AFC 2: Lombard vs. Taylor Main Card Pre-Fight Breakdown

 Posted by at 5:50 PM  MMA News  1 Response »
Sep 022011
 

Bellator and CFC Middleweight Champion Hector Lombard (right) looks to add the inaugural Australian Fighting Championships middleweight title to his resume at the expense of his opponent Jesse Taylor. (Photo courtesy of Dave Mandel)

Melbourne Sports & Aquatic Center will act as host for the second showing of the Australian Fighting Championship (AFC), The Land Down Under’s fast rising new MMA promotion. On September 3 in Melbourne, Australia there will be a stacked card of fighters from all around the world as well as hometown heroes defending the pride of their nation and a newly minted crown fresh off the forging irons will be up for grabs in the middleweight division. The two men fighting in the main event title bout are none other than perhaps the most powerful middleweight in the world, the Bellator and CFC Middleweight Champion “Shango” Hector Lombard (27-2) and UFC, Strikeforce, MFC, and Battlefield tested strongman “JT Money” Jesse Taylor (14-5). Lombard is looking to further cement his place in history by extending his win streak to 17 fights. Taylor, fresh off a first-round submission over PRIDE veteran Denis Kang (35-13), looks to add another titan to his list of victims. A heavyweight bout will serve as the co-main event for the night as Australian born fighter and veteran of Shooto Australia “Ferocious” Soa Palelei (6-2) takes on New Zealand native Hiriwa Te Rangi (0-2). Aussie middleweight “The Bandit” Ross Dallow (3-4) and New Zealand’s CFC veteran middleweight “The Villain” Dylan Andrews (8-3) will meet; neither man has seen the judges, making the intensity of the match that much more explosive. Polish star Marcin Held (10-1) returns to the fighting game after his loss to Michael Chandler (8-0) by Arm Triangle at Bellator 36. He will meet CFC and Shooto Australia veteran Jai Bradney (4-1) who is known for his heavy hands. A battle in the welterweight division will set things off for the main card as “Banjo” Nick Patterson (1-2) looks for win number two against Dave Weston (1-0). Both Patterson and Weston are coming off their first career wins by submission and look to start their climb up the AFC 170lbs. ranks with a win against the other. Continue reading »

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Bellator 40: Pre-Fight Breakdown

 Posted by at 1:56 PM  Bellator, MMA News  No Responses »
Apr 092011
 

Nick Thompson (white shorts) will represent the first fighter beyond the journeyman level that Ben Askren has faced and likely the first person to have the experience to handle his one-dimensional wrestling game. (Photo courtesy of Rob King and Sherdog)

Oklahoma gets a second dose of Bellator Fighting Championships when the organization returns to the Sooner State for Bellator 40 tonight with a main event superfight between welterweight champion Ben Askren (7-0) and UFC, bodogFIGHT, Strikeforce, Sengoku, and Elite XC veteran “The Goat” Nick Thompson (38-12). Askren will have his hands full with this seasoned fighter, and Thompson is coming to fight for the 15 minutes that three of Askren’s four Bellator bouts have lasted. Opening the night for the champ will be the second pair of semi-final tournament bouts.  Welterweight semi-finalists step in first as  Brent Weedman (18-5) takes on former UFC and Strikeforce fighter and former IFL Welterweight Champion “The Thoroughbred” Jay Hieron (17-4) with the winner moving on to face undefeated Judo Olympian Rick Hawn (11-0) in the  tournament finals. Then former semi-pro boxer and heavy handed striker Lloyd Woodard (11-0) takes on Strikeforce veteran and quick finisher Michael Chandler (6-0) in the lightweight semi-finals with the winner slated against ”Pitbull” Patricky Freire (3-0). Overall the night should promise another evening of excellent Bellator action for the fans. Continue reading »

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Bellator 39: The Aftermath

 Posted by at 3:23 PM  Bellator, MMA News  No Responses »
Apr 032011
 

Patricky Freire (red/black shorts) sealed his place in the Bellator Season 4 Lightweight Tournament finals with a second straight upset KO win, this time against submission expert Toby Imada (white shorts). (Photo courtesy of Dave Mandel and Sherdog)

Bellator Fighting Championships rolled into Connecticut for the first time last night, taking Uncasville’s Mohegan Sun by storm and marking Eddie Alvarez’s (19-2) first title defense against number one contender Pat Curran (12-3). Also two semi-final match ups took place in the Bellator Season 4 Tournaments. In the Welterweight Tournament, “Cyborg” Lyman Good (11-2) faced of against former Judo Olympian Rick Hawn (11-0) and in the Lightweight Tournament “Pitbull” Patricky Freire (3-0) and Toby Imada (28-16) went head-to-head for a spot in the finals. Starting off the night was a catchweight bout between UFC veteran “Killa B” Ben Saunders (10-3) and MMA journeyman Matt Lee (12-10) to mark the debut of the TUF star with the Bellator organization. The card was an overall solid offering as has come to be expected from Bellator, with a night of local feature fights packing the house for the main card that was televised nationwide on MTV2. Continue reading »

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Good vs. Hawn, Freire vs. Imada Kick Off Bellator Season 4 Tournament Semi-Finals This Saturday at Bellator 39

 Posted by at 6:39 AM  Bellator, MMA News  1 Response »
Mar 312011
 

 

While Rick Hawn (right) defeated his last opponent with his hands, Lyman Good represents a whole other level of striker. Hawn will need to rely on his Judo to win his fight at Bellator 39. (Photo courtesy of Dave Mandel and Sherdog)

This Saturday night Bellator Fighting Championships takes the northeastern US by storm with Bellator 39 in Uncasville, Connecticut. Headlining the event is Bellator Lightweight Champion and top five 155lbs. fighter Eddie Alvarez (19-2) putting his belt on the line for the first time against No.1 contender and Season 2 tournament winner Pat Curran (12-3). Supporting the highly electric main event though is former Bellator Welterweight Champion “Cyborg” Lyman Good (11-1) fighting former Judo Olympian Rick Hawn (10-0) in the first match of Bellator’s Season 4 Welterweight Tournament semi-finals, and “Pitbull” Patricky Freire (2-0) will go to war with two-time tournament finalist and submission wizard Toby Imada (18-15) in Bellator’s first  Season 4 Lightweight Tournament semi-final fight. All four semi-finalists have one thing in mind: a shot at the tournament finals and owning Bellator gold, and with four hungry fighters ready to go, there’s no way Bellator 39 won’t deliver. Who will advance to the next round? Let’s take a look at how this Saturday night could unfold.  Continue reading »

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Spilled Bag of Fights: Pitbulls & Cupcakes

 Posted by at 7:41 PM  Spilled Bag of Fights  No Responses »
Mar 142011
 

So, the big news this week in MMA was that UFC parent company ZUFFA, LLC. purchased Strikeforce. Surprising, yes. I can only assume that this happened rather quickly since a secret that big doesn’t stay secret very long and no one seemed to have even heard rumors to this effect prior to the deal being announced by Dana White. However, considering the fact that contracts with fighters and deals with Showtime are already in place and Dana’s assertion that it’ll be “business as usual”, I don’t think we can expect to see any real changes or fallout for the immediate time being. I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s an eventual merger but I think that’s at least a few years off. Still, I see why it’s a big deal. Zuffa now owns most of MMA – aside from DREAM and Bellator and the much smaller regional organizations. With so few options outside of the Zuffa umbrella can a fighter’s union be on the horizon for the future? I dunno, man… just thinking out loud. I don’t mean to piss off King Dana by any means. Just Nick Diaz needs to have his ADHD medicine (aka: weed) covered by a health care plan, not to mention Diego Sanchez’s face and Brandon Vera’s nose. Continue reading »

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Bellator 36: The Aftermath

 Posted by at 10:27 AM  Bellator, Features, MMA News  No Responses »
Mar 142011
 

Patricky Freire (right) pulled off the upset Saturday night by TKOing Bellator Season 4 Lightweight Tournament favorite "Razor" Rob McCullough (left) in the third round. (Photo courtesy of Keith Mills)

This Saturday night Bellator Fighting Championships’ Season 4 Lightweight Tournament kicked off in Shreveport, Louisiana and presented seven solid finishes on both the main and preliminary cards. Top lightweight prospects “Pitbull” Patricky Freire (8-1), Toby Imada (29-15), “Cupcake” Lloyd Woodard (11-0), and Mike Chandler (6-0) each finished his opponent and put on solid performances, despite two noted upsets, and all move on to the semi-finals in the Tournament . Continue reading »

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Bellator 36: Lightweight Tournament Pre-Fight Breakdown

 Posted by at 3:32 AM  Bellator, MMA News  No Responses »
Mar 122011
 

Bellator 36 airs live tonight on MTV2 at 9pm ET. (Photo courtesy of Bellator)

Bellator Fighting Championships stops in at the Shreveport Municipal Auditorium in Shreveport, Louisiana for the first round of its Season 4 Lightweight Tournament tonight. Former WEC Lightweight Champion “Razor” Rob McCullough (19-6) takes on ”Pitbull” Patricky Freire (1-0, 7-1 NSF) in the main event and two-time tournament finalist Toby Imada (27-15) returns for a “third time’s the charm” run at the belt, but first he must get past his new opponent, alternate Josh Shockley (6-0), who joins the roster due to Ferrid Kheder (16-3) missing weight and bolting from the weigh-ins. Season 2 semi-finalist Carey Vanier (8-2) looks to rematch Imada in the semis but first he has to prove his worth against the undefeated submission expert Lloyd Woodard (10-0) while Polish import Marcin Held (0-0, 10-1NSF) makes his debut on U.S. soil  against Bellator and Strikeforce veteran Mike Chandler (5-0) who has finished all five of his opponents and all but one of those in the first round. Overall Bellator again delivers a set of brackets filled with intriguing story lines and stylistic match-ups to ensure that the MMA community will be tuning in to MTV2 for every episode of their live mixed martial arts offerings. Continue reading »

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