Archive for May, 2012

Check out the controversial fight from Bellator 70 that has the MMA world buzzing. WWE Tough Enough star Jeremiah Riggs went toe to toe with Kelvin Tiller and was leading on the scorecards heading into round 3. Late in the third round the ref stopped the fight saying that Riggs submitted to a kimura even though it wasn’t heard on the broadcast. Riggs did make a noise each time he rolled out of danger but apparently the commissioner told the ref he verbally submitted and the fight was stopped. Riggs insisted he didn’t tap or verbally submit after the fight but it was too late and the judges decision was final. Watch the fight and see for yourself what happened.

Tickets for the highly-anticipated, star-studded sophomore Invicta Fighting Championships all-women’s Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) event featuring a bantamweight (135 pounds) main event showdown between 2004 Olympic Wrestling Silver Medalist and undefeated MMA star Sara McMann (5-0) of Gaffney, SC. and battle-tested submission wizard Shayna “The Queen of Spades” Baszler (14-6) of Sioux Falls, SD., go on sale Fri., June 1.

In the bantamweight (135 pounds) co-main event of the 13-bout fight card that will take place at Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kan. on Sat., July 28, Japanese Jiu-Jitsu black belt and Cesar Gracie-protégé Alexis Davis (11-5) of Colborne, Ontario Canada will take on former Smackgirl Champion Hitomi “Girlfight Monster” Akano (18-9) of Tokyo, Japan.

Priced from $25, tickets will be available for purchase at Memorial Hall box office (913) 549-4853), online at Ticketmaster.com and InvictaFC.com and by phone at (800) 745-3000.

“With our second event, we are bringing in top competitors from all over the world in order to deliver a card stacked, from top to bottom, with some of the best matchups in the entire women’s field of MMA fighters,” said Invicta Fighting Championships President and Co-Founder Shannon Knapp.

In other main card action, U.S. Marine and rising bantamweight star Liz “Girl-rilla” Carmouche (6-2) of San Diego, Calif. will square off with St. Louis Park, Minnesota’s Kaitlin Young (7-5-1), who earned “Fight of the Night” honors at the inaugural Invicta event on April 28.
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Bellator Fighting Championships returned to “The Crescent City” Friday night for the close of Bellator’s action packed sixth season. Bellator Heavyweight Champion Cole Konrad made the first successful title defense of his career while Rick Hawn won the Bellator Season 6 Lightweight Tournament with a dynamic performance. Also, Luis Nogueira will move on to the finals of the Bellator Season 6 Bantamweight Tournament and Rich Clementi picked up an impressive victory at Bellator 70 from Harrah’s in New Orleans, Louisiana LIVE on MTV2 and in HD on EPIX.

“The performance Rick Hawn and Brent Weedman delivered was a fantastic way to close our sixth season,” Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney said. “Cole Konrad once again proved why he is one of the best heavyweights in the world, while Luis Nogueira advanced in dominating fashion. Harrah’s New Orleans provided us with a great venue, and our Summer Series is shaping up to be one for the ages.”

Heading into their fight in “The Big Easy,” Bellator Season 6 Lightweight Tournament finalists Rick Hawn and Brent Weedman dominated their competition through the first two rounds of the tournament. With an opportunity to face Bellator World Lightweight Champion Michael Chandler within reach, both men were eager to prove their status as the #1 contender. Throughout a fight engaged primarily on the feet, both fighters were able to land solid shots in front of an electric New Orleans crowd. However, it was the polished striking and the world-class takedowns of Hawn (14-1) that ultimately led him to victory. For three rounds, Hawn appeared to land the harder shots while Weedman (21-8-1) tried his best to deliver strikes of his own. However, it was not enough as all three judges awarded Rick Hawn a unanimous decision victory as he becomes the Bellator Season 6 Lightweight Tournament Champion

“Chandler, I know you’re watching at home, I’m coming for you,” said Hawn.
In his first title defense since defeating Neil Grove at Bellator 32, undefeated Bellator World Heavyweight Champion and two-time NCAA Wrestling Champion Cole Konrad looked to send a message to all the heavyweights on the Bellator roster, and he did just that against challenger Eric Prindle. Almost immediately, Prindle (7-2) came out throwing with ill intentions, however Konrad (9-0) secured a signature takedown and began working for a kimura. Prindle tried to fend off the Champion’s submission attempt, but was unable to gain a better position. Konrad twisted with increasing intensity until the “The American Soldier” was forced to submit 1:00 into the fight.

“I think I have a pretty solid base with my wrestling,” said Konrad. “I’ve got to keep improving on my standup, my submission, and my wrestling, too.”

In the second Bellator Season 6 Bantamweight Tournament semifinal fight, four-fight Bellator veteran Luis Nogueira and Hiroshi Nakamura squared off with the winner meeting Marcos Galvao for the tournament championship. Throughout the bout, the reach advantage for Nogueira (14-2) was evident. While the first round was close, the second and third is where Nogueira found his rhythm. In the second, the Japanese star Nakamura (15-6-4) found himself on the receiving end of crisp striking and a big full body slam. In the third round, Nogueira came out just as aggressive as he was in the second. After an exchange on the feet, Nogueira was able to land a right hand that floored “Iron.” After a series of follow up punches, referee Jason Herzog stepped in to stop the fight at 1:58 of the third round.
“Since the start of the fight, I knew he was feeling my punches,” said Nogueira. “I was looking for the right moment to finish the fight.”

In the first fight of the evening, 56-fight MMA veteran and local fan favorite Rich Clementi looked to earn his first win under the Bellator umbrella when he met promotional newcomer, Derek Campos. Clementi (43-21-1) showed patience in the opening moments of action, letting Campos (9-3) dictate the pace of the fight. However, after a quick scramble to get back to his feet, Campos found himself in a guillotine choke that “No Love” did not abandon. With no way out, Campos was forced to tap at 4:18 of the first round.
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You knew it was coming and it finally did. UFC President Dana White has summoned light heavyweight champ Jon Jones to Vegas to meet with him and Lorenzo Fertitta after his DWI arrest last week. White told the Boston Herald that Jones could go down as one of the greatest of all time but had to figure out which road he would choose to go down.

“It’s really sitting down and figuring out what is it you want to do. You’re 24 years old, you could be a force in this sport for the next 10 years and go down as the greatest ever – beat everybody, do all this stuff, be the first guy to break through and get a Nike deal, the first guy to get Gatorade and all these other things. Do you want to be that guy or do you want to go the other way? You can go the other way, too, and you can be the total bad guy, make a few million here or there and then go tell everybody to go, ‘(Expletive) off.’ It’s no different whether it’s the UFC, boxing, the NBA, the NFL – it’s the guys who really focus and get their (stuff) together no matter how old you are, whether you’re 21 or 31. That’s what we’ve got to figure out where Jones is at and what he wants to do.”

Rampage Jackson and Joe Rogan have kissed and made up after the former champ went off on Twitter about the UFC commentator. Rogan went out of his way to talk to Jackson and clear the air. Rampage is pretty temperamental about things and gets his feelings hurt a lot all the time.

UFC light heavyweight champ Jon Jones was arrested this morning after hitting a pole with his Bentley. He was booked for DUI and his mother bailed him out a little while later. This afternoon his management team First Round Management released a statement and confirms that he was arrested.

“I can confirm that Jon Jones was arrested early this morning on suspicion of DUI. While the facts of this situation are still being gathered and situated, First Round Management fully supports Jon and we are asking for fans and media to respect the privacy of Jon and his family during this time.”

So much for Jones squeaky clean image and hopes of a Nike sponsorship. It will be interesting to see how he handles himself now that his wholesome image has taken a hit.

Respect Your Universe, Inc. (RYU) (OTCBB: RYUN), http://www.ryu.com/, is pleased to announce that on Saturday, May 19th Josh Thomson will be representing RYU at Strikeforce as the Co-Main Event of Barnett vs. Cormier. Getting underway at 7:00 p.m. PST against Gilbert Melendez, Thomson is a former Strikeforce Lightweight Champion and holds a 19-4-0 win/loss/draw Martials Arts record.

Thomson, who will be wearing head-to-toe RYU apparel at Strikeforce on Saturday, is an American Mixed Martial Arts fighter currently training with the American Kickboxing Academy (AKA). Thomson has also fought in Japan’s PRIDE Fighting Championships and with the UFC as well as the World Fighting Alliance.

“It is an honor to wear RYU for my third fight against Melendez,” said Josh Thomson. “I love the gear and what RYU represents. Thank you RYU for your support.”

For the weigh-ins on Friday, Thomson will be wearing the Grey Warrior Hoody and Pants, Black Compression Shorts and White Day Beanie. On Saturday night fight, Thomson will be showcasing the Red Wakizashi Fight Shorts by RYU (containing their patent-pending waist closure technology with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office) designed specifically to enhance the overall performance of Martial Artists while keeping them comfortable at the same time. The corners will wear the Red RYU Signature T-Shirt and White Cage Cap.

“I have seen Josh train at AKA on several occasions, he is a beast in the gym and is ready for the third match up with Gilbert Melendez,” commented RYU Brand Ambassador, Rocky Bice. “Melendez is a great fighter, this will be a battle for sure! I am proud to have RYU representing one of the two warriors.”

Inspired by the dedication of the athlete to the one-thousand-year-old sport of Martial Arts, RYU’s debut premium performance Men’s Spring Line embodies the art of the sport and places emphasis on respect, strength, honor and sustainability as the foundation of their apparel and products. Items now available from the Men’s Spring line include compression tops and shorts, fleece pants and hoodies, wind and track jackets, t-shirts and various accessories such as duffle bags and headwear items. In addition to this, RYU also released their fight shorts and training pants designed specifically to enhance the overall performance of Martial Artists while keeping them comfortable at the same time.

Built for Athletes, Suited for Style, all of the RYU apparel items and products have been produced from organic and/or recycled materials utilizing some of the best yarn and fabric suppliers in the world while achieving the performance attributes desired by Martial Arts fighters and the true everyday athlete.

For more information on RYU visit http://www.ryu.com or call +1-888-455-6183 ext. 101.

On 19th May Strikeforce returns to its hometown of San Jose, California to bring us the final installment of the acclaimed Heavyweight Grand Prix tournament.

On 12th February 2011 Strikeforce launched the Heavyweight Grand Prix, bringing together eight of the World’s best Heavyweight fighters to compete in a tournament format. Pitting such heavyweight luminaries as Fedor Emilianenko, Alistair Overeem, Fabricio Werdum, Josh Barnett and Andrei Arlovski against each other, the winner would be able to claim the crown of best Heavyweight on the planet.

Long time Heavyweight number one, Fedor Emilianenko, was the early favourite for the crown despite coming in off a shock loss to Fabricio Werdum. However Fedor’s dominance would be shattered as he was brutally picked apart by Antonio ‘Big Foot’ Silva in a second round defeat which left many wondering if Fedor would fight again.

‘Big Foot’ Silva would assume the favourites mantle as Alistair Overeem was forced to withdraw from the tournament following a contract dispute with Strikeforce over his required recovery time following an injury in his victory over Werdum.
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The Big Easy will be the host for Bellator 70 as heavyweights Cole Konrad and Eric Prindle face off for the Bellator World Championship and headline a loaded fight card presented by Harrah’s New Orleans from the New Orleans Convention Center on Friday, May 25. Reality star Jeremiah Riggs will be featured on the undercard.

The night will also feature the Finals of Bellator’s Lightweight Tournament, a Bantamweight Tournament Semifinal fight and a host of preliminary action featuring some of Louisiana’s best talent, including New Orleans’ own Rich Clementi.

Tickets for Bellator 70 are now on sale and can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com or by visiting the New Orleans Convention Center Box Office. Tickets are priced from $30-$125. The event will also be broadcast LIVE starting at 7 p.m. CST on MTV2 and in commercial-free HD on EPIX. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. CST, with the first fight scheduled for 6 p.m. CST.

The preliminary card, featuring the area’s top talent will be streamed LIVE and FREE on Spike.com starting at 6 p.m. CST. The official weigh-ins for Bellator 70 will be held at 5 p.m. ET on Thursday, May 24 at Masquerade inside Harrah’s Casino.

After a dominating run through the Season 6 Lightweight Tournament that included a vicious knockout over Ricardo Tirloni at Bellator 62. Rick Hawn is looking to secure his guaranteed title shot with a victory over Brent Weedman. For Weedman, the longtime Bellator veteran is eager for his title shot, and knows it’s just a victory away.

Star-divide

“Winning this tournament is important to me because it will really cement who I am as a fighter,” Weedman said. “With each round, the tougher guys are going to advance, and they will be able to get that exposure on TV again and again. The fans at home will be following their stories and following their fights. Whoever wins this tournament is going to be solidified.”

Known as one of the better bantamweight prospects in MMA, Luis Nogueira is set to take on the incredibly skilled “Iron” Nakamura in the Season 6 Bantamweight Semifinals. Both secured dominating victories in their quarterfinal fights, and will look to keep the momentum going into the finals at Bellator 70.

The night will also feature Louisiana native Rich “No Love” Clementi returning to the Bellator cage after nearly two years against Derek Campos. A long time veteran of the sport, Clementi holds notable victories over Melvin Guillard, Anthony “Rumble” Johnson and Sam Stout, and is primed for a homecoming victory.

New Orleans native Charlie “Superstar” Rader will look to get back to his winning ways when he squares off against fellow welterweight A.J. Matthews in front of family and friends. The 30-year-old Rader has won both of his previous fights in Bellator, as “Superstar” delivered two TKO finishes to Josh Rafferty and Christian Fulgium.

An intriguing catchweight contest will take place as once-beaten prospect Josh Shockley faces local fighter Keith Schneider. Shockley is currently riding a three-fight winning streak that includes a Bellator 60 victory over Shamar Bailey.

The New Orleans Convention Center will play host to a middleweight bout as Cologne, Germany’s Jonas Billstein takes on well-traveled MMA veteran Mike Seal. Billstein, who enjoyed a nine-fight winning streak to begin his career, is looking to make a statement when he enters the Bellator cage against New Orleans’ Seal.

MMA veteran Kyle Bradley of nearby Denham Springs, Louisiana will step back in the cage when he meets John Harris in a lightweight fight. Bradley, who has scored a finish in 15 of his 16 wins, will try to secure his first win this year at Bellator 70.

Also, local bantamweights Blake Dufour and Derek Arcement will meet as the two young, hungry fighters looking to take their careers to the next level. Both men will be making their Bellator debuts when they meet in front of an electric New Orleans crowd.

Rounding out the card, WWE Tough Enough star Jeremiah Riggs will meet fellow middleweight Kelvin Tiller in a 185-pound matchup. Tiller, who has posted three consecutive wins, will look to keep his momentum going against Riggs.

MAIN CARD:
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Jon Jones will put his UFc light heavyweight belt on the line against Dan Henderson on Sept 1st at UFC 151 in Las Vegas according to Dana White.

Verbal agreements are in for one of the biggest fights of the year, as Dan Henderson, one of the most accomplished fighters in MMA history, will attempt to dethrone reigning UFC world light heavyweight champion Jon ‘Bones’ Jones at UFC 151 in Las Vegas.

Henderson will attempt to capture Jones’ title and figure out a way to beat the unstoppable champion. ‘Hendo’ is the Strikeforce light heavyweight champ and was the Pride champion when he unified the titles in a loss to Rampage Jackson a few years ago.