New FCF Radio with Jim Miller

On this episode of Full Contact Fighter Radio, host Jeff "Wombat" Meszaros and co-host James Kellaris run down the card for UFC Fight Night 22 where Nate "The Great" Marquardt and Brazilian submission machine Rousimar "Toquinho" Palhares will collide in the main event.  Will Marquardt be able to avoid the leglocks and chokes of the monster grappler from Rio? Can he stop "Toquinho" from twisting off one of his feet?  Tune in and hear the opinions, heavily spiced with off-topic blather. 

Then stick around as the rest of the card is inspected with CSI-like attention-to-detail; as Jim Miller takes on American Top Team's Gleison Tibau and Cole Miller faces Ross Pearson.  Plus, Ultimate Fighter winner Efrain Escudero returns to face submission specialist Charlies Oliveira, coming off a 41-second schooling of his last opponent.  Wowzers!  As if that isn't enough to feed your mixed martial arts sweet tooth, hang on as Jim Miller joins the show to give us his thoughts on his next opponent, plus insight on the rest of the event. 

Listen as we ask him the hard questions about whether or not he'd fight his team-mate and current UFC champion Frankie Edgar.  Oh, snap!  Tune in and rejoice.

READ MORE - New FCF Radio with Jim Miller

MFC 26: McKee Stops Azevedo; Lima Taps Out Ford

By Kelsey Mowatt   Antonio McKee delivered on his promise last night that he would finish Luciano Azevedo, or thrill the Enoch, Alberta crowd while trying, as the Maximum Fighting Championship’s lightweight champ stopped the challenger in convincing and gory fashion.

In his usual trademark form, McKee quickly took Azevedo to the mat and began working from the top position. Fighting alongside the ropes, McKee postured up and landed two hard right elbows to the forehead region of Azevedo, which opened a couple of large, profusely bleeding cuts. After ringside officials evaluated Azevedo’s condition the bout was stopped at 3:11 of the first round. McKee had been criticized by HDNet broadcaster and former fighter Guy Mezger in his recent MFC title defences, for not being more aggressive.

“Whoever the MFC puts in front of me next, I’ll whoop their ass too,” said McKee in a press release from the promotion. “I guess it’s not true – you can teach an old dog new tricks.  And I want to thank (HDNet commentator) Guy Mezger for bringing the best out of me.”

Welterweight prospect Ryan Ford had his MFC return spoiled by American Top Team’s Doulas Lima, as the Atlanta fighter caught the Canadian in the second round with a beautifully executed armbar. Throughout the fight Ford looked to take the fight to the ground and work from the top position, however, taking the resilient Lima to the ground proved to be a difficult task for the powerful Ford.

When the bout was on the mat Lima utilized an active and open guard efficiently, keeping Ford on the defensive with sweep or submission attempts. Moments into the second, with the fight once again on the floor, Ford attempted to work his way out from under the ATT fighter, however, soon found himself ensnared in a fight ending armbar.

“I want the belt now,” declared Lima, who also secured the Submission of the Night award. “I was promised if I win this fight they will give me a title shot. That’s what I want – please.”

In other action from the HDNet broadcast; David Heath caught Solomon Hutcherson with a pounding Superman punch and follow up strikes to end their thrilling slugfest, Fort McMurray’s Dwayne Lewis made Mike Nickels pay for a sloppy takedown attempt with a fight ending, right uppercut, and former “Ultimate Fighter” competitor Jesse Taylor relied on his wrestling skills to score a UD win over Tom Watson.

Here are the full results for MFC 26:

Antonio McKee def. Luciano Azevedo by TKO (doctor stoppage due to cut) R1 3:11

Douglas Lima def. Ryan Ford by Submission (armbar) R2 0:48

Jesse Taylor def. Tom Watson by Unanimous Decision

David Heath def. Solomon Hutcherson by TKO (strikes) R2  3:46

Dwayne Lewis def. Mike Nickels by TKO (punches) R1 1:30

Curtis Demarce def. Tyson Steele by Submission (triangle-choke) R2 4:09

Ford Robertson def. Andrew Buckland  by Unanimous Decision

Aaron Berke def. Ryan Ballingall via Submission (rear-naked choke) R2 0:35

Chad Freeman def. Theo Brisley via Submission (armbar) R1 3:04

READ MORE - MFC 26: McKee Stops Azevedo; Lima Taps Out Ford

Vanier, Schambari Earn Split Decision Vicotries at Bellator 28

By FCF Staff  Photo Courtesy Bellator Fighting Championship

Both Carey Vanier and Eric Schambari worked their way to Split Decision victories over UFC veterans last night at Bellator’s 28^th event in New Orleans, as Vanier earned the judge’s nod over lightweight Rich Clementi, while Schambari outscored middleweight Matt Horwich. (Pictured above- Vanier hitting Clementi with a left)

In other action from the event’s main card, featherweight Georgi Karakhanyan worked his way to Unanimous Decision victory over WEC veteran Anthony Leone, and decorated NCAA wrestling champion Eric Larkin submitted prospect Marcus Andrusia with a first round, guillotine choke.

Here are the complete results for Bellator 28:

Main Card Results

Eric Larkin def. Marcus Andrusia via Submission (guillotine choke) - R1, 2:46

Carey Vanier def. Rich Clementi via Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Eric Schambari def. Matt Horwich via Split Decision (30-27, 30-27, 28-29)

Georgi Karakhanyan def. Anthony Leone via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-27, 30 27)

Local Feature Fights

Tony Roberts def. Kelvin Doss via Submission (punches) - R1

Jonathan Mackles def. Brock Kerry via Split Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Charlie Rader def. Josh Rafferty via TKO (strikes) - R1, 1:14

Scott O'Shaughnessy def. Gabe Woods via Submission (armbar) - R3, 2:11

READ MORE - Vanier, Schambari Earn Split Decision Vicotries at Bellator 28

BJ Penn Says Next Bout Likely in November

By Kelsey Mowatt    Since he lost to lightweight champion Frankie Edgar for a second time at UFC 118, on August 28^th, BJ Penn (15-7-1) has stated publicly that he wants to get back in the Octagon as soon as possible. Well, it looks like the decorated veteran may get his wish; in Penn’s latest video blog on BJPenn.com, the Hawaiian fighter stated:

“Dana White’s been texting me the last couple of days and it looks like we’re probably going to be back in the ring in November sometime. Dana’s trying to put the fight together, but that’s what I know as of right now, so, I’ll keep you guys posted. This is going to be good.”

There are two UFC events scheduled to take place in November. UFC 122 will take place on November 13^th in Oberhausen, Germany, and will be headlined by a middleweight bout between Vitor Belfort and Yushin Okami, and on November 20^th, the promotion will head to Auburn Hills for UFC 123, which will feature light-heavyweight “Rampage” Jackson vs. Lyoto Machida in the main event.

Earlier this week UFC lightweight Clay Guida posted on his Twitter account that his next opponent is someone with “alot of power in his hands,” leading to speculation that perhaps Penn or Takanori Gomi could be the lightweight’s next opponent.

Although Gomi, who is coming off a stunning, first round KO of Tyson Griffin on August 1^st, is currently without a scheduled opponent, a rematch between the former Pride champ and Penn is also an extremely marketable fight. Penn submitted Gomi in the third round at a Rumble in the Rock card in October, 2003.

Prior to Penn’s Unanimous Decision losses to Edgar, in April and August respectively, the former champion had gone 5-1 in UFC competition since 2006. His only loss during that stretch came against welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre, who stopped him in the fourth round of their January, 2009, rematch.

READ MORE - BJ Penn Says Next Bout Likely in November

MFC 26 “Retribution” Weigh-In Results

By FCF Staff   The Maximum Fighting Championship’s latest event, “Retribution”, is now officially a go as all of the competitors for tomorrow night’s card made weight this afternoon in Edmonton, Alberta. MFC 26 will feature two headliners, as MFC lightweight champ Antionio McKee will face challenger Luciano Azevedo, and in the other co-main-event, rising welterweight Ryan Ford will take on American Top Team’s Douglas Lima.

The card, which will be hosted by Enoch’s River Cree Resort and Casino, will be broadcast live on HDNet.

MFC 26: Retribution

Official Weigh-In Results

Co-Main Event - Welterweight

Douglas Lima - 170.8

Ryan Ford - 169.4

Co-Main Event - MFC Lightweight Title

Luciano Azevedo - 154.2

Antonio McKee - 154.4

Middleweight

Jesse Taylor - 185.0

Tom Watson - 182.8

Light Heavyweight

Mike Nickels - 204.2

Dwayne Lewis - 204.6

Middleweight

Solomon Hutcherson - 185.0

David Heath - 184.6

Lightweight

Curtis Demarce - 154.6

Tyson Steele - 155.4

Middleweight

Andrew Buckland - 184.4

Ford Robertson - 183.6

Catchweight (179 lb. limit)

Ryan Ballingall - 176.4

Aaron Berke - 177.2

Lightweight

Theo Brisley - 153.2

Chad Freeman - 155.0

READ MORE - MFC 26 “Retribution” Weigh-In Results

Octagon Return of Yves Edwards Confirmed for Sept. 15th

By FCF Staff     The Ultimate Fighting Championship has officially confirmed the Octagon return of Yves Edwards, as a lightweight bout between the accomplished veteran and John Gunderson, has finally been added to the line-up for the September 15^th UFC Fight Night card in Austin, Texas.

Edwards (38-16-1) will fight under the UFC banner for the first time since July, 2006, when the American Top Team fighter lost by TKO (doctor stoppage due to a cut) to Joe Stevenson. Since then Edwards has gone 7-5 fighting for a host of promotions, including BodogFight, HDNet Fights, Elite XC, and Strikeforce amongst others. Most recently, on August 12^th, Edwards (pictured left) worked his way to a Unanimous Decision victory over Luis Palomino at Bellator 24.

Gunderson (23-8-1) has gone 1-1 since signing with the UFC earlier this year, losing by Unanimous Decision to Rafaello Oliveira in January, before earning his first Octagon win in June via a UD victory over Mark Holst. The International Fight League veteran is 4-1 in his last five fights.

The upcoming UFC Fight Night card, which will be hosted by Austin’s Frank Erwin Center, will be headlined by a middleweight bout between Nate Marquardt and Rousimar Palhares. The event will be broadcast live on Spike TV.

READ MORE - Octagon Return of Yves Edwards Confirmed for Sept. 15th

Clay Guida Says Next Opponent Has “Alot of Power”

By FCF Staff   UFC lightweight Clay Guida continues to drop hints on his official Twitter page, as to who the energetic and resilient fighter will fight next. After dropping back-to-back losses to Diego Sanchez and Kenny Florian, Guida has won two straight, defeating Shannon Gugerty and most recently Rafeal dos Anjos.

My upcoming opponent has ALOT of power in his hands. It's ok.....The Dude (me) will be ready

about 6 hours ago via web

Guess who I am fighting next!!!????

9:05 AM Sep 1st via web

Looking forward to my next fight...It's a big one!!

8:53 AM Aug 30th via web

Guida’s (27-11) aforementioned win over dos Anjos took place on the August 7^th, UFC 117 card, when dos Anjos was forced to retire in the third round due to a jaw injury. The win left Guida’s Octagon record at 7-5.

There has been no official announcement from the UFC as to when and who Guida will face next.

READ MORE - Clay Guida Says Next Opponent Has “Alot of Power”

Fighters Make Weight for Bellator 28

By FCF Staff  Photos Courtesy Bellator Fighting Championships

All of the competitors for tonight’s Bellator 28 event in New Orleans made weight yesterday, green lighting a card that will see UFC vets Rich Clementi (pictured above left) and Matt Horwich take on Carey Vanier (pictured above right) and Eric Schambari respectively.

The event will be broadcast live tonight on Fox Sports Net. Here are the official weigh-in results for Bellator 28.

MAIN CARD:

Carey Vanier (156 lbs.) vs. Rich Clementi (155.6 lbs.) @ 155 lbs.

Anthony Leone (146 lbs.) vs.  Georgi Karakhanyan (145.4 lbs.) @ 145 lbs.

Matt Horwich (185.6 lbs.) vs. Eric Schambari (184.2 lbs.) @185 lbs.

Marcus Andrusia (155.4 lbs.) vs. Eric Larkin (155.4 lbs.) @155 lbs.

UNDERCARD:

Tonny Canales (151.8 lbs.) vs. J.C. Pennington (154.8 lbs.) @155 lbs.

Tony Roberts (229.6 lbs.) vs. Kelvin Doss (232.8 lbs.) @ 265 lbs.

Jonathan Mackles (135.6 lbs.) vs. Brock Kerry (135.8 lbs.) @ 135 lbs.

Josh Rafferty (169.2 lbs.) vs. Charlie Rader (170.8 lbs.) @ 170 lbs.

Scott O'Shaughnessy (155.8 lbs.) vs. Gabe Woods (153.8 lbs.) @ 155 lbs.

Horwich (l) and Schambari Face Off

READ MORE - Fighters Make Weight for Bellator 28

Kendall Grove Confirms Dec. 4th Bout with Demian Maia

By FCF Staff   Kendall Grove will soon begin preparing to face another of the UFC’s notable middleweights, as the Hawaiian fighter has confirmed that he’ll fight Demian Maia next, December 4^th, at “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 12 Finale in Las Vegas. Grove made the announcement on his official Twitter account.

December 4 live on spike tuff 12 final grove vs maia

about 16 hours ago via web

I know he's one of da best that's y I took the fight I'm here to do it big and I know what da f--- I'm doing just enjoy da fight cause I wil

about 11 hours ago via web

Grove (12-7) has gone 3-2 in his last five fights, earning wins over Jason Day, Jake Rosholt and most recently Goran Reljic, who the former TUF competitor defeated by Split Decision at UFC 116. Grove's losses during that stretch came against Ricardo Almeida and Mark Munoz.

Maia (13-2) recently returned to the winning column, following his Unanimous Decision loss to champion Anderson Silva in April, dominating Mario Miranda for the UD win at UFC 118 on August 28^th. The renowned jiu-jitsu practitioner has gone 7-2 in the Octagon, with Maia’s only other loss coming against Nate Marquardt.

The UFC has not officially announced the bout.

READ MORE - Kendall Grove Confirms Dec. 4th Bout with Demian Maia

Baker vs. Horn Confirmed for Sept. 23rd Bellator

By FCF Staff  Bellator Fighting Championships has announced that one of the sport’s most experienced competitors, 100 fight plus vet Jeremy Horn, will make his promotional debut against middleweight Bryan Baker September 23^rd. The bout will be part of the Bellator 30 card, which will take place in Louisville, Kentucky.

Horn

Horn (86-19-5) will head into the bout riding a 6 fight winning streak, after the accomplished fighter exited from the UFC following a Unanimous Decision loss to Rousimar Palhares in January, 2009. Most recently on July 24th, Horn tapped out Brian Warren in the first round, while competing on a United Fighting Organization event.

“As the sport progresses on, my experience starts to mean less and less in the ring,” Horn was quoted saying in a press release from the promotion. “I obviously have a good understanding of when to stay calm and when to turn things on, but for the most part, I feel like a lot of us are on a pretty level playing field. With a guy like Bryan, he is a well rounded fighter that doesn’t have a lot of weaknesses, and it’s just going to be a great fight.”

Baker (13-2) last competed in June, when the rising fighter was stopped by Alexander Shlemenko in the finals of Bellator’s second season middleweight tourney. Prior to the loss, Baker had earned victories over Eric Schambari and Sean Loeffler while competing under the Bellator banner.

“Knowing who Jeremy has taken on, it just makes me even more focused for this fight. Fighting an opponent with a history like that, it pulls the better fighter out of me, and I’m excited for Bellator 30,” said an eager Baker. “Everyone knows Jeremy has made his career off of his submission moves, so I’m looking to stay on my feet. I’m more athletic than him, and my reach should give him all sorts of problems.”

Bellator 30 will be broadcast live on Fox Sports Net.

READ MORE - Baker vs. Horn Confirmed for Sept. 23rd Bellator

Grove vs. Oleinik Confirmed for Sept. 16th Bellator

By FCF Staff  Photo Courtesy Bellator Fighting Championships  
Bellator has confirmed one of the semi-finals for the promotion’s ongoing season three heavyweight tournament, as Neil Grove will face Alexey Oleinik , September 16^th, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Grove (9-2-1) advanced to the semis by stopping fellow UFC veteran Eddie Sanchez in the first round at Bellator 24 on August 12^th. The UK fighter has gone undefeated in three fights since he was submitted by Mike Ciesnolevicz at UFC 95 last February.

Oleinik (28-5-1) worked his way to a Split Decision victory over Michael Hayes on August 26^th, to earn his spot in the tourney semi-finals; with the win the Russian fighter has gone 8-1-1 in his last ten bouts.

“Neil vs. Alexey is a classic striker vs. grappler match-up that should provide fans with an explosive heavyweight fight,” said Bellator Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “We're thrilled to be able to bring our unique brand of Mixed Martial Arts to the great city of Milwaukee for their first taste of world class nationally televised MMA action. It will be a great night of fights.”

Grove  (l) Will Face Oleinik September 16th

 Bellator 29, which will be hosted by Milwaukee’s Rave/ Eagles Ballroom, will be broadcast live on Fox Sports Net.

READ MORE - Grove vs. Oleinik Confirmed for Sept. 16th Bellator

Hardy Calls for More Action, Less Wrestling, in MMA

By Kelsey Mowatt    UFC welterweight contender Dan Hardy has criticized fighters in the past, who he believes, win fights through their controlling wrestling rather than trying to finish their opponent. Heading into his UFC 111 bout with Georges St. Pierre in March, Hardy criticized the champion for doing as much in recent title defences, before completely failing to negate St.Pierre’s dominant grappling game en route to a Unanimous Decision loss.

Well, after seeing fellow British fighter Paul Daley fall to Josh Koscheck in a similar fashion at UFC 113, and then more recently at UFC 118, Rough House teammate Andre Winner drop a decision loss to wrestler Nik Lentz (in what was a particularly uneventful bout) Hardy is calling for serious reforms to take place in mixed-martial-arts. 

Speaking via his column in This is Nottingham, the noted slugger argued that “Rather than saying 'oh, these guys can't wrestle', I think the problem is there's beginning to be too much wrestling in UFC Octagon...”, before calling on officials to enforce regulations that encourage competitors to finish fights.

“This isn't 'cheating within the rules' – it is actually against the rules. 'Timidity' is outlawed in the Unified MMA rules and what better describes the act of holding on to an opponent and waiting for the clock to tick down with no attempt or inclination to do any damage?”

Hardy went on to say that he’s not calling for strictly striking affairs or less action on the ground. Citing the UFC 110 bout between Joe Stevenson and George Sotiroupolous in February, Hardy argued that despite the fight took place largely on the mat, it was extremely entertaining because each fighter was “going for submissions, ground strikes, sweeps or trying to improve their positions constantly.”

Up next, at UFC 120 on October 16^th, Hardy will face Carlos Condit; a fighter whose skill set and aggressive style should facilitate the kind of fight Hardy is hoping to see more of.

READ MORE - Hardy Calls for More Action, Less Wrestling, in MMA

M-1 Global Confirms Fioravanti vs. Weatherby for Sept. 18th

By FCF Staff Photo Courtesy American Top Team M-1 Global has confirmed today that UFC veteran Luigi Fioravanti will face middleweight Woody Weatherby, at the promotion’s upcoming September 18^th event in Atlantic City. The main card, which will be hosted by Bally’s Casino Hotel, will feature the final bouts for M-1’s American Selection Tournament.

Fioravanti (17-8) will head in to the bout looking to end a 2 fight losing; most recently in June, the American Top Team fighter was submitted by former “Ultimate Fighter” competitor John Kolosci. Since exiting from the UFC last year Fioravanti (pictured left) has gone 3-3; in January he worked his way to a Unanimous Decision victory over fellow Octagon vet Shane Primm.

Weatherby (8-3) is coming off a submission victory over Johnny Buck in March; his only appearance thus far in 2010. The middleweight, who is 3-2 in his last five fights, holds a 2007 TKO stoppage over current UFC competitor John Howard.

Here is the line-up for the upcoming M-1 Selection 2010: America Finals event:

Jose Figuero vs. George Sheppard Lightweight Division

Tom Gallicchio vs. Len Bentley Welterweight Division

Tyson Jeffries vs. Mike Geurin Middleweight Division

Byron Byrd vs. Daniel Vizcaya Light Heavyweight Division

Kenny Garner vs. Pat Bennett Heavyweight Division

Shane Primm vs. Bristol Marunde Middleweight Division

Josh Bacallao vs. Josh Thorpe Lightweight Division

Aaron Meisner vs. Jose Rodriguez Welterweight Division

Luigi Fioravanti vs. Woody Weatherby  Middleweight Division

READ MORE - M-1 Global Confirms Fioravanti vs. Weatherby for Sept. 18th