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Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Bellator 52 from L’Auberge Du Lac Loaded with Undercard Talent

via: www.bellator.com

Bellator Fighting Championships makes its return to Louisiana on Saturday, October 1st as the promotion hosts Bellator 52 from L’Auberge Du Lac Casino Resort in Lake Charles. The action begins at 7 p.m. ET with a stacked undercard streaming LIVE on Spike.com. The televised portion of the event will feature the quarterfinals of Bellator’s Season 5 Heavyweight Tournament and will begin at 9 p.m. ET LIVE on MTV2 and in commercial-free HD on EPIX.
 
Lightweight sensation Cosmo “Good Boy” Alexander will make his MMA debut against Lake Charles native Josh Quayhagen, who will also be making his professional debut. Alexander enters Bellator with an incredible resume in Muay Thai, as the 29-year-old striker has over 50 professional kickboxing fights under his belt, along with several of the sport’s most notable championship titles. The Miami resident is one of the most highly-coveted prospects in all of MMA and looks to put on a show for Bellator fans. To see video of Cosmo’s devastating striking in competition, please click HERE.

Bellator featherweights collide as Genair da Silva takes on Bellator veteran Bryan Goldsby. For Silva, the Brazilian striker is looking to get back into the win column after suffering a close split-decision loss at the hands of fellow Brazilian Marlon Sandro in Bellator’s Summer Series Featherweight Tournament.

Undefeated light-heavyweight Matt Van Buren joins Bellator looking for victory over Alexandria, La. resident Nick Nichols. At 25 years old, the Virginia based Van Buren will look to impress Bellator brass with a dominating win.

There are also two intriguing heavyweight fights on the ledger as Josh Burns battles former The Ultimate Fighter competitor Zak Jensen, and Liron Wilson takes on the undefeated Justin Frazier, who will put his 4-0 record on the line.

The Season 5 heavyweight tournament will feature an eight-man field that boasts a dominating 73-15-2 record along with 41 combined knockouts. Undefeated Ron Sparks takes on Oklahoma native Mark Holata, Season 3 finalist Neil Grove faces 15-win veteran Mike “300” Hayes; and in other quarterfinal action, Thiago “Big Monster” Santos looks to be the first man to put a blemish on Blagoi Ivanov’s 4-0 record and Army veteran Eric Prindle will test Abe Wagner, the man who beat former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia in the first round earlier this year.

“L’Auberge Du Lac has been an incredible venue partner for us, and we should have a great night of fights on October 1st LIVE on MTV2 and EPIX, as well as on Spike.com,” said Bellator Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “There are some first-time Bellator fighters on this card that I can’t wait to watch and see what they can do in the cage.”

For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bellator

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Jordan Upsets Johnson at Strikeforce Challengers 19


via: denarosports.com

2007 National Champion fullback for the LSU Tigers, Shawn Jordan (12-3) upset the heavily favored Lavar Johnson (15-5) at Strikeforce Challengers 19 last weekend. Jordan has moved out to New Mexico to train with Greg Jackson's camp, and it looks like the change has already paid dividends as Jordan hit Johnson with some massive punches before taking the fight to the ground and ending the fight with a americana arm lock.

Fight Video below:

Shawn Jordan vs Lavar Johnson Strikeforce Challengers 19

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Ultimate Fight Night 25: Battle on the Bayou Main Card Results


Via: ufc.com
Note: The results are listed with the first fight at the bottom thru the main event at the top.

NEW ORLEANS, September 17 - It was almost a no win situation for Jake Ellenberger, fighting longtime welterweight star Jake Shields in the UFC Fight Night main event Saturday after Shields’ decision to fight on after his father Jack passed away on August 29th. But with Shields’ decision to carry on with business, it meant that Ellenberger had to do the same, and in just 53 seconds, the Omaha power puncher ended an emotional night at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center with a first round TKO of Shields that put him squarely in the title picture. See post-fight interview

“I can’t explain how I feel right now,” said Ellenberger, who handed Shields his first knockout loss in over a decade. The finish earned him $55,000 for Knockout of the Night.

After shooting out some jabs to start the fight, Shields began looking for the takedown, but he came up short twice. After the two locked up again, Ellenberger scored with a flush right knee to the head. Shields hit the deck, and for a second it looked like he was reaching for Ellenberger’s ankle, but “The Juggernaut” wasn’t fooled. He knew Shields was hurt and he finished matters with a series of unanswered strikes, forcing referee Kevin Mulhall to stop the fight at the 53 second mark of the opening round.

As the bout was stopped, Shields, unaware of what was going on, actually grabbed Mulhall’s leg, thinking the fight was still on. But it was over, and Ellenberger had the biggest win of his career while Shields will have to regroup.

“I’m just frustrated,” said Shields, who was coming off a five round decision loss to Georges St-Pierre in a UFC 129 championship bout. “He caught me. I thought I still had some fight left, but the ref thought it was time to stop it.”

Ellenberger ups his record to 26-5 with the win; Shields falls to 26-6.

McGEE vs. YANG

The Ultimate Fighter season 11 winner Court McGee used a ferocious late assault to put an exclamation mark on a grueling three round unanimous decision win over South Korea’s Dongi Yang. See post-fight interview

The judges saw it 30-27, 30-28 and 29-28.

The action was tense in the early going, with each fighter throwing single shots in an effort to open up some more consistent opportunities. Two minutes in, McGee briefly jarred Yang with a right hand, and though Yang’s return fire bruised McGee up under the left eye, “The Crusher” finished the round as the busier of the two.

Yang and McGee reversed roles in round two, with Yang landing the more solid punches over the course of the frame. For a twist, McGee attempted to grapple with Yang, presumably in search of a takedown, by “The Ox” wasn’t having it, and he eluded the mat.

The crowd began getting restless in round three, yet while there wasn’t a sustained slugfest going on, the action was still intriguing, and with 3:15 left, a left hook rocked McGee. McGee survived the follow-up by Yang, whose bloody nose was worsening, and with fatigue now an issue, both fighters began to make a final charge. For McGee, that meant getting his first takedown with a little over a minute remaining, and the crowd roared at this new development. And though Yang got back up quickly, a second takedown followed, with McGee pounding away with strikes before a final guillotine choke attempt.

With the win, McGee improves to 13-1; Yang falls to 10-2.

KOCH vs. BROOKINS

It wasn’t the way featherweight up and comer Erik Koch wanted to get his fourth consecutive victory, but he’ll take it, as he oupointed The Ultimate Fighter season 12 winner Jonathan Brookins in a bout marred by long periods of Brookins pinning his opponent to the fence in search of a takedown. See post-fight interview

Scores were 30-27 twice and 29-28 for Koch, who ups his record to 13-1; Brookins falls to 13-4.

When not pinned and smothered against the fence by Brookins, Koch had some solid moments while striking from long range, but it was the takedown seeking Floridian who dictated where the bout was taking place for much of the opening five minutes.

After more of the same for the first half of round two, Brookins finally got Koch to the canvas for a moment, only to have “New Breed” immediately get back to his feet. Unfortunately for the Wisconsin product, Brookins was not letting him go. Koch soon reversed position and got loose, and his striking remained sharp until he got pushed to the fence again. With a minute left, Brookins got the takedown, with Koch getting back to his feet fairly quickly.

There was little change to the pattern in round three, other than Koch getting a little more time to work his strikes. But when Brookins closed ranks and pushed Koch to the fence again, the crowd began getting restless and they let their feelings known after the disappointing conclusion to the bout.

BELCHER vs. MacDONALD

After more than 16 months out of the Octagon due to two surgeries for a detached retina, middleweight contender Alan Belcher made a triumphant return to active duty with an emphatic first round finish of veteran Jason MacDonald. See post-fight interview

“I’m so emotional right now,” said Belcher. “The past 16 months have been up and down. I know tonight that this is what I want to do. I want to pursue that belt. I’m back baby.”

MacDonald was after the takedown from the opening bell, but when he finally got the bout to the mat, it was with Belcher in the top position. For a submission artist like MacDonald, that wasn’t necessarily the worst news in the world, but given Belcher’s punching power, it soon turned into that, as ground strikes stunned the Canadian. Finally, after a steady barrage of unanswered blows, MacDonald verbally submitted, with referee Dan Miragliotta calling a stop to the bout at the 3:48 mark.

With the win, Belcher improves to 16-5; MacDonald falls to 26-15.

Ultimate Fight Night 25: Battle on the Bayou Prelim Results


Via: ufc.com
Note: The results are listed with the first fight at the bottom thru the last fight at the top

NEW ORLEANS, September 17 – Lightweight standout Evan Dunham got back in the win column after two straight losses to Sean Sherk and Melvin Guillard, pitching a punishing three round shutout victory over The Ultimate Fighter 13 alum Shamar Bailey in UFC Fight Night action at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center Saturday night. Watch post-fight interview

Scores were 30-27 across the board for Dunham, who improves to 12-2; Bailey falls to 12-4.

The standup was fast-paced and crisp, with Dunham the more effective of the two. Bailey wasn’t far behind though, as a thudding shot to the head reddened Dunham’s forehead. Dunham’s 1-2s mixed in nicely with his kicks though, and despite a late takedown from Bailey, it was the Oregon native’s round.

There was no let-up from both men in round two, with Bailey starting strong and Dunham roaring right back. Two minutes in, Dunham’s attack looked to be wearing on Bailey, whose Octagon movement began to slow, making him a more stationary target. Yet despite taking many flush shots, Bailey’s chin wouldn’t dent, and he stayed in the fray, even though his takedown attempts were coming up empty. By the end of the round, Bailey was dealing with a cut over his eye, adding to his woes.

Energized by the minute’s rest, Bailey’s work rate increased as the final round began, with Dunham remaining calm as he picked his shots and shook off the occasional flush punch to the head that landed. What soon became the storyline though, was how Bailey was still standing under the increasingly ferocious assault of Dunham, who picked things up even more as the crowd roared. Even a final guillotine choke attempt by Dunham wasn’t enough to take Bailey out, and while the Indiana vet didn’t win the fight, he earned plenty of respect for his gritty effort.

McKENZIE vs. ROCHA

Vagner Rocha evened his UFC record to 1-1 with stellar groundwork against Cody McKenzie, winning the lightweight bout via second round submission. Watch post-fight interview

“I worked a lot since the last fight,” said Rocha, whose late-notice UFC debut against Donald Cerrone in June resulted in a decision loss. “I still made some mistakes, but my jiu-jitsu’s always there.”

McKenzie’s customary rush into the battle came with a little restraint at the bell, but after drawing an imaginary line in the Octagon and daring Rocha to cross it, the old McKenzie was back and ready to go. Through it all, Rocha didn’t lose his cool, getting in a couple hard shots before shooting in for the takedown. McKenzie immediately tried to lock on his patented guillotine choke, but Rocha easily pulled loose, and after the two scramble for position, it was the Brazilian looking for the submission and almost catching McKenzie’s arm and neck. Finally, with less than a minute left, McKenzie broke free and got back to his feet, where he landed some solid punches before the round concluded.

With the crowd chanting his name, McKenzie took the fight to Rocha as the second round began, but after landing some strikes, his second guillotine attempt also came up empty. Rocha’s submission attempts were looking a lot more ominous, and his busy ground attack had The Ultimate Fighter alum always guessing. And finally, Rocha struck paydirt, sinking in a rear naked choke that prompted McKenzie to tap at 3:49 of round two.

With the win, Rocha ups his record to 7-2; McKenzie falls to 12-2.

BENOIST vs. RIDDLE

Unbeaten welterweight newcomer Lance Benoist battled through blood and the punches and knees of Matt Riddle to do enough good work in the first two rounds to take a razor-thin unanimous decision victory. Watch post-fight interview

All three judges saw it 29-28, a result that was roundly booed by the fans in attendance. Both men were awarded $55,000 for putting on what was named the Fight of the Night.

Benoist (6-0) jarred Riddle with the first right hand he landed, but the Pennsylvania native quickly recovered. After a swooping head kick missed its mark, Riddle decided to close the gap and tie his opponent up, but a low knee from Benoist brought a brief halt to the action. Upon resuming, Benoist went back to work, only to have a knee get caught by Riddle and turned into a takedown. With 1:45 left in the round, Benoist reversed position and used the advantage to score some points with ground strikes until the bell sounded.

The two southpaws kept it standing for much of the first 90 seconds of round two, with Riddle (5-3) breaking the pattern with a takedown. After scrambling to their feet, Benoist turned the tables with his own takedown, and with blood streaming down his face from his nose, he began opening fire. Riddle did some good work from the bottom, landing an upkick and attempting a submission, and at the bell, the crowd roared in appreciation for the rapidly heating up action.

Riddle came out fast in the third, getting the bout to the mat, where he landed knees from side control and kept firing strikes from his opponent’s guard. It was to be where the bout remained until the final bell, as Riddle controlled the final frame impressively, but not impressively enough to sway the decision in his favor.

STONE vs. WALKER

After back-to-back knockout losses to Eddie Wineland and Scott Jorgensen, the third time was the charm for Ken Stone, as he earned his first Zuffa victory with a first round submission of Donny Walker. Watch post-fight interview

Stone’s ground game was on point from the start, as he got Walker to the mat and immediately went to work. Eventually, he got Walker’s back and sunk his hooks in. Next came the rear naked choke, and while Walker resisted for as long as he could, he soon went to sleep, forcing referee Myron Gaudet to halt the bout at the 2:40 mark.

With the win, Stone improves to 10-3; Walker falls to 14-8.

BACZYNSKI vs. HARVISON

Seth Baczynski made an impressive return to the UFC, using his striking game to set up a second round submission win over Clay Harvison in a meeting of welterweight alumni of The Ultimate Fighter series. Watch post-fight interview

Season 11’s Baczysnki (14-6) appeared to have some issues with Harvison’s movement as the bout opened, but as the round moved on, the “Polish Pistola” began to score effectively with knees to the head and body, as well as a hard elbow from close range that kept Harvison on the defensive.

Things didn’t get much better for season 13’s Harvison (9-4) in the second round, as he was dropped by a right uppercut, submitted to some thudding ground strikes and then finished off with a rear naked choke that forced a tap at 1:12 of the frame.

WALDBURGER vs. STUMPF

Talented Texan TJ Waldburger secured his second UFC victory in three tries, submitting late replacement Mike Stumpf in the first round. Watch post-fight interview

A kick to the leg that caused Stumpf to lose his balance as the bout opened was all Waldburger needed to capitalize, as he took Stumpf down and then took his back. Stumpf quickly recovered, but Waldburger wasn’t letting go as he got the hooks in on his foe. The patient Stumpf soon found daylight though, getting to his feet briefly before Waldburger took him back to the mat. After a wild scramble that included a flying knee attempt by Stumpf, Waldburger got the bout to the mat and almost got caught in a guillotine, but the slick submission artist made some magic of his own, catching Stumpf in a triangle choke that produced a tap out at 3:52 of the opening frame.

With the win, Waldburger improves to 14-6 and also received a $55,000 bonus for Submission of the Night; Stumpf, who came in on short notice to replace the injured Daniel “Ninja” Roberts, falls to 11-3.

PERALTA vs. LULLO

Octagon newcomer Robert Peralta spoiled the featherweight debut of Mike Lullo, scoring a three round unanimous decision victory over the Illinois native. Watch post-fight interview

Scores were 30-27 twice and 29-28.

Peralta’s kicks and knees scored early and often in the first round, prompting Lullo to pull his foe to the canvas. Peralta (15-3) immediately rose, looking to keep his scoring run going. Soon, Lullo’s legs reddened, bringing back memories of the low kick assault he took in his UFC debut against Edson Barboza at UFC 123 in November of 2010. Lullo fired back with his own punches and kicks, but the crowd erupted when Peralta responded with a kick-punch combination to the body and then pressed the action even more with overhand rights, more leg kicks, and a flash knockdown.

As the second round opened, Lullo (8-3) had a huge knot on the left side of his head, but he kept throwing both punches and kicks. The only thing was, they didn’t appear to have any effect on Peralta. As the round approached the two minute mark, Lullo rushed in for a takedown, but had to settle for pinning his foe to the fence. Eventually, Peralta broke free, but Lullo was the busier of the two fighters as he looked to even up the scoring.

Both fighters came out busy for the final round, with Lullo breaking up the striking pattern with a takedown attempt that Peralta was able to avoid, but the two again remained pinned to the fence with Lullo in control. Finally, with less than 90 seconds left, Lullo got his takedown, but only for a brief moment, as Peralta sprung to his feet. Another takedown followed with 30 seconds left, but it wasn’t enough for Lullo to get the judges’ nod.

EDWARDS vs. LOPEZ

A third round surge wasn’t enough for highly-touted welterweight prospect Jorge Lopez to get the win in his bout with The Ultimate Fighter 13’s Justin Edwards, who instead took the close unanimous decision victory. Watch post-fight interview

Scores were 29-28 across the board for Edwards, who improves to 8-1; Lopez falls to 11-2.

Edwards closed the distance quickly and efficiently against Lopez, and his grappling prowess and strength was evident as he almost locked in a guillotine choke early. Lopez fought free and had some success when keeping his distance, but at close range, Edwards scored with short elbows and controlled the lockups. As the round progressed, Lopez got his licks in, but whenever he would move in to capitalize, Edwards usually got the better of the action.

The fighters traded kicks as round two commenced, with Edwards scoring a takedown moments later and then attempting another guillotine choke that Lopez broke out of before getting back to his feet. A second trip to the mat saw Edwards score with a series of punches before Lopez shot back to a standing position, but the Wanderlei Silva-protégé was unable to get back in the scoring column before the round ended.

Lopez secured his first takedown of the fight in the opening minute of the third, but Edwards immediately went to work on his arm. Lopez kept his cool, and when he got loose, he jumped into the mount position and then took his opponent’s back. Edwards turned out of trouble, but into some more as Lopez held side control. With two minutes left, the two got back to their feet, but only briefly, as Lopez scored another takedown. Edwards almost took Lopez’ arm in the closing seconds, but the Las Vegas resident was able to escape before the bell.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

UFC Fight Night 25: Battle on the Bayou Preview


On Saturday September 17th, the UFC will have it's first MMA event in New Orleans since the Lakefront Arena hosted UFC 27: Ultimate Bad Boyz on September 22, 2000. The Ernest N. Morial Convention Center will host UFC Fight Night 25: Battle on the Bayou more than a decade later, but better late than never for the rabid MMA fanbase in the crescent city and around the gulf coast. The main event will be aired live on Spike TV at 8 p.m. and all of the prelims will be streamed live on the UFC's Facebook page.

Shields vs Ellenberger
Jake Shields vs Jake Ellenberger is the main event of the evening. This is a battle between two grapplers, but each with a different skill set. Shields is an elite grappler. He is a wrestler and a BJJ blackbelt under Ceasar Gracie. Ellenberger is also a wrestler. He doesn't have the submission skills of Shields, but he does have good defensive wrestling and posses explosive power in his hands.

Whoever is able to dictate where the fight takes place will likely be victorious. If Shields can get the fight to the mat, it will be hard for Ellenberger to defend the submissions from Shields. If Ellenberger can keep the fight standing he will have the opportunity to turn off Shields' lights with a crushing overhand right.

McGee vs Yang
Court McGee was the winner of The Ultimate Fighter Season 11. He is primarily a wrestler who likes to pressure and outwork his opponents. Dongi Yang has an attacking striking style but he isn't afraid to go to the ground either.

This is a closely matched bout as both men are well rounded fighters who have big hearts. McGee will be looking to grind on Yang for the finish on the canvas, and Yang will be looking to finish the fight with strikes.

Brookins vs Koch
Jonathan Brookings lived through a fight with featherweight kingpin Jose Aldo and used that experience to win season 12 of The Ultimate Fighter. He prefers to draw his opponents into a grappling match while his opponent Erik Koch is more of a striker, coming in on a three fight winning streak.

Look for Koch to keep the fight standing and delivering punishment as Brookings tries to drag him into a grappling match.

Belcher vs MacDonald
While both men are well rounded, this is another grappler vs striker match. Jason MacDonald will try to employ his dangerous BJJ skills to take out Muay Thai fighter Alan Belcher. MacDonald is coming off a win against Ryan Jensen at UFC 129, and Belcher was working his way up the contender ladder and on a two fight win streak before a detached retina put him out of action since May 2010.

This in another very closely matched bout, and one has to wonder if ring rust will be a factor for Belcher.

Prelims on Facebook:

McKenzie vs Rocha
Dunham vs Bailey
Riddle vs Benoist
Stone vs Walker
Roberts vs Waldburger
Edwards vs Lopez