(Photo courtesy of Bellator)
Bellator Fighting Championships returns to the spotlight with its Season 4 Welterweight Tournament this Saturday night at the Tachi Palace Hotel & Casino. The fight card also plays host to several Local Feature Fights and will mark the promotion’s debut on its new home television network, MTV2. Continue reading »
So, UFC 127. Looks like I’m gonna have to get into these issues of bad judging as well as the issue of “unsportsman-like behavior” since there were prime examples of both that night. There were also like 46 fights broadcast via Facebook, ION TV, and PPV. So, let’s get right to it. Continue reading »
Clay Guida (back left) signed autographs and spoke with fans in attendance at his new facility MMA Stop Fitness' grand opening from 10am-6pm on February 26. (Photo courtesy of Mallory Mejia)
UFC lightweight fighter “The Carpenter” Clay Guida (28-11) has accomplished a lot in his eight year MMA career. He has amassed 28 wins with 14 submissions and four TKO/KO’s. He is the former Strikeforce Lightweight Champion. He also has established an 8-5 UFC record with wins over Nate Diaz (12-7), “The Fireball Kid” Takanori Gomi (29-8), and Marcus Aurelio (19-8). Now, the former lay carpenter from Rockford, Illinois has returned to the area he calls home to open a state of the art training facility in the Chicago suburb of Crest Hill, Illinois roughly halfway between his original training camps at Gilbert Grappling and the Midwest Training Center. On Saturday, February 26, Guida launched his gym, MMA Stop Fitness, with a grand opening event featuring an open house and autograph signings from himself and fellow UFC and VF Elite fighter Thiago Silva (16-2). The public was welcome to attend and view the facility free of charge and MMA Gospel made a point to check things out. Continue reading »
Kyle Noke demolished Chris Camozzi in his Pay-Per-View opening bout and came out as one of the biggest winners of the night at UFC 127. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)
UFC 127: Penn vs. Fitch is in the books following a very entertaining night of mixed martial arts action highlighting some of the best fighters in the world. The card continued the UFC’s recent trend of exciting throwdowns that began earlier this year in stark contrast to the multiple events that fell flat in the fans’ eyes at the close of 2010. The card featured several pages from every fans’ MMA story book with emerging competitors, underdog victories, classic striker vs. grappler matches, and even the dreaded “to be continued” cliff hanger fight, this time the main event majority draw between “The Prodigy” BJ Penn (16-7-2) and Jon Fitch (22-3-1). Of course, it wouldn’t be the UFC without some sort of controversy to set the fans against the judges, various fighters, and themselves, and UFC 127 provided that with a horribly botched preliminary fight decision, the aforementioned draw which immediately sets each fighter’s fans against each other, and a questionable rules violation followed by some post-fight antics that may have been ill advised. Some fighters can crawl through the muck and come out clean on the other side, others couldn’t save puppies from a burning building and repair what they did to their reputations here. To sort them out is The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. Continue reading »
Heavy-handed Brit "Semtex" Paul Daley (left) KO'ed opponent and current DEEP Welterweight Champion Yuya Shirai (right) just 1:46 into the opening stanza of their main event bout. (Photo courtesy of Martin Rhodes and Sherdog)
—MAIN CARD—
Paul Daley vs. Yuya Shirai: Daley via KO (Punches), Round 1, 1:46 *
James McSweeney vs. Ricco Rodriguez: Rodriguez via Unanimous Decision, Round 3, 5:00
Xavier Foupa-Pokam vs. Alex Makhonin: Makhonin via TKO (Punches and Elbows), Round 2, 4:48
Claudio Henrique Da Silva vs. Jean-Francois Lenogue: Da Silva via Submission (Rear Naked Choke), Round 1, 2:51
—PRELIMINARY CARD—
Leeroy Barnes vs. Mohsen Bahari: Bahari via TKO (Punches), Round 1, 0:40
Rob Mills vs. Leigh Cohoon: Cohoon via TKO (Punches), Round 2, 4:16
Jason Ball vs. Peter Duncan: Ball via KO (Knees), Round 2, 2:00
Paul Cook vs. Michael Johnson: Johnson via Unanimous Decision, Round 3, 5:00
Tim Newman vs. Diego Vital: Newton via Split Decision, Round 3, 5:00
Costas Doru vs. Liam James: Doru via Submission (Rear Naked Choke), Round 1, 2:47
Franky Slater vs. Jeremy Petley: Petley via Submission (Armbar), Round 1, 0:36
* Paul Daley vs. Yuya Shirai was originally slated to be a five-round title fight to determine the new BAMMA Welterweight Champion, but was changed to a three-round non-title affair due to Daley missing weight.
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Manto VT Shorts for $28 Continue reading »
(Photo courtesy of Mark Nolan & Getty Images)
—Un-televised Preliminaries—
Mark Hunt vs. Chris Tuchsherer: Hunt via KO (Punches), Round 2, 1:41
Curt Warburton vs. Maciej Jewtuszko: Warburton via Unanimous Decision, Round 3 (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
—Facebook Preliminaries—
Tiequan Zhang vs. Jason Reinhardt: Zhang via Submission (Guillotine Choke), Round 1, 0:48
Anthony Perosh vs. Tom Blackledge: Perosh via Submission (Rear Naked Choke), Round 1, 2:45 Continue reading »
Former UFC Lightweight and Welterweight Champion BJ Penn's (right) career seems to have undergone a resurgence since his recent move back up to welterweight, as made evident by his brutal 21 second KO over UFC Hall of Famer Matt Hughes (camouflage trunks). Will his renewed interest in MMA be enough to dominate top welterweight Jon Fitch? (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)
Australia will get its second helping of UFC action tomorrow night as the world’s premier MMA promotion returns with UFC 127: Penn vs. Fitch. The card kicks the night off with a good ole’ fashioned slugfest as The Ultimate Fighter alums Chris Camozzi (14-3) and “KO” Kyle Noke (18-4-1) take the cage. The night follows with a rematch between “Lights Out” Chris Lytle (30-17-5) and Brian Ebersole (39-13-1) before launching into back-to-back fights with potential title implications as Dennis Siver (17-7) faces George Sotiropoulos (14-2) and “El Conquistador” Jorge Rivera (18-7) squares up with the vocal British TUF product “The Count” Michael Bisping (20-3). However, the fight on everyone’s mind is the main event clash between two polar opposites as the mercurial finishing machine “The Prodigy” BJ Penn (16-7-1) faces the consistently effective grinder Jon Fitch (22-3). Fans all seek to learn whether or not a trip to welterweight is what BJ needed to take his career seriously again and nothing would prove that better than following his brutal 21 second KO of Matt Hughes (43-8) with a win over Fitch. Fitch has other plans though as a win over arguably the most talented fighter of all time would put him right in line for a second shot at the title held by the only man to defeat him in nearly a decade, “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (21-2). Continue reading »
"El Conquistador" Jorge Rivera's (left) high-pressure unorthodox brawling style plays right into Michael Bisping's more disciplined counter-striking game. (Photo courtesy of Dave Mandel and Sherdog)
Tonight the UFC rocks Acer Arena in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia with UFC 127: Penn vs. Fitch. The evening promises to be electrifying with a main card studded with potential for brutal knockouts, breathtaking submissions, and “Fight of the Night” honors with former lightweight and welterweight champion “The Prodigy” BJ Penn (16-7-1) again moving up to the welterweight division to take on American Kickboxing Academy phenom and Guerilla Jiu-Jitsu black belt Jon Fitch (22-3). Also on the roster is The Ultimate Fighter 6 alum and Australian native George Sotiropoulos (14-2) facing German kickboxing champion Dennis Siver (17-7) in a lightweight bout of the classic striker vs. grappler match-up, and “Lights Out” Chris Lytle (30-17-5) welcomes UFC newcomer but seasoned veteran Brian Ebersole (39-13-1) to the Octagon after an offering from “KO” Kyle Noke (18-4-1) and Chris Camozzi (14-3) kicks off the evening. The co-main event, however, offers perhaps the best chance to see “Knockout of the Night” with two famed strikers going head-to-head with British slugger “The Count” Michael Bisping (20-3) teeing off against “El Conquistador” Jorge Rivera (18-7). With long-time UFC Middleweight Champion “The Spider” Anderson Silva (28-4) systematically picking off his challengers one-by-one, both Bisping and Rivera look to take one step closer to earning a shot at the UFC’s coveted 185lbs. title. Continue reading »
With his win over "D-Bomb" Dwayne Lewis, "Big Deal" Ryan Jimmo is the new MFC Light Heavyweight Champion. (Photo courtesy of Rob King and Sherdog)
Paapa Inkumsah vs. Brendan Kornberger: Kornberger via Unanimous Decision, Round 3, 5:00
Dan Ring vs. Garret Nybakken: Ring via Submission (Rear Naked Choke), Round 2, 2:21
Tyrone Glover vs. Robert Washington: Glover via Split Decision, Round 3, 5:00
Emanuel Newton vs. Rodney Wallace: Newton via Submission (Rear Naked Choke), Round 2, 4:34
Thomas Denny vs. Sheldon Westcott: DRAW, Round 3, 5:00
Richie Whitson vs. Curtis Demarce: Whitson via Split Decision, Round 3, 5:00
Matt Veach vs. Drew Fickett: Fickett via Submission (Armbar), Round 1, 0:36
Ryan Jimmo vs. Dwayne Lewis: Jimmo via TKO (Doctor Stoppage), Round 3, 3:13*
* Ryan Jimmo is the new MFC Light Heavyweight Champion
(Photo courtesy of MMA Weekly)
—Main Card (Pay-Per-View)—
Jon Fitch: 77.2kg (169.8lbs.)
BJ Penn: 76kg (167.2lbs.)
Michael Bisping: 84.2kg (185.2lbs.)
Jorge Rivera: 84kg (184.8lbs.)
George Sotiropoulos: 70.8kg (155.8lbs.)
Dennis Siver: 71.2 kg (156.6lbs.)
Chris Lytle: 77.2kg (169.8lbs.)
Brian Ebersole: 77.2kg (169.8lbs.)
Chris Camozzi: 84.2kg (185.2lbs.)
Kyle Noke: 83.6kg (183.9lbs.) Continue reading »
"Semtex" Paul Daley came in 2lbs. over weight for his title fight against Yuya Shirai in tomorrow night's BAMMA 5 main event. (Photo courtesy of Lee Whitehead and MMA Weekly)
For the fifth time in “Semtex” Paul Daley’s (23-10-2) past 11 fights, the British slugger has missed weight. And this time, not even an extra hour made a difference.
Daley was slated to take on DEEP Welterweight Champion Yuya Shirai (13-8) in the main event tomorrow night for the British Association of Mixed Martial Arts’ (BAMMA) currently vacant welterweight title at BAMMA 5 in Manchester, England. But during today’s event weigh-ins, Daley came in at 172lbs. – two pounds over the limit – reportedly due to his hotel’s malfunctioning sauna. He was given an hour to drop the additional weight, during which he reportedly traveled to another location in attempt to shed the extra pounds in a working sauna. His second attempt on the scale rendered a reading of 170.4lbs., which still exceeds the limit for a title fight. Consequently what was scheduled to be a five-round title fight is now reduced to a non-title three-round affair. Shirai on the other hand made weight, coming in at 169.6lbs. Continue reading »
(Video courtesy of HDNet Fights)
Dennis Siver (red trunks) has a distinct advantage on the feet over Sotiropoulos, even considering the Aussie's boxing experience. (Photo courtesy of Dave Mandel and Sherdog)
Tomorrow night the UFC returns to The Land Down Under for its second event in the island nation with UFC 127: Penn vs. Fitch, a stacked card with several potential title contention positions on the line. In the main attraction, former UFC Lightweight and Welterweight Champion “The Prodigy” BJ Penn (16-7) takes on American Kickboxing Academy stand-out Jon Fitch (22-3) in a barn burner match-up that will decide who moves closer to a shot at the welterweight belt that seemingly is a perpetual staple of “Rush” Georges St. Pierre’s (21-2) wardrobe. The co-main event pits the face of MMA in the UK, “The Count” Michael Bisping (20-3), against dangerous knockout artist “El Conquistador” Jorge Rivera (18-7) in a match-up that will determine a top contender spot in the 185lbs. division. Additionally, Australian-born southpaw “KO” Kyle Noke (18-4-1) welcomes The Ultimate Fighter 11 alum Chris Camozzi (14-3) in his UFC main card debut while dangerous striker “Lights Out” Chris Lytle (30-17-5) faces off against fellow seasoned veteran Brian Ebersole (39-13-1). Also on the card is Australian native and The Ultimate Fighter 6 alum George Sotiropoulos (14-2) looking to keep his undefeated streak in the UFC alive as he takes on the dangerous German kickboxer Dennis Siver (17-7) in a bout that will move the victor one step closer to taking on the winner of “The Answer” Frankie Edgar (13-1-1) and “The Bully” Gray Maynard (10-0-1) in their championship rubber match. Let’s take a closer look at this high-stakes main card bout. Continue reading »