By Kelsey Mowatt It’s been a long and often uphill battle, but according to a report today from the Toronto Star, the lobbying effort to bring MMA to the Province of Ontario has finally succeeded. According to today’s story, “the ministry of consumer services announced it is “taking steps to allow professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) events in the province.”
The report goes on to say that Ontario will adopt the standard rules and regulations currently utilized by other jurisdictions throughout North America. Ontario is Canada’s largest province and is home to Toronto, the country’s largest city. The Province expects to hold its first sanctioned event in 2011.
Former Canadian Football League Commissioner and currentDirector of Operations for UFC Canada, Tom Wright, was quoted saying in the story:
“Canada is a mecca for mixed martial arts and Ontario is obviously the largest province. It’s very significant for the sport,” he said.
The Province’s Premier, Dalton McGuinty, has been quoted stating in the past that the sanctioning of MMA in Ontario remained low on the Government’s priority list. The Star story includes comments from Minister of Consumer Services Sophia Aggelonitis, who in addition to stating that Ontarians “want to see this”, cited the substantial economic benefits that stem from the sport as another key reason for the Government’s reversal.
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation is also reporting that Ontario will hold its first MMA event in 2011.
By FCF Staff Miesha Tate took a huge step closer to earning a rematch with Strikeforce 135lb. Women’s Champion Sarah Kaufman last night in Phoenix, Arizona, as the soon to be 24 year-old-fighter earned back-to-back Unanimous Decision victories over Maiju Kujala and Hitomi Akano, to win the promotion’s women’s welterweight tourney.
“It’s a dream come true. I came here on a mission and I accomplished my goal,” Tate was quoted saying in a press release from Strikeforce. “And now it’s on to step two and getting that championship belt and getting another shot at Sarah Kaufman.”
In the Challenger’s card main event, after having somewhat of a conservative approach in the opening two rounds, UFC veteran Joe Riggs turned it on in the final frame of his 182lb. catch-weight bout with Louis Taylor, to earn the TKO win. After dazing Taylor with a thumping left hook, Riggs took his opponent down and worked his way into the crucifix position, forcing the Chicago fighter to tap with a barrage of punches to his face.
“I felt great fighting and winning in front of Phoenix,” Riggs said. “I love my fans.”
In another of the bouts broadcast on Showtime, the 27 year-old son of legendary fighter Randy Couture, Ryan, made the most of his pro-debut, catching opponent Lucas Starks with a beautifully time triangle-choke.
“It’s kind of a load off to get the first win and I hope there won’t be a long wait for the next one and I can show some new things next time,” Couture told the media afterwards. “I thought once it hit the ground I would catch him but I didn’t expect it to be that quick. I just lucked out that way I guess.”
Here are the full results from last night’s Strikeforce Challengers event:
Main Card:
Joe Riggs def. Louis Taylor by submission (punches) - R3, 2:07
Women’s Welterweight Tournament Championship
Miesha Tate def. Hitomi Akano -- Unanimous Decision
Ryan Couture def. Lucas Stark via submission (triangle choke) - R1, 1:15
Preliminary Card:
Liz Carmouche def. Colleen Schneider -- Unanimous Decision
Chris Gruetzemacher def. Ryan Diaz -- TKO (Cut) R1 (No Time Given)
Jason Richey def. Edmund Xehili -- Majority Decision
Joel Champion def. Sean Scott -- KO (Punches) 1:06 R1
Rob Anderson def. Alonzo Fears -- Unanimous Decision
Andres Acuna def. Edwin Louis -- Unanimous Decision
Frankie Saenz def. Jace Crawford -- Unanimous Decision
Although his middleweight belt wasn’t on the line, Bellator FC champ Hector Lombard continued to impress at the promotion’s latest event in Hollywood, Florida last night, needing just 38 seconds to stop Herbert Goodman with a flurry of strikes. The quick victory runs the American Top Team fighter’s undefeated streak to an awe inspiring 20.
In tournament action, both Megumi Fujji and Jessica Aguilar advanced to the second round of the women’s 115lb. tourney with submission victories, while Neil Grove is moving on in the heavyweight competition, as the British fighter stopped Eddie Sanchez in round one.
Lombard Pounding Goodman
Here are the results for Bellator Fighting Championship 24:
Main Card:
Hector Lombard def. Herbert Goodman via Knockout (punches) – R1, 0:38
By FCF Staff Photos courtesy Esther Lin / Strikeforce Tonight’s Strikeforce Challengers event in Phoenix, Arizona is officially a go, as all of the card’s competitors made weight yesterday at the city’s Dodge Theatre. The card will be headlined by a 182lb. catch-weight bout between Joe Riggs and Louis Taylor, as well as feature, the opening round of the promotion’s 135lb. women’s tourney.
Ryan Couture, the son of legendary fighter Randy Couture, will make his professional debut and will face lightweight Lucas Stark. The event will be broadcast on Showtime.
Taylor (L) will Face Riggs in the Main Event
Here are the official weigh-in results for tonight’s Challenger’s event.
Joe "Diesel" Riggs -- 181.6 lbs. vs. Louis "Handgunz" Taylor -- 181.2
Ryan Couture -- 155.6 vs. Lucas Stark -- 153.2
Colleen Schnieder -- 134.0 vs. Liz Carmouche --134.6
Christian Grosinsky -- 185.5 vs. John Wood -- 185.8
Chris Gruetzemacher -- 146.0 vs. Ryan Diaz -- 145.2
Jason Richey -- 182.0 vs. Edmund Xehili -- 184.2
Joel Champion -- 168.8 vs. Sean Scott -- 169.4
Alonzo Fears -- 155.8 vs. Rob Anderson -- 154.4
Andres Acuna -- 169.6 vs. Edwin Louis -- 168.0
Frankie Sainz -- 153.4 vs. Jace Crawford -- 155.0
By Kelsey Mowatt In response to recent speculation as to whether Fedor Emelianenko will look to sign elsewhere, following the conclusion of his current 3 fight deal with Strikeforce, the renowned heavyweight has reportedly stated that he is interested in signing a new multi-fight agreement with the promotion. According to a report on M-1 Global’sofficial site today, while attending a press conference in Atlantic City last weekend (which was held in conjunction with M-1’s latest Americas Finals event), Fedor had this to say when asked about how many more fights “he had left.”
“So far I feel very comfortable fighting, very good with my fighting, and I’m planning of fighting as long as I can physically. As far and I’m concerned we should discuss the possibility of signing another contract for 4-6 fights.”
Emelianenko, who was submitted by Fabricio Werdum in June marking the first time he’s been defeated since December, 2000, once again dismissed the notion that he is currently interested in signing with the UFC. The report also included a comment from M-1 Global Director of Operations, Evgeni Kogan, who was asked about the working relationship that currently exists between his organization and Strikeforce.
“The issues stemming from the Nov 9th show were ironed out and we all took a lot of positives from San Jose. Now we are in talks to extend the contract for Fedor and at the same time to settle on who, when and where he is fighting next. These talks are going smoothly and we are hopeful of a full resolution very shortly.”
By FCF Staff Following the recent semi-finals action, M-1 Global has announced the match-ups for the promotion’s upcoming September 18th, Americas Finals card. The event, which will be hosted by Bally’s Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey, will determine the Americas Champion for each respective weight class. The M-1 Selection winners will then advance to face finalists from the Western Europe and Eastern Europe regions.
Here is the line-up for the September 18th, M-1 Selection 2010: Americas Finals championship round:
LW-Jose Figueroa vs. George Sheppard
WW-Tom Gallicchio vs. Len Bentley
MW-Tyson Jeffries vs. Mike Geurin
LHW-Byron Byrd vs. Daniel Vizcaya
HW-Kenny Garner vs. Pat Bennett
* Additional bouts to be announced
“M-1 Global has provided the proving ground for these young fighters and they have seized this opportunity,” Evgeni Kogan, Director of Operations for M-1Global was quoted saying in a press release from the promotion. “The semi-finals proved that the caliber of competition is remarkable. The Selections tournament has laid a successful foundation around the world and the American Finals will be a great event.”
By FCF Staff Bellator Fighting Championships will kick off its third season tonight in Hollywood, Florida, with a card that will feature middleweight champion Hector Lombard facing Herbert Goodman in the main event. The fight will be a non-title affair. The main card will also feature action in the promotion's women's 115lb. tournament, as well as, an opening round bout from the men's heavyweight competition.
All of the competitor’s for Bellator 24 made weight yesterday in preparation for tonight’s event; here are the results:
MAIN CARD:
Hector Lombard (185.5 lbs.) vs. Herbert Goodman (183.5 lbs.) @ 185 lbs.
Eddie Sanchez (244.5 lbs.) vs. Neil Grove (264.5 lbs.) @ 265 lbs.
By FCF Staff Bellator Fighting Championships has announced this afternoon that the promotion has signed former collegiate wrestler and 7-2 MMA fighter Kenny “The Tooth Fairy” Foster to a contract. No news regarding Foster’s Bellator debut was given, however, it was confirmed that the 25 year-old-fighter will compete in the promotion’s featherweight division.
“Kenny Foster has a great competitive spirit mixed with powerful wrestling skills and ever evolving striking skills which makes it very hard to count him out of match-ups at featherweight,” Bellator Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney was quoted saying in a press release from the promotion.
Foster, who currently trains with New York’s renowned Bomb Squad team, will arrive in Bellator having won 6 straight bouts.
“I hate to even put it out there, but I'm a striker. Categorizing me as a ground fighter isn't a fair assumption at all. All of my submission victories for my past 5 or 6 fights have come after I dropped my opponent with strikes,” said Foster, who wrestled for Carson Newman College. “Once I drop someone my wrestling instincts kick in and I just look for the finish.”
Bellator’s next event takes place tomorrow night in Hollywood, Florida, and will be headlined with a non-title fight between middleweight champion Hector Lombard and veteran Herbert Goodman.
photo of Foster courtesy Bellator Fighting Championships
By FCF Staff Less than six months have passed since Paul Daley stunned the MMA world by sucker punching Josh Koscheck following their UFC 113 bout in May, and as many predicted, the controversial and talented welterweight has had little trouble finding work outside of the UFC. The Texas based Shark Fights promotion has announced that Daley will fight Jorge Masvidal at its upcoming September 11th in Amarillo, which will mark the British fighter’s second bout since he was fired by Zuffa earlier this year.
Last month, at an Impact Fighting Championship event in Australia, Daley (24-9-2) returned to action for the first time since his aforementioned dismissal and stopped Daniel Acacio in the third round. The win was Daley’s fourth in five fights, a stretch which has seen the veteran also earn wins over Martin Kampmann, Junior Barata and Dustin Hazelett.
Masvidal (20-5) is coming off a Split Decision victory over Naoyuki Kotani in April, which took place on Astra’s, Hidehiko Yoshida farewell card in Japan. The American Top Team fighter is 3-2 in his last 5 fights, with his other wins coming over Satoru Kitaoka and Eric Reynolds, and losses incurring versus Eric Reynolds and Toby Imada.
Shark Fights 13, which will be hosted by Amarillo’s Civic Center Coliseum, will be headlined by a light-heavyweight tilt between Keith Jardine and Trevor Prangley, and will feature several other notable match-ups including Thierry Rameau Sokoudjou vs. Houston Alexander, Joey Villasenor vs. Drew McFedries and Aaron Rosa vs. Dave Herman.
By Kelsey Mowatt He’s the Strikeforce Light-Heavyweight Champion; undefeated with a record of 7-0, and widely considered to be one of the sport’s fastest rising stars, but “King Mo” Lawal insists he’ll be the underdog August 21st when he fights 9-2 veteran Rafael.“Feijao” Cavalcante. While speaking on a teleconference call yesterday, Lawal dismissed the notion he’s under any pressure heading into his first title defence, reminding reporters that the renowned wrestler’s transition into MMA remains a work in progress.
“I’ve only been fighting for two years,” said Lawal, who earned a Unanimous Decision win over the highly regarded Gegard Mousasi in April, to secure the Strikeforce belt. “There’s no pressure on me whatsoever. If there’s pressure on anybody it’s Feijao. He has the name. He’s been fighting longer and he’s been training longer. I remember watching Feijao just mashing people in the IFL. I think people look at me as having the bigger name but I don’t care. I think he’s the favorite. I’m the underdog even though I’m the champ.”
Debate as to whether or not Lawal is the favorite aside, the champion’s praise for Cavalcante is well founded. Aside from a TKO loss to Mike Kyle last June, the Nogueira trained fighter has impressed since turning pro in 2006, and has stopped Aaron Rosa and Antwain Britt in back-to-back bouts.
“Feijao knows he wants the knock out,” Lawal was quoted saying. “He doesn’t want the submission. He trains in the ground game, but I’m training with guys in Jiu-Jitsu that are comparable. So I’m not worried at the ground at all because I’ve got good submission defense.”
“My toughest tests so far have been the training,” Lawal added while continuing to talk strategy for the August 21st fight. “The fights are the easy part. The tough part is training. As far as a plan goes or strategy, I have five of six different plans and pick one going in. If that one doesn’t work I just change it up and go to another one. With (Gegard) Mousasi he was coming up so hard that I had to go for the take down. My plan with Mousasi was to hit him a few times and make him stand and frustrate him. Then I was able to capitalize and get the take down.”
photo courtesy Esther Lin Strikeforce / Showtime
As if knowing he’ll likely be taken down at some point by the decorated wrestler, Cavalcante disagreed with Lawal’s contention, that the Brazilian’s grappling abilities pose no threat to the champion.
“I don’t think King Mo is going to want to stay on the ground with me. I will be ready for whatever style he wants. If he wants to stand up, I will stand up. If he wants to go to the ground, we will go to the ground.”
What both men likely can agree on, is that a win for either man, will say a lot about their position in the light-heavyweight division.
Strikeforce’s upcoming August 21st event will be hosted by the Toyota Center in Houston and will be broadcast on Showtime. Other bouts scheduled for the card include heavyweight Bobby Lashley vs. Chad Griggs, Daniel Cormier vs. Jason Riley, KJ Noons vs. Jorge Gurgel and Tim Kennedy vs. Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza, which will determine the promotion’s middleweight champion.
By FCF Staff Bellator Fighting Championships continues to add renowned collegiate wrestlers to its roster, as today the promotion has announced that it has signed former NCAA Division 1 and four time All American Eric Larkin to a contract. The organization’s stable already includes renowned and accomplished wrestlers like Cole Konrad, Joe Warren, and Ben Askren.
Larkin, who attended Arizona State University during his collegiate wrestling career, has gone 2-0 since transitioning into MMA earlier this year. The 30 year-old-fighter trains out of Scottsdale, Arizona’s Lion’s Den facility, and is a training partner of the aforementioned Askren.
“Eric Larkin’s wrestling pedigree is as good as anyone competing in our sport today,” Bellator Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney was quoted saying in a press release from the promotion. “Larkin possesses an overwhelming amount of athleticism which gives him huge potential to become a top fighter in the sport. Ben Askren and Joe Warren, both tremendously talented wrestlers, have dominated at Bellator. I’m excited to see if Eric can follow a similar path.”
According to the promotion’s news release, Larkin plans on making his Bellator debut at lightweight, before dropping down to compete in the organization’s next featherweight tourney. No information regarding Larkin’s promotional debut was given.
“Seeing friends of mine from ASU like Ryan Bader, CB Dollaway, and Aaron Simpson get to where they are now in MMA and working out with them all the time let me know that I should make the transition,” said Larkin. “They were always trying to talk me into it and finally I was like, 'Alright, I'll do it'.”
“I have the same outlook on my approach to the fight game that Ben [Askren] does: I'm going to take you down and ground and pound you until someone can stop it,” said Larkin.
By FCF Staff Just days removed from Bellator Fighting Championship’s 24th card Thursday night in Hollywood, Florida, the promotion has added a notable lightweight tilt between Yves Edwards and Luis Palomino to the line-up. The event, which will be broadcast live on Fox Sports Net, will be hosted by Hollywood’s Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.
Edwards (37-16-1) will be looking to get back on the winning track, as the UFC and Pride veteran is coming off a Unanimous Decision loss to Mike Campbell at Moosin’s second event in May. Prior to that Edwards had won 3 straight, stopping James Warfield, Kyle Jensen and Derrick Noble.
Palomino (13-5) is currently running a 3 fight winning streak and is 4-1 in his last five fights. The Florida fighter has fought under the Bellator banner 4 times to date, compiling a 3-1 record. In June, Palomino worked his way to a UD victory over Jose Figueroa, at Bellator 21.
Two of the other bouts Bellator has confirmed for the August 12th undercard include: Nico Parella (2-1) will face welterweight Efrain “El Lobo” Ruiz (6-9 while middleweight Moyses Gabin (5-3) will take on Frank Carrillo (2-1).
Other previously announced bouts scheduled for Bellator 24 include:
-Bellator Middleweight Champion Hector Lombard (26-2-1) vs. Herbert "Whisper" Goodman (15-8) in a non-title affair
-action from the opening-round of Bellator's Women's World Championship Tournament as Megumi Fujii will meet Angela Magana and Lynn "Lights Out" Alvarez will fight Jessica Aguilar.
-UFC vet Eddie Sanchez will take on Neil "Goliath" Grove in the opening round of Bellator’s heavyweight tourney.
By FCF Staff Anderson Silva remains as the UFC Middleweight Champion despite being dominated by acomplished wrestler Chael Sonnen for four rounds plus. In the fifth and final round of last night’s title fight in Oakland, Silva managed to catch Sonnen with a late triangle-choke, after being punished by his opponent’s ground-and-pound game throughout much of the bout.
Despite Sonnen’s highly publicized verbal assault of Silva heading into the bout, the champion was quick to bow before the challenger in a sign of respect following the fight. Silva stated in his post fight interview that he had incurred a serious rib injury sometime last week.
Here are the results from last night’s UFC 117 card:
Anderson Silva def. Chael Sonnen via Submission (triangle choke) - R5, 3:10
Jon Fitch def. Thiago Alves via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Clay Guida def. Rafael dos Anjos via Submission (injury) - R3, 1:51
Matt Hughes def. Ricardo Almeida via Submission (modified arm-triangle choke) - R1, 3:15
Junior Dos Santos def. Roy Nelson via Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
Stefan Struve def. Christian Morecraft via TKO (punches) - R2, 0:22
Rick Story def. Dustin Hazelett via TKO (punches) - R2, 1:15
Phil Davis def. Rodney Wallace via Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
Johny Hendricks def. Charlie Brenneman via TKO (punches) - Round 2, 0:40
Tim Boetsch def. Todd Brown via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
X-1 Events vs. DestinyMMA WaipahuHigh School Gym, Waipahu, Hawaii August 7, 2010
By Chris Onzuka Since the MMA laws in Hawaii have taken effect many promotions have been struggling to survive under the new regulations and continue the MMA hot bed that Hawaii is, two events that have kept fighters busy and fans happy have been X-1 and Destiny. Promoter Jay Bolos, a fighter himself, has fought on X-1 cards before so I am sure that this led to a smooth transition to partnering up to put on a joint promotional venture. The card would feature championship matches for both promotions and allow fighters that compete within their organization to challenge themselves against different talent.
The event kicked off with a series of quick and brutal amateur fights, the majority ending in TKO, with only a few going to a decision. The women’s fight featuring Jessie Moniz and Monica Franco proved that the gals put on just as good a fight as the boys. These two went at it, with Franco taking the striking advantage early stunning Moniz on a few occasions. Moniz, an accomplished kickboxer, switched gears and went into grappling mode. Moniz looked to take the second round with her grappling, making the third round pivotal. Moniz kept the pressure and after a few reversals, controlled Franco against on the fence and landed punches, earning enough points to pull out this grueling fight. The amateur heavyweight match displayed that these two heavyweight are not just heavy hitters, but have great technical skill.
Dale Sopi had great head movement and leg kicks along with deceiving set ups for his strikes. Paongo had good fundamental boxing skills and kept bringing the fight to Sopi tiring out his opponent. Paongo picked his punches and tried not to let Sopi rest, which earned him the title. Another title match that had the crowd excited was the Maki Pitolo vs Charles Hazelwood. Pitolo displayed technical striking and accuracy minimizing Hazelwood’s devastating leg kicks.
Johnavan Visante showed that the work he has been doing concerning his grappling skills are paying off, by pounding in a passive, L. John Borgess from his back and then he set up and locked in a triangle to finish Borges.
Duke Saragosa looked impressive, with quick strikes and perfect timing knocking out a game Bruski Lewis. I would love to see a Duke Saragosa-Johnavan Visante match up, both fighters looks sharp quick and have tons of positive momentum.
In the co-main event, Ricky Wallace showed how a hungry young lion who can take a punch can perform. Wallace capitalized on Padilla in the first round by controlling the top position and opening up with punches for almost the entire round. Padilla finally worked his way back up and unloaded with a flurry of power punches with Wallace up against the fence. Wallace took everything and fired right back ending the round. The fight continued where Wallace ended up on top and pounded on a tiring Padilla. There were two instances in the fight where the referee missed some major rules infractions, from kneeing to the head of Padilla and Wallace blatantly using the cage to pull himself into the mount. Padilla landed some powerful punches, but Wallace took them and continued his controlling the fight and pounding on a game Padilla until in the third round, Padilla had enough.
The main event pitted Michael Winklespecht, an aggressive wrestler against the veteran in Ron Jhun. As expected, Winklespecht shot in and pressed the take down looking to capitalize on some ground and pound. The fight consisted of some great scrambles and Ron Jhun pounding on Winklespecht at every opportunity, which mainly between Jhun stopping a take down and Winklespect either reattempting or disengaging to regoup. Jhun chipped away at Winklespecht slowing him down, and allowing him to land more and more punches. Eventually Jhun was able to put Winklespecht on his back and as Winklespecht turned to attempt to escape, Jhun slipped in a rear naked choke for the tap.
140lbs: Pankration: 2 Rounds – 3 Minutes Jai Trouche (No Remorse) def. Gerald Castenano (Hustle N Throw, Maui)
Knock out at 0:22 in Round 2.
Decision after 3 rounds. Pitolo becomes the X-1 HawaiiState 185lbs Amateur Champion.
X-1 Hawaii State 155lbs Amateur Championship Match
155lbs: MMA: 3 Rounds – 3 Minutes
Nate "Da Great" Quiniola def. Alioune Diop
TKO via Referee stoppage due to strikes at 1:06 in Round 2
Quinola becomes the X-1 HawaiiState 155lbs Amateur Champion.
165lbs: XMA Championship Match: MMA: 3 Rounds – 3 Minutes
Michael Brightmon (Gorilla House) def. Chris Kutzen
Decision after 3 rounds. Brightmon captures the 165lbs XMA Championship title.
170lbs: MMA: 3 Rounds – 3 Minutes
Johnavan Visante Jr. (Team SYD) def. L. John Borgess (808 Top Team)
Submission via triangle choke at 2:55 in Round 1.
155lbs: MMA: 3 Rounds – 3 Minutes
Duke Sarigosa (808 Top Team) def. Bruski Lewis (Bulls Pen)
TKO via Referee stoppage due to strikes at 0:42 in Round 1.
140lbs: MMA: 3 Rounds – 3 Minutes
Eddie P. (I & I, Maui) def. Ian Delacuesta (808 Top Team)
Unanimous decision after 3 rounds.
DestinyHawaiiState 145lbs Championship Match
145lbs: MMA: 3 Rounds – 3 Minutes Ricky "Real Deal" Wallace (HMC) def. David "Tan Superman" Padilla (Jesus Is Lord)
Verbal submission at 2:24 in Round 3.
Wallace captures the DestinyHawaiiState 145lbs Championship title.
X-1 Hawaii State 185lbs Championship Match
185lbs: MMA: 3 Rounds – 3 Minutes
Ronald "Machine Gun" Jhun (808 Top Team) def. Michael Winklespect
Submission via rear naked choke at 4:06 in Round 2.
Jhun captures the X-1 HawaiiState 185lbs Championship title.
