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Bellator 45: The Aftermath

Posted by Cole Moorman at 1:41 PM Bellator, MMA News No Responses »

May 222011

Karl Amoussou's flying knee on Kazuhiro Nakamura (Taro Irei)

M-1 veteran "Psycho" Karl Amoussou (red trunks) took on King of the Cage veteran "Smiling" Sam Alvey in a Bellator Season 5 Middleweight Tournament qualifying match. After three hard fought rounds, Alvey took a razor thin Split Decision. (Photo courtesy of Taro Irei)

The inaugural Bellator light heavyweight king was crowned last night in front of fans at the L’Auberge Du Lac in Lake Charles, Louisiana at the promotion’s season-ending show, Bellator 45, as Christian M’Pumbu (5-1) and Richard Hale (12-4) went to war for the titles of Bellator 205lbs. champ and Bellator Season 4 Light Heavyweight Tournament Champion. The main event was preceded by another Season 4 finals bout, with 145lb-ers Daniel Straus (16-3) and “Pitbull” Patricio Freire (9-1) locking horns to determine the next man to take on reigning champ Joe Warren (7-1). Before the pair of tournament bouts fans were treated to a competitive match-up in the middleweight division between former college wrestler and King of the Cage veteran “Smiling” Sam Alvey (14-2) and the well-rounded former M-1 fighter “Psycho” Karl Amoussou (12-3) with the winner gaining a spot in the Bellator Season 5 Middleweight Tournament. The evening wrapped up a season filled with solid fights, surprising upsets, and emerging contenders.

UFC 128 Pre-Fight Breakdown: Urijah Faber vs. Eddie Wineland

Posted by Dan Griffin at 12:57 PM MMA News, UFC No Responses »

Mar 172011

Urijah Faber's (blue gloves) striking is more athletic than technical, and he will need to use his powerful takedowns to control Wineland rather than rely on his hands. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)

Newark, New Jersey will play host to the Ultimate Fighting Championship this Saturday night as UFC 128 roars into the Garden State with a Light Heavyweight Championship match between “Bones” Jon Jones (12-1) and the reigning 205lbs. champ “Shogun” Mauricio Rua (19-4) headlining a card packed with talent from all walks of MMA life. The old guard of PRIDE faces the new breed from The Ultimate Fighter to kick things off as “Cro Cop” Mirko Filipovic (27-9-2) takes on the well rounded blue chip fighter “The Hybrid” Brendan Schaub (6-1). The always dangerous Dan Miller (13-4) then replaces “Sexyama” Yoshihiro Akiyama (14-4), who pulled out of his UFC 128 match due to the massive earthquake hitting his native Japan last week, as he puts his submission skills to the test against the former King of Pancrase “The Great” Nate Marquardt (30-10-2) and “The Prince of Persia” Kamal Shalorus (7-0-2) pits his WEC built undefeated record against the man who some say should be at the top of the contenders list in the lightweight division, “The Mongoose” Jim Miller (19-2). Serving in the capacity of co-main event for the card is a battle of WEC ground-and-pounders as the former featherweight king “The California Kid” Urijah Faber (24-4) continues his bantamweight crusade against the inaugural WEC 135lbs. champion Eddie Wineland (17-6-1). Continue reading »

Bellator Kicks Off Season 4 Welterweight Tournament This Saturday at Bellator 35

Posted by Cole Moorman at 9:01 PM Bellator, MMA Gospel Young Guns, MMA News No Responses »

Feb 282011

(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 »

“The Joker” Mike Guymon Seemingly Calls it Quits From MMA

Posted by Mallory Mejia at 12:10 PM MMA News, UFC 1 Response »

Jan 242011

After a "long road", "The Joker" Mike Guymon seems ready to leave his MMA career behind him. (Photo courtesy of Jeff Sherwood and Sherdog)

After his UFC Fight for the Troops 2 bout against The Ultimate Fighter 9 alum DaMarques Johnson (15-8) this last Saturday, 36-year-old MMA veteran “The Joker” Mike Guymon (12-4-1) seems to be calling it quits from the sport he has competed in for over a decade.

Following his verbal submission loss to Johnson, the UFC cameras caught a visibly emotional Guymon backstage confessing to his opponent that after a long, storied career in mixed martial arts, he is ready to hang up his 4oz. gloves for good. Guymon said, “I’m just so happy to be done with it, man. It’s such a long road, I wanted to…it’s so hard to explain. So many years fighting, I’m so happy to be done… I just accomplished everything I want to do with fighting.” (Click here to see the video) Continue reading »

Savant Young Fight Academy and Proving Grounds 3: MMA Event August 14

Posted by James Xavier at 3:06 PM Amateur Spotlight, MMA News 1 Response »

Aug 052010

Walking through the front door of the 7,000 square foot Fight Academy at 61 Valley Street in the tony, Mercedes filled neighborhood of South Pasadena, California I was immediately struck by two things; the cool urban feel of the graffiti art on the walls and the hip hop tracks playing in the background. It was clear the Fight Academy was different from the standard Dojo or gym layout that many of us are familiar with. This was not the generic, white walled, mall location Karate Academy full of heavy bags. It is instead a large converted industrial warehouse with 20 foot ceilings and exposed beams. The cavernous space holds a regulation MMA cage, two boxing ring style practice areas, heavy bags, a massive mat area fills the center of the floor with the cardio equipment at the back.