]

I thought Henderson looked impressive in his fight.




http://mmajunkie.com/news/22725/strikeforce-feijao-vs-henderson-results-henderson-claims-belt-with-knockout-win.mma




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"Strikeforce: Feijao vs. Henderson" results: Henderson claims belt with knockout win
by John Morgan and Dann Stupp on Mar 06, 2011 at 12:05 am ET

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Dan Henderson still has it.

The 40-year-old former PRIDE world champion and UFC tournament winner was wobbled early by Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante but battled back to land his signature right hand and claim Strikeforce's light heavyweight title.

The bout served as the main event of Saturday night's "Strikeforce: Feijao vs. Henderson" event, which took place at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, and aired on Showtime.

The win didn't come easily for Henderson, who was in trouble in the opening frame. After touching Cavalcante on the chin with a stinging right, the Brazilian unleashed his own heavy hands and staggered "Hendo." But the former Olympic wrestler returned to his roots but dragging "Feijao" to the mat, buying time to regain his with. The veteran move paid major dividends.

In the second, Henderson again relied on his vaunted wrestling skills by working in the clinch, as well as planting Cavalcante on the canvas and grinding away from top position. It wasn't necessarily aesthetically pleasing, but it changed the momentum of the fight by slowing down Cavalcante, who had been finding some early success on the feet.

In the third, Henderson finally landed his trademark right, or as Showtime broadcaster Mauro Ranallo suggested, unleashed the "H-Bomb."

With Cavalcante looking to open up on the feet, Henderson landing a shot to the chin that appeared as much grazing blow as direct hit. Nevertheless, the blow sent Cavalcante tumbling to the floor. Henderson immediately pounced with six heavy punches to the temple that sealed the knockout result 50 seconds into the third frame.

Following the win, Henderson said the fight played out exactly as he had hoped.

"I kind of wanted to be real patient in this fight," Henderson said. "Obviously, I would have liked to have knocked him out in the first minute. He's a tough guy. ... I wanted to be patient, hopefully win each round, and then catch him in that third, fourth or fifth round. That's about what happened."

With a career that dates back to 1997, Henderson has racked up a number of wins with his powerful punches, and he said the finishing sequence was vintage "Hendo."

It's a punch that I kind of like to do – inside leg kick, overhand right," Henderson said. "It's one that I work on all the time. I threw it, landed it and jumped on top. He started to recover, then I landed a couple good punches on top."

Following a shocking loss to Shields in his Strikeforce debut, Henderson (27-8 MMA, 2-1 SF) has now won two-straight fights. Meanwhile, Cavalcante (10-3 MMA, 3-2 SF) sees a three-fight win streak snapped while becoming the fifth-straight Strikeforce light heavyweight champion to relinquish the title without a successful defense of the belt.

Carmouche controls early, but champ Coenen retains belt

With the odds stacked against her, late-replacement challenger Liz Carmouche threw caution to the wind. It nearly netted her Strikeforce's women's welterweight title.

Following a back-and-forth opening round in which the competitors felt each other out on the feet, Marloes Coenen found herself unable to stop Carmouche's powerful takedown attacks, and the champion found herself on her back often in rounds two and three, defending a non-stop stream of ground-and-pound blows. Coenen, bucked and rolled and kicked her legs high, trying to reverse the position, but Carmouche's steady base kept her in control of the momentum.

As the fight entered the championship rounds, Coenen's face was battered an bruised, and she appeared both shocked and confused by the results of the first three frames. Nevertheless, the experience of Coenen emerged in the frame, and with Carmouche confident in top position, the Dutch veteran wrapped her lanky legs around the neck of her opponent and locked in a tight triangle choke. Carmouche squirmed as the hold tightened, but she was trapped and had no choice but to tap.

Despite outstriking her foe 221 to 48 according to a CompuStrike report – including an astonishing 169 punches on the floor – Carmouche was forced to submit 89 seconds into the fourth round.

"I just wish I would have finished right away," Carmouche said after the bout. "I have room to improve, and I'm going to do that."

Coenen, who showed obvious relief after the tap, agreed that Carmouche will continue to impress.

"She will be a champion someday," Coenen said.

Coenen (19-4 MMA, 2-1 SF) defended her belt successfully for the first time and appears likely to meet original opponent Miesha Tate in her next outing. Carmouche (5-1 MMA, 2-1 SF) loses for the first time as a professional, but "Girl-Rilla" undoubtedly earned a legion of new fans with the impressive win.

Kennedy taps Manhoef in first

In a middleweight contender matchup that most MMA pundits viewed as an old-school striker vs. grappler matchup, the strategies for submission-savvy Tim Kennedy and power puncher Melvin Manhoef appeared fairly simple. When the opening bell rang, it was Kennedy who implemented his will.

Following an early missed takedown attempt, Kennedy was forced to stand and trade with the lethal Dutch striker, but he didn't dally in the position. Kennedy quickly took the action to his preferred domain. Manhoef worked back to his feet briefly, but Kennedy immediately deposited him back on the floor and took mount. "No Mercy" bucked and rolled, but the ground game remains his Achilles' heel, and Kennedy locked in a fight-ending rear-naked choke with relative ease, forcing Manhoef to tap.

The finish came at the 3:41 mark of the first frame.

Kennedy (13-3 MMA, 4-1 SF) rebounds from an August 2010 title loss to Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza and keeps himself on the short list for a future shot at the belt. Meanwhile, the always-exciting Manhoef (24-9-1 MMA, 0-2 SF) proves once again he's best suited for striking-only contests.

Masvidal whitewashes Evangelista

In a lightweight matchup certain to figure prominently in Strikeforce's increasingly deep 155-pound division, striking specialists Jorge Masvidal and Billy Evangelista combined for a 15-minute affair heavy on standup action. And while the combatants slowed in the final rounds and earned the ire of the Ohio crowd, Masvidal ultimately earned a clean sweep of the three judges' cards.

The previously undefeated Evangelista appeared the quicker fighter in the early going, but the bigger Masvidal, who also regularly competes at welterweight, consistently landed the more powerful blows. Evangelista looked to jab and take the fight to the floor, but Masvidal's takedown defense was generally sound, and his knees in the clinch provided some of the bout's best blows. Masvidal earned a pair of his own takedowns in the the closing moments of the second frame, and "Gamebred" appeared well on his way to an impressive win.

Evangelista pressed in the final frame, but he was forced to look for a knockout blow that simply wouldn't come. With a comfortable lead in hand, Masvidal was content to patiently counterstrike for the final frame, and it paid off. At the conclusion of the 15-minute affair, Masvidal was awarded the win, 30-27 on all three judges' cards.

Masvidal (21-6 MMA, 3-0 SF) claims his first win under the Strikeforce banner since 2008 and will likely earn a high-profile matchup in his next contest for the organization. Meanwhile, Evangelista (11-1 MMA, 7-1 SF) suffers his first official loss as a professional.

Bowling impresses early, survives late scare

One thing is certain: There is no quit in Josh Thornburg. The welterweight was dominated by prospect "Relentless" Roger Bowling from the opening bell, but Thornburg refused to quit and nearly scored a Hail Mary victory at the closing bell.

Thornburg's troubles started in the opening round when Bowling locked up a guillotine choke. After surviving the submission, Thornburg found himself eating ground-and-pound blows from the wrong end of a crucifix position. When he again found a way to escape and work back to the feet, he was dropped by a Bowling combination. More ground-and-pound action and a rear-naked choke attempt ended the round for Bowling, who looked close to claiming the round with a 10-8 score.

The first round set the tone for the remainder of the contest, and while Thornburg showed great heart throughout, he did little to change the course of the contest – until the final seconds of the third frame.

Down big on the scorecards but facing a tiring foe, Thornburg netted a slam takedown and locked in a guillotine choke. Alas, there was not enough time to capitalize on the hold, and Bowling lasted until the final bell. When the fighters were brought to the center of the cage, Bowling was awarded the clear-cut unanimous decision.

An Ohio native, Bowling said he enjoyed returning home for the win.

"I fought on the West Coast my last few fights and it's nice to be back here (in Ohio)," Bowling said.

With the win, Bowling (9-1 MMA, 2-1 SF) rebounds from his first professional loss. Meanwhile, after opening his career with four-straight wins, Thornburg (5-2 MMA, 0-1 SF) falls to just 1-2 in his past three fights.

Gurgel, Freeman pick up first-round victories

By now, Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace Jorge Gurgel is used to the critics who wonder why he consistently chooses to stand and bang with his opponents. But perhaps he's starting to listen.

Gurgel wasted little time in clinching up with opponent Billy Vaughan and latching onto a standing guillotine choke attempt. With Vaughan apparently comfortable enough to look for the takedown rather than working his neck free, Gurgel continued to focus on the choke. The Brazilian dropped to guard and cranked the hold, forcing the stoppage just 44 seconds into the fight.

Following the win, Gurgel said he was most interested in finding out if his new wife, Bellator Fighting Championships female champion Zoila Frausto, was also able to claim victory in her fight at Bellator 35.

"I just got married two weeks ago, and I need to go back and make sure my wife won to make it a complete night," Gurgel did.

Moments earlier, Frausto had earned victory via decision.

With the impressive win, Gurgel (14-7 MMA, 2-2 SF) snaps a two-fight losing streak. Meanwhile, Vaughan (9-7 MMA, 0-1 SF) loses for just the second time in his past five outings.

Hometown heavyweight Jason Riley looked well on his way to picking up an impressive win after an early flurry dropped his foe. Unfortunately for Riley, Jay Freeman had other plans.

After hitting the deck from an early Riley right hand, Freeman's opponent allowed him to stand, and he took advantage of the opportunity. A left hand sent Riley crashing to the canvas, and Freeman pounced with follow-up blows that earned the victory just one minute and 52 seconds into the opening frame.

With the victory, Freeman (6-4 MMA, 1-0 SF) improves to 3-1 in his past four official outings. Meanwhile, Riley (9-6 MMA, 0-2 SF) has now dropped three-straight fights, including two bouts under the Strikeforce banner.

Rogers, Whiesel, Kuhner earn early stoppage wins

Outweighed by four pounds at Friday's official weigh-in ceremony, Ian Rammel appeared the weaker man from moment one of his preliminary-card bout with Brian Rogers. "The Predator" pounced from moment one of the proceedings and floored Rammel twice in the early going. Each time, Rogers backed away and brought his foe back to the feet. The strategy paid off.

In the closing minute of the first round, Rogers again sent Rammel toppling to the canvas with a flurry. However, this time Rogers followed to the ground and pounded away, earning the stoppage with 37 seconds left in the frame.

With the impressive performance, Rogers (7-2 MMA, 1-0 SF) has now earned six-straight wins via first-round knockout. Meanwhile, Rammel (2-2 MMA, 0-1 SF) sees a two-fight win streak snapped.

In middleweight action, Mitch Whitesel took advantage of a failed first-round throw attempt from opponent Marc Cofer to wind up in top position. From there, Whitesel quickly locked up a guillotine choke and torqued the hold to force a quick tap. The end came at the 3:55 mark of the opening frame.

With the win, Whitesel (16-20 MMA, 1-0 SF) snapped a five-fight losing streak. Meanwhile, after opening his career with three consecutive wins, Cofer (3-4 MMA, 0-1 SF) has dropped four-straight outings.

The evening's first fight saw the previously winless John Kuhner battle back from early trouble to score a second-round technical submission win over first-time pro J.P. Felty.

After fighting from his back for most of the first round, Kuhner was able to work to top position in the second. After unleashing several painful-looking round-and-pound blows, Kuhner (1-2 MMA, 1-0 SF) locked in a triangle choke from mount and rolled to his back to finish the hold. Felty (0-1 MMA, 0-1 SF) battled through the maneuver valiantly but eventually succumbed to the choke and went unconscious with 29 seconds left in the frame.

OFFICIAL MAIN CARD RESULTS

* Dan Henderson def. champ Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante via TKO (strikes) - Round 3, 0:50
* Champ Marloes Coenen def. Liz Carmouche via submission (triangle choke) - Round 4, 1:29
* Tim Kennedy def. Melvin Manhoef via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 1, 3:41
* Jorge Masvidal def. Billy Evangelista via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

OFFICIAL PRELIMINARY CARD RESULTS

* Roger Bowling def. Josh Thornburg via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
* Jorge Gurgel def. Billy Vaughan via submission (guillotine) - Round 1, 0:44
* Jason Freeman def. Jason Riley via submission (strikes) - Round 1, 1:52
* Brian Rogers def. Ian Rammel via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 4:23
* Mitch Whitesel def. Marc Cofer via submission (guillotine) - Round 1, 3:55
* John Kuhner def. J.P. Felty via technical submission (triangle choke) - Round 2, 4:31

For complete coverage of "Strikeforce: Feijao vs. Henderson," check out the MMA Events section of MMAjunkie.com.

(Pictured: Dan Henderson)

[Sooner_Bob]

Hendo and Tim Kennedy looked pretty good.

[reflector]

I am glad that it got good ratings. I really enjoyed the event.




http://mmajunkie.com/news/22751/bellator-35-debut-nets-200000-viewers-massive-increases-in-key-demographics.mma



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Bellator 35 debut nets 200,000 viewers, massive increases in key MTV2 demos
by John Morgan on Mar 08, 2011 at 12:25 pm ET

Bellator's season-four debut event netted 200,000 viewers for MTV2's live broadcast, and the immediate replay maintained 63.5 percent of the original audience with 127,000 fans tuning in.

Most importantly, the figures represented a massive increase in key demographics for the cable channel.

MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) has learned from industry sources that Bellator 35's ratings viewership represented an 83 percent increase in men ages 18 to 49 years old, 80 percent rise in men ages 18 to 34 years old and a whopping 133 percent increase in men ages 25 to 34 years old.

Bellator 35 took place this past Saturday at Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino in Lemoore, Calif. The live broadcast featured the four quarterfinal matchups of Bellator's season-four welterweight tournament. Lyman Good, Rick Hawn, Jay Hieron and Brent Weedman all earned victories and advanced to the tournament's semifinals.

The second hour of the live broadcast went head-to-head with Showtime's live broadcast of "Strikeforce: Feijao vs. Henderson."

The Bellator 35 broadcast peaked with 231,000 viewers. Industry sources said the event gave the network its best time-period performance among men ages 25 to 34 years old in one year and largest viewership of men ages 18 to 49 years old since October 2010.

Belator's fourth season is the promotion's first to air on MTV2. The organization's first season aired on ESPN Deportes, and season two and three aired on FOX Sports Net.

For more on Bellator 35, check out the MMA Events section of MMAjunkie.com.

[reflector]

I thought it was strange that Kheder didn't even try to weigh in.




http://mmajunkie.com/news/22794/bellator-36-weigh-in-results-lightweight-quarterfinals-official.mma




http://mmajunkie.com/dyn/images/fighters/rob-mccullough-patricky-freire.jpg


Bellator 36 weigh-in results: Lightweight quarterfinals official
by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Mar 11, 2011 at 8:40 pm ET

Official fighter weigh-ins for Saturday's Bellator 36 event took place today, and the four quarterfinal matchups for the promotion's season-four lightweight tournament are now official.

However, things didn't go exactly as planned.

As MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) first reported, lightweight tourney participant Ferrid Kheder declined to weigh-ins for the event and was replaced by Josh Shockley, who had been expected to fight on the preliminary card.

The festivities took place at Louisiana's Shreveport Municipal Auditorium.

The same venue hosts Saturday's MTV2-broadcast event, the company's second season-four fight card.

Bellator 36 hosts all four bouts in the promotion's season-four lightweight tournament, and Shockley and the remaining seven competitors in the bracket made weight without issue.

The eight contenders are each gunning for $100,000 in total prize money, as as a shot at Bellator's lightweight title against the winner of a Bellator 39 bout between current champ Eddie Alvarez and season-two tournament winner Pat Curran.

While numerous fighters on the preliminary card, including Kelvin Hackney, Matt Hunt and Javon Duhon, appeared to be overweight, the promotion made no mention of a need for the fighters to return to the scale.

The full weigh-in results included:

MAIN CARD

* Patricky Freire (155.2) vs. Rob McCullough (155.8)
* Toby Imada (155.8) vs. Josh Shockley (156)*
* Carey Vanier (155.2) vs. Lloyd Woodward (155.4)
* Mike Chandler (156) vs. Marcin Held (155.2)

PRELIMINARY CARD

* Kelvin Hackney (156.6) vs. TBA*
* Kevin Aguilar (145) vs. Matt Hunt (150.2)
* Kelly Leo (185.2) vs. Chad Leonhardt (185.6)
* Booker Arthur (144.6) vs. Javon Duhon (149.4)

* - Toby Imada was originally expected to face Ferrid Kheder, who failed to make weight, and Shockley was pulled from a planned contest with Kelvin Hackney

For more on Bellator 36, stay tuned to the MMA Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.

(Pictured: Rob McCullough and Patricky Freire)

[northspeter]

BIG BREAKING NEWS!!!! via Ariel Helwani on twitter... the ZUFFA HAS PURCHASED STRIKEFORCE!!!! dana white interview on mmafighting.com

[reflector]

BIG BREAKING NEWS!!!! via Ariel Helwani on twitter... the ZUFFA HAS PURCHASED STRIKEFORCE!!!! dana white interview on mmafighting.com

This is huge news. I hope Strikeforce stays on Showtime.

[Sooner_Bob]

Dana said business as usual for both UFC and Strikeforce . . . although I hope he changes his mind and they do UFC/Strickforce New Year's Eve event.

That would rawk.

[reflector]

Razor Rob looked good in the second round, but he just got caught with that shot in the third round.




http://mmajunkie.com/news/22814/bellator-36-results-freire-imada-woodard-chandler-advance-in-lightweight-tourney.mma





http://mmajunkie.com/dyn/images/fighters/patricky-freire-rob-mccullough.jpg


Bellator 36 results: Freire, Imada, Woodard, Chandler advance in lightweight tourney
by Dann Stupp on Mar 12, 2011 at 10:50 pm ET

Just days after the untimely death of his manager, Patricky Freire scored a stunning third-round knockout victory over "Razor" Rob McCullough in the headliner of Saturday's 36 event.

Freire and fellow lightweights Toby Imada, Lloyd Woodard and Michael Chandler all advanced to the tournament's semifinal round with stoppage victories.

Bellator 36 took place at Louisiana's Shreveport Municipal Auditorium, and the night's main card aired live on MTV2.

All eight competitors took a step forward in the eight-man tourney, which awards the winner $100,000 in total pay and a lightweight title shot.

Freire, a submission specialist, jumped out to an early lead with surprisingly effective striking and a dominant ground game, which forced McCullough to defend against rear-naked and triangle chokes. McCullough ultimately escaped and rained down some solid punches, but he lost the round and suffered a badly bloodied nose in the process.

McCullough, a Muay Thia specialist, found his range in the second round. Punch-kick combinations proved especially effective. Freire, though, got a late-round takedown and again took his opponent's back, but McCullough reversed the position and closed out the round with ground and pound to tie up the fight, one round each.

In the third and deciding round, McCullough again took control of the stand-up with vicious leg kicks and a solid overhand right. Freire, though, remained in the pocket and landed some solid punches of his own. With two minutes remaining in the fight, he connected on an inside leg kick and dropped McCullough with a beautifully timed right hand. The one-punch knockdown was followed with a few ground shots and the referee's intervention.

The TKO end came at the 3:11 mark of the final round.

Freire admittedly entered the bout with a heavy heart following the sudden death of manager Ivan Canello earlier this week.

"I was very sad at Canello's death, but I know with my victory, he is very proud," Freire said through a translator.

Freire (8-1 MMA, 1-0 BFC), the brother of Bellator featherweight-tourney fighter Patricio Freire, now has won four straight fights. McCullough (19-7 MMA, 0-1 BFC) snaps a two-fight win streak.

Shockley's arm injury nets Imada quick win

Imada had come up a victory short in both of Bellator's first two lightweight tournaments, and things didn't start off well as he entered his third tourney. But a freak accident caused by a dominant submission hold on late replacement Josh Shockley's arm ultimately resulted in a quick and efficient win.

Imada took some early blows before Shockley shot and scored the takedown. But once on the mat, Imada locked in an armbar submission. Shockley picked up his opponent and tried to slam his way free, but his arm appeared to break or dislocate once they hit the mat. Shockley yelled out in pain, which the referee declared a verbal submission.

The end came 79 seconds into the fight.

Shockley replaced Judo specialist Ferrid Kheder, who refused to weigh in for the fight and was expected to miss weight, on the eve of the show. But he jumped at the opportunity to enter the tournament field.

Imada admitted he was disappointed he didn't get to fight Kheder.

"I prepared for him specifically," he said. "Last minute, the game plan was obviously out of the window, but I had to do what I had to do, and it worked out OK."

Imada (29-15 MMA, 5-2 BFC) now has won 13 of his past 15 fights, and the only losses came in Bellator tournament finales. Shockley (6-1 MMA, 0-1 BFC), who was schedule to compete on the night's preliminary card before his tourney substitution, suffers his first career loss.

Woodard scores TKO win over Vanier

Quick hands and some pinpoint-accurate strikes led undefeated "Cupcake" Woodard to his most high-profile victory to date, which came over season-two tourney semifinalist Carey Vanier.

Vanier, a Greg Jackson-trained fighter, found success with early takedowns. But Woodard continually got back to his feet and countered him with punches on subsequent attempts. An overhand right late in the first round landed especially flush and clearly bothered Vanier.

The blows kept coming in the second round, and Woodard quickly connected on a short left hook that dropped his opponent. Vanier swiftly got to his feet but was dropped again with knees from the clinch. With Vanier forced to cover up from the subsequent blows, Woodard pounded away until the referee awarded the TKO stoppage just 46 seconds into the round.

"This is the greatest moment of my life," Woodard said. "Once he went down to the ground, I knew I just had to keep hitting him hard and he wouldn't want to continue."

Woodard (11-0 MMA, 0-0 BFC), a Montana native who primarily has competed in the Northwest, now has posted five consecutive victories via stoppage. Vanier (10-4 MMA, 2-2 BFC) falls to 1-2 over his past three fights.

Chandler tops Held in submission-heavy affair

In the night's first tourney bout and the MTV2 opener, Chandler survived opponent Marcin Held's early submission attempts, including a deep leg lock, and ultimately pulled off a submission of his own.

Chandler, a former NCAA Division I All-American wrestler at the University of Missouri, attempted a takedown early in the fight, but the 19-year-old Polish prodigy locked in his leg and took the fight to the mat. Held extended and torqued the leg while transitioning from a kneebar to a heel hook. Chandler, though, used punches to held escape, and after some ground and pound, locked in a fight-ending arm-triangle choke.

Held appeared to lose consciousness just as the fight was halted at the 3:56 mark due to the technical submission.

So how's Chandler's leg?

"It's great," he said. "I don't get hurt. I'm going to win this thing. I don't care if it's broken, separated. Hey, it's good. I'm going to win this thing.

"I am that young, hungry dark horse. I'm here to stay. I promise you I'm going to win this tournament. No one trains harder than me, and no one wants this tournament title more than I do."

Chandler (6-0 MMA, 3-0 BFC) picks up his sixth straight win and third under the Bellator banner. Held (10-2 MMA, 0-1 BFC), who was making his U.S. debut, suffers just the second loss of his near-three-year pro career.

MAIN CARD

* Patricky Freire def. Rob McCullough via TKO (strikes) - Round 3. 3:11
* Toby Imada def. Josh Shockley via submission (injury) - Round 1, 1:19
* Lloyd Woodard def. Carey Vanier via TKO (strikes) - Round 2, 0:46
* Michael Chandler def. Marcin Held via technical submission (arm-triangle choke) - Round 1, 3:56

PRELIMINARY CARD

* Chad Leonhardt def. Kelly Leo via TKO (corner stoppage) - Round 2, 5:00
* Kevin Aguilar def. Matt Hunt via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 3:02
* Booker Arthur def. Javon Duhon via submission (elbows) - Round 2, 2:31

For more on Bellator 36, stay tuned to the MMA Events section of the site.

(Pictured: Rob McCullough and Patricky Freire)

[northspeter]

Dana said business as usual for both UFC and Strikeforce . . . although I hope he changes his mind and they do UFC/Strickforce New Year's Eve event.

That would rawk.

everything i've read and heard is that it will be business as usual with some early minor changes... elbows on the ground are now allowed in strikeforce and lorenzo said there will be some back of the house things they can change as early as the next strikeforce show in april to help make things smoother for the fighters... but business as usual was aslo what zuffa said afer purchasing pride and wec.. once there current contracts had ended they were folded into the ufc... showtime has strikeforce contracted through 2014... i also read that dana is thinking about making the heavyweight tourney final a pay per view event....

[reflector]

I think this will be a good fight.





http://mmajunkie.com/news/22832/mac-danzig-vs-donald-cerrone-grudge-match-slotted-for-ufc-131-in-vancouver.mma





http://mmajunkie.com/dyn/images/fighters/donald-cerrone-7.jpg


Mac Danzig vs. Donald Cerrone grudge match slotted for UFC 131 in Vancouver
by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Mar 14, 2011 at 5:40 pm ET

Some good good ol' trash-talking has secured Mac Danzig (20-8-1 MMA, 4-4 UFC) a fight with fellow lightweight Donald Cerrone (14-3 MMA, 1-0 UFC) at UFC 131.

UFC officials today announced the June 11 bout, which came about after Danzig's recent Twitter insults.

"So all you have to do to secure a fight you haven't earned is wear a silly hate, call yourself 'Cowboy' and talk trash?" Danzig wrote in January after Cerrone earned a late-replacement booking with Paul Kelly.

UFC 131 is expected to take place June 11 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Brock Lesnar vs. Junior Dos Santos headlines the night's pay-per-view broadcast.

It's not clear if Danzig vs. Cerrone will make the PPV broadcast or if it may be aired or streamed as part of a preliminary-card special.

Since a career-worst three-fight skid, Danzig, "The Ultimate Fighter 6" winner, has won two of three fights. Most recently, he scored a first-round knockout of Joe Stevenson that earned him UFC 124's "KO of the Night" honors. The former KOTC champ's only loss during the stretch came in a controversial UFC 115 bout in which the ref appeared to stop the fight prematurely after believing Danzig had been choke unconscious.

Cerrone, a former top WEC lightweight contender, made his UFC debut in the Kelly fight and picked up a second-round submission victory (in a bout that earned UFC 126 "Fight of the Night" honors). He's now won three consecutive fights, including a decision victory over Jamie Varner and a submission win over Chris Horodecki under the WEC banner.

For more on UFC 131, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.

(Pictured: Donald Cerrone)

[reflector]

Dana White UFC 128 Video Blog 1 (NSFW)


voYnsI1WFFU

[KC//CRIMSON]

War Shogun!

[Sooner_Bob]

everything i've read and heard is that it will be business as usual with some early minor changes... elbows on the ground are now allowed in strikeforce and lorenzo said there will be some back of the house things they can change as early as the next strikeforce show in april to help make things smoother for the fighters... but business as usual was aslo what zuffa said afer purchasing pride and wec.. once there current contracts had ended they were folded into the ufc... showtime has strikeforce contracted through 2014... i also read that dana is thinking about making the heavyweight tourney final a pay per view event....

True, but with Pride their operations were done . . . . Strikeforce is still a viable product without Zuffa IMO.

Figures that Dana would take some quality free MMA action and turn it into a PPV. I hope Showtime fights them on it . . . but I doubt that will happen.

[Sooner_Bob]

War Shogun!

This^

[reflector]

Demarco Murray was actually at the weigh ins.





http://mmajunkie.com/news/22873/ufc-128-live-and-official-weigh-in-results.mma




http://mmajunkie.com/dyn/images/fighters/jon-jones-8.jpg


UFC 128 live and official weigh-in results
by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Mar 18, 2011 at 2:50 pm ET

NEWARK, N.J. – MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) is on scene and reporting live from today's "UFC 128: Shogun vs. Jones" fighter weigh-ins.

Today's festivities take place at AmeriHealth Pavilion at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. The ceremonies begin at 4 p.m. ET (1 p.m. PT).

Leading the way to the scale are light-heavyweight champion Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and fellow title-fight participant Jon Jones, who square off in Saturday's championship main event.

MMAjunkie.com has live text-only updates here beginning at 4 p.m. ET. Additionally, you can watch a live video stream of the proceedings.

Full weigh-in results include:

MAIN CARD (pay-per-view)

* Champ Mauricio "Shogun" Rua (205) vs. Jon Jones (205)
* Urijah Faber (135.5) vs. Eddie Wineland (135.5)
* Nate Marquardt (186) vs. Dan Miller (185)
* Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic (229) vs. Brendan Schaub (245)
* Jim Miller (155.5) vs. Kamal Shalorus (155)

PRELIMINARY CARD (Spike TV)

* Luiz Cane (205.5) vs. Eliot Marshall (205)
* Edson Barboza (155.5) vs. Anthony Njokuani (155)

PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook)

* Ricardo Almeida (170) vs. Mike Pyle (171)
* Kurt Pellegrino (156) vs. Gleison Tibau (155)

PRELIMINARY CARD

* Joseph Benavidez (136) vs. Ian Loveland (135)
*
Nick Catone (194) vs. Costantinos Philippou (195)
* Raphael Assuncao (145) vs. Erik Koch (145)

For the latest on UFC 128, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.

(Pictured: Jon Jones)

[Sooner_Bob]

I hope Cro Cop LH Kicks Schaub into next week . . .

[reflector]

There is lots of MMA to watch tomorrow.



http://mmajunkie.com/news/22891/bellator-37-weigh-in-results-featherweight-quarterfinals-official.mma




http://mmajunkie.com/dyn/images/organizations/bellator-fighting-championships.jpg


Bellator 37 weigh-in results: Featherweight quarterfinals official
by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Mar 18, 2011 at 6:30 pm ET

Official fighter weigh-ins for Saturday's Bellator 37 event took place today, and the four quarterfinal matchups for the promotion's season-four featherweight tournament are now official.

The festivities took place at Hyatt Place in Oklahoma City, and the eight quarterfinalists all made weight without issue.

The Lucky Star Casino in nearby Concho, Okla., hosts Saturday's MTV2-broadcast event, the company's third season-four fight card.

After removing his fight shorts to make weight, headliner Georgi Karakhanyan said he was excited to face an opponent as tough as Patricio "Pitbull" Freire in the opening round.

"He's very well-rounded, so he's going to bring the best out of me," Karakhanyan said.

Meanwhile, Freire said he hopes to build off the family momentum established by his lightweight brother, who earned a third-round TKO win in this past week's Bellator 36 event.

"I want to do even better than my brother did last week," Freire said through an interpreter.

Bellator 37 hosts all four bouts in the promotion's season-four featherweight tournament.

Additionally, the preliminary portion of the card features big-show veterans Jake Rosholt, Roli Delgado and Jameel Massouh, who also made weight without issue.

The full weigh-in results included:

MAIN CARD

* Patricio "Pitbull" Freire (146) vs. Georgi Karakhanyan (146)
* Zac George (145.8) vs. Wilson Reis (145.6)
* Nazareno Malegarie (145.6) vs. Daniel Straus (144)
* Kenny Foster (145.4) vs. Eric Larkin (145.4)

PRELIMINARY CARD

* John Bryant (186.8) vs. Jake Rosholt (185.8)
* Jerrod Sanders (146) vs. Jeremy Spoon (143.6)
* Roli Delgado (144.4) vs. Jameel Massouh (145)

For more on Bellator 37, stay tuned to the MMA Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.

[reflector]

Dana White UFC 128 Video Blog 2 (NSFW)


x83SIycVfrM

[Knippz]

Love Shogun, but Bones is taking this.

[reflector]

Dana White UFC 128 Video Blog 3 (NSFW)


y1G4-j_roDQ

[Collier11]

I hope Cro Cop LH Kicks Schaub into next week . . .

I like Schaub

[Knippz]

Demarco took a pic with Schaub.

[northspeter]

True, but with Pride their operations were done . . . . Strikeforce is still a viable product without Zuffa IMO.

Figures that Dana would take some quality free MMA action and turn it into a PPV. I hope Showtime fights them on it . . . but I doubt that will happen.

i wouldnt consider showtime free.... i have to pay for my subscription anyway... showtimes broadcasts are horrible... i hope they allow the ufc to help out in that regard...

[northspeter]

True, but with Pride their operations were done . . . . Strikeforce is still a viable product without Zuffa IMO.

Figures that Dana would take some quality free MMA action and turn it into a PPV. I hope Showtime fights them on it . . . but I doubt that will happen.

i wouldnt consider showtime free.... i have to pay for my subscription anyway... showtimes broadcasts are horrible... i hope they allow the ufc to help out in that regard...

[northspeter]

True, but with Pride their operations were done . . . . Strikeforce is still a viable product without Zuffa IMO.

Figures that Dana would take some quality free MMA action and turn it into a PPV. I hope Showtime fights them on it . . . but I doubt that will happen.

i wouldnt consider showtime free.... i have to pay for my subscription anyway... showtimes broadcasts are horrible... i hope they allow the ufc to help out in that regard...

[Knippz]

Strikeforce did one or two free fights I think (the ones on CBS). If it's on Showtime, it's not free.

Lord I can't stand when people hate Dana for being good at business.

[northspeter]

Strikeforce did one or two free fights I think (the ones on CBS). If it's on Showtime, it's not free.

Lord I can't stand when people hate Dana for being good at business.

as far as i know... if strikeforce still had cbs contracts when zuffa made the purchase then that contract will still be fullfilled... remains to be seen i guess..

[reflector]

I really enjoyed the way they did this. I have watched this many times. I hope they do it again in the future. The countdown shows are cool, but I really like the "Primetime" and now "In the Moment" series.




http://mmajunkie.com/news/22892/jon-jones-in-the-moment-outdraws-countdown-scores-555k-viewers-on-spike-tv.mma






Spike TV's "Jon Jones: In the Moment" outdraws "Countdown," scores 555K viewers
by John Morgan and Dann Stupp on Mar 18, 2011 at 6:45 pm ET

If there were any question as to the level of UFC light heavyweight Jon Jones' popularity, they may have been answered Thursday night.

MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) has learned that the debut airing of "Jon Jones: In the Moment," a half-hour special following the fighter's pre-fight preparations for this weekend's UFC 128 showdown with Mauricio "Shogun" Rua, drew 555,000 viewers to Spike TV.

The numbers eclipsed the debut airing of "Countdown to UFC 128," which focused on a handful of the card's top matchups and scored 406,000 viewers in its first run.

Told from Jones' point of view with no outside narration, "UFC Presents Jon Jones: In the Moment" covers the fighter's quick ascent in the UFC's 205-pound division and his first-ever UFC title shot. The special takes viewers inside his training camp and family life both in his home state of New York and in his camp at Greg Jackson's New Mexico gym.

Check out the embedded video to see "Jon Jones: In the Moment" in its entirety.

The strong ratings could mean a return of "In the Moment" specials ahead of future events.

UFC 128 takes place at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. The Rua (19-4 MMA, 3-2 UFC) vs. Jones (12-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) fight headlines the night's pay-per-view main card.

For the latest on UFC 128, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.


jetDVwhyGig

[Collier11]

well, Schaub owned

[Collier11]

Jones is a bad mutha

[reflector]

As long as Jones stays focused, I don't see him losing for a long time.





http://mmajunkie.com/news/22899/ufc-128-main-card-results-jon-bones-jones-owns-rua-claims-title-with-third-round-stoppage.mma




http://mmajunkie.com/dyn/images/fighters/jon-jones-19.jpg


UFC 128 main-card results: "Bones" owns Rua, claims title with third-round stoppage
by John Morgan on Mar 20, 2011 at 12:40 am ET

NEWARK, N.J. – Disrespectful or not, UFC wunderkind Jon Jones was just fine to accompany his autograph with "Champion 2011."

Jones, now the youngest title holder in UFC history, showed flashes of brilliance en route to claiming the promotion's light heavyweight title in a three-round dismantling of former champ Mauricio "Shogun" Rua

The bout served as the main event of Saturday's "UFC 128: Shogun vs. Jones" event, which took place Saturday night at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., and aired on pay-per-view.

Jones maintained an eerily calm demeanor throughout the contest as he dominated Rua in absolutely every aspect of the fight. From his trademark spinning elbows to Anderson Silva-esque side kicks to the knee, Jones striking prowess and stunning range meant Rua's vaunted Muay Thai served him little value. Jones' massive frame dwarfed his opponent in the cage, both on the feet and the floor, and the two looked as if they were competing in some open-weight bout of olden days.

Jones patiently attacked Rua and appeared to be simply picking his shots as he played with his opponent like some mortally wounded pray. The opening came with a pair of knees and a straight punch that rocked Rua at the close of the opening frame. The Brazilian never recovered.

In the second, Jones stayed at distance and picked his opponent apart from the outside. Staggered, swelling and obviously frustrated, Rua had no answer for "Bones," and his face showed equal parts frustration and damage. The Thai clinch became Jones' strongsuit, and Rua resorted to diving for his opponent's legs while hoping for some miraculous comeback.

It wouldn't happen.

After meditating briefly on the stool between the second and third rounds, Jones arose and unleashed hell.

Rua again attacked the leg, and simply allowed Jones to again assume top position – a spot which has now proven lethal to four-consecutive opponents. Jones unloaded powerful punches and elbows, and Rua crumpled under the pressure of the assault. Referee Herb Dean watched closely as Rua tried desperately to avoid the onslaught of blows, but Jones was both pinpoint and powerful. Rua did scramble to his feet, but it was only to absorb massive punches and fight-ending knee to the skull.

Rua fell to the floor, and as Dean rushed in to save him, Rua also tapped sheepishly with his right hand. Two minutes and 37 seconds into the third round, Jones was the sport's newest champion; Rua was hardly recognizable. According to a CompuStrike report, Jones landed some 87 total strikes in the contest; Rua just 13.

Following the bout, former UFC champion and current Jones training partner Rashad Evans was brought into the cage and announced as the new title holder's next defense.

With his fifth-straight octagon win and an utter dismantling of one of the sport's all-time greatest fighters, Jones (13-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) appears poised for true greatness the likes of which the sport has rarely seen. Rua (19-5 MMA, 3-3 UFC) falls to 1-2 in his past three fights.

Faber finishes strong, earns unanimous nod

For five minutes, three-to-one underdog Eddie Wineland looked like he had the Urijah Faber riddle solved. The former WEC bantamweight champion showed stellar takedown offense against the wrestling standout, and Wineland flashed the boxing skills that had guided him to four-straight wins entering Saturday night.

Then everything changed.

Faber caught a low kick 90 seconds into the second round and tripped Wineland to the floor. "The California Kid" set up in top position and remained there until the end of the round. Along the way, Faber racked up points with short punches, elbows from the top and an occasional slam to the floor.

With the fight on the line in the third, the question was simply who would be able to implement their gameplan for the final five minutes. The answer was Faber, but the gameplan was Wineland's for much of the frame.

Content to stand and trade, Faber flashed his speed while delivering quick and accurate punches to the chin. Wineland was wobbled by the crisp punches, and Faber sealed the victory with a takedown in the closing moments of the round. A little more ground and pound from the former WEC bantamweight champion clinched the result, and Wineland's facial expression at the final bell showed little belief he could potentially steal a result.

He couldn't, and Faber was awarded a unanimous-decision win, 29-28 on all three cards.

Now 2-0 at 135 pounds, Faber (25-4 MMA, 1-0 UFC) appears a near-lock to face current champion Dominick Cruz in the near future. Wineland (18-7-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) tastes defeat for the first time in five trips to the cage.

Miller stops Shalorus, asks for title shot

There are still a few seats left on the Jim Miller bandwagon, but they're filling quickly. The New Jersey native delighted his hometown crowd with an impressive third-round stoppage of tough-as-nails WEC import Kamal Shalorus.

The opening round was the most competitive of the fight, and both fighters stood toe-to-toe and fired off massive power shots. Miller's straight punches were a hair faster than Shalorus' patented wild hooks, but each connected in spots. Miller hit the deck a few times on missed guillotine choke attempts, but Shalorus never settled into top position.

In the second, Miller flashed his grappling prowess with a surprising single-leg takedown and brilliant transition to Shalorus' back. With a body triangle firmly in place, Miller spent several minutes on the back, searching for a choke that would never come. Nevertheless, Miller cranked on the chin while maintaining pressure around his opponent's body. The finish didn't come, but the work paid off in the final frame.

With Shalorus slowing in the final frame, Miller launched forward with a lead uppercut that rattled his foe. Shortly after, a knee to the chin saw Shalorus slump to the canvas. Miller pounced with a flurry of right hands that forced the stoppage at the 2:15 mark of the frame.

Following the win, Miller praised Shalorus for his durability.

"I knew the first time I laid my hands on him that he was tough," Miller said. "It was just a matter of picking him apart, gassing him out and picking my opportunity."

With the win, Miller (20-2 MMA, 9-1 UFC) has now claimed seven-straight wins in the octagon. The always-humble AMA Fight Club fighter had to be prodded by his corner into asking for a shot at the title, but he claimed he's prepared for the challenge.

"That's seven in a row in arguably the toughest division in the UFC," Miller said. "I'm ready for a title shot. I come in here and fight my heart out."

Shalorus (7-1-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) loses for the first time as a professional.

Marquardt survives scare, cruises to decision win

For a moment, it looked like Dan Miller might just do the impossible. Stepping up from the evening's preliminary card on short notice to replace Yoshihiro Akiyama and take on perennial contender Nate Marquardt, Miller had his trademark guillotine choke wrapped around the neck of his opponent. Alas, it was not to be.

The first-round scare for Marquardt was Miller's most threatening moment, but "The Great" was able to escape the hold and take over from top position. Miller would briefly hold a choke again in the second round, but it was Marquardt who began to impose his will. With his corner calling out combinations, Marquardt opened up on the feet and tagged Miller with well-timed combinations and pinpoint high kicks. A flying knee let Miller catch the leg and send Marquardt to the floor, but he couldn't capitalize on the position.

In the final frame, Marqaurdt took control of the fight and begun to grind away from top position. Miller was valiant in his effort, but Marquardt was simply too much, and he cruised to a unanimous-decision win.

With the win, Marqaurdt (31-10-2 MMA, 10-4 UFC) improves to 2-2 in his past four fights. Meanwhile, Miller (13-5 MMA, 5-4 UFC) sees a two-fight win streak snapped. The gritty AMA Fight Club product has yet to be finished in his career.

Schaub drops "Cro Cop" in back-and-forth scrap

The night's pay-per-view opening matchup saw heavyweight prospect Brendan Schaub take a big step forward with a third-round knockout of MMA legend Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic. It was anything but pretty, but "The Hybrid" did enough to earn the nod.

The opening round started out as a bit of a stalemate, and both fighters wrestled for position in the clinch. Schaub received a warning for punching Filipovic in the back of the head, but the break provided an opportunity for Schaub to score a takedown and unleash a few ground-and-pound blows from the top.

Filipovic did land a nice upkick in the series, and a well-timed sweep attempt saw him scramble back to his feet. However, with little offense from the Croatian once there, Schaub appeared to have done enough to secure the frame.

Things got especially interesting in the second round. Schaub again worked the fight to the floor, and as he looked to pass guard, he was caught with an illegal upkick, for which Filipovic received his own warning from Dean. Once back on the feet, it was Filipovic who went to work on the inside, cutting up Schaub with a short elbow that left him a bloody mess. Adding insult to injury, another shot to the back of the head from Schaub earned a one-point deduction.

In the final frame, the fight appeared to hang in the balance. An early kick to the cup from Filipovic saw the round start out awkward, but Schaub eventually provided the contest's much-needed highlight-reel moment.

After a pair of takedowns, Schaub timed a Filipovic kick perfectly and delivered a crushing right hand to the ear that saw "Cro Cop" crash to the floor. Dean immediately rushed in to stop the fight, but Schaub snuck in one more devastating blow. The end came at the 3:44 mark of the final frame.

After the win, Schaub addressed UFC president Dana White.

"It was my birthday yesterday, so a knockout bonus would be nice," Schaub said. "Think about it, Dana."

With the win, Schaub (8-1 MMA, 4-1 UFC) now owns a four-fight win streak and is climbing quickly in the heavyweight division's rankings. Meanwhile, Filipovic (27-9-2 MMA, 4-5 UFC) has suffered back-to-back third-round TKO losses and at 36 years old may be nearing the end of an illustrious career.

SEE ALSO: UFC 128 preliminary-card results: Cane blast Marshall, scores opening-round TKO

OFFICIAL MAIN CARD RESULTS

* Jon Jones def. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua via TKO (strikes) - Round 3, 2:37 to become new UFC light heavyweight champion
* Urijah Faber def. Eddie Wineland via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
* Jim Miller def. Kamal Shalorus via TKO (strikes) - Round 3, 2:15
* Nate Marquardt def. Dan Miller via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
* Brendan Schaub def. Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic via TKO (punch) - Round 3, 3:44

OFFICIAL PRELIMINARY CARD RESULTS

* Luiz Cane def. Eliot Marshall via TKO (punches) - Round 1, 2:15
* Edson Barboza def. Anthony Njokuani via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
* Mike Pyle def. Ricardo Almeida via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
* Gleison Tibau def. Kurt Pellegrino via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
* Joseph Benavidez def. Ian Loveland via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
* Nick Catone def. Costantinos Philippou via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
* Erik Koch def. Raphael Assuncao via knockout (punch) - Round 1, 2:32

For complete coverage of UFC 128, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of MMAjunkie.com.

[reflector]

I was so excited about the UFC event that I almost forgot to post the Bellator results. I thought this was a good event as well.





http://mmajunkie.com/news/22897/bellator-37-results.mma




http://mmajunkie.com/dyn/images/fighters/georgi-karakhanyan-patricio-freire-1.jpg


Bellator 37 results: Freire, Reis, Straus and Foster advance to featherweight semis
by John Morgan on Mar 20, 2011 at 12:25 am ET

Patricio "Pitbull" Freire is one step closer toward a second Bellator Fighting Championships tournament final.

After controlling fellow featherweight Georgi Karakhanyan for two full rounds, Freire used a devastating left hand and a flurry of follow-up shots to secure a third-round stoppage and book his spot in Bellator's season-four featherweight tourney.

The bout served as the featured contest of Bellator 37, which took place Saturday night at the Lucky Star Casino in Concho, Okla., and aired on MTV2.

Karakhanyan opened up with his trademark aggression, but a leaping strike missed and left him clinched up with Freire. From there, the fight was a relative stalemate, but it was Freire who was generally on the outside pressing in. The Brazilian mixed in a few successful takedown attempts, though he never was able to capitalize on the position.

The second round saw more of the same, as Karakhanyan remained largely ineffective from the feet. Freire remained strong in the clinch, and in the closing minute of the frame he was able to take the back and secure a dominant position. To Karakhanyan's credit, he tossed and roller an prevented the choke.

With the fight in hand in the third frame, Reis looked comfortable as Karakhanyan entered desperation mode. A left hand put Karakhanyan on the floor, and Freire swarmed with more than a dozen ground-and-pound blows, forcing the stoppage less than a minute into the final frame.

With the win, Freire (15-1 MMA, 3-1 BFC) rebounds from the first loss of his professional career, while Karakhanyan (14-3-1 MMA, 2-2 BFC) falls to just 1-2 in his past three outings.

Reis taps George in impressive fashion

Two-time Bellator tournament semifinalist Wilson Reis has been criticized for past complacency and an inability to finish. Neither was apparent on Saturday night.

Reis attacked opponent Zac George from the opening bell, and the result was a stunning mix of aggression and technique. Reis stalked George in the early going and landed to the chin with a few well-placed and powerful hooks. With George trapped against the cage, Reis ducked in for the takedown and took the fight to the floor.

It was the beginning of the end.

George worked a defensive rubber guard from his back, but he simply couldn't keep Reis away. Pushing past the legs and delivering a flurry of hammerfists, sometimes in dual fashion, Reis forced George to expose his back. From there, the hooks went in, and a very deep rear-naked choke came shortly after. George could only muster a wave of submission at the 2:09 mark of the first round.

After securing passage into his third tourney semifinal, Reis said he's focused on the task at hand.

"I'm going to take it fight by fight and see how far I can go," Reis said.

Reis (12-2 MMA, 5-2 BFC) is now 5-1 in his past six outings, while George (20-4 MMA, 0-1 BFC) sees a six-fight win streak snapped in emphatic fashion.

Straus stuns Malegarie in three-round thriller

The opening round was all Malegarie, as the grappling ace rattled off a flurry of submission attempts that seemed destined to win the fight. After defending a Straus takedown, Malegarie scored one of his own and immediately transitioned to the back, where he locked in a body triangle and began seeking for the rear-naked choke. However, Straus had other ideas.

After a few tense minutes with Malegarie on his back, Straus turned into his foe and took top position. But Malegarie quickly adjusted and latched onto a guillotine-choke attempt. Nevertheless, Straus remained calm in the hold and eventually escaped the lock.

The second round started better for Straus, as he dropped his opponent with an early strike. Of course, that didn't slow down Malegarie, who tried to secure a leglock. But Straus again survived, and the tide began to turn.

For the remainder of the fight, Straus appeared one step ahead of his foe. His takedown defense was sound, and his striking was just a touch crisper in the pocket. Neither fighter slowed until the final bell, but Straus seemed to strengthen as time wore on.

The third round was close throughout, but Straus remained the more active fighter, and he was rewarded for his efforts with a unanimous-decision win. All three judges scored the fight in his favor, 29-28.

Straus, who vowed to return even stronger in the tournament semifinals, said the back-and-forth war was exactly what he expected.

"It was a tough fight," Straus admitted. "I'm going to come in better."

Straus (15-3 MMA, 2-0 BFC) has now earned 11-straight wins, while Malegarie (19-1 MMA, 0-1 BFC) sees an incredible 19-fight win streak snapped in his first loss as a professional.

Foster taps Larkin in first

In the evening's broadcast-opening bout, Kenny Foster made an instant impact with a dominating first-round win over a previously undefeated Eric Larkin.

The trouble started early for the four-time Division I All-American wrestler, as he ducked into a knee and receiving a huge gash on his forehead. The momentum remained on Foster's side for the remainder of the contest. The former Division II wrestling standout reset on the feet, avoided a Larkin takedown attempt and secured one of his own, where he locked in a guillotine choke. Foster pulled guard to cinch the hold, and Larkin had no choice but to tap at the 3:15 mark of the opening round.

Following the win, an excited and emotional Foster said the tone for the fight was firmly established with the opening blow.

"I felt like when I hit him and he saw the blood, I felt like that right there broke his will," Foster said. "I smelled a finish."

In securing his spot in Bellator's season-four featherweight tournament semifinals, Foster (9-2 MMA, 2-0 BFC) won for the second time under the promotion's banner. Meanwhile, Larkin (3-1 MMA, 1-1 BFC) loses for the first time as a professional.

OFFICIAL MAIN CARD RESULTS

* Patricio "Pitbull" Freire def. Georgi Karakhanyan via TKO (punches) - Round 3, 0:56
* Wilson Reis def. Zac George via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 1, 2:09
* Daniel Straus def. Nazareno Malegarie via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
* Kenny Foster def. Eric Larkin via submission (guillotine choke) - Round 1, 3:15

OFFICIAL PRELIMINARY CARD RESULTS

* Jake Rosholt def. John Bryant via technical submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 1*
* Jeremy Spoon def. Jerrod Sanders via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 2, 0:26*
* Brandon Shelton def. Adam Snook via submission (arm-triangle choke) - Round 1, 2:46
* Roli Delgado def. Jameel Massouh via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

* - Bout took place following main event

For more on Bellator 37, check out the MMA Events section of MMAjunkie.com.

(Pictured: Georgi Karakhanyan and Patricio "Pitbull" Freire)

[Collier11]

Yea, my HS buddy zac george lost tonight in bellator, sucks for him as he is close to getting big time

[KC//CRIMSON]

Jones is a bad mutha

Word. Let's see if Dana White and Zuffa have any balls and match him up with Silva in the near future.

[Collier11]

I think GSP vs Silva will be before that one, they are saying Jones will get Rashad

[northspeter]

unbelievably impressed with jon jones last night... that was a total demolition... never seen a champion the likes of shogun get dominated like that in a title fight.... i think jones toughest competition will come from either anderson silva(someday) or maybe sooner rampage...

[Boomer.....]

I was telling you guys, Bones is a baaaaaaad man.

[KC//CRIMSON]

I think GSP vs Silva will be before that one, they are saying Jones will get Rashad

Yeah, I know the schedule, but this guy will walk right through Rashad and or Rampage. I don't think there is anyone left in the LHW Division to challenge him.

That's why I think they should give him a fight or two and then roll the dice with a fight against Silva. Anything else would just be a waste of time IMO.

[Shakadoodoo]

Jones is a Beast! I would have never imagined that he would do that to Shogun!

It is going to be Jones and Evens next - That should be a good fight! But I think Jones will win.

Everyone is talking about GSP and Silva - GSP needs to beat Jake Shields first - Those counter wrestlers/fighters are hard as hell to fight. GSP just might loose that fight.

[Boomer.....]

Jon Jones chases and subdues robber hours before fight (http://sports.yahoo.com/mma/blog/cagewriter/post/Hours-before-biggest-fight-of-his-life-Jones-an?urn=mma-wp309)

Is there anything this guy can't do? lol

[Sooner_Bob]

I was telling you guys, Bones is a baaaaaaad man.

Wow. He made Shogun look like a 12 year-old boy . . .

[Sooner_Bob]

well, Schaub owned

That actually was a decent fight up until that point . . . as much as I wanted Cro Cop to smack Schaub around I was impressed with how much Brendan has improved.

[reflector]

Hopefully I remember to watch this.




http://www.mmamania.com/2011/3/21/2064100/jon-jones-on-the-tonight-show-with-jay-leno-this-thursday-march-24-on



http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/570190/jones-point_medium.jpg


Jon Jones on 'The Tonight Show with Jay Leno' this Thursday (March 24) on NBC

Red-skull_tiny by Jesse Holland on Mar 21, 2011 4:37 PM EDT in UFC News

* 23 comments
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Jones-point_medium

UFC light heavyweight champion, New Jersey crime fighter, Tonight Show guest.

Those are just a few of the roles for 205-pound fight phenom Jon Jones, who next week will probably disarm the nukes in North Korea before heading to Libya to enforce the No-Fly Zone.

This Thursday night however, he'll join Kirstie Alley and Peter, Bjorn and John (and Jon) as the first UFC fighter to ever appear on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno."

From UFC President Dana White:

Star-divide

Congrats @jonnybones 1st UFC fighter to do the The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. The hits keep on coming!!!! Tune in thur on NBC!

"Bones" completed his journey to MMA superstardom by dethroning Mauricio "Shogun" Rua last Saturday night (March 19) at UFC 128 in Newark.

A few hours before the fight, Jones helped his coaches from Jackson's MMA apprehend a burglar on foot at a nearby park in Paterson, NJ.

Any guess as to what Leno will ask him about on March 24? (duh)

Stay tuned.

[Sooner_Bob]

i wouldnt consider showtime free.... i have to pay for my subscription anyway... showtimes broadcasts are horrible... i hope they allow the ufc to help out in that regard...

Well yeah . . . but I consider paying for Showtime a little different than a PPV.

[Sooner_Bob]

Strikeforce did one or two free fights I think (the ones on CBS). If it's on Showtime, it's not free.

Lord I can't stand when people hate Dana for being good at business.

So now I'm hatin' on Dana . . . wow.

[Sooner_Bob]

Word. Let's see if Dana White and Zuffa have any balls and match him up with Silva in the near future.

Silva keeps saying he doesn't want to move up to 205 . . . I wonder what his price would be to do so.

[KC//CRIMSON]

Silva keeps saying he doesn't want to move up to 205 . . . I wonder what his price would be to do so.

I don't think it has anything to do with his price, but more to do with their price. By their I mean the UFC.

I doubt it will ever happen (Bones vs Silva) because they stand to make more money by keeping their cash cows separate.

[Boomer.....]

Each time Silva has stepped up to 205, he has not gone up against great competition. I love Forrest but he is not a great fighter. He walks around at 225 so he should be fighting there anyways. There is just not competition for him at 185.

[Sooner_Bob]

True. I've been trying to think of other 205'ers I'd like to see fight Jones.

Phil Davis
Randy
Hendo
Chael
Vitor
Lyoto
Rich

[northspeter]

True. I've been trying to think of other 205'ers I'd like to see fight Jones.

Phil Davis
Randy
Hendo
Chael
Vitor
Lyoto
Rich

vitor and chael are both 185... rich is basically 185 also... he just moved up to get more fights... same for hendo...

[Sooner_Bob]

vitor and chael are both 185... rich is basically 185 also... he just moved up to get more fights... same for hendo...

Vitor has fought at 205 in the past . . . . cant' recall if Chael has or not.

Hendo just won the Strikeforce LHW title . . . Rich has stated several times he'll fight at 185, 195, 205 if the UFC needs him to.

[reflector]

Dana White UFC Fight Night 24 Video Blog 1 (NSFW)


YqA1b9XcLeU

[Boomer.....]

i__m6ZzbzLE

[reflector]

I hope I remember to watch tonight.



http://mmajunkie.com/news/22956/reminder-new-ufc-champ-jon-jones-on-the-tonight-show-with-jay-leno-tonight.mma



http://mmajunkie.com/dyn/images/fighters/jon-jones-14.jpg


Reminder: New UFC champ Jon Jones on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" tonight
by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Mar 24, 2011 at 7:40 am ET

As a reminder, new UFC light-heavyweight champ Jon Jones is a guest on tonight's edition of "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" on NBC.

The show, which is a 67-year late-night staple, airs at 11:35 p.m. ET/PT.

Joining Jones on the episode are "Dancing with the Stars" competitor Kirstie Alley and the Swedish indie-rock band Peter Bjorn and John.

Jones is the third UFC fighter to appear on "The Tonight Show." Former UFC champion Tito Ortiz also was featured in 2003, years before the sport began its move into the mainstream. Ortiz and fellow fighters, including Dean Lister, were featured in an "on-site report" at their Huntington Beach, Calif. Then-champ Ortiz, just days before a UFC 44 title fight with Randy Couture, also briefly was brought on stage for a quick introduction during the show.

Quinton "Rampage" Jackson joined the show in 2010 as part of promotional debuts for "The A-Team," in which he starred.

Jones, meanwhile, discussed his UFC 128 performance and one-sided TKO victory over former champ Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. The charismatic 23-year-old also unquestionably will be asked to detail his crime-fighting episode. Just hours before his UFC 128 headliner, Jones and his coaching staff chased and detained a would-be thief in Paterson, N.J.

For complete coverage of UFC 128, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of MMAjunkie.com.

(UPDATED at 11:30 a.m. ET on 3/24/11 to include information on Jackson's appearance.)

[reflector]

I hope Showtime can work out a long term deal with M-1. I like watching MMA on Showtime.




http://mmajunkie.com/news/22987/m-1-global-debuts-tonight-on-showtime-execs-hope-for-long-term-deal.mma




http://mmajunkie.com/dyn/images/events/m-1-challenge-damkovsky-vs-figueroa-poster.jpg


M-1 Global debuts tonight on Showtime; execs hope for long-term deal
by Steven Marrocco on Mar 25, 2011 at 2:20 pm ET

For now, Showtime is testing the waters with M-1 Global.

But the Russia-based fight promotion hopes that four events scheduled to air on the premium-cable channel will lead to a long-term relationship.

The experiment starts tonight with the broadcast of "M-1 Challenge: Damkovsky vs. Figueroa," which takes place at the Constant Center in Norfolk, Va., and airs at 11 p.m. ET/PT.

M-1 Global struck a broadcast deal with Showtime in January as part of a contract renegotiation with heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko. Three more U.S.-based events are scheduled to air sometime in 2011.

Of course, the recent purchase of Strikeforce by the UFC raised questions about its effects on Showtime's relationship with the California-based promotion and M-1 Global.

While it's unknown how the buyout will affect both companies in the long term, M-1 Global officials said there is no immediate change on the horizon for their company.

"The speed at which the landscape of MMA can change certainly makes for interesting news, but the purchase of Strikeforce does not change our relationship with Showtime in any way," M-1 Global director of operations Evgeni Kogan told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). "As for our relationship with Strikeforce, we've enjoyed working together with them in the past and look forward to continuing working together in the future."

Kogan said several M-1 Global events streamed live to fans, including an M-1 Selection event streamed live this past May on MMAjunkie.com, have already laid the groundwork for a successful broadcast on Showtime.

But tonight's show is undoubtedly an important night in the promotion's history.

"We hope that our relationship with Showtime continues long-term regardless of the Strikeforce purchase," Kogan said. "The U.S. is 'the' market to compete in for MMA, and (Showtime executive) Ken Hershman has been vocal about having Showtime televise quality cards showcasing top prospects and lesser-known international stars.

"The M-1 Challenge fits this mold perfectly, and we're excited to be associated with such an incredible partner."

"M-1 Challenge: Damkovsky vs. Figueroa" features several top European prospects and includes two title fights: lightweight champ Artiom Damkovsky (8-4) makes his first title defense against Jose Figueroa (9-4), and Tyson Jeffries (7-4) meets Magomed Sultanakhmedov (14-5) in a contest for the promotion's vacant middleweight title. Kogan said no major changes are planned for the broadcast format of the event.

Future events are expected to feature other stars in the upcoming promotion: Undefeated heavyweight champion Guram Gugenishvili (11-0), virtually undefeated welterweight champion Shamil Zavurov (14-1) and lightweight contender Daniel Weichel (26-7), who holds a victory over UFC standout Dennis Siver.

"Showcasing a wide array of talent is incredibly important," Kogan said. "M-1 has signed some of Europe's top fighters and will continue to scour the earth looking for more to add our growing roster."

Of course, the European scene has largely been off the radar of most American MMA fans. But that may change after this year.

"The main goal of this event is to showcase exciting, entertaining fights so we make a positive impact with fans and continue to build awareness and popularity inside the U.S and around the world," Kogan said.

The full lineup for "M-1 Challenge: Damkovsky vs. Figueroa" includes:

MAIN CARD:

* Champ Artiom Damkovsky vs. Jose Figueroa
* Tyson Jeffries vs. Magomed Sultanakhmedov
* Vinny Magalhaes vs. Jake Doerr
* Alexander Sarnavskiy vs. Beau Baker

PRELIMINARY CARD

* Mojo Horne vs. Jason Norwood
* Marcus Daniels vs. Bryan Lashomb
* Stacy Grant vs. Bethany Marshall
* Brian Nielson vs. Colton Smith
* Johnny Curtis vs. Bobby Gurley
* David Derby vs. George Sheppard
* Jason Hillicker vs. Jessie Riggleman

[northspeter]

I hope Showtime can work out a long term deal with M-1. I like watching MMA on Showtime.


i could see them replacing the strikeforce contract when that expires...

[reflector]

Don't forget the special start time tomorrow.




http://mmajunkie.com/news/22993/bellator-38-weigh-in-results-light-heavyweight-tourney-fighters-on-weight.mma




http://mmajunkie.com/dyn/images/fighters/raphael-davis.jpg


Bellator 38 weigh-in results: Light-heavyweight tourney fighters on weight
by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Mar 25, 2011 at 6:25 pm ET

All eight fighters competing in Bellator Fighting Championships' light-heavyweight tournament successfully have made weight for Saturday's opening round.

The fighters comprise the main card of Bellator 38.

Bellator 38 airs on MTV2 at a special start time of 7 p.m. ET/PT from Harrah's Casino Tunica Event Center in Tunica Resort, Miss.

The same venue hosted today's weigh-ins.

The four winners from Bellator 38's tourney fights advance to next month's semifinals. The eventual tournament champion wins $100,000 in total pay and become Bellator's first-ever light-heavyweight titleholder.

The full weigh-in results included:

MAIN CARD

* Tim Carpenter (205) vs. Daniel Gracie (205.2)
* Raphael Davis (205.2) vs. D.J. Linderman (205.6)
* Nik Fekete (205.4) vs. Richard Hale (204.6)
* Chris Davis (204.4) vs. Chrisitian M'Pumbu (200.6)

PRELIMINARY CARD

* Austin Lyons (155.6) vs. Jimmy Van Horn (154)
* Tim Galluzzi (150.4) vs. Jake Underwood (151.6)
* William Penn (250.4) vs. Blagoi Ivanov (251)
* Brian Albin (205.2) vs. Cody Donovan (205.4)
* Amaechi Oselukwue (183.8) vs. Abe Wilson (186.6)*

* - Has two additional hours to make weight

For more on Bellator 38, stay tuned to the MMA Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.

(Pictured: Raphael Davis)

[reflector]

I think this will be a good event tomorrow night.




http://mmajunkie.com/news/22972/ufc-fight-night-24-live-weigh-in-results.mma





http://mmajunkie.com/dyn/images/fighters/antonio-rogerio-nogueira-9.jpg


UFC Fight Night 24 live weigh-in results
by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Mar 25, 2011 at 6:29 pm ET

SEATTLE – MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) is on scene and reporting live from today's UFC Fight Night 24 fighter weigh-ins.

Today's festivities take place at Seattle's KeyArena, which also hosts Saturday's Spike TV and Facebook event.

UFC Fight Night 24 features a light-heavyweight main event between veteran fighter Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and fast-rising prospect Phil Davis. Additionally, hard-hitting welterweights Anthony Johnson and Dan Hardy meet in the co-headliner.

In addition to the text-only results below, you can watch a live video stream of today's weigh-ins on the MMAjunkie.com homepage.

The full weigh-in results include:

MAIN CARD (Spike TV)

* Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (206) vs. Phil Davis (206)
* Dan Hardy (171) vs. Anthony Johnson (171)
* DaMarques Johnson (171) vs. Amir Sadollah (170)
* Leonard Garcia (145) vs. Chan Sung Jung (146)

PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook)

* Jon Madsen (261) vs. Mike Russow (256)
* Alex Caceres (146) vs. Mackens Semerzier (146)
* John Hathaway (171) vs. Kris McCray (170)
* Edwin Figueroa (136) vs. Michael McDonald (135)
* Sean McCorkle (266) vs. Christian Morecraft (265)

PRELIMINARY CARD

* Johny Hendricks (170) vs. T.J. Waldburger (170)
* Mario Miranda (185) vs. Aaron Simpson (185)
* Nik Lentz (155) vs. Waylon Lowe (156)

For more on UFC Fight Night 24, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.

(Pictured: Antonio Rogerio Nogueira)

[Sooner_Bob]

i__m6ZzbzLE

cool

[Sooner_Bob]

I think this will be a good event tomorrow night.




http://mmajunkie.com/news/22972/ufc-fight-night-24-live-weigh-in-results.mma





http://mmajunkie.com/dyn/images/fighters/antonio-rogerio-nogueira-9.jpg


UFC Fight Night 24 live weigh-in results
by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Mar 25, 2011 at 6:29 pm ET

SEATTLE – MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) is on scene and reporting live from today's UFC Fight Night 24 fighter weigh-ins.

Today's festivities take place at Seattle's KeyArena, which also hosts Saturday's Spike TV and Facebook event.

UFC Fight Night 24 features a light-heavyweight main event between veteran fighter Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and fast-rising prospect Phil Davis. Additionally, hard-hitting welterweights Anthony Johnson and Dan Hardy meet in the co-headliner.

In addition to the text-only results below, you can watch a live video stream of today's weigh-ins on the MMAjunkie.com homepage.

The full weigh-in results include:

MAIN CARD (Spike TV)

* Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (206) vs. Phil Davis (206)
* Dan Hardy (171) vs. Anthony Johnson (171)
* DaMarques Johnson (171) vs. Amir Sadollah (170)
* Leonard Garcia (145) vs. Chan Sung Jung (146)

PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook)

* Jon Madsen (261) vs. Mike Russow (256)
* Alex Caceres (146) vs. Mackens Semerzier (146)
* John Hathaway (171) vs. Kris McCray (170)
* Edwin Figueroa (136) vs. Michael McDonald (135)
* Sean McCorkle (266) vs. Christian Morecraft (265)

PRELIMINARY CARD

* Johny Hendricks (170) vs. T.J. Waldburger (170)
* Mario Miranda (185) vs. Aaron Simpson (185)
* Nik Lentz (155) vs. Waylon Lowe (156)

For more on UFC Fight Night 24, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.

(Pictured: Antonio Rogerio Nogueira)

Got my DVR set.

[northspeter]

can not wait for hardy v. johnson... gonna be fireworks!!!

[Sooner_Bob]

Bobby Lashley needs to just stop his MMA gig . . . the dude can't last more than 3 or 4 minutes.

Watching his 3 round fight last night was brutal.

And think, people were actually comparing him to Brock Lesnar at one point.

[Sooner_Bob]

can not wait for hardy v. johnson... gonna be fireworks!!!

yep

[Boomer.....]

Korean Zombie with a twister. Crazy!

Amir looked the best that he's been. Impressive win.

Rumble/Hardy fight on now.

[reflector]

The twister was a cool submission to see.




http://mmajunkie.com/news/22999/ufc-fight-night-24-main-card-results-davis-survives-nogueira-johnson-tops-hardy.mma




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UFC Fight Night 24 main-card results: Davis survives Nogueira, Johnson tops Hardy
by John Morgan and Dann Stupp on Mar 27, 2011 at 12:15 am ET

SEATTLE – It was far from dominating, but fast-rising prospect Phil Davis got what he expected in Saturday's UFC Fight Night 24 main event with veteran light heavyweight Antonio Rogerio Nogueira: a test.

Nogueira initially stuffed all of his opponent's takedown attempts and battered him with counter punches, but Davis ultimately wore down the vet, implemented his wrestling-oriented game plan, and landed some effective ground and pound for a unanimous-decision victory.

The bout, which marked Davis' first UFC headliner, took place at Seattle's KeyArena and aired on Spike TV.

With the quick ascent of newly crowned UFC light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones, the MMA world was quick to anoint Davis, a former NCAA champion at Penn State, his only worthy challenger. But as Nogueira demonstrated (and as Davis freely admits), he's still got work ahead ahead of him before he's ready for a title shot.

In the end, though, Davis walked away from UFC Fight Night 24 with his biggest win yet: a unanimous-decision victory over Nogueira via 30-27 scores on all three judges' cards.

Davis attempted to use body kicks and lunging punches to set up takedowns early in the fight. But Nogueira stuffed every one of them in the first round, even when Davis secured both legs. Nogueira also caught him with a number of counter-punches, which forced Davis to widen the distance in the second round. However, later in the round and throughout the third, he found success with single-leg takedown attempts, avoided his opponent's strong submission game, and unloaded some solid ground and pound with punches, elbows and knees to the body.

Davis, a replacement fighter for injured Tito Ortiz, thanked God for even making it to the fight.

"I was falling apart when I was in this training camp," he said. "I didn't know if I could make this fight. But I [prayed]. ... I had all types of injuries."

Davis (9-0 MMA, 5-0 UFC) builds on his unbeaten record with the victory while Nogueira (19-5 MMA, 2-2 UFC) drops his second straight.

Johnson's head kick sets up easy win

It wasn't the stand-up fight he promised, but Anthony Johnson otherwise dominated his co-main-event bout with welterweight Dan Hardy and earned a lopsided unanimous-decision victory.

Johnson, who was fighting for the first time in 16 months due to injuries, set the tone early with a left head kick that sent Hardy to the mat. Johnson followed him to the canvas – and spent much of the next 15 minutes in the familiar position.

Johnson closed out the first round with ground and pound, and he scored frequent takedowns and continued the top control in the second. In the third and final frame, the takedowns again came with ease, though Johnson couldn't convert on arm-triangle and neck-crank attempts.

Johnson didn't get the stoppage, but he did win every round for a 30-27 victory on the three judges' cards.

With the win, Johnson (9-3 MMA, 6-3 UFC) improves to 4-1 in his past five fights and should get another top-tier 170-pounder in his next bout.

Hardy (23-9 MMA, 4-3 UFC), meanwhile, faces uncertain times following his third consecutive defeat inside the octagon.

Johnson taps due to Sadollah's strikes

After losing Duane Ludwig and then James Wilks to injuries, Amir Sadollah ultimately got a booking with fellow welterweight DaMarques Johnson. Despite the late notice, Johnson proved a game opponent, but an offensive onslaught in the second round secured the victory for Sadollah.

The first round was heavy on Mauy Thai fighting; both "TUF" veterans connected with blows from the clinch and mixed in an array of kicks and knees. But in the second round, Sadollah wobbled his opponent during a firefight against the cage and then battered him with ground and pound once on the mat.

In fact, after taking a dominant ground position, Sadollah trapped one of Johnson's arms and bent it over his own face. Sadollah then rained down punches and especially forceful forearm strikes that ultimately forced Johnson to tap out.

The submission victory came at the 3:27 mark of the round.

Sadollah said he just wants the win to move him up the ladder.

"I'm not here just to look good," he joked. "I want to be the best, and I want to the fight. That's why I'm here."

Sadollah (5-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC), the winner of "TUF 7," now has won four of his past five fights. Johnson (12-9 MMA, 3-3 UFC), the "TUF 9" runner-up, now has dropped two of three.

Jung gets revenge, stops Garcia with a twister

After a controversial split-decision loss to Leonard Garcia in their controversial first meeting at WEC 48, Korean featherweight Chan Sung Jung left it out of the judges' hands in the second meeting and stopped the Team Jackson fighter with a slick second-round submission.

Like their first meeting, which earned the 2010 World MMA Award for "Fight of the Year," Jung and Garcia launched another back-and-forth affair through the first 10 minutes of the rematch. But Jung, who took the fight as a late replacement for injured Nam Phan, got the fight to the mat late in the second round.

Once there, Garcia briefly gave up his back. Jung took a dominant position, and though unable to get his back, he used the side position to execute a twister, which put pressure on Garcia's neck and spine. The clearly painful hold forced him to tap out with just one second remaining in the round.

According to UFC broadcaster Joe Rogan, it was the first twister even used to end a fight in the UFC.

"He's been watching Eddie Bravo's videos on YouTube for a long time, and he kept saying in practice at Korean Top Team ... that he's going to do the twister in the UFC someday," said Jung's interpreter, referencing Bravo, the 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu submission specialist. "He finally got the opportunity. Hopefully we'll get the 'Submission of the Night' (bonus) with that one."

Jung (11-3 MMA, 1-0 UFC), who's perhaps better known for his "Korean Zombie" nickname, snaps out of a 1-3 skid with the win. Garcia (15-7-1 MMA, 2-3 UFC) falls to 2-3-1 over his past six fights, which included a run in the WEC.

SEE ALSO: UFC Fight Night 24 prelimary-card results: McDonald-Figueroa steals the show

MAIN CARD

* Phil Davis def. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
* Anthony Johnson vs. Dan Hardy via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
* Amir Sadollah def. DaMarques Johnson via submission (strikes) - Round 2, 3:27
* Chan Sung Jung def. Leonard Garcia via submission (twister) - Round 2, 4:59

PRELIMINARY CARD

* Mike Russow def. Jon Madsen via TKO (doctor's stoppage) - Round 2, 5:00
* Mackens Semerzier def. Alex Caceres via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 1, 3:18
* John Hathaway def. Kris McCray via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
* Michael McDonald def. Edwin Figueroa via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
* Christian Morecraft def. Sean McCorkle via technical submission (standing guillotine choke) - Round 2, 4:10
* Johny Hendricks def. T.J. Waldburger via TKO (punches) - Round 1, 1:35
* Aaron Simpson def. Mario Miranda via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
* Nik Lentz def. Waylon Lowe via submission (guillotine choke) - Round 3, 2:24

For more on UFC Fight Night 24, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.

(Pictured: Phil Davis)

[reflector]

The inverted triangle was cool to see.





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Bellator 38 results: Hale (inverted triangle), Carpenter, Linderman, M'Pumbu advance
by Dann Stupp on Mar 26, 2011 at 9:00 pm ET

In what would prove to be the third major upset of the evening, Tim Carpenter scored a victory over Daniel Gracie and advanced past the opening round of Bellator Fighting Championships' first-ever light-heavyweight tournament.

The bout headlined Bellator 38, which featured all four of the eight-man tournament's quarterfinal matchups.

The night, though, was memorable for two other reasons: Bellator's second-ever inverted-triangle choke – and a woeful performance by the night's officials.

Bellator 38 took place at Harrah's Tunica Hotel and Casino in Tunica Resort, Miss., and the main card aired on MTV2 at a special 7 p.m. ET/PT start time. The tourney winner ultimately earns $100,000 in total pay and wins Bellator's first-ever 205-pound title.

Although a fellow Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, Carpenter was given little chance of victory by oddsmakers and industry insiders. However, the Philadelphia-based fighter got the better of the standup and held his own on the mat to earn a closely contested split-decision victory.

Carpenter took the first round after dropping his opponent, securing the mount position and firing off a few submission attempts. And even in the second, which appeared the only clear-cut round for Gracie, Carpenter landed some solid upkicks and continually put Gracie on the defensive.

A left hook in the third frame rocked Gracie and likely left a lasting impression with the judges, who ultimately scored it 29-28, 28-29 and 29-28 for Carpenter.

Carpenter scored a signature victory by defeating a member of the Gracie clan, but he knows he's got big fights ahead of him.

"Whoever they match me up with next is going to be a tough fight," he said. "I'm looking forward to it."

Carpenter (7-0 MMA, 2-0 BFC) remains undefeated with the win while Gracie (5-3-1 MMA, 0-1 BFC), a former PRIDE and IFL fighter who's competed just twice since 2006 due to an elbow injury, falls to 1-2 over his past three.

Linderman upsets Davis with heavy hands

Despite being the night's biggest favorite and one of the early picks to win the tournament, Raphael Davis simply couldn't overcome the steady barrage of punishment and the increasingly accurate strikes of D.J. Linderman.

Davis initially stood in the pocket and matched Linderman punch for punch. But as the fight wore on, Linderman proved quicker to the punch, and he continually battered Davis with effective left hands as his opponent leaned to his right as a defensive reaction.

By the second round, Linderman took control of the fight and even felt comfortable taking the submission specialist to the ground. In fact, he nearly ended the bout with a deep kimura attempt before Davis was saved by the bell.

With Davis clearly exhausted, Linderman let his hands fly in the third round. Davis was staggered on multiple occasions, and a few straight lefts ultimately sent him face first into the canvas. The ref inexplicably allowed the bout to continue, and Linderman landed far too many followup punches before the fight mercifully was stopped.

The end came at the 2:44 mark.

"Coming into this fight, I knew he was the favorite," said Linderman, who recently weighed as heavy as 260 pounds before dropping weight so he could enter the tournament. "(I worked on) nothing but standup the whole six to eight weeks I trained.

"My standup has improved 80 percent in the past two months. I owe that to Brave Legion."

Linderman (9-1 MMA, 1-0 BFC) now owns a four-fight win streak while Davis (10-2 MMA, 2-1 BFC) suffers his first loss in 10 fights.

Lightning strikes twice; Hale wins via inverted triangle

After Toby Imada patented the move and won a 2009 World MMA Award by using it to submit Jorge Masvidal in a Bellator season-one upset, Richard Hale followed suit and scored his own victory via rare inverted-triangle choke.

Hale, a sometimes-pro boxer and sometimes-pro bodybuilder, took on former Michigan State wrestler and trainer-to-the-MMA-stars Nik Fekete. Fekete, in fact, scored the first takedown after picking up and slamming his opponent to the mat. But Hale wrapped his legs around his opponent's neck in the process, and he was able to torque the inverted triangle choke once on the mat.

With the ref in a bad position and slow to move in and check on Fekete, the fighter was choked unconscious and remained that way for nearly 10 seconds. The stoppage finally came at the 1:55 mark of the opening round.

Hale expected his opponent to shoot for takedowns, but he was surprised he left such an easy-to-exploit opening.

"I train to fight like a little guy," he said. "More or less, he walked himself right into it. I was like, 'Hey, why not?'"

Hale (16-3-1 MMA, 1-0 BFC), a longtime Rage in the Cage fighter, now has suffered just one loss in his past 14 fights. Fekete (4-1 MMA, 0-1 BFC), who owns a past win over top Strikeforce prospect Ovince St. Preux, suffers his first pro defeat.

M'Pumbu outlasts scrappy Davis

In the the broadcast's opening fight, Christian M'Pumbu outlasted an initially game Chris Davis and scored a third-round TKO victory to advance to the semifinals.

M'Pumbu, an M-1 vet making his Bellator debut, got the better of the striking early on, but Davis took the fight to the mat and won the first round with a steady and extended ground-and-pound assault. The second round then played out much like the first. M'Pumbu mixed in some triangle choke and kneebar attempts, but Davis aptly defended against both and delivered the majority of offense in the round.

In the third round, though, Davis clearly was fading. M'Pumbu fended off takedowns, opened up with his hands, and began to tee away on his tiring opponent. When one of Davis' takedown attempts came up short, M'Pumbu collapsed on top of him and used the position to rain down a steady stream of punches. An especially vicious punch to the temple made Davis go limp and forced a halt to the bout.

The stoppage came at the 3:34 mark of the final frame.

M'Pumbu (16-3-1 MMA, 1-0 BFC), a French fighter of Congolese descent, now is 6-1-1 over his past eight fights. Davis (10-3 MMA, 0-1 BFC), a former U.S. Marine, suffers just his second loss in seven fights.

MAIN CARD

* Tim Carpenter def. Daniel Gracie via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28) (light-heavyweight tourney quarterfinals)
* D.J. Linderman def. Raphael Davis via TKO (strikes) - Round 3, 2:44 (light-heavyweight tourney quarterfinals)
* Richard Hale def. Nik Fekete via submission (inverted-triangle choke) - Round 1, 1:55 (light-heavyweight tourney quarterfinals)
* Christian M'Pumbu def. Chris Davis via TKO (strikes) - Round 3, 3:34 (light-heavyweight tourney quarterfinals)

PRELIMINARY CARD

* Austin Lyons def. Jimmy Van Horn via submission (armbar) - Round 1, 2:10
* Jake Underwood def. Tim Galluzzi via submission (triangle choke) - Round 1, 1:04
* Cody Donovan def. Brian Albin via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
* Blagoi Ivanov def. William Penn via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 2:58
* Amaechi Oselukwue def. Abe Wilson via unanimous decision (28-28, 29-28, 29-28)

For more on Bellator 38, stay tuned to the MMA Events section of the site.

(Pictured: Richard Hale)

[Sooner_Bob]

Korean Zombie with a twister. Crazy!

Amir looked the best that he's been. Impressive win.

Rumble/Hardy fight on now.

Yep. The Johnson/Hardy fight was under-whelming. Davis/Lil Nog was decent.

[reflector]

Richard Hale's Inverted Triangle at Bellator 38



GPQF0mP5tOs


I am glad they put this on Youtube. It seemed like the guy was out shortly after hitting the floor. The ref took too long to stop the fight, at least it looked that way to me. It was still a cool submission though.

[reflector]

This news stinks. I actually enjoyed the event.



http://mmajunkie.com/news/23040/bellator-38-ratings-dip-again-event-averages-150000-mtv2-viewers.mma




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Bellator 38 ratings dip again, event averages 150,000 MTV2 viewers
by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Mar 29, 2011 at 6:30 pm ET

Bellator ratings dipped for a second week, and this past weekend's Bellator 38 event drew a season-low 150,000 viewers on MTV2.

MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) today confirmed the ratings information with an event source.

The March 26 event, which took place at Harrah's Tunica Hotel and Casino in Tunica Resorts, Miss., aired at a special start time of 7 p.m. ET/PT to avoid overlapping with Spike TV's broadcast of UFC Fight Night 24.

The event, though, featured little in the way of starpower. Despite a competitive field, the opening round of the organization's light-heavyweight tournament was light on household names. Ultimately, though, Tim Carpenter, D.J. Linderman, Richard Hale and Christian M'Pumbu picked up tourney victories during the broadcast.

Hale's victory, in fact, is building some interest on YouTube. The veteran fighter pulled off a rare submission victory when he stopped Nik Fekete with an inverted-triangle choke, a move Toby Imada used in a season-one tourney to win the 2009 World MMA Award "Submission of the Year" trophy.

However, Bellator ratings have steadily fallen since a season-best 230,000 viewers tuned in for Bellator 36 two weeks ago. A week later, Bellator 37 drew just 173,000 viewers. MTV2, which is airing its first 12-week season of Bellator, caters mostly to a young-male demographic.

A replay of Bellator 38 that aired at midnight ET/PT drew 97,000 viewers.

The first-run season-four ratings include:

* Bellator 35 ratings: 200,000 viewers
* Bellator 36 ratings: 230,000
* Bellator 37 ratings: 173,000
* Bellator 38 ratings: 150,000

For more on Bellator 38, stay tuned to the MMA Events section of the site.

(Pictured: Richard Hale and Nik Fekete)

[reflector]

I like watching Alvarez fight. He is really good.



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Bellator 39 weigh-in results: Alvarez, Curran official for lightweight title fight
by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Apr 01, 2011 at 5:45 pm ET

All 18 fighters competing at this weekend's Bellator 39 event, including main-event competitors Eddie Alvarez and Pat Curran successfully have made weight for Saturday's card.

Additionally, Lyman Good and Rick Hawn made their welterweight tournament semifinal official, while Patricky "Pitbull" Freire and Toby Imada each made weight for their lightweight tournament semifinal.

Today's weigh-ins took place at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn.

The same venue hosted Saturday's MTV2-broadcast event.

In the night's main event, Alvarez looks to defend his Bellator lightweight title for the first time.

"Look forward to a high-paced and violent fight," Alvarez said.

He takes on surprise season-two winner Pat Curran, who said he realizes the opportunity at hand.

"This is the biggest fight of my life," Curran said. "This is huge. People are going to know me after this."

In a last-minute change not announced by the promotion, Luiz Azeredo stepped in to replace Matt Veach in a preliminary card matchup. Azaredo was completing pre-fight medical assessments during the weigh-in ceremony and will step on the scales late this evening

The full weigh-in results included:

MAIN CARD

* Champ Eddie Alvarez (154) vs. Pat Curran (154) - for lightweight title
* Lyman Good (169.5) vs. Rick Hawn (170.5) - welterweight tourney semifinal
* Patricky "Pitbull" Freire (154.75) vs. Toby Imada (155) lightweight tourney semifinal
* Ben Saunders (174.5) vs. Matt Lee (174)

PRELIMINARY CARD

* Dave Jansen (155.5) vs. Scott McAfee (155.75)
* Dan Cramer (185.5) vs. Greg Rebello (185.5)
* Ryan Quinn (169.75) vs. Mike Winters (170)
* Rene Nazare (160.75) vs. Luiz Azeredo ()*
* John McLaughlin (134.75) vs. Blair Tugman (135)

* - Azeredo did not weigh in during the official ceremony

For more on Bellator 39, stay tuned to the MMA Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.

(Pictured: Eddie Alvarez)

[reflector]

I thought the Terry knockout was pretty cool.



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Strikeforce Challengers 15 results: Wilcox assaults Damm, earns TKO win
by John Morgan on Apr 02, 2011 at 12:50 am ET

Strikeforce lightweight prospect Justin Wilcox looks like he might be ready for the next level. The Caliornia State Athletic Commission might be a slightly different story.

After waiting inside the cage for a few ridiculous moments while CSAC officials ushered a physician to ringside, Wilcox unleashed a furious assail of strikes to earn a stoppage win over Rodrigo Damm.

The bout served as the featured matchup of Saturday's "Strikeforce Challengers 15: Wilcox vs. Damm" event, which took place at the Stockton Arena in Stockton, Calif. The night's main card aired on Showtime.

The trouble started early for Damm, who was rocked by a Wilcox high kick. After the successful strike, Wilcox continued with the strategy and landed a fair share of blows. Damm appeared a little woozy as he constantly retreated and circled to his left.

Wilcox was all too happy to give chase.

A right hand dropped Damm, and Wilcox swarmed with punches and elbows. It appeared "The Silverback" might be best served forcing his opponent to stand, but he simply stayed on the floor, grinding away at his bloodied foe. In a great show of heart, Damm rolled and tossed and tried to survive until the final bell. He did, but the attacks had done their job.

The same doctors that were late to arrive at cageside were the first to let the Brazilian know his night would be ending early. Damm protested, but the call was probably the best choice for all involved.

In the night's co-main event, AMC Pankration's Caros Fodor proved once again why he's earned the nickname "The Future." The Washington resident dominated an always-scrappy David Douglas from moment one and ultimately earned an impressive stoppage.

While Fodor earned the opening round with superior grappling, it was the second frame where the prospect took complete control. Fodor nearly secured a deep guillotine choke in the round, but Douglas found a way to work his next free. However, he also gave up the mount in the process, and his opponent maintained top position until the bell.

With Fodor up two rounds to none in the third, Douglas needed a miracle that simply wouldn't come. Realizing his opponent was fading, Fodor turned to his striking to seal the win. Tagging his opponent with punches, Fodor then moved into the clinch and fired off a brutal series of knees. Douglas was a punching bag against the cage, and while he never hit the floor, he was taking massive damage against the fence and the fight was called at the 2:12 mark of the round.

With the win, Caros (8-2 MMA, 3-0 SF) moves to 3-0 under the Strikeforce banner. Douglas (8-3 MMA, 2-2 SF) sees a two-fight win streak snapped.

If K-1 veteran Scott Lighty thought he was getting a free pass by drawing late-replacement opponent Lorenz Larkin instead of Olympic judoka Satoshi Ishii, he was sadly mistaken. Instead, Lighty drew a light-heavyweight buzzsaw and eventually succumbed to the pressure.

Larkin moved forward from the opening bell with acrobatic kicks and wild, winging punches. Sporting gladiator shorts and firing with reckless abandon, Larkin echoed shades of a 205-pound Melvin Manhoef.

An experienced striker, Lighty remained calm in the pocket as he returned fire on occasion in the opening round, but it was obvious he was outclassed on the feet.

In the second, Lighty looked to take the fight to the floor, but Larkin proved capable as he hopped on one leg and pulled away. While obviously tiring, Larkin's strikes still whizzed through the air, ad they would soon connect on the button.

A massive left uppercut stunned Lighty, and a second came shortly after to the seal the deal. Lighty crashed to the floor at the 3:15 mark of the round, and Larkin was declared the upset victor.

With the win, Larkin (9-0 MMA, 1-0 SF) remains undefeated in his 20-month-old career. Meanwhile, Lighty (6-2 MMA, 1-2 SF) falls to just 1-2 in his past three fights.

In catchweight action, James Terry did trainer Cung Le proud with a brilliant display of striking against Josh Thornburg.

Terry kept his opponent off-balance and guessing throughout the opening round with a mix of kicks and punches from all angles. To his credit, Thornburg tried to stand in the pocket and trade, but it would ultimately prove his undoing.

Bobbing and weaving as Thornburg tossed out a probing jab, Terry delivered a crushing right hand over the top that sent his opponent crashing to the floor. With Thornburg out cold, the bout was immediately halted with just 22 seconds left in the frame.

With the win, Terry (10-2 MMA, 5-1 SF) now carries a three-fight win streak, while Thornburg (6-3 MMA, 0-2 SF) is winless in his past two fights.

In the evening's first televised fight, fighting twin David Douglas proved a gritty competitor by surviving a deep rear-naked choke and striking until the bitter end. And while his conditioning failed him early against Wayne Phillips, Douglas still earned a unanimous-decision win.

Douglas had a few attempts at chokes in the early rounds, but he couldn't seal the deal, and Phillips returned fire with his own submission attempts. It was razor-thin for the opening two rounds as both fighters had brief moments of control. However, one fighters would claim control in the final frame.

Douglas (4-1 MMA, 1-0 SF) used tired arms to throw power shots in the final five minutes, and whole Phillips (5-4 MMA, 2-1 SF) survived the sporadic barrages in a rather lackluster round, he did little to retune the favor and let a victory slip away as just one of three judges awarded him the fight.

OFFICIAL MAIN CARD RESULTS

Justin Wilcox def. Rodrgio Damm via TKO (doctor's stoppage) - Round 1, 5:00
Caros Fodor def. David Douglas via TKO (strikes) - Round 3, 2:12
Lorenz Larkin def. Scott Lighty via TKO (punches) - Round 2, 3:!5
James Terry def. Josh Thornburg via knockout (punch) - Round 1, 4:38
Damion Douglas def. Wayne Phillips via split decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28)

OFFICIAL PRELIMINARY CARD RESULTS

Anthony Avila def. Rafael Rios via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Robert Escalante def. Raul Sandoval via submission (armbar) - Round 1, 4:10
Tristen Arenal def. Tom Peterson via submission (armbar) - Round 1, 1:58
Ronald Carillo def. Adam Antolin via submission (rear-naked choke) - Round 1, 1:48

For more on Strikeforce Challengers 15, check out the MMA Events section of the site.

(Pictured: Justin Wilcox)

[reflector]

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[reflector]

Alvarez looked really good in his fight.




http://mmajunkie.com/news/23094/bellator-39-results.mma





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Bellator 39 results: Alvarez outboxes Curran; Hawn and Freire advance
by John Morgan on Apr 02, 2011 at 11:20 pm ET

Midnight came a few minutes early in Connecticut, but Cinderalla hung around for 25 minutes.

Bellator lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez retained his belt with a five-round boxing clinic over perennial underdog Pat Curran in a fight that lasted far longer than most MMA pundits expected.

The bout served as the featured attraction of Saturday's MTV2-broadcast Bellator 39 event, which took place at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn.

In the opening round, Alvarez flashed his speed advantage with crisp head movement and lighting-quick jabs and straight right hands. Curran was unfazed by the work and stood firm in the pocket while defending a few earnest takedown attempts, but his counters weren't enough to overcome Alvarez's control of the exchanges.

The second round played out in similar fashion. Curran was happy to counterpunch, though it was Alvarez's volume that likely took the round. Nevertheless, Curran again flashed impressive takedown defense while mixing in a few counter knees, as well. Alvarez was cruising, working the body and creating angles, but Curran was not overwhelmed.

In the third, Alvarez appeared to turn it up a notch. The combinations were thrown with more frequency and ferocity, and the accumulation of shots to the torso began to show on the face of Curran. The challenger's takedown defense remained strong, though Alvarez did finally score one quick trip to the floor.

As the fight entered the championship rounds – a first for both fighters – Alvarez's pace remained high, and Curran's approach remained unchanged. The challenger landed a few crops counters in spots, but it was Alvarez's never-ending card that delivered punch after punch while bobbing, weaving, sliding and shuffling.

Alvarez remained conscious of Curran's power and refused to over-extend himself in attack while cruising to a unanimous-decision win. Curran flurried in the closing moments as he sought a Hail Mary, but the final score was already a lock. The lack of a finish will undoubtedly draw some criticism from Alvarez's detractors, but his performance was dominant in nature.

Following the unanimous-decision announcement, which Alvarez claimed with scores of 50-45, 50-45 and 49-46, the champ praised the gutsy challenger.

"I wish I had the heart he has at his age," Alvarez said. "Pat's going to be a champion someday, and my hat's off to him tonight."

With his first successful defense of Bellator's title, Alvarez (22-2 MMA, 6-0 BFC) runs his current win streak to seven fights. Curran (13-4 MMA, 3-1 BFC) sees a four-fight win streak snapped but likely earned some respect in the process.

Hawn edges Good in split, books spot in finals

Former Olympic judoka Rick Hawn didn't get a chance to flash any of his trademark throws, but the welterweight did display grit en route to a razor-thin victory over former Bellator champion Lyman Good.

In the opening round of their co-feature, Good did a great job of staying upright, utilizing his striking in the clinch and at range to frustrate Hawn and keep him from implementing his judo-based attack. While Hawn was pressing, Good appeared to be the more effective fighter.

In the second, Hawn used an early outside trip to gain top position, and he maintained the dominant spot until the end of the round. While he didn't score with any heavy blows, Good seemed content to defend with a closed guard, and Hawn stayed busy enough from the top to avoid a stand-up and secure the round.

With the bout seemingly on the line in the final frame, the fighters put the cageside judges to the test. It was Hahn moving forward, pressing the action, but Good picked his foe apart with pinpoint strikes while retreating. A late takedown from Hawn further complicated matters, especially when Good scored a firm upkick from his back. When the final bell sounded, both fighters rose to their feet with their hands raised.

Only Hawn had the right to do so.

In an oddly scored contest, Hawn booked his spot in the finals with a split-decision result, 29-28, 28-29 and 30-27. Following the win, Hawn admitted he could have done a few things differently to earn a more clear-cut victory.

"He hits hard," Hawn said. "I started off a little slow. At the end, I should have pushed a little harder."

Hawn (11-0 MMA, 3-0 BFC) remains undefeated and now waits for the winner of Jay Hieron vs. Brent Weedman to book the season-four welterweight tournament finals. Good (11-2 MMA, 4-2 BFC) falls to just 1-2 in his past three outings.

Freire advances to finals with brutal knockout

In the evening's second televised bout, Brazilian lightweight powerhouse Patricky "Pitbull" Freire secured his spot in the season-four tournament finals in emphatic fashion.

Following a patient start on the feet against submission ace Toby Imada, Freire saw an opening for a flying a knee and leapt into the air with his right leg forward. Imada ducked into the blow, adding momentum to the impact. Imada somehow remained on his feet, but his body rocked and swayed as he struggled to maintain consciousness. Freire swarmed with three powerful hooks that sent Imada crashing to the floor, and the bout was waved off at the 2:53 mark of the second frame.

Ruled a TKO, the finish was all knockout. With his fifth-straight victory (and sixth career knockout win), Freire (9-1 MMA, 2-1 BFC) looks a legitimate threat in the 155-pound division. He'll meet the winner of a upcoming Michael Chandler vs. Lloyd Woodard bout in the tournament finals.

Meanwhile, Imada (29-16 MMA, 5-3 BFC), who was carried out on a stretcher, misses out on the lightweight finals for the first time in Bellator's four-season history.

Saunders claims third-round stoppage in blood-soaked affair

The opening round was all Saunders. In vintage "Killa B" fashion, the American Top Team product pummeled Lee with knees from the Thai clinch. Landing multiple shots to the body and head, Saunders left his opponent bloodied and visibly wincing. Add in a few right hands on the outside to the chin that buckled Lee's legs, and Saunders was in complete control.

The second round saw more of the same. Saunders added in a few uppercuts and elbows to his assault, and the resulting damage left both fighters soaked in the blood that was gushing from a variety of wounds on Lee's face. The 39-year-old journeyman refused to quit, and he stood in the pocket trying to find an answer that wouldn't come.

As the third round opened, it appeared doctors might intervene, but Lee and his corner insisted on continuing. It was a courageous decision that earned applause from the audience and even a bow of respect from Saunders. Unfortunately for Lee, Saunders wasn't done with his attack.

In the early going of the final frame, another Saunders elbow opened a huge gash over Lee's left eye, and blood flowed freely from the wound. Referee Kevin MacDonald called for the doctors, who made no more than a cursory inspection before recommending a mercy stoppage 84 seconds into the round.

With the win, Saunders (9-4-2 MMA, 1-0 BFC) improved to 2-0 since his August 2010 release from the UFC. Meanwhile, at nearly 40 years old, Lee (13-10-1 MMA, 0-2 BFC) is likely finished on the national stage.

OFFICIAL MAIN CARD RESULTS

Champ Eddie Alvarez def Pat Curran via unanimous decision (49-46, 50-45, 50-45) - to retain lightweight title
Rich Hawn def. Lyman Good via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27) - welterweight tourney semifinal
Patricky "Pitbull" Freire def. Toby Imada via TKO (strikes) - Round 2, 2:53 - lightweight tourney semifinal
Ben Saunders def. Matt Lee via TKO (doctor's stoppage) - Round 3, 1:24

OFFICIAL PRELIMINARY CARD RESULTS

Dan Cramer def. Greg Rebello via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)*
Ryan Quinn def. Mike Winters via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-26)
David Jansen def. Scott McAfee via submission (brabo choke) - Round 1, 4:58
Rene Nazare def. Luiz Azeredovia TKO (injury) - Round 1, 5:00
John McLaughlin def. Blair Tugman via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

* - Bout took place following main event

For more on Bellator 39, check out the MMA Events section of the site.

(Pictured: Eddie Alvarez)

[reflector]

I would be interested to see if Stevenson could make 145 pounds.



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Joe Stevenson heads to featherweight, meets Javier Vazquez at UFC on Versus 4
by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Apr 04, 2011 at 3:20 pm ET

Following three consecutive losses and a 2-5 mark in his past seven fights, Joe Stevenson (31-13 MMA, 8-7 UFC) is dropping from lightweight to featherweight to meet Javier Vazquez (15-5 MMA, 0-0 UFC) at UFC on Versus 4.

UFC officials today announced the bout.

Although not officially announced, UFC on Versus 4 takes place June 26, and Pittsburgh's 19,000-seat Consol Energy Center is expected to play host.

It's not clear if Stevenson vs. Velasquez will be part of the night's Versus-televised main card.

Stevenson, who won "The Ultimate Fighter 2" in 2005, had emerged as a top UFC lightweight contender but fell short in a 2008 title fight with B.J. Penn. And though he's racked up three "Fight of the Night" bonuses during his recent skid, losses have come to the likes of Kenny Florian, Diego Sanchez, George Sotiropoulos, Mac Danzig and, most recently, Danny Castillo at UFC on Versus 3.

The fan favorite now is slated to fight Vazquez, a fellow vet who joined the UFC after the recent merger with his former home, the WEC. Vazquez, who makes his UFC debut at the event, went 2-3 in the WEC. After submitting Jens Pulvers and Mackens Semerzier, he suffered a decision loss to Chad Mendes, which came in his most recent bout at WEC 52 in November.

For more on UFC on Versus 4, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.

(Pictured: Joe Stevenson)

[Boomer.....]

I'm excited to see Urijah Faber try for the belt at 135 against Dominick Cruz this summer.

[northspeter]

tyson griffin is moving to 145 also against manny gamburyan... at UFC on Versus 4...

[reflector]

Battle on the Bayou sounds like a neat idea.



http://mmajunkie.com/news/23140/ufc-and-bud-light-renew-partnership-plan-sept-17-event-in-new-orleans.mma



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UFC and Bud Light renew partnership, plan Sept. 17 event in New Orleans
by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Apr 06, 2011 at 2:15 pm ET

The Ultimate Fighting Championship and Bud Light will remain partners for a few more years.

Officials from both companies today announced a multi-year extension of their existing partnership, and the new deal includes one special promotional event annually, beginning with "UFC: Battle on the Bayou," which takes place Sept. 17 in New Orleans and airs on Spike TV.

"Bud Light's sponsorship deal with us a few years ago was a milestone for our organization and the sport," UFC President Dana White stated in today's release. "We couldn't be more excited about working with Bud Light and continuing our strong relationship."

As part of the renewal, Bud Light will continue to receive logo placement throughout all UFC events, including in the octagon, press conferences and weigh-ins, as well as integrations into the promotion's digital assets including UFC.com and the UFC's Facebook page.

Additionally, Bud Light will release a limited-edition UFC aluminum bottle, the first Bud Light bottle to sport the UFC logo.

"Bud Light's first three years with the UFC have focused largely on growing awareness and viewership of the sport at bars, restaurants and all the other places Bud Light is sold across the country," vice president Mark Wright stated. "Having brought the UFC to more people, we want to start bringing more people to the UFC by creating exclusive fan experiences only Bud Light and the UFC can deliver. 'Battle on the Bayou' is a first and unprecedented step in that direction."

Beginning May 2, fans can also enter a contest to win a three-day, two-night UFC fan experience in the Big Easy, courtesy of Bud Light.

The UFC hasn't held an event in Louisiana since UFC 37 in May 2002. That event took place in Bossier City. The UFC's most recent event in the Crescent City was UFC 27, which took place in September 2000.

Additional details for "UFC: Battle on the Bayou, " including venue and ticketing information, were not revealed.

For more on "UFC: Battle on the Bayou," stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.

(Pictured: Dana White)

[reflector]

The Askren vs. Thompson fight should be good tomorrow night.




http://mmajunkie.com/news/23173/bellator-40-weigh-in-results-askren-and-thompson-tourney-fighters-all-on-weight.mma




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Bellator 40 weigh-in results: Askren and Thompson, tourney fighters all on weight
by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Apr 08, 2011 at 6:20 pm ET

All fighters competing at Saturday's Bellator 40 event today successfully made weight for the show.

Today's official fighter weigh-ins took place at First Council Casino in Newkirk, Okla., which also hosts Saturday's show.

Bellator welterweight champion Ben Askren (170.6 pounds) and veteran Nick Thompson (170.8), who meet in the headliner of the MTV2 broadcast, both successfully made weight for their non-title "super fight."

Askren, a season-two tournament winner who won the belt from Lyman Good in October, had to strip naked to make the 171-pound limit after initially weighing 171.2 pounds. The former University of Missouri wrestling standout pputs his belt on the line later this year when he faces the winner of the current season-four tournament. In the mean time, he meets Thompson in a non-title fight. (Bellator only awards title shots to tourney winners, and Thompson isn't one.)

Other main-card fighters compete in tourney-semifinal fights. They include welterweights Jay Hieron (170.5) and Brent Weedman (170.2), as well as lightweights Michael Chandler (155) and Lloyd Woodard (155).

The full weigh-in results included:

MAIN CARD

Champ Ben Askren (170.6) vs. Nick Thompson (170.8)
Jay Hieron (170.5) vs. Brent Weedman (170.2)
Michael Chandler (155) vs. Llood Woodard (155)

PRELIMINARY CARD

Nate James (170) vs. Tyler Stinson (170)
Josh Burns (257.2) vs. Eric Prindle (265)
David Rickles (169) vs. Dylan Smith (169)
Cody Carrillo (155) vs. Michael Osborn (155)

For more on Bellator 40, stay tuned to the MMA Rumors section of the site.

(Pictured: Ben Askren)

[reflector]

I think the fight between Diaz and Daley will be very competitive.




http://mmajunkie.com/news/23155/strikeforce-diaz-vs-daley-live-and-official-weigh-in-results.mma




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"Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley" live and official weigh-in results
by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Apr 08, 2011 at 7:00 pm ET

SAN DIEGO – MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) is on scene and reporting live from today's "Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley" official fighter weigh-ins.

Today's festivities take place at Crowne Plaza San Diego in California, and the first fighter hits the scale at approximately 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT).

Among those weighing are welterweight champ Nick Diaz and fellow headliner Paul Daley, who fight in Saturday's Showtime-televised main event.

The event also features a title fight between lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez and Japanese star Tatsuya Kawajiri. Also on the main card, light heavyweight Gegard Mousasi meets late replacement and former UFC fighter Keith Jardine, and lightweight notable Shinya Aoki takes on Lyle Beerbohm.

"Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley" is the organization's first major event since Strikeforce was purchased by its biggest competitor, the UFC.

MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) will be on scene and reporting live from the week's media and fan events.

The official results include:

MAIN CARD

Champ Nick Diaz (169.75) vs. Paul Daley (169.5)
Champ Gilbert Melendez (154.75) vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri (154.25)
Keith Jardine (205) vs. Gegard Mousasi (205.5)
Shinya Aoki (155) vs. Lyle Beerbohm (155.5)

PRELIMINARY CARD

Robert Peralta (144.5) vs. Hiroyuki Takaya (144.5)
Brett Albee (218.5) vs. Virgil Zwicker (222.5)
Saad Awad (155.5) vs. Joe Duarte (155.5)
A.J. Matthews (169) vs. Herman Terrado (170.5)
Edgar Cardenas (139) vs. Rolando Perez (140)
Casey Ryan (185) vs. Paul Song (184.5)

For more on "Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley," check out the MMA Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.

(Pictured: Paul Daley)

[reflector]

The fight between Daley and Diaz is one of the more exciting one round fights that I have ever seen. I was happy to see Aoki do well.




http://mmajunkie.com/news/23181/strikeforce-diaz-vs-daley-results.mma




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"Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley" results: Diaz survives scare, stops Daley in one-round thriller
by John Morgan on Apr 09, 2011 at 11:35 pm ET

For Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz, it was business as usual.

Well, UFC co-owners Dana White and Lorenzo Fertitta were on hand for his defense of the Strikeforce welterweight title, and he proved victorious in one of the most entertaining one-round fights in the promotion's history, but other than that, you know, just business as usual.

In typical Diaz fashion, the Californian taunted, talked and slugged his way to victory over a game Paul Daley in an instant-classic main event at Saturday's Showtime-broadcast "Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley" event, which took place at Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, Calif.

Diaz started in typical fashion, with his hands low and wide, his chin forward and his mouth running. While the champ professed his respect pre-fight for Daley's knockout power, he showed little of that at the opening bell. He'd soon learn a bit more appreciation.

After a little back-and-forth action to open, Diaz was caught flush by Daley's trademark left hook, and the 209 gasped as he hit the canvas. Bobbing and weaving on the floor like a snakewrangler looking to avoid a cobra strike, Diaz avoided a finishing blast from "Semtex" The Brit did score with a shocking soccer kick that just missed the head, but referee "Big" John McCarthy recognized the blow has not crossed any lines.

Back on the feet, Diaz showed no ill-effects of the initial barrage, and he went to work with his ever-present volume striking. Working the head and the body, Diaz pushed Daley to the fence and seized momentum of the fight. Shockingly, it was only act two in this four-part opening-round masterpiece.

With Daley wobbled from the assault, the heavily-booed villain continued to rattle off heavy shots. Most missed, but one didn't. Diaz was on the canvas once again. Rushing in to finish, Diaz again showed his ample heart and chin as he regained his wits underneath the onslaught of blows from the top. With Daley sensing his foe recovering, he backed away, seemingly wise for not allowing himself to tangle with the submission ace on the floor.

Yet it was only time for the Hollywood-worthy surprise ending.

With less than a minute left in a thrilling first frame, both fighters charged forward with strikes. With fists flying from all angles and bad intentions all around, both fighters found their mark. But as Diaz stumbled and turned from a right hook, Daley stumbled from an uppercut-punctuated combination and hit the deck face first. The 10-second clapper echoed in the background, and Diaz jumped in with nine unanswered follow-up blows. McCarthy jumped in, and Diaz held on to his belt in stunning fashion.

With just three seconds remaining, the stoppage could have been viewed as controversial, but cameras showed a dazed Daley struggling to get himself upright on the stool, justifying McCarthy's call.

After outstriking Daley 54-to-36, according to CompuStrike, Diaz earned his 10th-straight win and defended the Strikeforce welterweight title for a third-straight time. With the UFC's recent purchase of his current employer, Diaz declined to consider what might be next.

"We've got to see what's up," Diaz (25-7 MMA, 6-0 SF) said. "I need to get paid."

Despite a valiant effort, Daley (27-10-2 MMA, 1-1 SF) sees a four-fight win streak snapped.

"El Nino" storms Melendez in first

If Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Gilbert Melendez was suffering from ring rust after a near-one-year layoff, he masked it well. "El Nino" stormed Japanese superstar Tatsuya Kawajiri from the opening bell en route to a first-round shellacking of "Crusher" and his second successful defense of his belt.

Kawajiri was in trouble from the beginning, and he was dropped to a knee with an early right hand. Unfazed, Kawajiri returned to his feet determined to bang. He might have been better served remaining on that knee.

Melendez continued the assault and dumped Kawajiri on his head. The Japanese scrapper returned to his feet, but Melendez remained pinned to his back while delivering uppercuts. When the two separated to reset, it marked the beginning of the end.

After eating even more leather, Kawajiri tried for a desperation takedown. Melendez dropped down with a textbook draw and unleashed a brutal barrage of punches and elbows that left referee Cecil Peoples no choice but to call the fight at the 3:14 mark of the first round.

CompuStrike reports showed Melendez with a 45-to-15 edge in strikes, including an impressive 21 strikes on the floor.

Following the win, Melendez said he was simply executing his usual plan during the impressive result.

"That's my style," Melendez said. "That's how we train. I don't know how to fight any other way."

Melendez (19-2 MMA, 9-1 SF), who called for a title-unification bout with the UFC's lightweight champion, now carries a five-fight win streak. Meanwhile, Kawajiri (27-7-2 MMA, 0-1 SF) loses in his U.S. debut and falls to just 1-2 in his past three outings.

Marginal foul forces Mousasi to settle for draw

Former Strikeforce champion Gegard Mousasi appeared to leave little doubt as to the winner in his light heavyweight bout with longtime UFC contender Keith Jardine, but "The Dean of Mean" flashed both an impressive chin and an incredible heart while lasting until the final bell and "earning" a mildly controversial majority draw.

Mousasi used pinpoint striking to batter Jardine through three rounds, and while the striking specialist often found himself recovering from successful takedown attempts, he never absorbed much damage while prone. Nevertheless, it was a brief lapse in concentration while in his back that ultimately cost Mousasi a win.

With Jardine posturing over him in the opening round, Mousasi scored with an illegal upkick to the jaw. The strike wasn't particularly powerful, and it was the first such blow of the fight, but the incredibly mustachioed referee Carlos Beltran elected to deduct a point anyway, and it would factor heavily into the final result.

Mousasi was in unquestionable control for the final 10 minutes. Accurate striking, ample takedown defense and scrambling ability left Jardine's face a battered, bloody mess. And while the Greg Jackson-trained fighter refused to ever stop moving forward, he never really threatened Mousasi, who easily claimed the final two frames on the judges' scorecards.

Then came the moment fight fans too often dread: the final score.

Two judges saw Jardine's opening-round takedowns as sufficient enough to take the frame, which along with the deduction resulted in a 28-28 tie through three rounds. Just one judge saw the round as MMAjunkie.com did, 9-9, and the fight was ruled a majority draw.

Despite the apparent moral victory, likely earned by a 6-to-2 edge in takedowns according to CompuStrike, Jardine didn't appear satisfied.

"We're hear to win fights," said Jardine, who took the fight on just eight-days' notice, after the fight. "I guess they say it's like kissing your sister.

"I got tired. I guess that's what training camp's for."

A dejected Mousasi, who outstruck his foe 124-to-45 according CompuStrike, was equally frustrated.

"It happens," Mousasi said. "In the heat of the moment, I did what I did.

"Keith is an amazing fighter, and I want to thank him for an amazing fight."

Aoki cranks "Fancy Pants" on the floor

In the evening's first televised fight, Lyle Beerbohm showed little regard for the grappling skills of Japanese submission ace Shinya Aoki. He paid dearly for the decision.

Rather than try and exploit Aoki's sometimes-elementary striking prowess, Beerbohm moved into a clinch early, looking for the ground. Aoki helped him find it with an outside trip that left Beerbohm on his back.

Sensing the danger, "Fancy Pants" scrambled to his knees, but Aoki simply leaped over to back control, sunk in his hooks and rolled to his own back. Holding Beerbohm on his chest, Aoki wrapped the right arm around the neck, looking for the rear-naked choke. Beerbohm tucked his chin, but Aoki simply ranked the next until his opponent could handle the pain no longer.

The entire process took just 92 seconds.

With the win, an emotional Aoki (27-6 MMA, 1-1 SF) registers his first victory under the Strikeforce banner and now carries a four-fight win streak overall. Meanwhile, the once unbeatable Beerbohm (16-2 MMA, 3-2 SF) has now suffered two consecutive defeats.

OFFICIAL MAIN CARD RESULTS

Champ Nick Diaz def. Paul Daley via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 4:57 - to retain Strikeforce welterweight title
Champ Gilbert Melendez def. Tatsuya Kawajiri via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 3:14 - to retain Strikeforce lightweight title
Gegard Mousasi and Keith Jardine fight to a majority draw (29-27, 28-28, 28-28)
Shinya Aoki def. Lyle Beerbohm via submission (neck crank) - Round 1, 1:32

OFFICIAL PRELIMINARY CARD RESULTS

Robert Peralta def. Hiroyuki Takaya via split decision (30-27, 30-27, 28-29)
Virgil Swicker def. Brett Albee via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 1:46
Joe Duarte def. Saad Awad via submission (armbar) - Round 2, 2:45
Herman Terrado de. A.J. Matthews via TKO (punches) - Round 1, 4:16
Rolando Perez def. Edgar Cardenas via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Casey Ryan def. Paul Song via submission (triangle choke) - Round 1, 1:39

For more on "Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley," check out the MMA Events section of MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).

(Pictured: Nick Diaz)

[reflector]

Askren is always good at holding people down.




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Bellator 40 results: Askren cruises, Hieron and Chandler punch tourney-finale tickets
by Dann Stupp on Apr 09, 2011 at 11:30 pm ET

Despite a six-year head start and 42 more fights, veteran Nick Thompson simply had no answer for fast-rising Bellator welterweight champion Ben Askren.

In a non-title super fight that headlined Saturday's MTV2-broadcast Bellator 40 event at First Council Casino in Newkirk, Okla., Askren used his dominant wrestling skills to smother the former BodogFIGHT champ for a decision victory.

Askren picked up the win via scores of 30-26, 30-27 and 30-27.

Despite Thomspon also being a Division I wrestler, he simply couldn't stop Askren's many takedowns. Once on top, he easily moved into side control, delivered a steady stream of ground and pound, and stifled Thompson's many attempts to get off his back.

"It felt great," Askren said. "I would have liked to finish the fight. I know the fans have been on my *** about that."

Askren, a season-two tourney winner who claimed the belt from Lyman Good in October, will make his first title defense against either Rick Hawn or Jay Hieron, who fight next month in the season-tourney finale. Hieron, in fact, fought earlier in the night. Askren, though, was hardly blown away.

"I watched Jay Hieron tonight, and I wasn't impressed," Askren said. "I was in his dressing room. Who knows? He might try to come get me. But he ain't got nothing for me."

Askren (8-0 MMA, 0-0 BFC) picks up his fourth straight win by decision while Thompson (38-14-1 MMA, 0-1 BFC) drops his fourth straight.

Hieron edges Weedman for tourney-finale slot

It was far from a cakewalk, but Jay Hieron edged fellow semifinalist Brent Weedman and punched his ticket to the welterweight tournament's finale with a unanimous-decision victory.

Things started off poorly for the former IFL champ. Weedman tagged and dropped him with overhand left, but Hieron quickly recovered, used a D'Arce choke to move into top position, and unloaded some ground and pound to come back to win the round.

Much of the remainder of the fight was spent standing, and Weedman often was the aggressor. However, Hieron's fluid and sometimes tricky striking allowed him to land more power shots. Additionally, with the threat of takedowns looming, Weedman rarely closed the distance to avoid the lunging shots. Still, Weedman landed some heavy blows, and a late-fight low-kick knockdown briefly set up the mount position.

Still, it wasn't enough to convince the judges, who unanimously gave Hieron the fight, 29-28.

"He came to fight," Hieron said. "He's a tough guy. That's what I want. I want tough fights like that. I feel I'm the best in the world, and I need those fights to get there."

With the win, Hieron now meets Olympian Rick Hawn in next month's tourney finale.

"I'm coming," Hieron said. "'The Thoroughbred' is coming. I'm galloping."

Hieron (21-4 MMA, 2-0 BFC) now has won nine consecutive fights, five of which have come via decision. Weedman (18-6-1 MMA, 4-1 BFC) sees a 10-fight win streak come to an end.

Chandler punches tourney-finale ticket

Although Michael Chandler's MMA game is still a work in progress, the former University of Missouri wrestler's takedown and ground skills have led him to another victory and a ticket to the lightweight tourney's finale.

Using his improved and fearless striking to set up at least four takedowns in each frame, Chandler dominated the first and third rounds to earn a unanimous-decision victory over fellow semifinalist Lloyd Woodard via scores of 29-28.

Chandler's speed, ability to close the distance, and his sometimes-smothering top game stifled Woodard, whose best shot at a victory – back mount and a deep rear-naked-choke attempt – were cut short by the end of the second round. Chandler, though, got a second win in the final frame and dominated the Montanan with takedowns and a steady stream of fight-ending ground and pound.

"Lloyd is the man," Chandler said. "Hats off to him. Lloyd, you're an amazing fighter."

With his victory, Chandler now meets KO artist Patricky "Pitbull" Freire in the tourney finale next month.

"Give me him," Chandler said. "Let's go. (I'm) two thirds of the way to the goal. The goal is to win this Bellator tournament and then get this title shot. Patricky, he's flashy. He knocks dudes out, but I can't wait for that fight."

Chandler (7-0 MMA, 4-0 BFC), who went past the second round for the first time in his career, takes his first-ever decision victory. Woodard (11-1 MMA, 1-1 BFC), meanwhile, suffers the first loss of his near-three-year career.

MAIN CARD


Champ Ben Askren def. Nick Thompson via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27) - non-title fight
Jay Hieron def. Brent Weedman via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) - welterweight-tourney semifinal
Michael Chandler def. Lloyd Woodard via unanimous (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) - lightweight-tourney semifinal

PRELIMINARY CARD


Michael Osborn def. Cody Carrillo via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 1:27
Tyler Stinson def. Nathan James via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Eric Prindle def. Josh Burns via TKO (doctor's stoppage) - Round 2, 5:00
David Rickels def. Dylan Smith via submission (triangle choke) - Round 1, 3:32

For more on Bellator 40, stay tuned to the MMA Events section of the site.

(Pictured: Jay Hieron)

[mgsooner]

The fight between Daley and Diaz is one of the more exciting one round fights that I have ever seen. I was happy to see Aoki do well.

All around it was a pretty sweet night of fights put on by Strikeforce. Melendez is a flat out stud and I expect UFC to poach him very soon. That could be his final fight under the "Strikeforce" moniker. What can you say about Diaz? Dude has one hell of a chin and is one tough SOB. He's quickly becoming one of my favorite fighters. Diaz v. Koscheck is one of my dream matchups in this new world of MMA.

[reflector]

I love this series, when they do it. It is similar to the 24/7 series that boxing does. I actually like this series more than the 24/7 series.





http://mmajunkie.com/news/23192/ufc-primetime-for-ufc-129s-gsp-vs-shields-debuts-thursday-on-spike-tv.mma





http://mmajunkie.com/dyn/images/fighters/georges-st-pierre-19.jpg


"UFC Primetime" for UFC 129's GSP vs. Shields debuts Wednesday on Spike TV
by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Apr 11, 2011 at 9:45 am ET

The "UFC Primetime" series returns to Spike TV for the first time in six months on Thursday.

The three-part series focuses on UFC 129's championship headliner between UFC welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre (21-2 MMA, 15-2 UFC) and former Strikeforce titleholder Jake Shields (26-4-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC).

The show debuts Wednesday (early Thursday) at midnight ET/PT. New episodes debut each week in the timeslot.

Replays of the debut episode air Thursday at 1:30 a.m. ET/PT and 11 p.m. ET/PT. The same goes for the April 21 and April 28 editions.

UFC 129 takes place April 30 at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and airs on pay-per-view. The event is sold-out with more than 55,000 tickets purchased within the first hour of the on-sale period. It'll be the largest-attended event and biggest gate in North American MMA history.

Different from the UFC's traditional "Countdown" shows, "UFC Primetime" goes more in depth and focuses on some of the biggest fights of the year. The most recent "Primetime" special, for example, focused on this past October's UFC 121 heavyweight title clash between then-champ Brock Lesnar and challenger Cain Velasquez.

St-Pierre twice before has been featured in "UFC Primetime" specials. The champ's UFC 111 bout with Dan Hardy drew the extra treatment, as did a UFC 94 fight with B.J. Penn. The frequency of the superstar's appearance in the specials led UFC president Dana White recently to joke there may be little left to uncover about St-Pierre's preparation process.

"Everything you didn't know about Georges St-Pierre from the other seven 'Primetimes,' you'll learn in this one," White deadpanned.

For complete coverage of UFC 129, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).

(Pictured: Georges St-Pierre)

[Knippz]

Not trying to be a dick here, but reflector, those articles you keep posting push me away from reading/posting in this thread. They take up so dang much space! I totally agree with posting a story if it's breaking news, like Zuffa purchasing Strikeforce. But the other stuff I can just read on Junkie, no need to post it here.

I would much rather hear your opinions on things rather than stories I've already read. Plus, I'm pretty sure most of us follow MMA through some sort of credible website, so there's a strong chance we're all still seeing these stories.

I'm glad you're here though, and definitely wanna hear some more opinions on things.

[reflector]

Not trying to be a dick here, but reflector, those articles you keep posting push me away from reading/posting in this thread. They take up so dang much space! I totally agree with posting a story if it's breaking news, like Zuffa purchasing Strikeforce. But the other stuff I can just read on Junkie, no need to post it here.

I would much rather hear your opinions on things rather than stories I've already read. Plus, I'm pretty sure most of us follow MMA through some sort of credible website, so there's a strong chance we're all still seeing these stories.

I'm glad you're here though, and definitely wanna hear some more opinions on things.

Okay. I will seriously try to remember this. This is just how I did things at the last website. I really like this website and this thread. I will try to do things a different way from now on, if I remember. I think it is cool that so many people seem to follow MMA on this site. If I go back to doing what I have originally done in the future, please remind me again.

Is it okay how I do things on the TUF thread or would you rather me not post the blogs and ratings on that thread as well?

[Boomer.....]

I agree with Knippz. Love your input but could do without the long articles.

Maybe just link them and put the title of the article in the link like this:

Bellator 40 ratings: Rebound results in MTV2's second-largest audience of season
(http://mmajunkie.com/news/23216/bellator-40-ratings-rebound-results-in-mtv2s-second-largest-audience-of-season.mma)

[reflector]

I agree with Knippz. Love your input but could do without the long articles.

Maybe just link them and put the title of the article in the link like this:

Bellator 40 ratings: Rebound results in MTV2's second-largest audience of season
(http://mmajunkie.com/news/23216/bellator-40-ratings-rebound-results-in-mtv2s-second-largest-audience-of-season.mma)

Okay. What about the TUF thread? Again I really like this website. I am willing to change things up here. I think it is really cool that so many people on this site follow MMA.

[Boomer.....]

Probably the same. Just link the articles. I think posting the youtube videos are cool though.

[reflector]

Probably the same. Just link the articles. I think posting the youtube videos are cool though.

Okay. Thanks.

[Knippz]

Thanks buddy!

http://www.youtube.com/v/yQ67v1aFr5w?rel=0&hd=1

Anderson Silva talks Vitor, GSP, Black House, and Jon Jones in full English.

[reflector]

The prelims for UFC 131 will be on Spike.

[reflector]

Don't forget the first episode of UFC Primetime: St. Pierre vs. Shields debuts tonight. It is done very similar to boxing's 24/7 series. I really like the way they do it.

[northspeter]

Don't forget the first episode of UFC Primetime: St. Pierre vs. Shields debuts tonight. It is done very similar to boxing's 24/7 series. I really like the way they do it.

its on very late for some reason though... i doubt this one gets good ratings because of it...

[Knippz]

Thanks for the reminder. Too bad I have to pull a freakin all-nighter studying, and am gonna miss it! Argh!!!

[reflector]

I think the fight in finals between Freire and Straus should be really good.


Bellator 41 Results


http://mmajunkie.com/news/23275/bellator-41-results.mma

[reflector]

Here is a video from Patricio "Pitbull" Freire's fight.


qK-etrNHDPo

[northspeter]

pitbull and his brother both are very talented... warren didnt earn that win...that was a gift from the judges...

[reflector]

The UFC has put the first episode of UFC Primetime: St. Pierre vs. Shields on YouTube. Here it is for anyone who has not seen it yet.


Wdjiknyoxgs

[Boomer.....]

That's going to be a good fight. I'm excited about the whole card.

[reflector]

That's going to be a good fight. I'm excited about the whole card.

I feel the same way.

[reflector]

Reports are that Cheick Kongo is going to fight Pat Barry on the UFC on Versus 4 card on June 26. I think that will be a slugfest.

[reflector]

The second episode of the UFC Primetime: St. Pierre vs. Shields premieres tonight.

[reflector]

Akiyama is set to fight Belfort at UFC 133. I think that would be an interesting fight.

[reflector]

Bellator 42 Weigh In Results


http://www.mmamania.com/2011/4/22/2127495/bellator-42-weigh-in-results-for-mann-vs-on-april-16d

Arocho missed weight on his first try.

[reflector]

The UFC has put the second Primetime episode of St. Pierre vs. Shields online now. Here it is for those who have not seen it yet.



QcpHMEErY-U

[reflector]

Couture To Retire After Next Fight


-NLzii1_2B0

[reflector]

I think the fight between M'Pumbu and Hale should be really good. I thought Hale won his fight. He won a split decision. I thought it was the right call. I thought he won the second and third rounds.



Bellator 42 Results


http://mmajunkie.com/news/23355/bellator-42-results.mma

[Boomer.....]

I'm glad Randy is going to go out while he is still winning, even though he hasn't really fought good opponents. I really don't see him hanging with Machida even if he dirty boxes him.

[Knippz]

Jon Jones has to have surgery on his thumb, so now Rashad Evans is fighting Phil Davis at UFC 133.

Wow, not surprised the fight isn't happening anymore, but Davis vs Evans is a good fight! I'm excited!

[Boomer.....]

Ahhh. I was looking forward to seeing Bones **** Rashad up.

[reflector]

Jon Jones has to have surgery on his thumb, so now Rashad Evans is fighting Phil Davis at UFC 133.

Wow, not surprised the fight isn't happening anymore, but Davis vs Evans is a good fight! I'm excited!


I think Davis vs. Evans will be a really good fight.

[reflector]

Countdown to UFC 129 premieres on Spike tonight.

[Shakadoodoo]

I am very excited about this fight! I like GSP but I think Jake is going to give him hell.

It is hard for me to cheer for OSU Alumni but I hope Couture whoops up on Machida on his way to retirement.

[reflector]

Bellator gets good ratings for Bellator 42. I like watching Bellator events on MTV2. This last event got 199,000 viewers. This was significant increase over the previous week.


http://mmajunkie.com/news/23384/bellator-42-ratings-rebound-average-audience-increases-by-51-percent.mma

[reflector]

Dana White UFC 129 Video Blog 1 (NSFW)


s5bO0Gqmsu0

[Boomer.....]

Dana at the Strikeforce event, huh.

[reflector]

The final episode of UFC Primetime: St. Pierre vs. Shields is tonight.

[Shakadoodoo]

Dana at the Strikeforce event, huh.

UFC bought Strikeforce. Strile force now belongs to Dana.

[Boomer.....]

That's right. I forgot.

So now it's just Bellator left?

[Shakadoodoo]

That's right. I forgot.

So now it's just Bellator left?

I think so - I bet reflector knows the scoop. It is funny how Dana always talked about how crooked Don King and boxing was - I am no expert on how the business works but it looks like Dana is doing the same kind of things Don King did. He is going to end up owning everyone.

[reflector]

I think so - I bet reflector knows the scoop. It is funny how Dana always talked about how crooked Don King and boxing was - I am no expert on how the business works but it looks like Dana is doing the same kind of things Don King did. He is going to end up owning everyone.

I think DREAM is still around for now. They have an event coming up I believe. I don't how much longer they will be around though. M-1 had an event on Showtime not too long ago. There are probably more that I am not just not remembering right now. There are lots of smaller shows that you can watch online.

[reflector]

I am really excited for the fights tomorrow night. I think it is going to be a good event. I was surprised Ben Henderson missed weight on his first try. Hopefully he can lose the extra half pound and weigh in on weight.


UFC 129 Weigh In Results


http://mmajunkie.com/news/23422/ufc-129-live-and-official-weigh-in-results.mma

[reflector]

GSP vs. Shields Staredown


http://www.mediafire.com/imgbnc.php/4ee12d476a210031bb0280ddaded447dd7e92ff05ac1e1e0d9 c3105265f9e60e5g.jpg

Nothing too exciting, just thought I would post it though.

[reflector]

Dana White UFC 129 Video Blog 2 (NSFW)


g9q1HK8GESY


Dana often tweets locations for tickets for certain events. I think it was a mistake to do that for this fight. It looked dangerous in the video. I think this is going to be an awesome event.

[northspeter]

I think DREAM is still around for now. They have an event coming up I believe. I don't how much longer they will be around though. M-1 had an event on Showtime not too long ago. There are probably more that I am not just not remembering right now. There are lots of smaller shows that you can watch online.

King of the Cage and MFC events air on HDnet regularly... along with Dream... looks like Dream is about to go bankrupt though... maybe 1 or 2 more shows left...

[northspeter]

im picking Jake in an upset... Aldo by tko... Machida by KO... Matyushenko... Henderson... Diaz... Ellenburger... Ninja Roberts....

[reflector]

Video of Shields and GSP at the Weigh Ins


6V0pk-K5AKg

[reflector]

Sport Science: Georges St. Pierre


VEEIM_covA0


I just saw this for the first time. It is pretty cool.

[reflector]

I am really excited for the fights tomorrow night. I think it is going to be a good event. I was surprised Ben Henderson missed weight on his first try. Hopefully he can lose the extra half pound and weigh in on weight.


UFC 129 Weigh In Results


http://mmajunkie.com/news/23422/ufc-129-live-and-official-weigh-in-results.mma

Henderson made weight on his second attempt.

[Shakadoodoo]

It's getting close. I can't wait. GSP is looking ready, like always! So does Jake - I hope its an absolute war!

[northspeter]

fantastic card... all the way up to the headliner... really disappointed in both guys... however jake was able to do something noone else has done to gsp since matt serra... jake won 2 rounds on two judges score cards... machida's crane kick was sick... and the second head growing from hominick was disgusting... that's a tough dude...

[reflector]

I really enjoyed the event. I thought the main event was a really good fight. I thought GSP definitely won, but Jake still did pretty well. It was kind of sad seeing Randy lose and knowing that it will probably be the last time we ever get to see him fight.



UFC 129 Results


http://mmajunkie.com/news/23445/ufc-129-main-card-results-st-pierre-outjabs-shieldss-aldo-retains-in-thrilling-finish.mma

[northspeter]

http://cdn0.sbnation.com/fan_shot_images/192334/randy_couture_vs._lyoto_machida_5.gif

[reflector]

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-idNix6yXXTk/TbzfgfGNVEI/AAAAAAAACmg/cdciHQ5RpfM/s1600/1.gif

[ouleaf]

That jumping front kick Machida hit Coutoure with was so sick. Place absolutely erupted when that happened.

GSP was GSP....best fighter in the world IMO. Shields hung in there though.