Bellator 44 Weigh-In Results

Saturday, May 14, 2011

By FCF Staff

Casers in Atlantic City will host Bellator Fighting Championship’s forty-fourth event tonight, a card that will see middleweight champion Hector Lombard (pictured) fight veteran Falaniko Vitale in a non-title bout, as well as the lightweight tournament championship between Patricky Freire and Michael Chandler.

Here are the official weigh-in results for Bellator 44 which will be broadcast live on MTV 2.




Main Card

Middleweight Non-Title Super Fight
Hector Lombard (185 lbs.) vs. Falaniko Vitale (185.5 lbs.)

Lightweight Final Fight
Michael Chandler (156 lbs.) vs. Patricky Pitbull (155 lbs.)

Season 5 Middleweight Qualifier
Alexander Shlemenko (186 lbs.) vs. Brett Cooper (185.5 lbs.)

Season 5 Bantamweight Qualifier
Anthony "Cheesesteak" Morrison (146.5 lbs.)* vs. Bryan Goldsby (135 lbs.)*

Undercard
Sam Oropeza (170.5 lbs.) vs. Giedrius Karavackas (169.5 lbs.)
Jamall Johnson (213.5 lbs.) vs. Randy Smith (255.5 lbs.)
Jay Silva (185.5 lbs.) vs. Gemiyale "Baby Hercules" Adkins (186 lbs.)
Jeff Lentz (146 lbs.) vs. Anthony Leone (146.5 lbs.)**

*The Anthony Morrison vs. Bryan Goldsby fight has been removed, as Morrison failed to make weight

**Anthony Leone did make weight

READ MORE - Bellator 44 Weigh-In Results

ADCC Confirms Royler Gracie vs. Eddie Bravo II

Friday, May 13, 2011

By FCF Staff

In 2003, Eddie Bravo sent shockwaves throughout the grappling and MMA world by tapping out renowned jiu-jitsu practitioner Royler Gracie, at the Abu Dhabi Combat Club Submission Wrestling World Championships. The organization has confirmed that Gracie will now have an opportunity to avenge that loss, as the two will meet once again at the 2011 ADCC event in September.

Since the victory, which came via triangle-choke, the 40 year-old Bravo has gone on to become the founder of the no-gi, 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu system and has coached many notable MMA competitors.

Gracie, who is 45, is the brother of fellow fighters, Royce, Rickson and Robin and holds a sixth degree, black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

The ADCC has also confirmed two other “super fights” for the September 24th-25th event, which will see Strikeforce Middleweight Champion Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza grapple former ADCC champ Braulio Estima, and Renzo Gracie battle fellow Pride vet and BJJ guru Mario Sperry.

The two day event will be hosted by Nottingham, England.




READ MORE - ADCC Confirms Royler Gracie vs. Eddie Bravo II

Adrian Wooley vs. Bellator Vet Nick Mamalis Confirmed for June 10th SFS

By FCF Staff

Score Media Inc. has confirmed several more fights for its upcoming June 10th, Score Fighting Series event in Mississauga, Ontario, including a tilt between rising bantamweight Adrian Wooley and Bellator veteran Nick Mamalis.

Wooley (7-1) will compete for the first time since June, 2010, when the experienced wrestler scored a fourth round, stoppage win over Randy Spence at W-1 MMA 5. The Ontario fighter’s only loss to date came against WEC veteran Noah Thomas in October, 2008.

"Napoleon once said, 'Glory is fleeting but obscurity is forever'," Wooley said in the official announcement.  "I'm excited to go to war with a fighter like Nick because he'll bring out the best in me.  It will be amazing to fight in front of my hometown crowd."

Mamalis (16-7) is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Ryan Roberts at a Cage Inc. event in April, after tapping out Josh Rave with strikes at a Victory Fighting Championship card in December. The veteran went 2-2 during his time in Bellator, scoring wins over Albert Rios and Mark Oshiro.

"I am very excited to be fighting for theScore Fighting Series," said Mamalis. "This will be my first time fighting outside of the U.S. and I am very grateful for the opportunity. I look forward to putting on an exciting show for the fans!"
Other bouts that have been confirmed for the June 10th SFS include Bellator vet Will Romero (5-2) vs. featherweight Tristan Johnson (5-2) and experienced kickboxer Syd Barnier (2-3) vs. bantamweight prospect Denis Puric (3-1).



READ MORE - Adrian Wooley vs. Bellator Vet Nick Mamalis Confirmed for June 10th SFS

Brock Lesnar Out of UFC 131; Shane Carwin to Fight Junior dos Santos

By FCF Staff


Just days removed from having its upcoming May 28th main-event tilt between Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard postponed due to both men being injured, the UFC has announced that Brock Lesnar will no longer face Junior dos Santos on June 11th. UFC President Dana White announced this afternoon that Lesnar is battling another round of diverticulitis, the stomach ailment that sidelined the former heavyweight champion in 2009.

“I want to thank the UFC and Mr. White, and I want to apologize to Junior dos Santos and Spike TV,” Lesnar was quoted saying in the official announcement. “This is an unfortunate situation for me. I dodged a bullet about two years ago with diverticulitis by not having the surgery. But diverticulitis is an illness that never goes away. It’s something that I’ve dealt with since my first occurrence and have been battling with it. I’ve been able to maintain it to a point where it’s tolerable, and I was able to go through two training camps. I’ve been dealing with some symptoms over the last three months, and during the course of this training camp, I felt another infection and got a CT scan done on my stomach, where there was visible inflation. It didn’t allow me to train to my full capabilities, and I was forced to make a decision to go back down to the doctor this week to figure out how far this thing was along. It’s not as serious as last time. It just didn’t allow me to train the way I needed to train for a number one contender’s bout. I am forced with the decision to either have surgery or to deal with this for the rest of my life. So I’m fighting a different fight here. It was a hard decision (to pull out of the fight), I’m choked up about it, but there’s nothing I can do.”

The Lesnar, dos Santos tilt was scheduled to take place following each man’s opposing coaching roles on the current season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” with the winner expected to face heavyweight champion Cain Velasquez later this year.

Stepping in to replace Lesnar will be contender Shane Carwin (12-1), who has not competed since he was submitted by Lesnar at UFC 116 last July, marking the first time the heavyweight was defeated.

Dos Santos (12-1) has not fought since last August, when he worked his way to a dominant, unanimous decision win over Roy Nelson.

UFC 131 will take place in Vancouver, B.C., and will be hosted by the city’s Rogers Centre.
READ MORE - Brock Lesnar Out of UFC 131; Shane Carwin to Fight Junior dos Santos

Caros Fodor vs. James Terry, Ryan Couture vs. Matt Ricehouse and Others Confirmed for June 24th Strikeforce

Wednesday, May 11, 2011


By FCF Staff

Strikeforce has announced several bouts for the promotion’s upcoming June 24th event in Kent, Washington, and in keeping with the Challengers brand, the card will feature several notable rising prospects.

In the card’s main event, which will be hosted by Kent’s Showare Center, rising lightweight Caros Fodor will face Cung Le protégé James Terry. (Pictured: Fodor choking Derek Getzel)

Fodor (8-2) has won three straight bouts heading into the June 24th card. Most recently the AMC Pankration fighter stopped David Douglas in the second round at a Challengers event in April.

Terry (10-2) has also won three fights in a row. In his last outing on April 1st, he knocked out Josh Thornburg in the first round of their Challengers tilt.

Ryan Couture will look to extend his pro record to 3-0 against lightweight Matt Ricehouse (4-0). Couture is coming off a third round, submission win over Lee Higgins in February, while Ricehouse hasn’t fought since December, when he worked his way to a unanimous decision win over Tom Aaron.

Other bouts that have been confirmed for the upcoming Challengers event include Antwain Britt vs. Danillo Villefort, Julia Budd vs. Germaine De Randamie and Lorenz Larkin vs. Gian Villante.

The card will be broadcast live on Showtime.

READ MORE - Caros Fodor vs. James Terry, Ryan Couture vs. Matt Ricehouse and Others Confirmed for June 24th Strikeforce

Pat Bennett Confident He’ll Hand Guram Gugenishvili First Defeat

By Kelsey Mowatt; photo courtesy M-1 Global

Although Pat Bennett has been demonstrating why he’s a heavyweight prospect on the move, the former All-American wrestler is the first to concede that the hype surrounding his next opponent, M-1 Global Heavyweight Champion Guram Gugenishvili, is far more substantial. While Bennett will head into their upcoming July 8th bout with a combined pro-am MMA record of 7-2, Gugenishvili’s championship status and 11-0 record has turned more than a few heads throughout the sport.

“For one, this will be a championship fight and I really want a title,” Bennett told FCF while discussing the growing profile of his next opponent, “For two, yeah, he does have a lot of hype behind him. I think this is one of those fights that will put my name on the map. I’ve fought big fights before, my second pro fight was against the current Bellator champ Cole Konrad, so I’ve been there before against big competitors. I think this is going to be great. I don’t think he’s really been tested.”

Of course, Bennett believes he has the athletic abilities and skills to be the first man to defeat Gugenishvili. The Ukrainian has earned a reputation throughout his two year plus career for possessing solid wrestling skills and a threatening submission game, evidenced by the fact that ten of his eleven pro wins have come via tap-out. Bennett believes, however, that questions remain about Gugenishvili’s striking game. (Pictured: Bennett punching Alexander Volkov)

“He has a grappling background and he has a wrestling background, but stylistically I think I present problems for him,” said the Team Bombsquad heavyweight. “In all of his fights he’s been able to take the guy down; I’m not saying he won’t be able to take me down, but it’s a question of whether he’s going to be able to hold me down. Can he do what he needs to do to win? I think my wrestling is going to come into play, keep me out of bad positions, or he may not be able to take me down.”

“I’d like to utilize a little bit of everything,” Bennett added, who is coming off a unanimous decision win over Alexander Volkov at M-1 Challenge XXII in December. “I don’t think I’ve had a fight yet where I’ve been able to open out and use my striking, use my wrestling, so I think this is a great opportunity to do that.”

In fact, according to Bennett, the 6’2, 240lb. heavyweight began asking for a shot at Gugenishvili after the champ's most recent win.

“It’s kind of funny, I was a little surprised at first given the fact that I’ve only been with M-1 for a couple of fights, and on paper I don’t have that many fights,” said Bennett when asked for his reaction upon finding out he would be the man to face Gugenishvili in his U.S. debut. “After his last fight with Maxim Grishin I said to one of the M-1 guys ‘what do I have to do to get a fight with him?’ Then we found out a couple of weeks later that I was going to be fighting him. Like I said before, I just think stylistically I’m a good match-up for him.”

In addition to the fact that on July 8th Bennett will have an opportunity to win the M-1 Global title and become the first man to defeat Gugenishvili; the event will be broadcast across the U.S. on Showtime.

“I think it’s pretty sweet,” Bennett noted about the event, which does not have a confirmed venue or location yet. “I’ve been on TV before but this is going to be the headliner, so that’s huge at this point in my career. Headlining on Showtime means a lot to me. I know I’m going to have a lot of friends and family watching, so I’m going to do my best for them.”


READ MORE - Pat Bennett Confident He’ll Hand Guram Gugenishvili First Defeat

Titan FC 18: Brian Davidson Confirmed Opponent for Jens Pulver

By FCF Staff

Titan FC has not only confirmed a new opponent for veteran Jens Pulver, the promotion has announced that the former UFC lightweight champ will compete at a new weight when he heads to Kansas City for the May 27th card. Pulver (pictured), who has been competing at featherweight, will meet former Strikeforce competitor Brian Davidson in a catch-weight bouts of 140lbs. 

“Brian retired from active competition last year in order to focus on his duties as the head trainer at K2L/Grindhouse MMA. However, the offer to fight a legend in this sport on HDNet was too much for Brian to pass up,” said Titan Fighting CEO Joe Kelly. “Brian is a former world Tae Kwon Do champion and his unique striking style will make for an explosive fight.”

Davidson (6-3) competed last at Bellator 32 in October, 2010, and knocked out Shane Hutchinson in the first round. The win was Davidson’s first since 2009, after he lost back-to-back bouts to Danny Crim and Kevin Croom.

Pulver (24-14-1) has won two fights in a row now after dropping six straight from June, 2008 through 2010. Most recently the accomplished fighter worked his way to a split decision win over Wade Choate at a Chicago Cagefighting Championship event in March.

Here is the line-up to date for Titan FC 18, which will be broadcast live on HDNet.

Jens “’Lil Evil” Pulver (24-14-1) vs. Brian “Mr. D” Davidson (6-3) at 140 lbs.

Drew “The Massacre” McFedries vs. (9-6) Darryl Cobb (6-2) at 185 lbs.

Rory Markham (16-6) vs. Rudy “Bad News” Bears (12-7) at 170 lbs.

Joe “The Nose” Wilk (11-5) vs. Jesse Zeugin (5-1) at 145 lbs.

John Ott (8-8) vs. Mike Glynn (5-5) at 185 lbs.

“Super Duper” Bobby Cooper (5-3) vs. Nick Budig (5-1) at 155 lbs.

Sean “P-Town” Wilson (27-15) vs. Deryck Ripley (11-19) at 155 lbs.
READ MORE - Titan FC 18: Brian Davidson Confirmed Opponent for Jens Pulver

Anderson Silva, Yushin Okami Rematch Confirmed for UFC 134

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

By FCF Stafff

As expected, Anderson Silva will get an opportunity to face the last man to defeat him on August 27th, as the Ultimate Fighting Championship has confirmed that the middleweight champion will fight Yushin Okami at UFC 134. The event will take place at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Pictured: Okami hitting Silva in January, 2006)

Silva (28-4) has gone to become one of the sport’s greatest superstars, since he was disqualified for upkicking Yushin Okami illegally at Rumble on the Rock 8 in January, 2006, by winning 14 straight fights. The Brazilian fighter is coming off an electrifying, first round knockout over fellow countrymen Vitor Belfort, at UFC 126 in February.

Okami (26-5) will finally contend for the UFC middleweight crown, after scoring back-to-back wins over noted competitors Mark Munoz and Nate Marquardt, to extend his Octagon record to 10-2. The only men to defeat the Japanese fighter in the UFC are former champion Rich Franklin and contender Chael Sonnen.

Some of the other bouts that are scheduled for August 27 include a light-heavyweight bout between former champions Forrest Griffin and Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, a lightweight tilt between Ross Pearson and Edson Barboza, and another lightweight clash between veterans Spencer Fisher and Thiago Tavares.
READ MORE - Anderson Silva, Yushin Okami Rematch Confirmed for UFC 134

Joe Doerksen vs. Luigi Fioravanti, Antonio Carvalho vs. Douglas Evans Added to June 10th Score Fighting Series

By FCF Staff

Score Media Inc. has confirmed several notable bouts for the company’s upcoming June 10th, Score Fighting Series card in Mississauga, Ontario, as middleweight Joe Doerksen (pictured) will face fellow UFC vet Luigi Fioravanti, and former Shooto featherweight contender Antonio Carvalho will take on Octagon veteran Douglas Evans.

Doersken (46-15) will be looking to end a three fight losing streak, after the well traveled fighter won seven straight from April, 2008 through June, 2010. Doerksen last competed on March 25th, when he was stopped via doctor stoppage due to cut, by Hector Lombard while fighting on a Cage Fighting Championship card.

“He's tough and talented," said Doerksen in the official announcement.  ”I respect him as a fighter, but I'm looking to ruin his night."

Fioravanti (22-9) will head to Canada having gone 4-1 in his last five fights. Most recently, on April 28th at M-1 Challenge 25, he lost by unanimous decision to accomplished veteran Andrei Semenov.

Carvalho (12-4) has won back-to-back bouts since he returned to his native Canada, after living and competing in Japan for several years. The featherweight is coming off a KO win over Juan Barrantes at a W-1 event last June.

Evans (13-8) is coming off a submission loss to Alexander Sarnavskiy on May 7th, after scoring wins over Tristan Johnson and Maurice Mitchell in October and January respectively.

"I'm very excited to fight Antonio," stated Evans. "He's very well rounded and it's going to be a battle."

Score media has also confirmed a bantamweight bout between Josh Hill (5-0) and Roland Delorme (6-1) for the June 10th event, as well as a lightweight tilt between Mike Ricci (6-1) and Pete Brown (2-2). 

The upcoming event will be taped and broadcast on The Score network over the coming weeks.
READ MORE - Joe Doerksen vs. Luigi Fioravanti, Antonio Carvalho vs. Douglas Evans Added to June 10th Score Fighting Series

Douglas Lima, Michael Costa Latest Bellator Signings

By FCF Staff

Bellator Fighting Championship has announced two more significant additions to the promotion’s roster, as former Maximum Fighting Championship champ Douglas Lima (pictured) and Wand Fight Team instructor Michael Costa have been signed to its welterweight division.

Lima (18-4) arrives in Bellator having won seven straight, which in addition to winning the MFC title, saw the ATT Atlanta fighter score wins over Jesse Juarez, Ryan Ford and UFC vet Terry Martin.

“In every promotion I've fought in, I've always wanted to be the best welterweight in the division - but with Bellator, this is it,” the 23 year-old Lima was quoted saying in the official announcement. “This is a big organization and I'm going to be fighting on national television on MTV2. This is it for me, finally.”

No information regarding Lima’s Bellator debut was given.

“Over the last two years, Douglas has taken his game to an entirely different level.  Many considered him one of the top unsigned welterweights in MMA today.  I’m very happy to say that he’s no longer unsigned and that he will be fighting for Bellator,” said Bellator Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “We continue to develop one of the strongest 170 lbs. divisions in the sport, and Douglas will be a fantastic addition to that.”

Costa
Costa (10-5-1) hasn’t competed since last November, when he stopped Danny Salinas in the first round, while competing under the South Texas Fighting Championships banner. The soon to be 30 year-old-fighter is 2-2-1 in his last five bouts, with losses coming to Nick Thompson and Makoto Takimoto at Sengoku Raiden Championship 3 and 8 respectively.

“Anyone that has seen me fight before knows that I fight with all my heart, and that I fight to finish my fights by knockout,” said Costa, who is a BJJ Black Belt under Royce Gracie and a Muay Thai black belt under Rafael Cordeiro. “For me, fighting is a war. I want to finish all of my fights with Bellator so the fans remember my name.”

When Costa will make his Bellator debut was not announced.

“Michael Costa has all the tools to have a breakout year and his no nonsense approach in the cage made him a perfect fit for Bellator”, said Bellator Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney about the Wand Fight Team instructor. “His addition to our welterweight division makes a strong 170 lbs. class that much stronger.”
READ MORE - Douglas Lima, Michael Costa Latest Bellator Signings