Last night some of the most prominent names in mixed martial arts convened at The Palms in Las Vegas, Nevada to honor nominees in 22 categories at the 2011 World MMA Awards. The categories, which are selected by a nominations panel then voted on by fans, honor all things MMA, from fighters, to referees, to equipment, apparel, ring girls, and much more. The annual awards show, now in its fourth year, once again saw the UFC taking the majority of the honors. And the winners are… Continue reading »

Tonight at Bellator 48, either Pat Curran (left) or Marlon Sandro (right) will walk out of the cage as champion of the inaugural Summer Series and will take on reigning featherweight champ Joe Warren for a chance to win Bellator gold. (Photo courtesy of Dave Mandel)
—MAIN CARD—
Featherweight Tournament Final
Marlon Sandro vs. Pat Curran: Curran via KO (Head Kick), Round 2, 4:00
Heavyweight Feature Fight
Paul Buentello vs. Cole Konrad: Konrad via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27), Round 3, 5:00
Heavyweight Feature Fight
Seth Petruzelli vs. Ricco Rodriguez: Petruzelli via TKO (Strikes), Round 1, 4:21
Lightweight Televised Feature
Juan Barrantes vs. Rene Nazare: Nazare via TKO (Doctors Stoppage), Round 2, 5:00 Continue reading »

So, I’m moving this week. It sucks. I don’t own a lot of stuff but when you have to pack it up, you suddenly wish you were a monk…. Okay, maybe a monk with a really kick ass laptop but still. Anyway, I’m still writing my column just for you guys. I hope you appreciate it. I also won’t be able to attend to my normal MMA Gospel Radio show co-hosting duties this Wednesday but before you start weeping, relax – your buddy, your hero, yours truly has arranged for a very special treat for you in my absence. Filling in for me will be none other than the man who saved us from communism at WEC 53 and is so witty that he has been featured in UFC’s Tweets of the Week column for over four months running, UFC lightweight bad ass “Dannyboy” Downes! You’re welcome. I give and I give and I’m still as poor as a monk but with a lot more shit – as I believe I mentioned. So, enough of my whining… there are a lot of fights to get to. UFC Fight Night 24: Nogueira vs. Davis, Bellator 38, Titan Fighting Championship 17, and M-1 Global’s debut Challenge show on Showtime. Continue reading »
Last night MMA fans were treated to a host of spectacular fights thanks to offerings by both Bellator and the UFC. The two separate events, broadcast on MTV2 and Spike TV respectively, each featured a single victory via exceptionally rare by equally impressive submissions. At UFC Fight Night 24: Nogueira vs. Davis, “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung (11-3) finished off WEC transplant “Bad Boy” Leonard Garcia (15-7) via a modified Guillotine dubbed “The Twister” in the closing seconds of Round 2. And at Bellator 38, Season 4 Light Heavyweight Tournament semi-finalist Richard Hale (11-3-1) summoned the spirit of fellow Bellator competitor and decorated veteran Toby Imada (28-15) by defeating Nik Fekete (3-1) with an Inverted Triangle Choke. Here’s the video:
(Video courtesy of Bellator) Continue reading »

Daniel Gracie (left) of the esteemed Gracie family returns to the cage after a long absence to take on Tim Carpenter (right) in Bellator 38's main event. (Photo courtesy of Bellator)
—MAIN CARD (Bellator Season 4 Light Heavyweight Tournament Quarter-Finals)—
Tim Carpenter vs. Daniel Gracie: Carpenter via Split Decision, Round 3, 5:00
D.J. Linderman vs. Raphael Davis: Linderman via TKO (strikes), Round 3, 3:40
Richard Hale vs. Nik Fekete: Hale via Technical Submission (Inverted Triangle Choke), Round 1, 1:55
Chris Davis vs. Christian M’Pumbu: M’Pumbu via TKO (Punches), Round 3, 3:34 Continue reading »

Chris Davis will put his high octane finishing style to the test in his Bellator debut as the second MMA Gospel Young Gun to be featured in a Bellator Tournament. (Photo courtesy of Chris Davis)
Tonight, Bellator Fighting Championships debuts its inaugural Light Heavyweight Tournament in the state of Mississippi in Tunica at the Harrah’s Tunica Hotel and Casino. Starting off the night is MMA Gospel Young Gun “The Professional” Chris Davis (10-2), who brings his destructive power into the Bellator cage against French import Christian M’Pumbu (1-1, 15-3 NSF). Rage In The Cage veteran Richard Hale (10-3-1) goes against Nik Fekete (3-0) who owns a victory over Strikeforce rising force Ovince St. Preux (9-4). Bellator veteran Raphael Davis (10-1) will look to continue a nine-fight win streak as he goes against D.J. Linderman (8-1), a former heavyweight who dropped down to compete in the first ever 205lbs. tournament. Then in the main event, returning to MMA competition after five years, is a member of the legendary Gracie family and PRIDE and International Fight League (IFL) veteran, Daniel Gracie (4-2). The submission specialist will go against undefeated Bellator veteran Tim Carpenter (6-0) who sees this as a way to earn bragging rights by defeating a member of the Gracie family. Continue reading »

Ovince St. Preux's professional MMA career took off in 2010. The former University of Tennessee Volunteers football player ended 2009 with a less than spectacular 3-4 record but went a perfect 6-0 in 2010, including four wins inside Strikeforce, that have this light heavyweight on the launch pad to explode into the MMA spotlight. (Photo courtesy of Dave Mandel and Sherdog)
“OSP” Ovince St. Preux (9-4) has been on quite a roll lately. He’s fought a half-dozen times in the past 12 months, winning all six of those fights – four of which were under the Strikeforce banner. Three of those four Strikeforce match-ups took place in just the seven weeks between mid-November 2010 and early January 2011 when he defeated very tough competition in “The Juggernaut” Antwain Britt (12-5), “The Razor” Benji Radach (19-6,) and “Abongo” Ron Humphrey (6-2). All in all Ovince is a perfect (4-0) inside the Strikeforce cage. Continue reading »
