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 27^th 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

By FCF Stafff

As expected, Anderson Silva will get an opportunity to face the last man to defeat him on August 27^th, 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 10^th, 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 25^th, 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 28^th 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 10^th 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

Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard III Postponed Due to Injuries

By FCF Staff

Fans looking forward to the third chapter of the ongoing Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard series will have to wait longer than May 28^th, as today the Ultimate Fighting Championship has confirmed that the bout has been postponed. The UFC has announced that both the lightweight champion Edgar (pictured) and the challenger Maynard have suffered injuries in their training camps, and will no longer be able to compete later this month as scheduled.

No specific information regarding each fighter’s injuries was reported. The light-heavyweight tilt between former champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Matt Hamill will now be the UFC 130 main event, which will be hosted by the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

Edgar and Maynard battled to a draw in their thrilling, five round rematch on January 1^st, setting in motion a third bout between the two. Maynard worked his way to a unanimous decision win over Edgar in their first meeting, which took place in April, 2008. Since then Edgar (13-1-1) has gone 5-0-1, a run which includes two wins over former champion BJ Penn.

The undefeated Maynard (10-0-1) won five straight following his win over Edgar, scoring victories over notable contenders like Kenny Florian, Roger Huerta and Jim Miller.

Other bouts scheduled for UFC 130 include Frank Mir vs. Roy Nelson, Rick Story vs. Thiago Alves, Stefan Struve vs. Travis Browne and Brian Stann vs. Jorge Santiago.

READ MORE - Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard III Postponed Due to Injuries

UFC Announces Accident-Insurance Coverage for Fighters

By FCF Staff

Fighters under contract to Zuffa LLC, the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship and Strikeforce, will now have additional resources to assist them when they are forced to withdraw from a bout due to injury. Zuffa has announced today that it has reached an agreement with Houston Casualty Insurance Company, which will provide insurance coverage for nearly 350 fighters under contract, that get injured while training or in non-training incidents.

According to the news release posted on the official UFC site, the new policy adds 24-hour worldwide medical life insurance and dental coverage, as well as emergency medical evacuation. Zuffa will pay 100 percent of the premiums for its athletes and have an employee dedicated to handling and filing all claims.

Previously, as per athletic commission regulations, Zuffa was responsible for covering the medical costs fighters required as a result of a bout; however, fighters were not covered for injuries they incurred during training camp.

“Our athletes are some of the very best in the world and we’ve committed significant financial resources to provide them with insurance that complements the gold standard we have set for event-related coverage,” UFC Chairman and CEO Lorenzo Fertitta was quoted saying in the official news release. “We’re pleased to provide coverage that enables our athletes to seek and receive treatment for injuries sustained while preparing for bouts.”

No financial figures regarding the cost of the new agreement between Zuffa and Houston Casualty Insurance were included.

READ MORE - UFC Announces Accident-Insurance Coverage for Fighters

Takeshi Inoue vs. Koichiro Matsumoto Added to May 29th Dream

By FCF Staff

Dream continues to confirm bouts for the promotion’s first event in 2011, as today the organization announced that Deep Featherweight Champion Koichiro Matsumoto will take on former Shooto champ “Lion” Takeshi Inoue, on May 29^th.

The upcoming “Fight for Japan” event will be hosted by the Saitama Super Arena, in Saitama, Japan.

Inoue (19-5) heads into Dream 17 following a second round stoppage of Taiki Tsuchiya  at a Shooto event on April 29^th, after dropping back-to-back bouts to Hatsui Hioki and more recently Kazuyaki Miyata. The 31 year-old-veteran is 7-3 in his last ten fights.

Matsumoto (12-2) continues to impress as the 25 year-old-featherweight has won five straight. Most recently at Deep’s 51^ST Impact card in December, Matsumoto stopped Shoji Maruyama in the third round. Matsumoto’s only loss since 2007 took place in April, 2009, when he was knocked out by Dream vet Katsunori Kikuno.

Dream 17 will also feature the opening round and semi-finals of the promotion’s bantamweight grand-prix, as well as Joachim Hansen vs. Mitsuhiro Ishida, Kikuno vs. Daisuke Nakamura and Caol Uno vs. Akiyo Nishiura.

Lightweight champion Shinya Aoki is also scheduled to compete; however, no opponent has been confirmed yet.

READ MORE - Takeshi Inoue vs. Koichiro Matsumoto Added to May 29th Dream

Jay Hieron Wins Bellator Welterweight Tourney

By FCF Staff; photo courtesy Bellator FC

Jay Hieron may have face more established MMA competitors before fighting Rick Hawn last night in Newkirk, Oklahoma, but the former Judo Olympian gave the welterweight veteran all he could handle in the finals of Bellator’s welterweight tournament. (Pictured: Hieron hitting Hawn with a right)

From the opening bell, Hawn was the aggressor, as the renowned judo practitioner stalked Hieron around the cage while the Xtreme Couture fighter looked to counter. While a backpedalling Hieron utilized kicks and punches to keep the renowned judo practitioner at a distance, by the third round, it was Hawn who was scoring more often with strikes.

After the extremely competitive affair, Hieron was awarded the tourney victory with a narrow split decision nod from the judges, entrenching a future bout between the 22-4 fighter and undefeated, Bellator Welterweight Champ, Ben Askren.

In another notable bout from the Bellator 43 card, UFC vet Joe Riggs fell to rising middleweight Bryan Baker, as the judo black belt floored Riggs in the second round with a hard left hand. As Baker stood over the fallen Riggs, appearing to evaluate whether or not the veteran fighter was in fact finished, the referee jumped in to save the stunned fighter from any further damage.

Afterwards, Baker celebrated the win by asking his girlfriend to marry him, who agreed to the thrilled fighter’s proposal live on MTV 2.

Here are the results from the Bellator 43 broadcast.

Jay Hieron def. Rick Hawn by Split Decision (29-28. 28-29, 29-28)

Bryan Baker def. Joe Riggs by TKO (Referee Stoppage Due to Strikes, R2)

Chase Beebe def. Jose Vega by Submission (Guillotine 4:06, R1)

Ron Sparks def. Vince Lucero by Submission (Keylock 2:18, R1)

READ MORE - Jay Hieron Wins Bellator Welterweight Tourney