As they often do, ONE FC kicked off the final full weekend of MMA in 2014. They did so with a Beijing Flyweight and Featherweight tournament. Li Wei Bin defeated Wang Wei by unanimous decision to win the Flyweight tournament. He made it to the finals by winning his semifinal fight against Hao Yi Jie via armbar at 2:51 of round 1. Li Kai Wen defeated Wang Ya Wei by unanimous decision to win the Featherweight tournament. Wen got there by winning his semifinal fight against He Nan Nan via TKO at 2:25 of round 1.
Titan Fighting Championship is known for pushing their fighters to finish fights by offering a bonus to those who can pull it off, but at Titan FC 32 the desire for bonus money seemed to be absent. Only one fight on the entire fight card ended in a finish. In the main event Desmond Green claimed the vacant Featherweight belt by earning a hard fought unanimous decision win over UFC veteran Steven Siler.
At UFC Fight Night 58, former Bantamweight champion Renan Barao returned to the win column by sinking in an arm triangle on Mitch Gagnon. The finish came at 3:53 of round 3. Barao proceeded to call out the man who took his title from him, T.J. Dillashaw, in his post fight speech. The main event saw Middleweight Lyoto Machida completely dominate C.B. Dollaway. Machida won by TKO off of a nasty body kick at just 1:02 of round 1.
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson has resigned with the UFC after going 3-0 with Bellator FC. The contract rights to Jackson are still being worked out.
Sunday, December 21, 2014
Sunday, December 14, 2014
12/14/14
Last Friday a landmark season of The Ultimate Fighter came to an end. The TUF 20 Finale crowned the first ever Women's Strawweight champion. Carla Esparza won that belt in impressive fashion, derailing the Rose Namajunas hype train. Esparza won in round 3 via rear naked choke at 1:26. Other notable winners included Charles Oliveira, Yancy Medeiros and Jessica Penne.
Two belts were on the line at World Series of Fighting 16. The first, the Featherweight belt, saw Lance Palmer defeat the champion Rick Glenn by rear naked choke at 3:09 of round 3. In the main event Rousimar Palhares successfully defended his Welterweight title against fellow UFC veteran Jon Fitch by his go to move, the knee bar, at 1:30 of round 1.
At UFC on FOX 13, three Heavyweight fights took up 75 percent of the main card and it made for an exciting night. The first of those Heavyweight fights saw Matt Mitrione TKO Gabriel Gonzaga at just 1:59 of round 1. Heavyweight Alistair Overeem got back on track with a KO win over Stefan Struve at 4:13 of round 1. In the co-main event Rafael dos Anjos earned a Lightweight title shot with a dominate decision win over Nate Diaz. The main event saw Heavyweights Stipe Miocic and Junior dos Santos slug out a fight of the night type performance. Dos Santos won by unanimous decision.
Following a loss to Drew Dobar at UFC on FOX 13, UFC/WEC veteran Jamie Varner has announced his retirement.
Rafael dos Anjos will get the next shot at Lightweight champion Anthony Pettis due to Khabib Nurmagomedov being injured.
Two belts were on the line at World Series of Fighting 16. The first, the Featherweight belt, saw Lance Palmer defeat the champion Rick Glenn by rear naked choke at 3:09 of round 3. In the main event Rousimar Palhares successfully defended his Welterweight title against fellow UFC veteran Jon Fitch by his go to move, the knee bar, at 1:30 of round 1.
At UFC on FOX 13, three Heavyweight fights took up 75 percent of the main card and it made for an exciting night. The first of those Heavyweight fights saw Matt Mitrione TKO Gabriel Gonzaga at just 1:59 of round 1. Heavyweight Alistair Overeem got back on track with a KO win over Stefan Struve at 4:13 of round 1. In the co-main event Rafael dos Anjos earned a Lightweight title shot with a dominate decision win over Nate Diaz. The main event saw Heavyweights Stipe Miocic and Junior dos Santos slug out a fight of the night type performance. Dos Santos won by unanimous decision.
Following a loss to Drew Dobar at UFC on FOX 13, UFC/WEC veteran Jamie Varner has announced his retirement.
Rafael dos Anjos will get the next shot at Lightweight champion Anthony Pettis due to Khabib Nurmagomedov being injured.
Sunday, December 7, 2014
12/7/14
As the year in MMA gradually comes to an end, each promotion begins to put their best fighters on each card to end with a bang. If this weekend wasn't evidence of that I don't know what is.
ONE FC made its way to the Philippines for ONE FC 23. Roger Gracie made his promotional debut at Light Heavyweight defeating James McSweeney via TKO at 3:15 of round 3. In a Heavyweight bout Brandon Vera made quick work of Igor Subora, utilizing soccer kicks after a punch dropped him. Vera won by KO at 3:54 of round 1. In the main event Bantamweight champion Bibiano Fernandes successfully defended his belt via rear naked choke at 1:16 of round 2 despite a valiant effort by Dae Hwan Kim.
At RFA 21, the promotions final event of the year, Mehdi Baghdad defeated Zach Juusola to claim the vacant Lightweight belt. Baghdad won by TKO after an elbow split Juusola's forehead. The finish came at 2:47 of round 4.
Invicta FC 10 only had eight fights on the fight card because of injuries but still managed to put on a show. Featherweight Tonya Evinger extended her win streak after getting the win over Cindy Dandois via armbar. The armbar marked her second straight and came at 1:23 of round 2. The main event saw a new Atomweight champion crowned. Herica Tiburcio earned the upset victory over "The Karate Hottie" Michelle Waterson via guillotine at 1:04 of round 3.
At UFC 181 Travis Browne defeated Brandan Schaub by TKO at 4:50 of round 1. The first of two title fights saw Anthony Pettis attempt to defend his Lightweight belt for the first time. Though Gilbert Melendez came out strong, Pettis was able to settle and earn a guillotine from the mount at 1:53 of round 2. The second of the two title fights served as the main event. Welterweight champion Johny Hendricks and "Ruthless" Robbie Lawler picked up right where they left off in this rematch. The two slugged their way to a split decision which saw Lawler become the new champion.
Longtime UFC veteran Yves Edwards has announced his retirement from the sport following a recent loss.
Following his release from the UFC, Lightweight Anthony Njokuani has signed with Legacy Fighting Championship and will fight undefeated Thomas Gifford.
WWE superstar CM Punk has signed with the UFC.
ONE FC made its way to the Philippines for ONE FC 23. Roger Gracie made his promotional debut at Light Heavyweight defeating James McSweeney via TKO at 3:15 of round 3. In a Heavyweight bout Brandon Vera made quick work of Igor Subora, utilizing soccer kicks after a punch dropped him. Vera won by KO at 3:54 of round 1. In the main event Bantamweight champion Bibiano Fernandes successfully defended his belt via rear naked choke at 1:16 of round 2 despite a valiant effort by Dae Hwan Kim.
At RFA 21, the promotions final event of the year, Mehdi Baghdad defeated Zach Juusola to claim the vacant Lightweight belt. Baghdad won by TKO after an elbow split Juusola's forehead. The finish came at 2:47 of round 4.
Invicta FC 10 only had eight fights on the fight card because of injuries but still managed to put on a show. Featherweight Tonya Evinger extended her win streak after getting the win over Cindy Dandois via armbar. The armbar marked her second straight and came at 1:23 of round 2. The main event saw a new Atomweight champion crowned. Herica Tiburcio earned the upset victory over "The Karate Hottie" Michelle Waterson via guillotine at 1:04 of round 3.
At UFC 181 Travis Browne defeated Brandan Schaub by TKO at 4:50 of round 1. The first of two title fights saw Anthony Pettis attempt to defend his Lightweight belt for the first time. Though Gilbert Melendez came out strong, Pettis was able to settle and earn a guillotine from the mount at 1:53 of round 2. The second of the two title fights served as the main event. Welterweight champion Johny Hendricks and "Ruthless" Robbie Lawler picked up right where they left off in this rematch. The two slugged their way to a split decision which saw Lawler become the new champion.
Longtime UFC veteran Yves Edwards has announced his retirement from the sport following a recent loss.
Following his release from the UFC, Lightweight Anthony Njokuani has signed with Legacy Fighting Championship and will fight undefeated Thomas Gifford.
WWE superstar CM Punk has signed with the UFC.
Sunday, November 16, 2014
11/16/14
Five major fight cards in only two days, what more could you ask for as a MMA fan? Not to mention Cage Warriors event that featured two main cards. This weekend was like a buffet of fights.
Starting things off was Legacy FC 37 on Friday night. Mike Bronzoulis made a successful move to Lightweight with a second round rear naked choke win over Justin Reiswerg at 4:51. The main event put two UFC veterans against one another as Daniel Pineda took on Leonard Garcia in a Bantamweight bout. Pineda made quick work of him with a kimura at 1:54 of round 1. Following the loss, Garcia announced his retirement.
Cage Warriors made its way back to London for two main cards at Cage Warriors 74. The main events for both consisted of title fights. The first was for the inaugural Women's Bantamweight title. Pannie Kianzad won a unanimous decision over Eeva Siiskonen to claim the belt. The second was for the Welterweight belt. Nicolas Dalby retained his title with a unanimous decision over Mohsen Bahari.
WSOF 15 put three belts on the line, though Melvin Guillard missing weight made it two. First was Jessica Aguilar defending her Women's Strawweight title with a unanimous decision over Kalindra Faria. Next up was Lightweight champion Justin Gaethje whose fight was made into a Catchweight bout because of Guillard missing weight. Gaethje won a slug fest by way of a split decision. In the main event David Branch successfully defended his Middleweight title for the first time against UFC veteran Yushin Okami. Branch won via TKO at 3:39 of round 4.
At Bellator 131 Welterweight kick boxer Joe Schilling made his return to MMA after a six year layoff. He did so impressively as he earned a flash KO over veteran Melvin Manhoef at :32 of round 2. Will Brooks solidified his interim Lightweight championship with a TKO win over former champion Michael Chandler at 3:48 of round 4. The main event saw an end to the trash talk between Light Heavyweights Tito Ortiz and Stephan Bonnar. Ortiz won a split decision.
Finishing up the eventful weekend was UFC 180. Featherweight Ricardo Lamas returned to the win column with an impressive win over Dennis Bermudez via guillotine at 3:18 of round 1. Welterweight Kelvin Gastelum earned a rear naked choke win over Jake Ellenberger at 4:46 of round 1. In the main event Fabricio Werdum won the interim Heavyweight title over Mark Hunt with a big TKO from a knee at 2:27 of round 2.
Bellator FC has announced its first four title fights to be held in 2015. At Bellator 132 Patricio Freire will look to defend his Featherweight belt against former champion Daniel Straus. At Bellator 133 Welterweight champion Douglas Lima will take on former UFC fighter Paul Daley and Light Heavyweight champion Emanuel Newton will fight against the undefeated Liam McGeary. Finally, at Bellator 134 Bantamweight champion Joe Warren will take on Marcos Galvao.
ESPN has hired Chael Sonnen as their newest MMA analyst.
Starting things off was Legacy FC 37 on Friday night. Mike Bronzoulis made a successful move to Lightweight with a second round rear naked choke win over Justin Reiswerg at 4:51. The main event put two UFC veterans against one another as Daniel Pineda took on Leonard Garcia in a Bantamweight bout. Pineda made quick work of him with a kimura at 1:54 of round 1. Following the loss, Garcia announced his retirement.
Cage Warriors made its way back to London for two main cards at Cage Warriors 74. The main events for both consisted of title fights. The first was for the inaugural Women's Bantamweight title. Pannie Kianzad won a unanimous decision over Eeva Siiskonen to claim the belt. The second was for the Welterweight belt. Nicolas Dalby retained his title with a unanimous decision over Mohsen Bahari.
WSOF 15 put three belts on the line, though Melvin Guillard missing weight made it two. First was Jessica Aguilar defending her Women's Strawweight title with a unanimous decision over Kalindra Faria. Next up was Lightweight champion Justin Gaethje whose fight was made into a Catchweight bout because of Guillard missing weight. Gaethje won a slug fest by way of a split decision. In the main event David Branch successfully defended his Middleweight title for the first time against UFC veteran Yushin Okami. Branch won via TKO at 3:39 of round 4.
At Bellator 131 Welterweight kick boxer Joe Schilling made his return to MMA after a six year layoff. He did so impressively as he earned a flash KO over veteran Melvin Manhoef at :32 of round 2. Will Brooks solidified his interim Lightweight championship with a TKO win over former champion Michael Chandler at 3:48 of round 4. The main event saw an end to the trash talk between Light Heavyweights Tito Ortiz and Stephan Bonnar. Ortiz won a split decision.
Finishing up the eventful weekend was UFC 180. Featherweight Ricardo Lamas returned to the win column with an impressive win over Dennis Bermudez via guillotine at 3:18 of round 1. Welterweight Kelvin Gastelum earned a rear naked choke win over Jake Ellenberger at 4:46 of round 1. In the main event Fabricio Werdum won the interim Heavyweight title over Mark Hunt with a big TKO from a knee at 2:27 of round 2.
Bellator FC has announced its first four title fights to be held in 2015. At Bellator 132 Patricio Freire will look to defend his Featherweight belt against former champion Daniel Straus. At Bellator 133 Welterweight champion Douglas Lima will take on former UFC fighter Paul Daley and Light Heavyweight champion Emanuel Newton will fight against the undefeated Liam McGeary. Finally, at Bellator 134 Bantamweight champion Joe Warren will take on Marcos Galvao.
ESPN has hired Chael Sonnen as their newest MMA analyst.
Sunday, November 9, 2014
11/9/14
At ONE FC 22, Welterweight Luis "Sapo" Santos continued his hot streak of finishes by dispatching Bakhtiyar Abbasov via submission (knee to the body) at :53 of round 1. Lightweight Koji Ando defeated Zorobabel Moreira by TKO 4:21 of round 3. The main event saw Igor Svirid claim the inaugural Middleweight belt by defeating Leandro Ataides by KO at just :17 of round 1.
RFA 20 saw undefeated Luke Sanders win the vacant Bantamweight belt against Jarred Mercado in impressive fashion. Sanders won via TKO (knee) at 1:06 of round 1.
UFC Fight Night 55 in Australia set a promotional record with 11 finishes in 11 fights. Lightweight Al Iaquinta earned a big TKO win against Ross Pearson at 1:39 of round 2. The main event put an end to months of trash talk as Middleweight Luke Rockhold took on Michael Bisping. Rockhold won by one armed guillotine at :57 of round 2.
UFC Fight Night 56 took place on the other side of the world in Brazil. Welterweight Warlley Alves won a controversial decision over Alan Jouban. In the main event Light Heavyweight Ovince Saint Preux shocked everyone by getting a TKO victory over veteran "Shogun" Rua. The stoppage came at :34 of round 1.
Welterweight Roan Carneiro will only be fined $100 rather than the original amount of $15,000. The Oklahoma State Athletic Commission fined Carneiro after he showed up late to his pre-fight physical for the Battleground MMA O.N.E. tournament. Carneiro, who won the tournament, received $50,000 in prize money for doing so.
The UFC will serve as a title sponsor for the 2015 British Open Judo Championships.
RFA 20 saw undefeated Luke Sanders win the vacant Bantamweight belt against Jarred Mercado in impressive fashion. Sanders won via TKO (knee) at 1:06 of round 1.
UFC Fight Night 55 in Australia set a promotional record with 11 finishes in 11 fights. Lightweight Al Iaquinta earned a big TKO win against Ross Pearson at 1:39 of round 2. The main event put an end to months of trash talk as Middleweight Luke Rockhold took on Michael Bisping. Rockhold won by one armed guillotine at :57 of round 2.
UFC Fight Night 56 took place on the other side of the world in Brazil. Welterweight Warlley Alves won a controversial decision over Alan Jouban. In the main event Light Heavyweight Ovince Saint Preux shocked everyone by getting a TKO victory over veteran "Shogun" Rua. The stoppage came at :34 of round 1.
Welterweight Roan Carneiro will only be fined $100 rather than the original amount of $15,000. The Oklahoma State Athletic Commission fined Carneiro after he showed up late to his pre-fight physical for the Battleground MMA O.N.E. tournament. Carneiro, who won the tournament, received $50,000 in prize money for doing so.
The UFC will serve as a title sponsor for the 2015 British Open Judo Championships.
Sunday, October 26, 2014
10/16/14
Bellator 130 started off a weekend with only two major MMA cards. Women's Featherweight veteran Marloes Coenen held the honors of bringing back WMMA to Bellator with a third round rear naked choke of Linton Vassell at :57. Heavyweight Bobby Lashley moved to 2-0 under the Bellator banner with a submission due to strikes of Karl Etherington at 1:31 of round 2. In the main event Emanuel Newton successfully defended his Light Heavyweight belt against Linton Vassell in a come from behind win. Newton won via rear naked choke at :47 of round 5.
UFC 179 won't exactly go down as the best card in the promotions history. Light Heavyweight Phil Davis won a unanimous decision over Glover Teixeira by utilizing his wrestling and grappling. Jose Aldo defended his Featherweight title against Chad Mendes. The unanimous decision earned fight of the night.
UFC Heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez has been forced out of his UFC 180 title defense due to injury. The UFC 180 main event will now be for the interim Heavyweight belt, putting Mark Hunt against Fabricio Werdum.
UFC Women's Bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey will attempt to defend her belt against Cat Zingano at UFC 182. The contest will serve as the co-main event.
A third UFC title fight is now official. Middleweight champion Chris Weidman will finally fight Vitor Belfort in the main event of UFC 184.
Titan Fighting Championship has signed former UFC Featherweight Steven Siler along with four other fighters. This continues the trend of Titan FC signing a mass amount of young experienced fighters.
Sunday, October 19, 2014
10/19/14
ONE FC kept up their high frequency of events this weekend with a fight card in Malaysia. In the main event undefeated Russian Featherweight Marat Gafurov defeated Rob Lisita by rear naked choke at 1:08 of round 1.
Two belts were on the line at Legacy FC 36. First up was the Flyweight title. Damacio Page delivered a highlight reel KO against Brian Hall at 1:48 of round 1 to claim the belt. The second title fight was in the Heavyweight division. Cody East took home the belt after defeating Vernon Lewis via TKO at 3:26 of round 1.
At Bellator 129 Light Heavyweights Housten Alexander and Virgil Zwicker fought to a majority draw after Alexander was docked a point for headbutting. In the main event Welterweight Paul Bradley defeated Josh Neer by utilizing his wrestling in a hard fought unanimous decision.
UFC Featherweight "Korean Zombie" Chan Sung Jung will be sidelined for no less than two years as he has to fulfill South Korea's military service requirement.
Both UFC Welterweight contender Rory MacDonald and Titan FC Heavyweight champion Vinny Maghalaes will compete in Metamoris 5.
Two belts were on the line at Legacy FC 36. First up was the Flyweight title. Damacio Page delivered a highlight reel KO against Brian Hall at 1:48 of round 1 to claim the belt. The second title fight was in the Heavyweight division. Cody East took home the belt after defeating Vernon Lewis via TKO at 3:26 of round 1.
At Bellator 129 Light Heavyweights Housten Alexander and Virgil Zwicker fought to a majority draw after Alexander was docked a point for headbutting. In the main event Welterweight Paul Bradley defeated Josh Neer by utilizing his wrestling in a hard fought unanimous decision.
UFC Featherweight "Korean Zombie" Chan Sung Jung will be sidelined for no less than two years as he has to fulfill South Korea's military service requirement.
Both UFC Welterweight contender Rory MacDonald and Titan FC Heavyweight champion Vinny Maghalaes will compete in Metamoris 5.
Sunday, October 12, 2014
10/12/14
At Bellator 128 the ever so flashy Michael Page put on a show with his striking skills against Nah-Shon Burrell. Page won by unanimous decision by keeping it standing for a majority of the fight. In the main event "The Baddest Man on the Planet" Joe Warren unified the Bantamweight titles by defeating Eduardo Dantas via unanimous decision in an exciting affair.
RFA 19 saw Jake Collier claim the vacant Middleweight belt by submitting Gabriel Checco via rear naked choke at 4:27 of round 1.
World Series of Fighting made its return to Canada for WSOF 14. Featherweight Chris Horodecki defeated Luis Huete by unanimous decision. Smealinho Rama claimed the inaugural Heavyweight strap by battering Derrick Mehmen. Rama won by TKO at just :51 of round 1. In the main event Welterweight Jake Shields cruised past Ryan Ford by putting his grappling skills to use. Shields won by way of rear naked choke at 4:29 of round 1.
Invicta FC has officially partnered with TUFF-N-UFF. The winner of TUFF-N-UFF's amateur tournaments will be awarded an Invicta contract.
Rory MacDonald will meet the winner of Johny Hendricks and Robbie Lawler who fight for the Welterweight title at UFC 181. MacDonald earned his title shot after knocking out Tarec Saffiedine at UFC Fight Night 54.
UFC Hall of Famer Royce Gracie is now Bellator's national brand ambassador.
RFA 19 saw Jake Collier claim the vacant Middleweight belt by submitting Gabriel Checco via rear naked choke at 4:27 of round 1.
World Series of Fighting made its return to Canada for WSOF 14. Featherweight Chris Horodecki defeated Luis Huete by unanimous decision. Smealinho Rama claimed the inaugural Heavyweight strap by battering Derrick Mehmen. Rama won by TKO at just :51 of round 1. In the main event Welterweight Jake Shields cruised past Ryan Ford by putting his grappling skills to use. Shields won by way of rear naked choke at 4:29 of round 1.
Invicta FC has officially partnered with TUFF-N-UFF. The winner of TUFF-N-UFF's amateur tournaments will be awarded an Invicta contract.
Rory MacDonald will meet the winner of Johny Hendricks and Robbie Lawler who fight for the Welterweight title at UFC 181. MacDonald earned his title shot after knocking out Tarec Saffiedine at UFC Fight Night 54.
UFC Hall of Famer Royce Gracie is now Bellator's national brand ambassador.
Sunday, October 5, 2014
10/5/14
MFC 41 went down Friday night and the main event featured a super fight between Lightweights Shane Campbell and Marcus Edwards. Campbell got the win in a very exciting fight. His TKO victory came at :29 of round 2.
At Bellator 127 Welterweight Fernando Gonzalez earned an upset win over veteran Karo Parisyan by TKO at 1:43 of round 1. In the main event Former Featherweight champion Daniel Straus got back on track with a devastating KO of Justin Wilcox at :50 of round 1.
One night tournaments are rare in MMA. BattleGrounds MMA gave us that rare occasion on Friday night with a one night Welterweight tournament. The eight man tournament featured many prominent fighters such as Brock Larson, Cody McKenzie and Jesse Taylor. However, not one of those fighters won it all. It was Roan Carneiro who emerged on top at the end of the night. Carneiro defeated Randall Wallace via armbar at 3:29 of round 1 in the opening round of the tournament. In the semi finals he beat Trey Houston by TKO at 2:11 of round 2. In the tournament final he defeated Brock Larson by unanimous decision. Winning the tournament earned Carneiro the $50,000 grand prize.
Saturday was dominated by the Ultimate Fighting Championship who held two events in one day. The first event took place in Stockholm, Sweden where Welterweight Rick Story won a split decision on questionable scoring over Gunnar Nelson. The second was in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Welterweight contender and crowd favorite Rory MacDonald earned a TKO win over Tarec Saffiedine at 1:28 of round 3. The win will most likely get him a title shot.
Sunday, September 28, 2014
9/28/14
The month of September went out with a BANG in regards to MMA. Out of the five major events this past weekend, we saw: A champion losing his title, an inaugural title being won dramatically and two fighters returning from long layoffs.
Titan Fighting Championship 30 kicked things off in a great way. The co-main event saw Bantamweight Walel Watson come from behind and submit Anthony Gutierrez via triangle choke. The sub came at 3:02 of round 1 after Watson survived a barrage of punches from Gutierrez. The main event saw Vinny Magalhaes claim the inaugural Light Heavyweight title from Jason Brilz after he secured an arm triangle at :36 of round 4.
Bellator 126 featured a fight in the season 10 Lightweight tournament final. Marcin Held won that title by grinding out a hard fought decision win over Patricky "Pitbull" Freire. In the main event Alexander Shlemenko lost his Middleweight belt in just :35. He lost it to Brandon Halsey by rear naked choke in round 1.
A Light Heavyweight championship was on the line at Legacy FC 35. Leonardo Leite won that championship by earning a TKO over Myron Dennis at 4:50 of round 4.
The XFC returned with XFC International 6. The main event saw Deivison Ribeiro retain his Featherweight belt against Waylon Lowe by getting a TKO at :11 of round 4.
UFC 178 easily lived up to its hype. Featherweight Conor McGregor defeated Dustin Poirier at just 1:46 of round 1 by TKO. Lightweight veteran Donald Cerrone successfully came back from a slow start to beat former Bellator champion Eddie Alvarez by unanimous decision. The main event saw Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson defend his belt yet again, this time against Chris Cariaso. Johnson won via kimura at 2:29 of round 2. Other winners included Dominick Cruz and Cat Zingano, both of which were returning from long layoffs.
With Chris Weidman hurt, the Johny Hendricks vs Robbie Lawler Welterweight title rematch will now headline UFC 181.
Titan Fighting Championship 30 kicked things off in a great way. The co-main event saw Bantamweight Walel Watson come from behind and submit Anthony Gutierrez via triangle choke. The sub came at 3:02 of round 1 after Watson survived a barrage of punches from Gutierrez. The main event saw Vinny Magalhaes claim the inaugural Light Heavyweight title from Jason Brilz after he secured an arm triangle at :36 of round 4.
Bellator 126 featured a fight in the season 10 Lightweight tournament final. Marcin Held won that title by grinding out a hard fought decision win over Patricky "Pitbull" Freire. In the main event Alexander Shlemenko lost his Middleweight belt in just :35. He lost it to Brandon Halsey by rear naked choke in round 1.
A Light Heavyweight championship was on the line at Legacy FC 35. Leonardo Leite won that championship by earning a TKO over Myron Dennis at 4:50 of round 4.
The XFC returned with XFC International 6. The main event saw Deivison Ribeiro retain his Featherweight belt against Waylon Lowe by getting a TKO at :11 of round 4.
UFC 178 easily lived up to its hype. Featherweight Conor McGregor defeated Dustin Poirier at just 1:46 of round 1 by TKO. Lightweight veteran Donald Cerrone successfully came back from a slow start to beat former Bellator champion Eddie Alvarez by unanimous decision. The main event saw Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson defend his belt yet again, this time against Chris Cariaso. Johnson won via kimura at 2:29 of round 2. Other winners included Dominick Cruz and Cat Zingano, both of which were returning from long layoffs.
With Chris Weidman hurt, the Johny Hendricks vs Robbie Lawler Welterweight title rematch will now headline UFC 181.
Sunday, September 21, 2014
9/21/14
Bellator headed to Fresno, California for Bellator 125 on Friday. Middleweight Rafael Carvalho made a successful US debut by earning a TKO win over Bellator vet Brian Rogers at 3:06 of round 1. In the main event, Middleweight Melvin Manhoef delivered a brutal overhand right that landed flush on the temple of his opponent Doug Marshall. Manhoef didn't even need to follow up, the KO came at 1:45 of round 1 earning him a title shot.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship made its way to one of the most iconic venues in the sport, the Saitama Super Arena in Japan. Women's Bantamweight Miesha Tate won a unanimous decision over Rin Nakai. Welterweight Yoshihiro Akiyama made a successful return to the octagon by winning a unanimous decision over Amir Sadollah. Lightweight Myles Jury remained undefeated after getting a TKO win over Takanori Gomi at 1:32 of round 1. The main event saw Heavyweight Mark Hunt do what he does best. Hunt landed a clever uppercut on "Big Country" Roy Nelson prompting a stoppage that gave him the KO at 3:00 of round 2.
Middleweight Francis Carmont has been released from the UFC.
Undefeated Welterweight champion Nicolas Dalby will defend his belt against Mohsen Bahari in the main event of Cage Warriors 74.
MMA legend Wanderlei Silva has officially announced his retirement.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship made its way to one of the most iconic venues in the sport, the Saitama Super Arena in Japan. Women's Bantamweight Miesha Tate won a unanimous decision over Rin Nakai. Welterweight Yoshihiro Akiyama made a successful return to the octagon by winning a unanimous decision over Amir Sadollah. Lightweight Myles Jury remained undefeated after getting a TKO win over Takanori Gomi at 1:32 of round 1. The main event saw Heavyweight Mark Hunt do what he does best. Hunt landed a clever uppercut on "Big Country" Roy Nelson prompting a stoppage that gave him the KO at 3:00 of round 2.
Middleweight Francis Carmont has been released from the UFC.
Undefeated Welterweight champion Nicolas Dalby will defend his belt against Mohsen Bahari in the main event of Cage Warriors 74.
MMA legend Wanderlei Silva has officially announced his retirement.
Sunday, September 14, 2014
9/14/14
It takes a ton of events for me to say I wasn't able to watch them all. This past weekend I unfortunately fell into that category. Six major events (seven if you include BAMMA) took place in the span of two days. Lucky for you, I'm going to recap them!
Kicking things off was ONE FC 20. Brazilian Adriano Moraes became the first Flyweight champion in the promotions history after he dispatched of Geje Eustaquio by guillotine at 4:43 of round 2.
Bellator 124 gave us two of the best finishes this year. First there was Liam McGeary who pulled off an inverted triangle from side control on Kelly Anundson at 4:40 of round 1 to become the winner of the Light Heavyweight tournament. And then in the main event there was Emanuel Newton who defended his Light Heavyweight belt for the first time against Joey Beltran. Newton landed his signature spinning back fist giving him the KO win at 3:07 of round 3. Newton and McGeary are expected to fight each other at a later event.
The vacant Bantamweight title was up for grabs at Cage Warriors 72. Cory Tait took home that title after defeating Toni Tauru by rear naked choke at 4:49 of round 4.
UFC Fight Night 51 saw Lightweight Gleison Tibau earn a unanimous decision win over Piotr Hallmann, a fight that earned "Fight of the Night" honors. The main event showcased what Heavyweight Andrei Arlovski is still capable of. Arlovski defeated Antonio Silva via KO at 2:59 of round 1.
At BAMMA 16 Lightweight Paul Daley defeated Marinho Moreira da Rocha by KO at 3:40 of round 2.
Finally, at WSOF 13 Lightweight Ozzy Dugulubgov returned to the win column by landing a vicious KO punch on Keon Caldwell at 1:38 of round 3. In the main event Bantamweight champion Marlon Moraes looked as impressive as ever versus Cody Bollinger. Moraes won by way of rear naked choke coming at 1:35 of round 2.
Eduardo Dantas and Joe Warren will unify their Bantamweight belts at Bellator 128.
Titan Fighting Championship has signed Dave Courchaine, Jacob Noe and Ken Hasegawa.
Kicking things off was ONE FC 20. Brazilian Adriano Moraes became the first Flyweight champion in the promotions history after he dispatched of Geje Eustaquio by guillotine at 4:43 of round 2.
Bellator 124 gave us two of the best finishes this year. First there was Liam McGeary who pulled off an inverted triangle from side control on Kelly Anundson at 4:40 of round 1 to become the winner of the Light Heavyweight tournament. And then in the main event there was Emanuel Newton who defended his Light Heavyweight belt for the first time against Joey Beltran. Newton landed his signature spinning back fist giving him the KO win at 3:07 of round 3. Newton and McGeary are expected to fight each other at a later event.
The vacant Bantamweight title was up for grabs at Cage Warriors 72. Cory Tait took home that title after defeating Toni Tauru by rear naked choke at 4:49 of round 4.
UFC Fight Night 51 saw Lightweight Gleison Tibau earn a unanimous decision win over Piotr Hallmann, a fight that earned "Fight of the Night" honors. The main event showcased what Heavyweight Andrei Arlovski is still capable of. Arlovski defeated Antonio Silva via KO at 2:59 of round 1.
At BAMMA 16 Lightweight Paul Daley defeated Marinho Moreira da Rocha by KO at 3:40 of round 2.
Finally, at WSOF 13 Lightweight Ozzy Dugulubgov returned to the win column by landing a vicious KO punch on Keon Caldwell at 1:38 of round 3. In the main event Bantamweight champion Marlon Moraes looked as impressive as ever versus Cody Bollinger. Moraes won by way of rear naked choke coming at 1:35 of round 2.
Eduardo Dantas and Joe Warren will unify their Bantamweight belts at Bellator 128.
Titan Fighting Championship has signed Dave Courchaine, Jacob Noe and Ken Hasegawa.
Sunday, September 7, 2014
9/7/14
Uncasville Connecticut was the seen for the return of Bellator. Bellator 123 saw Light Heavyweight Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal return to the win column in impressive fashion with a TKO over Dustin Jacoby at 1:13 of round 2. The main event featured a rematch for the Featherweight belt. Patricio Freire came out on top this time with an easy five round unanimous decision win over Pat Curran.
At the very same moment in time in the exact same state, the Ultimate Fighting Championship held UFC Fight Night 50. Chances are if you blinked you missed Heavyweight Matt Mitrione's KO of Derrick Lewis. It only took Mitrione :41 to land a heavy right hand with follow up shots on the ground to end the fight. Another contest in the Heavyweight division pinned veterans Alistair Overeem and Ben Rothwell up against one another. In shocking fashion, Rothwell landed a overhand right which led to a round 1 TKO of Overeem at 2:19. In the main event Middleweight Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza avenged his defeat to Gegard Mousasi via guillotine at 4:30 of round 3. Souza is now 4-0 in the UFC.
If two great events weren't enough for you, you still were left with Invicta FC 8. The return of Invicta marked its first event on the UFC Fight Pass network. In the first of two title fights, Katja Kankaanpaa sunk in a late D'arce choke on Stephanie Eggink at 2:03 of round 5 to win the Women's Strawweight title. The main event saw Michelle "Karate Hottie" Waterson successfully defend her Women's Atomweight belt against Yasuko Tamada. Waterson won by TKO at 4:58 of round 3.
The final chapter in the Stevie Ray, Curt Warburton trilogy will take place at Cage Warriors 73 where the Lightweight belt will be up for grabs.
Cody Bollinger will replace Josh Hill to take on Marlon Moraes at WSOF 13. Though the fight will not be for Moraes's Bantamweight belt, he has told Bollinger if he can beat him he will hand over the belt unofficially.
The UFC has resigned Light Heavyweight Thiago Silva.
Sunday, August 31, 2014
8/31/14
A wacky weekend of MMA was started off with ONE FC 19. Three title fights were on the line, first of which was the Featherweight belt. Jadamba Narantungalag took the belt by winning a unanimous decision over Koji Oishi. Ben Askren took home the Welterweight belt by pounding out Nobutatsu Suzuki by TKO at just 1:24 of round 1. The main event saw fan favorite Shinya Aoki win the Lightweight title. Aoki won in usual fashion, submitting Kamal Shalorus by rear naked choke at 2:15 of round 1.
Legacy FC 34 was up next. Bantamweight Austin Lyons continuously outworked Jonathan Brookins on the feet which lead to a unanimous decision. The main event saw Flyweight Brian Hall come back from being rocked to defeat Pedro Souza via unanimous decision. Hall's win snapped Souza's undefeated (13-0) record.
UFC 177 was scheduled to feature a rematch between former Bantamweight champion Renan Barao and the man who took the belt from him, T.J. Dillashaw. Unfortunately, a day before the fight, Renan Barao suffered an injury cutting weight. The injury forced Barao out of his rematch and saw Joe Soto step up to fight for the title. Soto proved a tough opponent but could not best the champion. Dillashaw, who was constantly out striking his opponent, landed a head kick late in the fight sending Soto plummeting to the canvas. The fight was stopped after unblocked ground strikes followed. Dillashaw retained his belt via KO at 2:20 of round 5.
Bellator announced the release of 13 total fighters including Shahbulat Shamhalaev, Attila Vegh and Bryan Baker.
Former UFC Light Heavyweight Stephan Bonnar has signed with Bellator to fight. Bonnar has recently been commentating for Titan FC.
Legacy FC 34 was up next. Bantamweight Austin Lyons continuously outworked Jonathan Brookins on the feet which lead to a unanimous decision. The main event saw Flyweight Brian Hall come back from being rocked to defeat Pedro Souza via unanimous decision. Hall's win snapped Souza's undefeated (13-0) record.
UFC 177 was scheduled to feature a rematch between former Bantamweight champion Renan Barao and the man who took the belt from him, T.J. Dillashaw. Unfortunately, a day before the fight, Renan Barao suffered an injury cutting weight. The injury forced Barao out of his rematch and saw Joe Soto step up to fight for the title. Soto proved a tough opponent but could not best the champion. Dillashaw, who was constantly out striking his opponent, landed a head kick late in the fight sending Soto plummeting to the canvas. The fight was stopped after unblocked ground strikes followed. Dillashaw retained his belt via KO at 2:20 of round 5.
Bellator announced the release of 13 total fighters including Shahbulat Shamhalaev, Attila Vegh and Bryan Baker.
Former UFC Light Heavyweight Stephan Bonnar has signed with Bellator to fight. Bonnar has recently been commentating for Titan FC.
Sunday, August 24, 2014
8/24/14
Five events in two days... we better get this started.
First up was Cage Warriors 71 which took place in Amman Jordan. The main event featured Jack Hermansson successfully defending his Middleweight belt against Deyan Topalski by TKO at 4:09 of round 1.
Titan Fighting Championship put together another phenomenal with Titan FC 29. Featherweight Kurt Holobaugh made quick work of Lloyd Woodard, a KO at :15 to be exact. Luckily for Holobaugh the fight ended that fast because he injured his leg checking a kick right beforehand. In the main event Mike Ricci outworked George Sotiropoulos to a unanimous decision.
Two titles were on the line at RFA 17. First up was the Featherweight strap. Justin Lawrence out struck Mark Dickman leading to a clear unanimous decision which won him the belt. The second title up for grabs was in the Lightweight division. Christos Giagos claimed that one by landing a crazy flying knee on Dakota Cochrane, winning by KO at 2:04 of round 2.
The final two events of the weekend were both UFC fight nights. The first of those two was UFC Fight Night 48 in Macau China. Welterweight Tyron Woodley took no time in dispatching Dong Hyun Kim. Woodley won by TKO at 1:01 of round 1. The main event saw Micheal Bisping completely dominate Cung Le. The fight was finally stopped at :57 of round 4 because of strikes.
The second of the two fight nights took place in Tulsa Oklahoma. Middleweight Thales Leites came out quick in the second round and KO'd Francis Carmont at :20 of round 2. Next up was Welterweight Jordan Mein who looked great against Mike Pyle. Mein won via TKO at 1:12 of round 1. The main event saw Rafael dos Anjos pull off a big upset against Benson Henderson. Dos Anjos clipped Henderson with a flying knee and followed up with heavy shots on the ground leading to a KO at 2:31 of round 1.
Bellator has signed Women's Featherweight fighter Talita Nogueira.
Former Featherweight champion Daniel Straus will take on Justin Wilcox at Bellator 127. The fight will serve as the headline.
Heavyweight Mirko "Cro Cop" returned to the win column in MMA against legend Satoshi Ishii at IGF2. Mirko won via TKO in round 2.
First up was Cage Warriors 71 which took place in Amman Jordan. The main event featured Jack Hermansson successfully defending his Middleweight belt against Deyan Topalski by TKO at 4:09 of round 1.
Titan Fighting Championship put together another phenomenal with Titan FC 29. Featherweight Kurt Holobaugh made quick work of Lloyd Woodard, a KO at :15 to be exact. Luckily for Holobaugh the fight ended that fast because he injured his leg checking a kick right beforehand. In the main event Mike Ricci outworked George Sotiropoulos to a unanimous decision.
Two titles were on the line at RFA 17. First up was the Featherweight strap. Justin Lawrence out struck Mark Dickman leading to a clear unanimous decision which won him the belt. The second title up for grabs was in the Lightweight division. Christos Giagos claimed that one by landing a crazy flying knee on Dakota Cochrane, winning by KO at 2:04 of round 2.
The final two events of the weekend were both UFC fight nights. The first of those two was UFC Fight Night 48 in Macau China. Welterweight Tyron Woodley took no time in dispatching Dong Hyun Kim. Woodley won by TKO at 1:01 of round 1. The main event saw Micheal Bisping completely dominate Cung Le. The fight was finally stopped at :57 of round 4 because of strikes.
The second of the two fight nights took place in Tulsa Oklahoma. Middleweight Thales Leites came out quick in the second round and KO'd Francis Carmont at :20 of round 2. Next up was Welterweight Jordan Mein who looked great against Mike Pyle. Mein won via TKO at 1:12 of round 1. The main event saw Rafael dos Anjos pull off a big upset against Benson Henderson. Dos Anjos clipped Henderson with a flying knee and followed up with heavy shots on the ground leading to a KO at 2:31 of round 1.
Bellator has signed Women's Featherweight fighter Talita Nogueira.
Former Featherweight champion Daniel Straus will take on Justin Wilcox at Bellator 127. The fight will serve as the headline.
Heavyweight Mirko "Cro Cop" returned to the win column in MMA against legend Satoshi Ishii at IGF2. Mirko won via TKO in round 2.
Sunday, August 17, 2014
8/17/14
It almost seems like forever since the last Five Round Review was posted, but I'm back!
The first event on this past weekends fight cards to discuss is Cage Warriors 70 which took place in Dublin Ireland. The main event saw a battle in the Lightweight division. Irishman Joseph Duffy came out the victor after defeating Damien Lapilus by rear naked choke at 2:18 of round 3.
UFC Fight Night 47 saw a number of exciting fights. Middleweight Tim Boetsch finished off Brad Tavares in a familiar fashion to one of his past fights by finishing him with a right hook against the cage. The TKO came at 3:18 of round 2. Lightweight Ross Pearson rebounded from a controversial split decision loss by earning a KO win over veteran Gray Maynard at 1:35 of round 2. In the main event Light Heavyweight Ryan Bader out wrestled Ovince Saint Preux for five rounds on his way to a unanimous decision win.
A Middleweight title fight between Jack Hermansson and Deyan Topalski will headline Cage Warriors 71.
UFC Light Heavyweight kingpin Jon Jones has been forced out of his title fight with Daniel Cormier after suffering an injury. Jones will now defend his title at UFC 182 on January 3.
MFC Bantamweight champion Anthony Birchak has signed with the UFC and will face off against Joe Soto at UFC 177.
Middleweights Doug Marshall and Melvin Manhoef will headline Bellator 125. Alexander Shlemenko will defend his Middleweight belt against Brandon Halsey at Bellator 126. That fight will also serve as a headliner.
Bellator has announced that they will be bringing back Women's MMA with the signings of Marloes Coenan and Julia Budd.
Former Bellator fight War Machine has finally been caught and arrested in Simi Valley California. He was arrested due to his connection with the brutal assault of his girlfriend.
The first event on this past weekends fight cards to discuss is Cage Warriors 70 which took place in Dublin Ireland. The main event saw a battle in the Lightweight division. Irishman Joseph Duffy came out the victor after defeating Damien Lapilus by rear naked choke at 2:18 of round 3.
UFC Fight Night 47 saw a number of exciting fights. Middleweight Tim Boetsch finished off Brad Tavares in a familiar fashion to one of his past fights by finishing him with a right hook against the cage. The TKO came at 3:18 of round 2. Lightweight Ross Pearson rebounded from a controversial split decision loss by earning a KO win over veteran Gray Maynard at 1:35 of round 2. In the main event Light Heavyweight Ryan Bader out wrestled Ovince Saint Preux for five rounds on his way to a unanimous decision win.
A Middleweight title fight between Jack Hermansson and Deyan Topalski will headline Cage Warriors 71.
UFC Light Heavyweight kingpin Jon Jones has been forced out of his title fight with Daniel Cormier after suffering an injury. Jones will now defend his title at UFC 182 on January 3.
MFC Bantamweight champion Anthony Birchak has signed with the UFC and will face off against Joe Soto at UFC 177.
Middleweights Doug Marshall and Melvin Manhoef will headline Bellator 125. Alexander Shlemenko will defend his Middleweight belt against Brandon Halsey at Bellator 126. That fight will also serve as a headliner.
Bellator has announced that they will be bringing back Women's MMA with the signings of Marloes Coenan and Julia Budd.
Former Bellator fight War Machine has finally been caught and arrested in Simi Valley California. He was arrested due to his connection with the brutal assault of his girlfriend.
Sunday, July 27, 2014
7/28/14
RFA 16 kicked the MMA festivities off this past weekend. The main event saw the Heavyweight strap on the line for the first time in the promotions history. Josh Copeland was the one who answered the call. The undefeated Copeland landed heavy strikes to put away Jan Jorgensen at 4:49 of round 1 by KO.
Bellator 122 was the promotions final event of the summer but the first under new president Scott Coker. Heavy handed Liam McGeary moved on to the Light Heavyweight final by TKOing Egidijus Valavicius at 2:10 of round 1. McGeary will take on Kelly Anundson in the finals. Brandon Halsey won the season 10 Middleweight tournament by defeating Brett Cooper via armbar at 2:09 of round 1. The main event saw Andrey Koreshkov win his second Welterweight tournament. This time Koreshkov completely dominated Adam McDonough with striking on his way to an easy decision win.
At UFC on FOX 12, Anthony "Rumble" Johnson continued his impressive winning streak at Light Heavyweight by earning a brutal KO fueled by upper cuts on Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. The KO came at just :44 of round 1. The main event saw Welterweight Robbie Lawler put a stop to the seven fight win streak of Matt Brown. In a fight of the night performance, Lawler was able to use a combination of body shots and head strikes to win a close decision. With this win Lawler is scheduled to face Johny Hendricks in a rematch for the Welterweight belt.
Bellator has signed Welterweights Paul "Semtex" Daley and Melvin Manhoef.
Chris Weidman will next defend his UFC Middleweight belt against Vitor Belfort on December 6.
Following a meeting with the Nevada State Athletic Commision, Chael Sonnen has been suspended indefinitely for two years.
With Alexander Gustafsson suffering an injury, Daniel Cormier will be Jon Jones next opponent for the UFC Light Heavyweight title.
Welterweight Nick Diaz has signed a three fight contract with the UFC.
The Chad Mendes vs Jose Aldo II Featherweight title fight has been rescheduled for UFC 179 in Brazil.
Bellator 122 was the promotions final event of the summer but the first under new president Scott Coker. Heavy handed Liam McGeary moved on to the Light Heavyweight final by TKOing Egidijus Valavicius at 2:10 of round 1. McGeary will take on Kelly Anundson in the finals. Brandon Halsey won the season 10 Middleweight tournament by defeating Brett Cooper via armbar at 2:09 of round 1. The main event saw Andrey Koreshkov win his second Welterweight tournament. This time Koreshkov completely dominated Adam McDonough with striking on his way to an easy decision win.
At UFC on FOX 12, Anthony "Rumble" Johnson continued his impressive winning streak at Light Heavyweight by earning a brutal KO fueled by upper cuts on Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. The KO came at just :44 of round 1. The main event saw Welterweight Robbie Lawler put a stop to the seven fight win streak of Matt Brown. In a fight of the night performance, Lawler was able to use a combination of body shots and head strikes to win a close decision. With this win Lawler is scheduled to face Johny Hendricks in a rematch for the Welterweight belt.
Bellator has signed Welterweights Paul "Semtex" Daley and Melvin Manhoef.
Chris Weidman will next defend his UFC Middleweight belt against Vitor Belfort on December 6.
Following a meeting with the Nevada State Athletic Commision, Chael Sonnen has been suspended indefinitely for two years.
With Alexander Gustafsson suffering an injury, Daniel Cormier will be Jon Jones next opponent for the UFC Light Heavyweight title.
Welterweight Nick Diaz has signed a three fight contract with the UFC.
The Chad Mendes vs Jose Aldo II Featherweight title fight has been rescheduled for UFC 179 in Brazil.
Sunday, July 20, 2014
7/21/14
The first of two fight nights went down this past Wednesday for the UFC. Lightweight Edson Barboza continued his impressive streak by utilizing crisp striking. Barboza defeated Evan Dunham via TKO at 3:06 of round 1. Speaking of impressive streaks, Lightweight Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone won himself another post fight bonus by knocking out Jim Miller with a head kick at 3:31 of round 2.
The Featherweight belt was on the line at Legacy FC 33. The defending champion, Leonard Garcia, was completely outworked by challenger Damon Jackson. Jackson earned a quick take down and worked his way to an arm triangle at 1:32 of round 1. Jackson is now 9-0.
The second of two fight nights for the UFC was held in Ireland and it couldn't have been any louder. Welterweight Gunnar Nelson came back from a slow start to defeat Zak Cummings by rear naked choke at 4:48 of round 2. The main event saw Irish native Conor McGregor win over Diego Brandao. McGregor won by TKO at 4:05 of round 1.
Former UFC Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight fighter Brandon Vera has signed with ONE FC.
UFC Flyweight champion Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson will defend his title against Chris Cariaso at UFC 177.
The Featherweight belt was on the line at Legacy FC 33. The defending champion, Leonard Garcia, was completely outworked by challenger Damon Jackson. Jackson earned a quick take down and worked his way to an arm triangle at 1:32 of round 1. Jackson is now 9-0.
The second of two fight nights for the UFC was held in Ireland and it couldn't have been any louder. Welterweight Gunnar Nelson came back from a slow start to defeat Zak Cummings by rear naked choke at 4:48 of round 2. The main event saw Irish native Conor McGregor win over Diego Brandao. McGregor won by TKO at 4:05 of round 1.
Former UFC Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight fighter Brandon Vera has signed with ONE FC.
UFC Flyweight champion Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson will defend his title against Chris Cariaso at UFC 177.
Sunday, July 6, 2014
7/6/14
It was a big weekend for World Series of Fighting as they made their NBC debut. Welterweight Jon Fitch won in his usual fashion, by unanimous decision, this time over Dennis Hallman. The main event featured Justin Gaethje defending his Lightweight belt against "Notorious" Nick Newell. Gaethje remained undefeated and defended his belt by TKOing Newell at 3:09 of round 2.
Two titles were on the line at UFC 175. Before those fights occured, Middleweight Uriah Hall showed everyone what it means to be a true warrior. Hall, after breaking his foot in the first round, went on to defeat Thiago Santos by unanimous decision. The first of the two title fights saw the Women's Bantamweight belt up for grabs for a mere sixteen seconds. Champion Ronda Rousey made quick work of challenger Alexis Davis by landing her signature judo throw followed by vicious ground and pound. The KO came at :16 of round 1. In the main event, Chris Weidman successfully defended his Middleweight belt by decision despite a late serge from Lyoto Machida.
The TUF 19 finale gave us the end of what many are considering to be the worst season of The Ultimate Fighter. Eddie Gordon claimed the TUF Middleweight tournament final by defeating Dhiego Lima via TKO at 1:11 of round 1. Corey Anderson won the TUF Light Heavyweight tournament final by dominating Matt Van Buren on his way to a TKO win at 1:01 of round 1. The main event saw coaches BJ Penn and Frankie Edgar face off. Edgar defeated Penn for a third time, this time by TKO at 4:16 of round 3. Following the loss Penn announced his retirement. He was one of only two men to hold UFC belts in two divisions.
Both Shinya Aoki and Nobutatsu Suzuki will fight for titles at ONE FC 19 which takes place in Dubai. Aoki will take on Kamal Shalorus for the Featherweight belt while Suzuki will try to defend his Welterweight belt against former Bellator champion Ben Askren.
T.J. Dillashaw and Renan Barao will rematch for the Bantamweight belt at UFC 177.
Former UFC champion Pat Miletich has been inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.
Two titles were on the line at UFC 175. Before those fights occured, Middleweight Uriah Hall showed everyone what it means to be a true warrior. Hall, after breaking his foot in the first round, went on to defeat Thiago Santos by unanimous decision. The first of the two title fights saw the Women's Bantamweight belt up for grabs for a mere sixteen seconds. Champion Ronda Rousey made quick work of challenger Alexis Davis by landing her signature judo throw followed by vicious ground and pound. The KO came at :16 of round 1. In the main event, Chris Weidman successfully defended his Middleweight belt by decision despite a late serge from Lyoto Machida.
The TUF 19 finale gave us the end of what many are considering to be the worst season of The Ultimate Fighter. Eddie Gordon claimed the TUF Middleweight tournament final by defeating Dhiego Lima via TKO at 1:11 of round 1. Corey Anderson won the TUF Light Heavyweight tournament final by dominating Matt Van Buren on his way to a TKO win at 1:01 of round 1. The main event saw coaches BJ Penn and Frankie Edgar face off. Edgar defeated Penn for a third time, this time by TKO at 4:16 of round 3. Following the loss Penn announced his retirement. He was one of only two men to hold UFC belts in two divisions.
Both Shinya Aoki and Nobutatsu Suzuki will fight for titles at ONE FC 19 which takes place in Dubai. Aoki will take on Kamal Shalorus for the Featherweight belt while Suzuki will try to defend his Welterweight belt against former Bellator champion Ben Askren.
T.J. Dillashaw and Renan Barao will rematch for the Bantamweight belt at UFC 177.
Former UFC champion Pat Miletich has been inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.
Sunday, June 29, 2014
6/29/14
This weekend of MMA was dominated by the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The UFC held two events on Saturday; One took place in New Zealand while the other went down in Texas.
UFC Fight Night 43 saw a lot of talented fighters from Austrailia and New Zealand compete. Many of those fighters saw success in their bouts but the two that fought in the co-main and main event suffered the taste of defeat. Heavyweight Jared Rosholt put a stop to the Soa Palelei hype train by getting a hard fought unanimous decision win over him. The main event featured two fighters who were on losing streaks. Fortunately for Middleweight Nate Marquardt, he snapped that losing streak with a armbar victory over James Te Huna. The armbar came at 4:34 of round 1. Te Huna has now lost three fights in a row.
UFC Fight Night 43 saw a lot of talented fighters from Austrailia and New Zealand compete. Many of those fighters saw success in their bouts but the two that fought in the co-main and main event suffered the taste of defeat. Heavyweight Jared Rosholt put a stop to the Soa Palelei hype train by getting a hard fought unanimous decision win over him. The main event featured two fighters who were on losing streaks. Fortunately for Middleweight Nate Marquardt, he snapped that losing streak with a armbar victory over James Te Huna. The armbar came at 4:34 of round 1. Te Huna has now lost three fights in a row.
UFC Fight Night 44 was the night of decision wins. Middleweight Cezar Ferreira won an exciting fight by decision over Andrew Craig. Welterweight Kelvin Gastelum, despite missing weight, won a decision over Nicholas Musoke. In the main event Featherweight Cub Swanson won a close decision over Jeremy Stephens moving his win streak to six fights.
Following the signing of new President Scott Coker, Bellator has released 19 fighters. Eric Prindle, Carlos Eduardo, Anthony Leone, Nathan Coy and Rodrigo Lima were some of the more notable fighters released.
The UFC has officially signed a development deal with Vale Tudo Japan which is run by SHOOTO. The deal will see fighters in the lighter weight classes (Bantamweight and Featherweight) compete to earn a spot in the UFC. The competition is easily comparable to The Ultimate Fighter.
Sunday, June 22, 2014
6/22/14
With its second event in the span of two weeks, Legacy Fighting Championship headed down to Louisiana this past Friday for Legacy FC 32. The main event featured undefeated Brazilian prospect Thomas Almeida against fellow countryman Caio Machado at Bantamweight. Almeida had no problem finishing Machado in the first round with nasty body shots. The TKO victory came at 4:17. Almeida is now at 17-0.
WSOF 10 saw three titles on the line. The first of which was the Women's Strawweight belt which was successfully defended by Jessica Aguilar. Aguilar dominated her opponent Emi Fujino leading to an easy unanimous decision. Next up was the Featherweight title. With crisp striking and slick submission defense, Rick Glenn was able to out work then champion Georgi Karakhanyan. After severally damaging Karakhanyan's ribs in round 1, Rick Glenn was awarded the belt via TKO (doctor's stoppage) between rounds to become the new champion. The main event saw the first ever WSOF Middleweight title up for grabs. David Branch reached that belt faster then anyone could have imagined. Branch defeated Jesse Taylor via D'arce choke at 1:41 of round 1 becoming the first ever Middleweight champion in the promotions history.
Former UFC Welterweight fighter Paul Daley's next fight will take place at BAMMA 16 against Igor Fernandes. The fight will serve as the main event.
Earlier this week Bellator announced the departure of president Bjorn Rebney and executive Tim Danaher. Former president and founder of Strikeforce Scott Coker will take over as Bellator president.
A Lightweight fight between contenders Benson Henderson and Rafael Dos Anjos will headline UFC Fight Night 49.
WSOF 10 saw three titles on the line. The first of which was the Women's Strawweight belt which was successfully defended by Jessica Aguilar. Aguilar dominated her opponent Emi Fujino leading to an easy unanimous decision. Next up was the Featherweight title. With crisp striking and slick submission defense, Rick Glenn was able to out work then champion Georgi Karakhanyan. After severally damaging Karakhanyan's ribs in round 1, Rick Glenn was awarded the belt via TKO (doctor's stoppage) between rounds to become the new champion. The main event saw the first ever WSOF Middleweight title up for grabs. David Branch reached that belt faster then anyone could have imagined. Branch defeated Jesse Taylor via D'arce choke at 1:41 of round 1 becoming the first ever Middleweight champion in the promotions history.
Former UFC Welterweight fighter Paul Daley's next fight will take place at BAMMA 16 against Igor Fernandes. The fight will serve as the main event.
Earlier this week Bellator announced the departure of president Bjorn Rebney and executive Tim Danaher. Former president and founder of Strikeforce Scott Coker will take over as Bellator president.
A Lightweight fight between contenders Benson Henderson and Rafael Dos Anjos will headline UFC Fight Night 49.
Sunday, June 15, 2014
6/15/14
Once again Legacy Fighting Championship headed down to the Lone Star State; This time for Legacy FC 31. Damacio Page made a successful Flyweight debut against Elias Garcia by defeating him via arm triangle at 2:47 of round 3. The main event saw William Bush defend his Middleweight belt for the second time. Bush defeated Alfonso Gonzales by arm triangle at 4:19 of round 1.
At ONE FC 17 Flyweight Adriano Moraes earned a win over Kosuke Suzuki by sinking in a arm triangle at 1:25 of round 3.
UFC 174 saw the return of Heavyweight Andrei Arlovski. However, Arlovski's performance was not too exciting to say the least. He earned a split decision win over Brendan Schaub. Welterweight contender Rory MacDonald put together a great game plan and followed it perfectly leading to a dominating decision win over Tyron Woodley. And in the main event Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson defended his Flyweight belt yet again. Johnson out worked Ali Bagautinov in all aspects of the sport in route to a unanimous decision.
The UFC will hold its first ever Women's Strawweight fight at UFC Fight Night 45. The fight will take place between Claudia Gadelha and Tina Lahdemaki.
Jon Fitch's opponent has been switched yet again. His WSOF 11 fight will now be against fellow Welterweight Dennis Hallman. This following an injury to Josh Burkman.
MFC Middleweight champion and TUF alum, Sam Alvey has signed with the UFC.
At ONE FC 17 Flyweight Adriano Moraes earned a win over Kosuke Suzuki by sinking in a arm triangle at 1:25 of round 3.
UFC 174 saw the return of Heavyweight Andrei Arlovski. However, Arlovski's performance was not too exciting to say the least. He earned a split decision win over Brendan Schaub. Welterweight contender Rory MacDonald put together a great game plan and followed it perfectly leading to a dominating decision win over Tyron Woodley. And in the main event Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson defended his Flyweight belt yet again. Johnson out worked Ali Bagautinov in all aspects of the sport in route to a unanimous decision.
The UFC will hold its first ever Women's Strawweight fight at UFC Fight Night 45. The fight will take place between Claudia Gadelha and Tina Lahdemaki.
Jon Fitch's opponent has been switched yet again. His WSOF 11 fight will now be against fellow Welterweight Dennis Hallman. This following an injury to Josh Burkman.
MFC Middleweight champion and TUF alum, Sam Alvey has signed with the UFC.
Sunday, June 8, 2014
6/8/14
Where to begin? Five major MMA events went down this past weekend, and that's only counting the major ones. It was like an MMA paradise if I do say so myself. Kicking things off was Bellator 121, marking the first event in their "Summer Series". Both Kelly Anundson and Egidijus Valavicius stamped their spot in the semifinals of the Light Heavyweight tournament. Joining them was Philipe Lins who won his main event fight against Austin Heidlage by rear naked choke at 2:45 of round 1.
At RFA 15 former TUF contestant Kevin Casey won the Middleweight title by knocking out Andrew Sanchez at 2:30 of round 1.
Cage Warriors held two events for their "Super Saturday". Notable fighters such as Rosi Sexton, Ben Alloway and Bruno Carvalho competed. In the first main event Jack Hermansson defeated Norman Paraisy to claim the vacant Middleweight title. Hermansson won via rear naked choke at 4:49 of round 4. The second main event of the day saw Stevie Ray defeat Curt Warburton by split decision to win the vacant Lightweight belt.
XFCi 5 saw several of their tournaments end with numerous champions crowned. The main event, being one of the only fights on the card not a tournament final, saw Featherweight Junior Assuncao dominate Alejandro Solano in a clear unanimous decision win.
UFC Fight Night 42 finished things off for the weekend of MMA. Flyweight John Dodson earned a somewhat controversial win over John Moraga. The fight was stopped at the end of round 2 by the doctor following a Moraga broken nose. The fight was declared a TKO for Dodson. Even more controversial was the co-main event. Lightweight Diego Sanchez got the hometown nod with a split decision win over Ross Pearson. The main event saw former Lightweight champion Benson Henderson finish Rustam Khabilov in the fourth round via rear naked choke at 1:16.
Invicta FC has officially signed a content deal with UFC Fight Pass.
Alexander Gustafsson will take on Jon Jones for the Light Heavyweight title in a much anticipated rematch. The fight will take place at UFC 178.
At RFA 15 former TUF contestant Kevin Casey won the Middleweight title by knocking out Andrew Sanchez at 2:30 of round 1.
Cage Warriors held two events for their "Super Saturday". Notable fighters such as Rosi Sexton, Ben Alloway and Bruno Carvalho competed. In the first main event Jack Hermansson defeated Norman Paraisy to claim the vacant Middleweight title. Hermansson won via rear naked choke at 4:49 of round 4. The second main event of the day saw Stevie Ray defeat Curt Warburton by split decision to win the vacant Lightweight belt.
XFCi 5 saw several of their tournaments end with numerous champions crowned. The main event, being one of the only fights on the card not a tournament final, saw Featherweight Junior Assuncao dominate Alejandro Solano in a clear unanimous decision win.
UFC Fight Night 42 finished things off for the weekend of MMA. Flyweight John Dodson earned a somewhat controversial win over John Moraga. The fight was stopped at the end of round 2 by the doctor following a Moraga broken nose. The fight was declared a TKO for Dodson. Even more controversial was the co-main event. Lightweight Diego Sanchez got the hometown nod with a split decision win over Ross Pearson. The main event saw former Lightweight champion Benson Henderson finish Rustam Khabilov in the fourth round via rear naked choke at 1:16.
Invicta FC has officially signed a content deal with UFC Fight Pass.
Alexander Gustafsson will take on Jon Jones for the Light Heavyweight title in a much anticipated rematch. The fight will take place at UFC 178.
Sunday, June 1, 2014
6/1/14
The weekend of MMA started off with Ben Askren making his promotional debut with ONE FC. Askren, the former Bellator Welterweight champion, took on Bakhtiyar Abbasov in a fight that served as the main event of ONE FC 16. The accomplished wrestler had no problem handling Abbasov and submitted him via arm triangle at 4:21 of round 1.
This past weekend the UFC did something that they had never done previously. The promotion held two events in the same day. The first of those two events was UFC Fight Night 41 in Germany. In the main event Middleweight veteran Gegard Mousasi made quick work of Mark Munoz. Mousasi won by rear naked choke at 3:57 of round 1.
The second event of the day was the TUF Brazil 3 Finale. Warlley Alves dominated Marcio Alexandre Jr in all aspects of the fight and finally won in round 3 via guillotine at :25 to become the TUF Brazil Middleweight winner. Antonio Carlos Jr defeated Vitor Miranda by unanimous decision to become the TUF Brazil Heavyweight winner. The main event saw Fabio Maldonado stepping in for the injured Junior Dos Santos to take on Stipe Miocic in a Heavyweight contest. The fight lasted for only :35 with Miocic landing some brutal strikes that led to a TKO victory.
A Welterweight fight between Matt Brown and Robbie Lawler will headline UFC on FOX 12 and also serve as a number one contender fight.
Heavyweight legends Mirko "Cro Cop" and Satoshi Ishii will fight at an Inoki Genome Federation event on August 23.
Following the withdrawal of Wanderlei Silva, Chael Sonnen will now fight Vitor Belfort in a Middleweight contest at UFC 175.
This past weekend the UFC did something that they had never done previously. The promotion held two events in the same day. The first of those two events was UFC Fight Night 41 in Germany. In the main event Middleweight veteran Gegard Mousasi made quick work of Mark Munoz. Mousasi won by rear naked choke at 3:57 of round 1.
The second event of the day was the TUF Brazil 3 Finale. Warlley Alves dominated Marcio Alexandre Jr in all aspects of the fight and finally won in round 3 via guillotine at :25 to become the TUF Brazil Middleweight winner. Antonio Carlos Jr defeated Vitor Miranda by unanimous decision to become the TUF Brazil Heavyweight winner. The main event saw Fabio Maldonado stepping in for the injured Junior Dos Santos to take on Stipe Miocic in a Heavyweight contest. The fight lasted for only :35 with Miocic landing some brutal strikes that led to a TKO victory.
A Welterweight fight between Matt Brown and Robbie Lawler will headline UFC on FOX 12 and also serve as a number one contender fight.
Heavyweight legends Mirko "Cro Cop" and Satoshi Ishii will fight at an Inoki Genome Federation event on August 23.
Following the withdrawal of Wanderlei Silva, Chael Sonnen will now fight Vitor Belfort in a Middleweight contest at UFC 175.
Sunday, May 25, 2014
5/25/14
Taking last week off from my review was a bummer but boy is it good to be back. Unfortunately I have nothing to say about last weeks Bellator event or their first Pay Per View effort because by now that is old news. I do however have a lot to say about UFC 173.
On what seemed to be a down weekend in terms of MMA, UFC 173 looked like it was going to be a sub-par fight card. That was not the case whatsoever. Welterweight Robbie Lawler, fresh off his failed title attempt against Johny Hendricks, looked impressive. Lawler defeated Jake Ellenberger via TKO at 3:06 of round 3. The co-main event saw Light Heavyweight Daniel Cormier remain undefeated following a dismantling of veteran Dan Henderson. Cormier put Henderson to sleep with a rear naked choke at 3:53 of round 3. The main event ended the night in a way that barely anyone other than Rashad Evans could have predicted. Bantamweight T.J. Dillashaw put on the performance of his life by out striking, out grappling and out wrestling the champion Renan Barao. Dillashaw became the new champion by finishing Barao via TKO at 2:26 of round 5.
Titan FC has booked two title fights that will most likely take place at Titan FC 29 in August. Jason Brilz and Vinny Magalhaes will fight for the vacant Light Heavyweight title while Matthew Riddle and Jose Landi-Jons will fight for the vacant Welterweight belt.
After Jake Shields pulled out of the fight, Jon Fitch will now face Josh Burkman for a third time at WSOF 11. The fight will serve as the co-main event.
Sunday, May 11, 2014
5/11/14
It's not every week that an MMA filled weekend is kicked off with a lackluster Bellator fight card. Unfortunately, this weekends Bellator 119 event fit into that category. An event that was cursed with the injury bug saw all but one of the main card fights go the distance. The only main card fight that ended due to a stoppage was the main event between Daniel Weichel and Desmond Green. Weichel defeated Green via rear naked choke at 2:07 of round 2 to win the season 10 Featherweight tournament.
MFC 40 was the complete opposite of Bellator 119 in regards to the amount of excitement. Bantamweight Jesse Brock defeated Kevin Croom by split decision in a fight that served as a title eliminator. Tom Gallicchio won the Lightweight belt by finishing Kurt Southern for the second time by rear naked choke. This one came in the first round at 4:11. The main event saw Sam Alvey successfully defend his Middleweight belt against Wes Swofford. Alvey won by KO at 1:02 of round 4.
It was the night of the knockout at UFC Fight Night 40. Middleweight Constantinos Philippou got back to his winning ways by KOing Lorenz Larkin at 3:47 of round 1. In the main event Welterweight Matt Brown continued his winning streak in a fight of the year performance against Erik Silva. Brown came back to win by TKO at 2:11 of round 3.
Junior Dos Santos has been forced out of his TUF Brazil 3 Finale fight with Stipe Miocic due to injury. Fellow Heavyweight Fabio Maldonado will step in.
Bellator 120 will remain a PPV event despite losing half of the headlining fight. Eddie Alvarez is out because of an injury and Will Brooks will step up to face Michael Chandler for the interim Lightweight title.
MFC 40 was the complete opposite of Bellator 119 in regards to the amount of excitement. Bantamweight Jesse Brock defeated Kevin Croom by split decision in a fight that served as a title eliminator. Tom Gallicchio won the Lightweight belt by finishing Kurt Southern for the second time by rear naked choke. This one came in the first round at 4:11. The main event saw Sam Alvey successfully defend his Middleweight belt against Wes Swofford. Alvey won by KO at 1:02 of round 4.
It was the night of the knockout at UFC Fight Night 40. Middleweight Constantinos Philippou got back to his winning ways by KOing Lorenz Larkin at 3:47 of round 1. In the main event Welterweight Matt Brown continued his winning streak in a fight of the year performance against Erik Silva. Brown came back to win by TKO at 2:11 of round 3.
Junior Dos Santos has been forced out of his TUF Brazil 3 Finale fight with Stipe Miocic due to injury. Fellow Heavyweight Fabio Maldonado will step in.
Bellator 120 will remain a PPV event despite losing half of the headlining fight. Eddie Alvarez is out because of an injury and Will Brooks will step up to face Michael Chandler for the interim Lightweight title.
Sunday, May 4, 2014
5/4/14
MMA in May kicked off with ONE FC 15. Lightweight Eduard Folayang defeated the man they call "no face", Kotetsu Boku by unanimous decision. In the main event Bibiano Fernandes successfully defended his Bantamweight belt against Masakatsu Ueda by unanimous decision.
Up next was Bellator 118. Andrey Koreshkov moved on to the season 10 Welterweight tournament final by knocking out Justin Baesman with a flying knee fit for a highlight tape. The KO came at 1:41 of round 1. The main event saw Joe Warren become the first man in Bellator to have won belts in two different weight classes. Warren, the former Featherweight champion, defeated Rafael Silva by unanimous decision to become the interim Bantamweight champion. His next fight will be against current Bantamweight champion Eduardo Dantas.
The main event of Cage Warriors 68 saw Welterweight Danny Roberts earn a TKO win over veteran Jim Wallhead at 4:49 of round 1.
Andrei Arlovski's return to the UFC will be against fellow Heavyweight Brendan Schaub at UFC 174 on June 14.
The UFC is suing a New York man for allegedly pirating the promotions fights. If true, the man could be forced to fork over $32 million.
WSOF 11 has added a Welterweight contest between former UFC fighters Jon Fitch and Jake Shields. The fight will serve as the co-main event.
A third title fight has been added to WSOF 10. This one will feature Jessica Aguilar attempting to defend her Women's Strawweight belt for the first time against Emi Fujino.
UFC Featherweight champion Jose Aldo will defend his title against Chad Mendes in the main event of UFC 176. The two first fought at UFC 142 with Aldo finishing the fight by KO (knee) late in round 1.
Up next was Bellator 118. Andrey Koreshkov moved on to the season 10 Welterweight tournament final by knocking out Justin Baesman with a flying knee fit for a highlight tape. The KO came at 1:41 of round 1. The main event saw Joe Warren become the first man in Bellator to have won belts in two different weight classes. Warren, the former Featherweight champion, defeated Rafael Silva by unanimous decision to become the interim Bantamweight champion. His next fight will be against current Bantamweight champion Eduardo Dantas.
The main event of Cage Warriors 68 saw Welterweight Danny Roberts earn a TKO win over veteran Jim Wallhead at 4:49 of round 1.
Andrei Arlovski's return to the UFC will be against fellow Heavyweight Brendan Schaub at UFC 174 on June 14.
The UFC is suing a New York man for allegedly pirating the promotions fights. If true, the man could be forced to fork over $32 million.
WSOF 11 has added a Welterweight contest between former UFC fighters Jon Fitch and Jake Shields. The fight will serve as the co-main event.
A third title fight has been added to WSOF 10. This one will feature Jessica Aguilar attempting to defend her Women's Strawweight belt for the first time against Emi Fujino.
UFC Featherweight champion Jose Aldo will defend his title against Chad Mendes in the main event of UFC 176. The two first fought at UFC 142 with Aldo finishing the fight by KO (knee) late in round 1.
Sunday, April 27, 2014
4/27/14
It just didn't feel like a Friday without Bellator. Fortunately for us MMA fans there were two great fight cards on Saturday. XFCi 4 and UFC 172 may have taken place around the same time Saturday night, but they were both definitely worth turning back and forth from one event to another.
Out of the 9 fights on the XFCi 4 card, 6 of them ended by way of some variety of finish. The main event was not one of those fights. Featherweight Waylon Lowe, a veteran of the UFC, Bellator and WSOF, lost a close split decision to Marcos Rodrigues Dos Santos.
At UFC 172 Middleweight Luke Rockhold made quick work of Tim Boetsch by earning a quick first round kimura that came at just 2:08. The co-main event saw the return of Anthony "Rumble" Johnson to the octagon. The only difference this time around was the fact that he now competes in the Light Heavyweight division. He dominated Phil Davis for three straight rounds showing great cardio and take down defense on his way to a unanimous decision. In the main event Light Heavyweight champion and pound for pound number one fighter in the world Jon Jones took care of Glover Teixeira. Jones kept the fight standing and picked Glover apart with different unorthodox combinations leading to an easy unanimous decision win.
MFC Bantamweight champion Anthony Birchak has been pulled from his MFC 40 title defense due to injury. His former opponent Kevin Croom will now take on Jesse Brock in a number one contender fight.
Titan Fighting Championship continues to sign talented fighters with its signing of Welterweight Ben Saunders (former UFC and Bellator fighter).
UFC and WSOF Welterweight veteran Gerald Harris has announced his retirement.
The UFC has signed Heavyweight veteran Andrei Arlovski. He is rumored to be facing Brendan Schaub in his return to the promotion.
Out of the 9 fights on the XFCi 4 card, 6 of them ended by way of some variety of finish. The main event was not one of those fights. Featherweight Waylon Lowe, a veteran of the UFC, Bellator and WSOF, lost a close split decision to Marcos Rodrigues Dos Santos.
At UFC 172 Middleweight Luke Rockhold made quick work of Tim Boetsch by earning a quick first round kimura that came at just 2:08. The co-main event saw the return of Anthony "Rumble" Johnson to the octagon. The only difference this time around was the fact that he now competes in the Light Heavyweight division. He dominated Phil Davis for three straight rounds showing great cardio and take down defense on his way to a unanimous decision. In the main event Light Heavyweight champion and pound for pound number one fighter in the world Jon Jones took care of Glover Teixeira. Jones kept the fight standing and picked Glover apart with different unorthodox combinations leading to an easy unanimous decision win.
MFC Bantamweight champion Anthony Birchak has been pulled from his MFC 40 title defense due to injury. His former opponent Kevin Croom will now take on Jesse Brock in a number one contender fight.
Titan Fighting Championship continues to sign talented fighters with its signing of Welterweight Ben Saunders (former UFC and Bellator fighter).
UFC and WSOF Welterweight veteran Gerald Harris has announced his retirement.
The UFC has signed Heavyweight veteran Andrei Arlovski. He is rumored to be facing Brendan Schaub in his return to the promotion.
Sunday, April 20, 2014
4/20/14
The past week of MMA started off earlier than normal with the TUF Nations Finale taking place on Wednesday. Chad Laprise became the seasons Welterweight champion by getting a split decision over Oliver Aubin-Mercier. Elias Theodorou won more impressively by earning a TKO of Sheldon Westcott at 4:41 of round 2 to become the seasons Middleweight champion. The two coaches of TUF Nations faced off next. Welterweight Patrick Cote out worked Kyle Noke to win by unanimous decision. In the main event Middleweight Tim Kennedy got what he wished for and finally shut up Michael Bisping. Kennedy did so by utilizing his wrestling and clinch game to win via unanimous decision.
At Cage Warriors Fight Night 11 Welterweight and veteran of the promotion, Jack Mason won a unanimous decision over Patrick Vallee.
Bellator 117 saw a new king of the Welterweight division crowned. Douglas Lima and Rick Hawn fought for the belt which was vacated by Ben Askren. Lima claimed the title by using devastating leg kicks to cripple Hawn leading to a TKO (corner stoppage) at 3:19 of round 2. Also on the card was Marcin Held and Patricky Freire who both advanced to the season 10 Lightweight final by second round finish.
Lightweight Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone continued his win streak at UFC on FOX 11 by sinking in a guillotine after dropping Edson Barboza with strikes. The finish came at 3:15 of round 1. Women's Bantamweight Miesha Tate finally achieved her first win in the UFC by defeating Liz Carmouche by unanimous decision. In the main event Heavyweight Fabricio Werdum surprisingly dominated Travis Browne on the feet to win a unanimous decision. The win boosted him to a title fight with champion Cain Valasquez.
Former UFC and Strikeforce Middleweight and Welterweight Jake Shields has signed with WSOF.
Featherweight champion Pat Curran will defend his belt in a rematch with Patricio Freire at Bellator 121 on June 6.
Sunday, April 13, 2014
4/13/14
It's not every weekend that the UFC is the first promotion to hold an event. Typically, the Ultimate Fighting Championship puts on fights Saturday night, but since the event took place in Abu Dubai we were able to watch on Friday afternoon. In the co-main event Featherweight Clay Guida defeated Tatsuya Kawajiri by unanimous decision in a contest that was deemed "Fight of the Night". The main event saw Heavyweight Roy "Big Country" Nelson knockout veteran Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira with a vicious right hook at 3:37 of round 1.
At Bellator 116 Light Heavyweight Joey Beltran sunk in a north south choke on Vladimir Matyushenko to win at 3:06 of round 3. Former Heavyweight champion Alexander Volkov advanced to the tournament final with a head kick KO of Mighty Mo at just 2:44 of round 1. Volkov will take on fellow Heavyweight Blagoi Ivanov in the final. Ivanov won by americana at 4:08 of round 1 over Lavar Johnson.
The vacant Flyweight title was on the line at RFA 14. Matt Manzanares claimed that belt by taking a split decision over Junior Maranhao. It seemed like it was a pretty clear decision in favor of Manzanares but for whatever reason the judges thought otherwise. Either way the rightful victor took home the title.
Bantamweight champion Brett Johns looked to defend his belt at Cage Warriors 67 but that did and didn't happen. Confused? I bet. Johns missed weight and was stripped of the belt so technically it was never on the line. He did however win a one sided unanimous decision over James Brum.
One time UFC Welterweight title contender Jake Shields has been released from the promotion.
Eduardo Dantas will defend his Bantamweight title against former champion Joe Warren at Bellator 118.
Lightweight Melvin Guillard has signed with the WSOF.
Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson will defend his Flyweight belt against Ali Bagautinov in the main event of UFC 174. It will be Johnson's first time headlining a pay per view.
Bellator Middleweight champion Alexander Shlemenko will take on Tito Ortiz in a Light Heavyweight bout. The fight will take place at Bellator's first ever pay per view event on May 17.
Leonard Garcia will defend his Featherweight belt for the first time against Damon Jackson at Legacy FC 33.
UFC Women's Bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey will defend her title at UFC 175. The co-main event fight will be against Alexis Davis.
At Bellator 116 Light Heavyweight Joey Beltran sunk in a north south choke on Vladimir Matyushenko to win at 3:06 of round 3. Former Heavyweight champion Alexander Volkov advanced to the tournament final with a head kick KO of Mighty Mo at just 2:44 of round 1. Volkov will take on fellow Heavyweight Blagoi Ivanov in the final. Ivanov won by americana at 4:08 of round 1 over Lavar Johnson.
The vacant Flyweight title was on the line at RFA 14. Matt Manzanares claimed that belt by taking a split decision over Junior Maranhao. It seemed like it was a pretty clear decision in favor of Manzanares but for whatever reason the judges thought otherwise. Either way the rightful victor took home the title.
Bantamweight champion Brett Johns looked to defend his belt at Cage Warriors 67 but that did and didn't happen. Confused? I bet. Johns missed weight and was stripped of the belt so technically it was never on the line. He did however win a one sided unanimous decision over James Brum.
One time UFC Welterweight title contender Jake Shields has been released from the promotion.
Eduardo Dantas will defend his Bantamweight title against former champion Joe Warren at Bellator 118.
Lightweight Melvin Guillard has signed with the WSOF.
Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson will defend his Flyweight belt against Ali Bagautinov in the main event of UFC 174. It will be Johnson's first time headlining a pay per view.
Bellator Middleweight champion Alexander Shlemenko will take on Tito Ortiz in a Light Heavyweight bout. The fight will take place at Bellator's first ever pay per view event on May 17.
Leonard Garcia will defend his Featherweight belt for the first time against Damon Jackson at Legacy FC 33.
UFC Women's Bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey will defend her title at UFC 175. The co-main event fight will be against Alexis Davis.
Sunday, April 6, 2014
4/6/14
Bellator 115 opened the weekend with an injury filled fight card that saw two key fights not even take place. The result was a last second, thrown together main card that was rather lackluster. In the main event Vitaly Minakov defended his Heavyweight belt for the first time against Cheick Kongo. Kongo, who is infamous for throwing illegal blows, was actually on the receiving end of two groin shots which led to a one point penalty early in the fight. Despite the penalty, Minakov was still able to win via unanimous decision by combining wrestling and a nice clench based attack.
At Legacy FC 30 Holly Holm claimed the Women's Bantamweight title by completely dominating Juliana Werner. Holm won by landing a head kick that led to a ground and pound TKO at 1:50 of round 5. It is still uncertain whether or not Holm's next fight will be in the UFC.
The Titan FC 28 main event has been announced and it originally featured two former UFC fighters. Light Heavyweight Vinny Magalhaes was suppose to fight Jason Brilz but days after the announcement Magalhaes had to pull out of the fight. Brilz will now take on Raphael Davis.
UFC Light Heavyweights Daniel Cormier and Dan Henderson have verbally agreed to fight one another. The winner will get a title shot but only after Alexander Gustafsson gets his first.
At Legacy FC 30 Holly Holm claimed the Women's Bantamweight title by completely dominating Juliana Werner. Holm won by landing a head kick that led to a ground and pound TKO at 1:50 of round 5. It is still uncertain whether or not Holm's next fight will be in the UFC.
The Titan FC 28 main event has been announced and it originally featured two former UFC fighters. Light Heavyweight Vinny Magalhaes was suppose to fight Jason Brilz but days after the announcement Magalhaes had to pull out of the fight. Brilz will now take on Raphael Davis.
UFC Light Heavyweights Daniel Cormier and Dan Henderson have verbally agreed to fight one another. The winner will get a title shot but only after Alexander Gustafsson gets his first.
Sunday, March 30, 2014
3/30/14
At Cage Warriors Fight Night 10, Middleweight Abu Azaitar finished off an exciting fight card by earning a TKO on Jack Marshman at just :34 of round 1.
Bellator 114 featured semifinal fights in both the Middleweight and Featherweight divisions. The main event saw the Middleweight belt on the line as veteran Alexander Shlemenko looked to defend it for the third time. Shlemenko did just that against Brennan Ward by submitting him via guillotine at 1:22 of round 2 to remain champion.
The XFC continued rolling with their international events with XFCi 3 in Sao Paulo Brazil. In the main event XFC veteran and fan favorite Luis "Sapo" Santos defeated fellow Lightweight Alfredo Morales by landing a devastating front kick that could be a candidate for knockout of the year. The KO came at 1:34 of round 3. This win was the 60th of Santos's career.
The WSOF returned with perhaps their most impressive event yet. Former UFC Middleweight Yushin Okami dominated Svetlozar Savov with impressive judo and ground and pound which led to a win via arm triangle at 4:46 of round 2. Marlon Moraes won the inaugural Bantamweight belt by battering Josh Rettinghouse with leg kicks for five rounds. The kicks resulted in some pretty nasty bruising and even dropped Rettinghouse on several occasions. Moraes won by unanimous decision. The main event saw the return of controversial fighter Rousimar Palhares. The Welterweight belt was on the line and Palhares claimed it from Steve Carl in his usual fashion, by first round heel hook. The submission came at just 1:09 of round 1.
Middleweight champion Chris Weidman is out of his UFC 173 title fight with Lyoto Machida. Bantamweight champion Renan Barao will now serve as the main event, defending his belt against T.J. Dillashaw.
Lightweight champion Anthony Pettis will fight Gilbert Melendez at the UFC year end event following their coaching rolls on The Ultimate Fighter.
Matt Riddle and Jose Landi-Jons will fight for the vacant Welterweight title at Titan FC 29. The fight card will feature several former UFC fighters including Vinny Magalhaes, Jason Brilz and Dave Herman.
Bellator 114 featured semifinal fights in both the Middleweight and Featherweight divisions. The main event saw the Middleweight belt on the line as veteran Alexander Shlemenko looked to defend it for the third time. Shlemenko did just that against Brennan Ward by submitting him via guillotine at 1:22 of round 2 to remain champion.
The XFC continued rolling with their international events with XFCi 3 in Sao Paulo Brazil. In the main event XFC veteran and fan favorite Luis "Sapo" Santos defeated fellow Lightweight Alfredo Morales by landing a devastating front kick that could be a candidate for knockout of the year. The KO came at 1:34 of round 3. This win was the 60th of Santos's career.
The WSOF returned with perhaps their most impressive event yet. Former UFC Middleweight Yushin Okami dominated Svetlozar Savov with impressive judo and ground and pound which led to a win via arm triangle at 4:46 of round 2. Marlon Moraes won the inaugural Bantamweight belt by battering Josh Rettinghouse with leg kicks for five rounds. The kicks resulted in some pretty nasty bruising and even dropped Rettinghouse on several occasions. Moraes won by unanimous decision. The main event saw the return of controversial fighter Rousimar Palhares. The Welterweight belt was on the line and Palhares claimed it from Steve Carl in his usual fashion, by first round heel hook. The submission came at just 1:09 of round 1.
Middleweight champion Chris Weidman is out of his UFC 173 title fight with Lyoto Machida. Bantamweight champion Renan Barao will now serve as the main event, defending his belt against T.J. Dillashaw.
Lightweight champion Anthony Pettis will fight Gilbert Melendez at the UFC year end event following their coaching rolls on The Ultimate Fighter.
Matt Riddle and Jose Landi-Jons will fight for the vacant Welterweight title at Titan FC 29. The fight card will feature several former UFC fighters including Vinny Magalhaes, Jason Brilz and Dave Herman.
Sunday, March 23, 2014
3/23/14
Legacy FC 29 kicked off the weekend of MMA. Featherweight Jonathan Brookins returned from his long lay off to win via rear naked choke over Cody Fuller at 3:02 of round 2. In the main event Paul Buentello lost a controversial split decision to Myron Dennis. Leonard Garcia was suppose to fight for the Featherweight belt but his opponent had to drop out of the fight last second due to suffering from the flu. Garcia was still awarded the belt.
Bellator 113 marked the unification of the light heavyweight belts. Emanuel Newton took on Attila Vegh. The two first met at Bellator 72 with Vegh taking a controversial split decision. This time Newton took home a split decision of his own, successfully unifying the belts in his favor.
At Cage Warriors 66 Nicolas Dalby won the vacant Welterweight title by defeating Sergei Churilov via TKO at 2:19 of round 4.
The UFC headed down to Brazil for UFC Fight Night 38. Welterweight C.B. Dollaway made quick work of Cezar Ferreira by TKOing him at just :39 of round 1. Light Heavyweight Dan Henderson won the second of two epic meetings between himself and "Shogun" Rua. Henderson landed one of his signature right hands on "Shogun" which ended the fight by TKO at 1:31 of round 3.
Welterweights Danny Roberts and Jim Wallhead will headline Cage Warriors 68.
Lightweight Benson Henderson will next fight Rustam Khabilov at a UFC event in Albuquerque in June. The fight will serve as the main event.
Cage Warriors Lightweight champion Ivan Buchinger has announced that he is vacating his belt. Curt Warburton and Stevie Ray will fight for it at Cage Warriors 69.
Lightweight veteran Melvin Guillard has been released from the UFC.
Bellator 113 marked the unification of the light heavyweight belts. Emanuel Newton took on Attila Vegh. The two first met at Bellator 72 with Vegh taking a controversial split decision. This time Newton took home a split decision of his own, successfully unifying the belts in his favor.
At Cage Warriors 66 Nicolas Dalby won the vacant Welterweight title by defeating Sergei Churilov via TKO at 2:19 of round 4.
The UFC headed down to Brazil for UFC Fight Night 38. Welterweight C.B. Dollaway made quick work of Cezar Ferreira by TKOing him at just :39 of round 1. Light Heavyweight Dan Henderson won the second of two epic meetings between himself and "Shogun" Rua. Henderson landed one of his signature right hands on "Shogun" which ended the fight by TKO at 1:31 of round 3.
Welterweights Danny Roberts and Jim Wallhead will headline Cage Warriors 68.
Lightweight Benson Henderson will next fight Rustam Khabilov at a UFC event in Albuquerque in June. The fight will serve as the main event.
Cage Warriors Lightweight champion Ivan Buchinger has announced that he is vacating his belt. Curt Warburton and Stevie Ray will fight for it at Cage Warriors 69.
Lightweight veteran Melvin Guillard has been released from the UFC.
Sunday, March 16, 2014
3/16/14
It's always awesome when you get to start off a weekend of great MMA action on a Friday morning. ONE FC 14 allowed us to do just that. The event took place in Malaysia and saw rear naked choke wins from Flyweight Adriano Moraes as well as Bantamweight Dae Hwan Kim. In the main event Nobutatsu Suzuki won the inaugural Welterweight title by unanimous decision over Brock Larson.
Bellator 112 hosted the opening round of their Welterweight tournament. The event also played host to a very exciting Featherweight title fight. Daniel Straus and Pat Curran finished off their trilogy, and for the second time it was for the Featherweight belt. Straus was defending his belt for the first time but failed to do so because of a late rear naked choke pulled off by Curran. The submission came at 4:46 of round 5.
At UFC 171 Lightweight Myles Jury outworked Diego Sanchez to earn a unanimous decision win. Welterweight Carlos Condit suffered a gruesome knee injury following a kick landed by his opponent Tyron Woodley. The fight was ruled a TKO at 2:00 of round 2 for Woodley. The main event saw the Welterweight belt on the line and for the first time in what seems like forever, GSP wasn't defending it. Johny Hendricks won a close unanimous decision over Robbie Lawler to become the new Welterweight champion.
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal will fight for the season 10 Light Heavyweight tournament final on the Bellator pay-per-view fight card.
Bibiano Fernandes will defend his Bantamweight belt against Masakatsu Ueda at ONE FC 15 on May 2.
Bellator 112 hosted the opening round of their Welterweight tournament. The event also played host to a very exciting Featherweight title fight. Daniel Straus and Pat Curran finished off their trilogy, and for the second time it was for the Featherweight belt. Straus was defending his belt for the first time but failed to do so because of a late rear naked choke pulled off by Curran. The submission came at 4:46 of round 5.
At UFC 171 Lightweight Myles Jury outworked Diego Sanchez to earn a unanimous decision win. Welterweight Carlos Condit suffered a gruesome knee injury following a kick landed by his opponent Tyron Woodley. The fight was ruled a TKO at 2:00 of round 2 for Woodley. The main event saw the Welterweight belt on the line and for the first time in what seems like forever, GSP wasn't defending it. Johny Hendricks won a close unanimous decision over Robbie Lawler to become the new Welterweight champion.
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal will fight for the season 10 Light Heavyweight tournament final on the Bellator pay-per-view fight card.
Bibiano Fernandes will defend his Bantamweight belt against Masakatsu Ueda at ONE FC 15 on May 2.
Monday, March 10, 2014
3/9/14
Bellator 111 kicked off a weekend filled with MMA. This fight card, which took place in Oklahoma, saw much more success then the season opener for the promotion. The Heavyweight tournament kicked off with every fight ending in a finish. And in the main event Eduardo Dantas defended his Bantamweight title by defeating Anthony Leone via rear naked choke at 2:04 of round 2.
At RFA 13, Lightweight Dakota Cochrane squeaked by Efrain Escudero to win a controversial unanimous decision.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship headed to England for yet another UFC Fight Pass event. Bantamweight turned Flyweight Brad Pickett slugged it out for three rounds with Neil Seery in route to a unanimous decision win. Pickett's next fight will possibly be against Flyweight champion Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson whom he beat in their first meeting. Lightweight Michael Johnson continued his hot streak by earning a unanimous decision over Melvin Guillard. In the main event former Light Heavyweight title contender Alexander Gustafsson landed a vicious knee followed up by punches to win via TKO over Jimi Manuwa at 1:18 of round 2. Gustafsson will get the winner of Jon Jones and Glover Teixeira.
Former UFC Middleweight Yushin Okami will fight Svetlozar Savov at WSOF 9.
Lightweight Mike Ricci and George Sotiropolous will fight at Titan FC 28. The fight will most likely be the main event.
EFC Africa fighter Booto Guylain past away due to injuries sustained in his February MMA fight.
The California State Athletic Commission has announced its ban on TRT. It follows the same path as Nevada and UFC sanctioned events.
At RFA 13, Lightweight Dakota Cochrane squeaked by Efrain Escudero to win a controversial unanimous decision.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship headed to England for yet another UFC Fight Pass event. Bantamweight turned Flyweight Brad Pickett slugged it out for three rounds with Neil Seery in route to a unanimous decision win. Pickett's next fight will possibly be against Flyweight champion Demetrious "Mighty Mouse" Johnson whom he beat in their first meeting. Lightweight Michael Johnson continued his hot streak by earning a unanimous decision over Melvin Guillard. In the main event former Light Heavyweight title contender Alexander Gustafsson landed a vicious knee followed up by punches to win via TKO over Jimi Manuwa at 1:18 of round 2. Gustafsson will get the winner of Jon Jones and Glover Teixeira.
Former UFC Middleweight Yushin Okami will fight Svetlozar Savov at WSOF 9.
Lightweight Mike Ricci and George Sotiropolous will fight at Titan FC 28. The fight will most likely be the main event.
EFC Africa fighter Booto Guylain past away due to injuries sustained in his February MMA fight.
The California State Athletic Commission has announced its ban on TRT. It follows the same path as Nevada and UFC sanctioned events.
Sunday, March 2, 2014
3/2/14
I did a lot of running around this weekend but fortunately I had the chance to watch all the major MMA events that were shown online and on TV.
A non stop weekend started with the return of Bellator to Spike TV. Bellator 110 kicked off their season with a decision filled fight card which included lackluster fights from the prelims too. The Light Heavyweight tournament final was set after Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal defeated Mikhail Zayats by unanimous decision. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson joined him after earning a KO at 4:34 of round 1 against former champion Christian M'Pumbu. During the Lawal/Jackson face off things got a bit chippy and the two were forced to separate. Whether it was real or set up it does make for some great anticipation.
Titan Fighting Championship made their CBS Sports Network debut with Titan FC 27. Former UFC Welterweight Matthew Riddle defeated Michael Kuiper via guillotine at 2:29 of round 2. In the main event TUF veteran Mike Ricci made quick work of Jorge Gurgel by getting a TKO at 3:57 of round 1.
At the TUF China Finale Welterweight Zhang Lipeng became the first ever Chinese Ultimate Fighter by narrowly defeating Wang Sai by split decision. Dana White has said that Sai, despite losing, will get another shot in the UFC. In the main event Welterweight veteran Dong Hyun Kim continued his exciting ways by knocking out John Hathaway with a spinning elbow at 1:02 of round 3.
Cage Warriors 65 saw Welterweight Ben Alloway win a unanimous decision over Jack Mason. Lightweight Saul Rogers also won a unanimous decision over John Maguire in the main event.
Lightweight Gilbert Melendez has resigned with the UFC and will coach opposite of Anthony Pettis on the Ultimate Fighter 20.
Bellator Middleweight champion Alexander Shlemenko has extended his contract with the promotion.
The Nevada State Athletic Commission has banned the use of TRT. The UFC additionally announced that any event that they sanction will follow the same rules as the NSAC.
Vitor Belfort has pulled out of his Middleweight title fight with champion Chris Weidman. Weidman will now face former Light Heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida.
A non stop weekend started with the return of Bellator to Spike TV. Bellator 110 kicked off their season with a decision filled fight card which included lackluster fights from the prelims too. The Light Heavyweight tournament final was set after Muhammed "King Mo" Lawal defeated Mikhail Zayats by unanimous decision. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson joined him after earning a KO at 4:34 of round 1 against former champion Christian M'Pumbu. During the Lawal/Jackson face off things got a bit chippy and the two were forced to separate. Whether it was real or set up it does make for some great anticipation.
Titan Fighting Championship made their CBS Sports Network debut with Titan FC 27. Former UFC Welterweight Matthew Riddle defeated Michael Kuiper via guillotine at 2:29 of round 2. In the main event TUF veteran Mike Ricci made quick work of Jorge Gurgel by getting a TKO at 3:57 of round 1.
At the TUF China Finale Welterweight Zhang Lipeng became the first ever Chinese Ultimate Fighter by narrowly defeating Wang Sai by split decision. Dana White has said that Sai, despite losing, will get another shot in the UFC. In the main event Welterweight veteran Dong Hyun Kim continued his exciting ways by knocking out John Hathaway with a spinning elbow at 1:02 of round 3.
Cage Warriors 65 saw Welterweight Ben Alloway win a unanimous decision over Jack Mason. Lightweight Saul Rogers also won a unanimous decision over John Maguire in the main event.
Lightweight Gilbert Melendez has resigned with the UFC and will coach opposite of Anthony Pettis on the Ultimate Fighter 20.
Bellator Middleweight champion Alexander Shlemenko has extended his contract with the promotion.
The Nevada State Athletic Commission has banned the use of TRT. The UFC additionally announced that any event that they sanction will follow the same rules as the NSAC.
Vitor Belfort has pulled out of his Middleweight title fight with champion Chris Weidman. Weidman will now face former Light Heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida.
Sunday, February 23, 2014
2/23/14
At Legacy FC 28 Featherweight Damon "Leech" Jackson remained undefeated after getting a rear naked choke at 3:24 of round 2 on Hunter Tucker. In the main event Bubba Bush successfully defended his Middleweight belt against Rakim Cleveland, winning by rear naked choke at 1:33 of round 2.
The UFC finally saw an end to their decision filled fight cards with this past Saturdays UFC 170 event. Welterweight Rory MacDonald came back from a disappointing first round to defeat Demian Maia by unanimous decision. Heavyweight turned Light Heavyweight Daniel Cormier TKO'd Patrick Cummins at 1:19 of round 1, cancelling out any chance for a Rocky style ending. The main event saw Ronda Rousey win by TKO for the first time in her career. Rousey defeated Sara McMann at 1:06 of round 1 to defend her Women's Bantamweight belt.
A new opponent has been named for UFC Flyweight Brad Pickett after Ian McCall was forced to drop out of the fight due to injury. Pickett will take on UFC newcomer Neil Seery at UFC Fight Night 37 in London.
MFC Middleweight champion "Smilin" Sam Alvey will defend his title at MFC 40 against Wes Swofford.
Cristiane "Cyborg" Justino has announced that she will be making the weight cut to the Women's Bantamweight division and eyes a fight with Ronda Rousey in December.
The UFC finally saw an end to their decision filled fight cards with this past Saturdays UFC 170 event. Welterweight Rory MacDonald came back from a disappointing first round to defeat Demian Maia by unanimous decision. Heavyweight turned Light Heavyweight Daniel Cormier TKO'd Patrick Cummins at 1:19 of round 1, cancelling out any chance for a Rocky style ending. The main event saw Ronda Rousey win by TKO for the first time in her career. Rousey defeated Sara McMann at 1:06 of round 1 to defend her Women's Bantamweight belt.
A new opponent has been named for UFC Flyweight Brad Pickett after Ian McCall was forced to drop out of the fight due to injury. Pickett will take on UFC newcomer Neil Seery at UFC Fight Night 37 in London.
MFC Middleweight champion "Smilin" Sam Alvey will defend his title at MFC 40 against Wes Swofford.
Cristiane "Cyborg" Justino has announced that she will be making the weight cut to the Women's Bantamweight division and eyes a fight with Ronda Rousey in December.
Sunday, February 16, 2014
2/16/14
Cage Warriors 64 kicked off the weekend with a fight card in London, England. In the main event Bantamweight Cory Tait defeated James Pennington by way of guillotine at 2:35 of round 1.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship continued to have trouble with large amounts of fights going the distance. At UFC Fight Night 36, ten of the twelve fights ended by decision. This included Middleweights Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza defeating Francis Carmount and Lyoto Machida defeating Gegard Mousasi.
Anthony Birchak will defend his Middleweight title at MFC 40 against Kevin Croom.
The UFC has announced that they will be putting into effect a new post-fight bonus system where "fight of the night" remains but instead of KO and submission of the night, two "performance of the night" bonuses will be awarded.
Women's Bantamweight prospect Holly Holm will fight for a belt at Legacy FC 30. She will take on Juliana Werner.
Rashad Evans has been forced out of his UFC 170 Light Heavyweight fight against Daniel Cormier due to a leg injury. Cormier will now take on UFC newcomer Patrick Cummins who takes the fight on a 10 day notice.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship continued to have trouble with large amounts of fights going the distance. At UFC Fight Night 36, ten of the twelve fights ended by decision. This included Middleweights Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza defeating Francis Carmount and Lyoto Machida defeating Gegard Mousasi.
Anthony Birchak will defend his Middleweight title at MFC 40 against Kevin Croom.
The UFC has announced that they will be putting into effect a new post-fight bonus system where "fight of the night" remains but instead of KO and submission of the night, two "performance of the night" bonuses will be awarded.
Women's Bantamweight prospect Holly Holm will fight for a belt at Legacy FC 30. She will take on Juliana Werner.
Rashad Evans has been forced out of his UFC 170 Light Heavyweight fight against Daniel Cormier due to a leg injury. Cormier will now take on UFC newcomer Patrick Cummins who takes the fight on a 10 day notice.
Sunday, February 9, 2014
2/9/14
The XFC made its way down to Sao Paulo, which marked the first time the promotion held an event outside of the United States. The fight card in Brazil was the first of many XFCi events that the promotion will put on in South America. Multiple countries were represented but Brazil rained supreme with 7 of their 10 fighters winning. One of those 7 fighters was Lightweight Thiago "Minu" Meller who defeated Clay French in the main event via TKO at 3:39 of round 1. The next international fight card for the XFC has yet to be announced.
Leonard Garcia and Shane Howell will fight for the Featherweight title at Legacy FC 29 on March 21.
Former UFC Heavyweight Pat Barry has signed with Glory Kickboxing and will make his debut in May. Though there isn't a fight card announced yet, it will most likely take place in the United States.
Anthony "Rumble" Johnson has been resigned by the UFC and will this time fight in their Light Heavyweight division. His first fight back will be against Phil Davis at UFC 172.
The RFA 13 main event will feature Lightweights Efrain Escudero and Dakota Cochrane.
Following an injury to Rafael Silva, Bellator Bantamweight champion Eduardo Dantas will now fight Anthony Leone at Bellator 111.
Ben Askren will make his ONE FC debut in May against the winner of Brock Larson and Nobutatsu Suzuki. The fight will be for the Welterweight title.
Josh Burkman will defend his Welterweight belt against Tyler Stinson at WSOF 9.
Following his arrest in Florida, Thiago Silva's UFC contract has been terminated. President Dana White has stated "(he) will never fight in the UFC again".
After speaking with (local Ohio fighter) Cody Stevens on Saturday I have learned that he is still under contract with ONE FC. Stevens, a Featherweight, made his promotional debut against Japanese superstar Shinya Aoki at ONE FC 11. Though he lost by unanimous decision he told me that he is still fighting for them and plans to fight at either Featherweight or Bantamweight later this year.
Leonard Garcia and Shane Howell will fight for the Featherweight title at Legacy FC 29 on March 21.
Former UFC Heavyweight Pat Barry has signed with Glory Kickboxing and will make his debut in May. Though there isn't a fight card announced yet, it will most likely take place in the United States.
Anthony "Rumble" Johnson has been resigned by the UFC and will this time fight in their Light Heavyweight division. His first fight back will be against Phil Davis at UFC 172.
The RFA 13 main event will feature Lightweights Efrain Escudero and Dakota Cochrane.
Following an injury to Rafael Silva, Bellator Bantamweight champion Eduardo Dantas will now fight Anthony Leone at Bellator 111.
Ben Askren will make his ONE FC debut in May against the winner of Brock Larson and Nobutatsu Suzuki. The fight will be for the Welterweight title.
Josh Burkman will defend his Welterweight belt against Tyler Stinson at WSOF 9.
Following his arrest in Florida, Thiago Silva's UFC contract has been terminated. President Dana White has stated "(he) will never fight in the UFC again".
After speaking with (local Ohio fighter) Cody Stevens on Saturday I have learned that he is still under contract with ONE FC. Stevens, a Featherweight, made his promotional debut against Japanese superstar Shinya Aoki at ONE FC 11. Though he lost by unanimous decision he told me that he is still fighting for them and plans to fight at either Featherweight or Bantamweight later this year.
Sunday, February 2, 2014
2/2/14
At Legacy FC 27 Flyweight Henry Cejudo remained undefeated by defeating Elias Garcia via unanimous decision. In the main event, Welterweight Tim Means made quick work of Artnes Young by getting a TKO at just 1:38 of round 1.
UFC 169 set an interesting record; Most unanimous decisions in a single event. Infamous Heavyweight Alistair Overeem returned to the win column by battering Frank Mir to a unanimous decision victory. It is still unsure whether or not Frank Mir will continue to fight for the UFC at this point. Jose Aldo successfully defended his Featherweight belt by defeating Ricardo Lamas via unanimous decision. Finally, Renan Barao defended his belt officially for the first time against Urijah Faber. Barao won via TKO at 3:42 of round 1.
UFC Heavyweight Pat Barry has announced his retirement.
Legacy FC 29 will be headlined by a Light Heavyweight contest between Paul Buentello and Myron Dennis. The two will fight for the vacant title.
The UFC has announced that they will be heading to Canada five times for events in 2014.
Maximum Fighting Championship has announced that MFC 40 will take place on May 9 and feature Middleweight champion Sam Alvey, Bantamweight champion Anthony Birchak and a Lightweight title fight between Tom Gallicchio and Kurt Southern.
UFC 169 set an interesting record; Most unanimous decisions in a single event. Infamous Heavyweight Alistair Overeem returned to the win column by battering Frank Mir to a unanimous decision victory. It is still unsure whether or not Frank Mir will continue to fight for the UFC at this point. Jose Aldo successfully defended his Featherweight belt by defeating Ricardo Lamas via unanimous decision. Finally, Renan Barao defended his belt officially for the first time against Urijah Faber. Barao won via TKO at 3:42 of round 1.
UFC Heavyweight Pat Barry has announced his retirement.
Legacy FC 29 will be headlined by a Light Heavyweight contest between Paul Buentello and Myron Dennis. The two will fight for the vacant title.
The UFC has announced that they will be heading to Canada five times for events in 2014.
Maximum Fighting Championship has announced that MFC 40 will take place on May 9 and feature Middleweight champion Sam Alvey, Bantamweight champion Anthony Birchak and a Lightweight title fight between Tom Gallicchio and Kurt Southern.
Sunday, January 26, 2014
1/26/14
Two belts were on the line at RFA 12 and the fights couldn't have been more opposite. Pedro Munhoz successfully defended his Bantamweight belt by sinking in a guillotine on Billy Daniels at :41 of round 1. In the main event Brian Ortega and Keoni Koch slugged it out for the Featherweight belt. Ortega came out on top winning a split decision in a fight of the year (candidate) performance.
At UFC on FOX 10 Lightweight Donald Cerrone landed a SC Top 10 worthy head kick KO on Adriano Martins at 4:40 of round 1. Heavyweight Stipe Miocic kept his momentum rolling in a unanimous decision win over Gabriel Gonzaga. And finally, Benson Henderson squeaked out a close split decision win over Josh Thomson.
ONE FC has signed undefeated Featherweight Marat Gafurov.
UFC Light Heavyweights Dan Henderson and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua will fight for a second time following their classic first fight. The bout will take place on March 23rd in Brazil.
Titan FC has signed former UFC fighters George Sotiropoulos (Lightweight) and Iliarde Santos (Flyweight).
At UFC on FOX 10 Lightweight Donald Cerrone landed a SC Top 10 worthy head kick KO on Adriano Martins at 4:40 of round 1. Heavyweight Stipe Miocic kept his momentum rolling in a unanimous decision win over Gabriel Gonzaga. And finally, Benson Henderson squeaked out a close split decision win over Josh Thomson.
ONE FC has signed undefeated Featherweight Marat Gafurov.
UFC Light Heavyweights Dan Henderson and Mauricio "Shogun" Rua will fight for a second time following their classic first fight. The bout will take place on March 23rd in Brazil.
Titan FC has signed former UFC fighters George Sotiropoulos (Lightweight) and Iliarde Santos (Flyweight).
Sunday, January 19, 2014
1/19/14
A busy week of MMA was kicked off with last Wednesday's UFC Fight Night 35. While it wasn't the most exciting fight card, it did have its moments. Bantamweight contender TJ Dillashaw put together crisp combos and takedowns to earn a unanimous decision win over Mike Easton. Middleweight Brad Tavares won a narrow unanimous decision over Lorenz Larkin. In the main event, Middleweight Luke Rockhold landed a perfectly placed liver kick that dropped Costas Philippou halfway through the first. Rockhold won via TKO at 2:31 of round 1.
Two titles were on the line at MFC 39... well not really. There was going to be a Lightweight title fight between Tom Gallicchio and Kurt Southern but Gallicchio weighed in over weight. Despite there not being the extra motivation of winning a title, Gallicchio fought hard to win by rear naked choke at 4:31 of round 2. The second title fight did go on and Anthony Hamilton successfully defended his Heavyweight belt against TUF veteran Darrill Schoonover. Hamilton dominated the fight with takedowns and won via unanimous decision.
In the very young history of the World Series of Fighting, WSOF 8 was the best fight card to date. Jessica Aguilar won the inaugural Women's Strawweight title by defeating Alida Gray via side choke at 2:41 of round 1. A fight that had been a long time in the making featuring two heavy handed Light Heavyweights, Anthony Rumble Johnson and Mike Kyle, finally went down. It didn't last too long. Johnson hit Kyle with a quick right hook that sent Kyle falling to the ground hard. The KO came at 2:03 of round 1. The main event was even shorter. Justin Gaethje defeated Richard Patishnock at 1:09 of round 1 by TKO to claim the inaugural Lightweight championship.
UFC on FOX 11 will feature a Heavyweight bout between Fabricio Werdum and Travis Browne. Also Miesha Tate will return to action to take on Liz Carmouche in a Women's Bantamweight fight.
Titan Fighting Championship has signed an eight fight deal with CBS Sports Network. The deal will kick off with an event on February 28th. The main event will feature a Lightweight fight between Mike Ricci and Jorge Gurgel.
Bellator Light Heavyweight titles will be unified when Attila Vegh and Emmanuel Newton fight at Bellator 113. Champion Alexander Shlemenko will defend his Middleweight belt against Brennan Ward at Bellator 114. Finally the Bellator Heavyweight title will be on the line when Chieck Congo and Vitaly Minakov fight at Bellator 115.
Two titles were on the line at MFC 39... well not really. There was going to be a Lightweight title fight between Tom Gallicchio and Kurt Southern but Gallicchio weighed in over weight. Despite there not being the extra motivation of winning a title, Gallicchio fought hard to win by rear naked choke at 4:31 of round 2. The second title fight did go on and Anthony Hamilton successfully defended his Heavyweight belt against TUF veteran Darrill Schoonover. Hamilton dominated the fight with takedowns and won via unanimous decision.
In the very young history of the World Series of Fighting, WSOF 8 was the best fight card to date. Jessica Aguilar won the inaugural Women's Strawweight title by defeating Alida Gray via side choke at 2:41 of round 1. A fight that had been a long time in the making featuring two heavy handed Light Heavyweights, Anthony Rumble Johnson and Mike Kyle, finally went down. It didn't last too long. Johnson hit Kyle with a quick right hook that sent Kyle falling to the ground hard. The KO came at 2:03 of round 1. The main event was even shorter. Justin Gaethje defeated Richard Patishnock at 1:09 of round 1 by TKO to claim the inaugural Lightweight championship.
UFC on FOX 11 will feature a Heavyweight bout between Fabricio Werdum and Travis Browne. Also Miesha Tate will return to action to take on Liz Carmouche in a Women's Bantamweight fight.
Titan Fighting Championship has signed an eight fight deal with CBS Sports Network. The deal will kick off with an event on February 28th. The main event will feature a Lightweight fight between Mike Ricci and Jorge Gurgel.
Bellator Light Heavyweight titles will be unified when Attila Vegh and Emmanuel Newton fight at Bellator 113. Champion Alexander Shlemenko will defend his Middleweight belt against Brennan Ward at Bellator 114. Finally the Bellator Heavyweight title will be on the line when Chieck Congo and Vitaly Minakov fight at Bellator 115.
Monday, January 6, 2014
1/5/14
Cage Warriors held the honor of having the final MMA event of 2013. In the first of two title fights Jim Alers successfully defended his Featherweight belt against Graham Turner after defeating him via north south choke at 1:22 of round 2. Fresh off of being cut from the UFC, Welterweight John Maguire returned to the win column by earning a unanimous decision over Philip Mulpeter. In the main event Ivan Buchinger won the Lightweight title by defeating Stevie Ray by rear naked choke at 3:34 of round 4.
The UFC made its way to Singapore for UFC Fight Night 34. Featherweight Tatsuya Kawajiri made his UFC debut in impressive fashion by defeating Sean Soriano at :50 of round 2 by rear naked choke. In the main event Welterweight Tarec Saffiedine earned a unanimous decision over Hyun Gyu Lim.
Bellator Welterweight Brent Weedman has announced that he is retiring.
Justin Gaethje and Richard Patishnock will fight for the inaugural Lightweight title at WSOF 8.
The UFC made its way to Singapore for UFC Fight Night 34. Featherweight Tatsuya Kawajiri made his UFC debut in impressive fashion by defeating Sean Soriano at :50 of round 2 by rear naked choke. In the main event Welterweight Tarec Saffiedine earned a unanimous decision over Hyun Gyu Lim.
Bellator Welterweight Brent Weedman has announced that he is retiring.
Justin Gaethje and Richard Patishnock will fight for the inaugural Lightweight title at WSOF 8.
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