Video: Moks vs. Sultanakhmedov M-1 Challenge MW Title Fight

Saturday, December 18, 2010

By FCF Staff, photo courtesy M-1 Global

Check out the video footage of Rafal ‘Kulturysta’ Moks (pictured) taking on Magomed Sultanakhmedov, for the M-1 Global middleweight title on December 10th, in Moscow, Russia.

READ MORE - Video: Moks vs. Sultanakhmedov M-1 Challenge MW Title Fight

Kanehara vs. Maeda, Park vs. Blanco Added to “Soul of Fight”

Friday, December 17, 2010

By FCF Staff

World Victory Road has confirmed more bouts for the promotion’s upcoming, December 30th, “Sengoku: Soul of Fight” card in Tokyo, Japan. The day-long, martial arts event will now include a lightweight bout between Maximo Blanco (7-2-1) and Won Sik Park (9-2-1) and a featherweight tilt between Masanori Kanehara (15-7-5) and Yoshiro Maeda (27-9-2).

Blanco has gone 3-0 this year with stoppage wins over Chang Hyun Kim, Rodrigo Damm and most recently, Kiuma Kunioku.

Park is coming off a TKO win over Jesse Sosa in November, after submitting Norihisa Amimoto in August and having a bout with Ryuki Ueyama declared a no-contest one month earlier.

Kanehara has fought just once in 2010; in June he was KO’d by current Sengoku featherweight champ Marlon Sandro. On New Year’s Eve, last December, Kanehara scored a unanimous decision win over Norifumi Yamamoto.

Maeda last fought in October and earned a majority decision win over Takafumi Otsuka while competing for Deep. Prior to that, Maeda was knocked out by Cole Escovedo and lost by split decision to Keni Osawa in March and May respectively.

Two women’s bouts have also been added to “Soul of Fight,” as Roxanne Modafferi (15-6) will take on Hitomi Akano (16-8 ) and and Misaki Takimoto (12-11-4) will face Amy Davis (1-1).

The December 30th event will see the aforementioned Sandro look to defend his featherweight belt against challenger Hatsu Hioki, and will have portions of the card broadcast on HDNet.

READ MORE - Kanehara vs. Maeda, Park vs. Blanco Added to “Soul of Fight”

Jesse Taylor vs. Denis Kang Signed for Battlefield 7


By FCF Staff

The British Columbian promotion Battlefield Fight League has announced that its upcoming April 2nd event in Nanaimo will see Denis Kang fight fellow UFC vet Jesse Taylor in the main event. Battlefield Fight League 7 will be hosted by the city’s Frank Crane Arena. (Pictured: Kang)

Kang (33-12-2) will close out 2010 having gone 2-0. In June, he submitted Dae Won Kim in the first round while competing under the W-1 banner, before fighting to a draw with Paulo Filho at Impact FC 2 in July. The BJJ black belt is 2-2-1 in his last five fights, with losses coming to Alan Belcher and Michael Bisping and an additional win coming over Xavier Foupa-Pokam in the UFC Octagon.

Taylor (17-6) is currently running a three fight winning streak in what has been a busy 2010 campaign for the experienced wrestler. Taylor has earned victories over Tom Watson, Murilo Bustamante, Jason Day and most recently Dylan Andrews this year, with his only loss coming to Thales Leites.

The next BFL will take place January 15th at the River Rock Casino Resort in Richmond, BC, and will feature Gary Mangat vs. Cam Delerume and Jacen Brooks vs. Ash Mashreghi in the main events.
READ MORE - Jesse Taylor vs. Denis Kang Signed for Battlefield 7

FCF Radio with Phil Baroni


On this episode of Full Contact Fighter Radio, it's time to review "UFC 124: St. Pierre vs. Koscheck 2" where welterweight UFC champ Georges St. Pierre systematically dismantled top contender Josh Koscheck by jabbing him in the face repeatedly over the course of five rounds.  Did everyone expect this?  Not exactly, as most people expected GSP to out-wrestle K-os again rather than peck him to death like an angry duck.  Who will GSP fight next?   Is there any point even watching any more of his fights?  Tune in and hear the answers.  Also, why did the co-main event feature two fighters pulled from obscurity?  Why wasn't Thaigo Alves vs. John Howard the co-main event?  We have our suspicions.  You won't want to miss hearing them.  Hint: It has something to do with Brock Lesnar. Then, we go on to chat about the rest of the card, sharing our semi-interesting opinions on all the fights.   

Then, just when you thought things could not get more mediocre, we're joined by Phil "The New York Badass" Baroni, who is returning to the Octagon on January 1st.  Tune in and hear who he's facing and catch his opinions on the high-points of his career.  From the UFC to Pride, to Strikeforce and Elite XC, he's fought literally everywhere.  Which rules does he prefer?  What does he think of his next opponent?  What about the main event between Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard?  Tune in and find out!

READ MORE - FCF Radio with Phil Baroni

Cruz Earns First UFC Bantamweight Title, Pettis Dethrones Henderson

By Dustin Lee DePue

Phoenix, AZ—The Jobing.com Arena was the final resting place for a promotion that has dazzled fans for years with top notch match making and fantastic fighters.  Long the bastion of lighter than lightweight fighters across the U.S., World Extreme Cage Fighting’s final show featured two of its three great champions risking their belts before heading to the UFC.  In the first of the two title fights, 135lb champion Dominick Cruz dominated challenger Scott Jorgenson for five rounds en route to a unanimous decision.  The WEC’s swan song also saw Anthony Pettis steal away Ben Henderson’s lightweight belt to become the WEC’s last lightweight champion.  Pettis will now get a shot at the UFC title against the winner of the Edgar vs Maynard fight on New Year’s Day.

In the main event, Anthony Pettis used crisp striking and excellent timing to chip away at champion Ben Henderson over the course of five competitive rounds, earning a unanimous decision victory and a shot at the UFC lightweight title.  Henderson took the lead early after edging Pettis in the first round with a pair of takedowns and some punches from on top.  Despite losing the round, Pettis managed a sharp counter right hand that stung Henderson.  It would be the first of many. 

Pettis knocked Henderson down early in the second round and nearly took his back.  Henderson worked to his feet but ate several stiff counter punches as Pettis gained confidence.  In the third it was Pettis with the takedown after eating an overhand right from Henderson.  Pettis took Henderson’s back and looked for the rear naked choke but was unable to catch the champion.

The fourth round saw a series of momentum shifts that had the crowd in a frenzy as Henderson escaped a guillotine attempt before taking Pettis’ back and nearly securing a rear naked choke.  Pettis defended well and exploded, twisting out and then taking Henderson’s back.  Henderson escaped but on the feet, Pettis’ Duke Rufus pedigree showed as he cracked the champion with another right hand followed by a combination that prompted Henderson to shoot in at the bell. 

The final round saw Pettis landing with more frequency.  He ripped Henderson with a counter left hand followed by a right hook that had Henderson thinking takedown.  Pettis timed the champ’s shot and caught him with a knee to the face.  But it was Pettis’ Hollywood inspired wall-walk kick that had everyone crying Matrix.  In a brilliant display of timing and athleticism, Pettis jumped and pushed off of the cage wall with his right leg and then executed a flying head kick with the same leg that landed flush on Henderson’s face and sent him crashing to the mat.  It was, simply put, one of the coolest things to ever happen inside the cage.  Pettis jumped on the fallen champ and pounded away as Henderson covered.  In the end, the judges awarded Pettis the decision by scores of 48-47, 48-47, 49-46,

How can anyone prepare for a guy like Dominick Cruz?  That was the question that kept coming to me while watching a performance that bordered on acid-jazz.  Cruz’s supremely unorthodox footwork and punching style is puzzling enough just to watch, much less figure out when you’re eating those off-rhythm punches.  That style, paired with Cruz’s speed and athleticism proved too much for tough contender Scott Jorgensen who found himself getting outpunched and outwrestled.  Cruz shucked and jived, slipping in and out of range, his head dipping forward as punch seemed to shoot out in the opposite direction, making constant contact with Jorgenson’s head. 

Cruz put together combinations, often rattling off four punches and a low kick before bounding out of range.   Jorgenson was game but overmatched.  He managed to bring Cruz to the mat but was unable to keep him there and actually found himself on his back as Cruz mixed in takedowns.  When it was all over, Cruz won all five rounds and earned his place as the first UFC 135lb champion.

Donald Cerrone notched his second win in a row, submitting Chris Horodecki with a triangle choke. After a first round that saw the fighters trading strikes, with Cerrone landing a pair of solid knees to the body and Horodecki landing a hard right hand, Cerrone used his grappling prowess to put Horodecki in trouble early in the second.  After getting taken down, Cerrone attacked with submissions, transitioning from an omaplata attempt to a triangle choke that forced Horodecki to tap at 2:43 of the second round.

Kamal Shalorus edged out Bart “Bartimus” Palaszewski by split decision in a competitive affair that could have gone either way.  Shalorus took the lead in the first, using his immense strength and world-class wrestling to keep Bartimus on his back eating punches for much of the round.  Bartimus had more success in the second round as he was able to stay on his feet and score with one-two combos and low kicks.  He scored a glancing head kick before getting taken down with 90 seconds left in the round.

 In the final round, Shalorus started to slow down, allowing Bartimus to continue working his jab.  Shalorus had trouble getting Bartimus down, eating a knee and nearly getting caught in a guillotine, but was eventually able to get his man down and land some good elbows.  Bartimus managed to work to the feet with time running out, scoring several knees and a head kick before the bell sounded.  Though it was close, two judges saw it in Shalorus’s favor as he wins by scores of 30-27, 28-29, 29-28.


Televised results

Anthony Pettis def Ben Henderson by Unanimous Decision (48-47, 48-47, 49-46)
Dominick Cruz def Scott Jorgensen by Unanimous Decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)
Donald Cerrone def Chris Horodecki by Triangle Choke 2:43 Rd 2
Kamal Shalorus def Bart Palaszweski by Split Decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)

READ MORE - Cruz Earns First UFC Bantamweight Title, Pettis Dethrones Henderson

WEC 53 Results: Pettis and Cruz Victorious

Thursday, December 16, 2010

By FCF Staff

Here are the results from tonight's WEC 53 broadcast, which took place at the Jobing.com Arena in Glendale, Arizona. Anthony Pettis earned a crack at the UFC lightweight title in 2011 with a unanimous decision win over Ben Henderson, while Dominick Cruz became the first UFC bantamweight champion in the promotion's history, with a UD victory over Scott Jorgensen.

Full report to follow.

Anthony Pettis def. champ Benson Henderson via unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 49-46)
Dominick Cruz def. Scott Jorgensen via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-45, 50-45)
Donald Cerrone def. Chris Horodecki via submission (triangle choke) - Round 2, 2:43
Kamal Shalorus def. Bart Palaszewski via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)


READ MORE - WEC 53 Results: Pettis and Cruz Victorious

Sasaski vs. Khalidov Added to Dec. 30th "Soul of Fight"

 By FCF Staff

The line-up for the upcoming December 30th, “Sengoku: Soul of Fight” card continues to grow as World Victory Road has confirmed that Mamed Khalidov will face Yuki Sasaki at the event. With the addition, over 20 bouts have been announced for the all-day, martial arts event, which will be hosted by the Ariake Coliseum in Tokyo. HDNet is expected to broadcast part of the card.

Khalidov (20-4-2) last competed in May when he fought to a draw with Ryuta Sakuria, while competing under the KSW banner in Poland. Prior to that, at a Sengoku event in March, Khalidov lost by unanimous decision to Jorge Santiago, after stopping the Sengoku champion in a non-title bout last November.

Sasaski (22-18-1) will be looking to end a four fight losing streak; most recently on December 4th, the UFC vet lost by UD to Paulo Filho at Bitetti Combat 8. Sasaki’s last victory came at Sengoku’s fifth event, in  September, 2008, when he tapped out veteran Yuki Kondo with a second round, rear-naked-choke.

Some of the other MMA bouts confirmed for “Soul of Fight” include Kazuo Misaki vs. Mike Seal, Dave Herman vs. Yoshihiro Nakao, Yasubey Enomoto vs. Kitaro Nakamura, Taiyo Nakahara vs. Akitoshi Tamura, and featherweight champion Marlon Sandro vs. Hatsu Hioki.


READ MORE - Sasaski vs. Khalidov Added to Dec. 30th "Soul of Fight"

WEC 53 Weigh-In Results

By FCF Staff

Glendale, Arizona will go down as the last city to host a World Extreme Cagefighting event, as the promotion’s fifty-third and final event will take place tonight, before its roster is integrated into the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s.

WEC 53 will feature two title fights; lightweight champion Ben Henderson will take on Anthony Pettis, for the right to face the winner of the upcoming bout between UFC champion Frankie Edgar and challenger Gray Maynard, while bantamweight champ Dominick Cruz will meet Scott Jorgensen to determine who is UFC 135lb. champion.

Here are the official weigh-in results for WEC 53, which will be broadcast live on Versus.

Main Event – WEC Lightweight Championship
Ben Henderson (155) vs. Anthony Pettis (154.5)

WEC Bantamweight Championship (Winner will be crowned UFC Champion)
Dominick Cruz (134.5) vs. Scott Jorgensen (135)

Donald Cerrone (155) vs. Chris Horodecki (155)
Bart Palaszewski (156) vs. Kamal Shalorus (156)
Tiequan Zhang (155.5) vs. Danny Downes (154.5)
Jamie Varner (156) vs. Shane Roller (155)
Brad Pickett (136) vs. Ivan Menjivar (135)
Eddie Wineland (136) vs. Ken Stone (135)
Danny Castillo (155.5) vs. Will Kerr (155)
Ricardo Lamas (156) vs. Yuri Alcantara (154.5)
Renan Barao (136) vs. Chris Cariaso (136)
READ MORE - WEC 53 Weigh-In Results

Dan Miller Looking to Keep Momentum in 2011

Wednesday, December 15, 2010


By Kelsey Mowatt

Dan Miller headed into last weekend’s UFC 124 card unaware of what was in store for him, provided the New Jersey middleweight had lost to veteran Joe Doerksen. After arriving in the UFC in 2008, Miller quickly made his presence known with three consecutive wins; however, when matched up against some of the division’s more notable fighters in Demian Maia, Chael Sonnen and Michael Bisping, three decision losses followed. With a submission win over John Salter in August and a decision win over Doerksen now added to his resume, Miller knows he can start planning for his 2011 UFC campaign.

“It was alright,” Miller told FCF when asked to assess a year where he went 2-2 in the Octagon. “I wish I could have gotten a couple of wins at the beginning of the year, but it turned out pretty good. You know I’m still in the UFC; I’m coming off a couple of wins, so it’s not too bad.”

Miller’s thirteenth professional win did not come easy of course, as the 29 year-old-fighter had to grind out a hard fought victory over Doerksen, in a bout which one judge scored for the Canadian vet.

“I knew if I let it go to the judges there was a chance he could win on being the hometown fighter and judging being the way that it is,” said Miller. “You never know. He was extremely active; I wasn’t completely surprised but I thought I won the fight.”

The deciding factor in the bout ended up being Miller’s wrestling, as the former International Fight League champion was able to take Doerksen down and control the fight from the top position throughout much of the three round fight.

“We had talked about taking him down but it wasn’t really the game plan,” said Miller. “I was just going to go in there and fight my fight but it just happened that he presented takedowns. So I jumped on them.”

Despite being taken down, Doerksen continued to fight from his back with strikes and submission attempts, demonstrating a resiliency that didn’t surprise Miller at all.

“It was a phenomenal win for me,” Miller said while discussing where this win ranks in his career to date. “I think he’s one of the toughest fighters that I’ve fought. He’s a lot better fighter than his UFC record shows; he’s just been caught a few times in the UFC.”

While the UFC continues to run a busy fight card schedule, there are only so many spots available, so most fighters have to remain injury free and catch a few breaks if they’re to fight four times in one year. Miller was able to compete in February, May, August and December this past year and is hoping to maintain that kind of schedule in 2011.

“I loved it; I wish I could have four fights every year,” Miller said. “I think it’s a perfect opportunity every three months to keep making money and stay active. I think it’s great but I know it’s going to be tough too. With the UFC coming in with a lot more fighters and I don’t know how many more shows they’re going to have to put on to get people their fights.”

With back-to-back victories and momentum on his side, Miller is hoping to climb up the middleweight rankings in 2011.

“I want to be at the top of the division,” said Miller, when asked where he hopes to be this time next year. “I just need to get a couple more wins in a row against some quality fighters. I just need to work on everything, make improvements in my game everywhere and keep training hard.”




READ MORE - Dan Miller Looking to Keep Momentum in 2011

Jimmo vs. Lewis LHW Title Fight Confirmed for MFC 28


By FCF Staff, photo courtesy Maximum Fighting Championship

The Maximum Fighting Championship has confirmed that two of Canada’s top ranked light-heavyweights in Dwayne Lewis and Ryan Jimmo, will battle for the promotion’s vacant title at its twenty-eighth event in 2011. Details regarding the specific location and date for MFC 28 have not yet been determined. (Pictured: Jimmo)

“The fans want to see these two settle the issue of who is the best light heavyweight in the MFC, so this is it. It’s time to make it happen,” MFC Owner/President Mark Pavelich was quoted saying in a press release from the promotion.

“Both fighters deserve the opportunity. Ryan is on an incredible streak, and I made a promise to Dwayne that he would get his shot if he won his last two fights. Now it’s up to them to prove which one of them deserves to wear the championship belt.”

Jimmo (11-1) has won eleven straight fights since the accomplished karate competitor was defeated in his MMA debut. Jimmo competed just once in 2010, working his way to a unanimous decision win over UFC vet Wilson Gouveia in May. In 2009, Jimmo earned decision wins over Mychal Clark, Marvin Eastman and former MFC champ Emanuel Newton.

Lewis (13-6) is coming off a split decision win over former UFC competitor RazakAl-Hassan in November, after stopping another Octagon vet in Mike Nickels at MFC 26 in September. Lewis has been defeated just once in ten fights; in May the powerful striker lost by UD to the aforementioned Newton.
READ MORE - Jimmo vs. Lewis LHW Title Fight Confirmed for MFC 28

Video: Miami Hustle Trailer Featuring ATT Fighters

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

By FCF Staff, photo courtesy American Top Team

Genghis Con films has released the trailer for the upcoming "Miami Hustle" reality series, which features several American Top Team fighters including "JZ" Cavalcante, Jorge Santiago (pictured), and Jorge Masvidal.

READ MORE - Video: Miami Hustle Trailer Featuring ATT Fighters

Bellator Announces TV Deal with MTV 2


By FCF Staff

Bellator Fighting Championships has announced that the growing MMA promotion has a new television home, as it has signed a three year broadcasting deal with MTV 2. According to a press release sent out today by Bellator, MTV 2 will broadcast two of the organization’s season tournaments live, as well as, a collection of special feature events. No other terms of the contract were announced. (Pictured: Eddie Alvarez hitting Roger Huerta)

"MTV2 is the perfect home for the intense mixed martial arts action of Bellator," Eric Conte, SVP, Programming and Production, MTV2 was quoted saying in the news release. "MMA is at the top of our audience's wish list, and partnering with Bellator to bring live events and specials to MTV2 made complete sense since our viewers are so hungry to see more MMA on-air." 

“We are thrilled to partner with MTV2 which has such a strong audience of hard-to-reach young guys,” said Bjorn Rebney, Bellator’s CEO.  “With a timeslot on a prominent nationally-distributed cable network aimed at young men, we now have the perfect platform to showcase our exciting, action-packed tournaments and fighters.”

Bellator’s main broadcasting partner had been Fox Sports Net; however, due to other programming commitments not every affiliate was able to broadcast events live on a consistent basis.

The first Bellator tournament of 2011 is set to begin in March.


READ MORE - Bellator Announces TV Deal with MTV 2

Strikeforce Opens Voting for 2010 Awards


By FCF Strikeforce

Strikeforce has announced that it will let the fans determine who should take home several different awards for the promotion’s 2010 campaign. The award categories include Knockout of the Year, Submission of the Year, Rising Star of the Year, Upset of the Year, Female Fighter of the Year, Male Fighter of the Year, and Fight of the Year.

Voting is now open at http://strikeforce.com/bestof2010/ and the online poll will remain open until Friday, December 24th.

Each category has several pre-determined bouts to choose from and there is also an ‘other’ option to fill out if necessary. For example, Knock Out of the Year candidates include:

Robbie Lawler KO’s Melvin Manhoef
Sarah Kaufman KO’s Roxanne Modafferi
Robbie Lawler KO’s Matt Lindland
Paul Daley KO’s Scott Smith
Other
READ MORE - Strikeforce Opens Voting for 2010 Awards