Hector Lombard, Jesse Taylor to Headline AFC 2 in September

 Posted by at 9:32 PM  MMA News  No Responses »
Aug 172011
 

Bellator and CFC 185lbs. champ "Shango" Hector Lombard is slated to take on "TUF" alum Jesse Taylor in the September 3 main event at AFC 2. (Photo courtesy of Dave Mandel and Sherdog)

Australian Fighting Championship is making their sophomore effort, AFC 2: Lombard vs. Taylor, a bomb blast with the newly minted AFC Middleweight Championship belt up for grabs in the main event. The September 3 card, though very much still in the building process, is slated to feature a marquis match-up between Bellator and CFC Middleweight Champion “Shango” Hector Lombard (27-2) and TUF 7 alum “JT Money” Jesse Taylor (14-5).

Jesse Taylor is riding a three-fight win streak and is fresh off a first-round submission victory over PRIDE, Spirit MC, and UFC veteran Denis Kang (35-13). He has been a very busy man since his lone bout in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, providing several promotions including Strikeforce and MFC his fighting services and racking up a 10-3 record in less than three years. “JT Money” has proven his penchant for the ground game, earning the bulk of his wins via submission, but will have his hands full when stepping in the ring opposite multi-promotion champ Hector Lombard. Continue reading »

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The UFC’s Reported New Deal with FOX and What it May Mean for MMA

 Posted by at 6:23 PM  MMA News, UFC  No Responses »
Aug 172011
 

(Logos courtesy of Zuffa, LLC. and FOX, respectively)

Though Zuffa President Dana White denies that a deal is done, many sources have reported that the UFC has at least reached a handshake arrangement with global network TV giant FOX. While the ink hasn’t dried, if in fact it has even been put on the paper yet, the implications of such a deal would be monumental for the UFC and MMA as a whole. For reference, EliteXC managed to bring in over 6.5 million peak viewers with an average of over four million views to its EliteXC: Kimbo vs. Thompson card (also known as EliteXC: Primetime) that aired on NBC in 2008, the highest rated MMA broadcast ever. The UFC has never managed to bring over one million average viewers to Versus or Spike with a single card. That is the power of a network TV deal. EliteXC, an organization that was barely considered to be at the Bellator level, managed to pull four million more views to “Kimbo Slice” Kevin Ferguson (4-2) than the UFC did on Spike TV with his appearance on The Ultimate Fighter. Imagine what the ratings will be when the Zuffa hype and marketing machine backs Brock Lesnar (5-2) or “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (22-2) to headline a card on everyone’s local FOX station. While one could hardly hope for the 106 million viewers the Superbowl pulls in, the 11.6 million that tuned into the NFC Wildcard game last year is hardly unrealistic for a Pay-Per-View level UFC event. What this means is that MMA isn’t fighting to be mainstream, it is mainstream – and now there may be a direct comparison between the NFL, the NBA, MLB, the NHL, and the UFC. Continue reading »

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MMA Gospel Technique of the Week: Triangle Choke Escape to Side Mount

 Posted by at 4:12 PM  MMA News, Technique of the Week  No Responses »
Aug 172011
 

MMA Gospel’s Technique of the Week returns with its final three-technique arc prior to its one-year anniversary. Hapkido expert Ed Perdomo chose to end the year with a trio of moves that range from the most basic of escapes to a spinning Inverted Triangle Choke and worked with Mike Richardson to bring it all to the MMA Gospel family. This Triangle Choke Escape to Side Mount is among the easiest escapes in MMA, but it is also one of the most commonly botched escapes, especially late in the fight when fighters are tired. Continue reading »

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