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FCF NEWS
March 12, 2010
MAXIMUM FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP UPDATE Updated Line-Up for MFC 25 Released By FCF Staff
The Maximum Fighting Championship has released an updated line-up for the promotion’s upcoming May 7th event; “Vindication” will take place at the Northlands Expo Centre in Edmonton, Alberta, and will be broacast live on HDNet. In the card’s co-main-event, UFC veteran Wilson Gouveia (12-7) will take on former TUF competitor Ryan Jimmo (12-1), for the #1 contender spot in the MFC light-heavyweight division. Gouveia hasn’t competed since December, when he was stopped by Alan Belcher at UFC 107, while Jimmo is coming off a Unanimous Decision victory over Emanuel Newton at MFC 23. The official main-event for the MFC 25 card has yet to be announced. Other bouts scheduled for the May 7th card include: Dwayne Lewis (11-4) vs. Mike Nickels (8-3), David Heath (14-6) vs. Solomon Hutcherson (11-6), Luigi Fioravanti (16-6) vs. Pete Spratt (20-17), and Kajan Johnson (17-11-1) vs. Richie Hightower (8-3).
March 12, 2010
DREAM UPDATE Escovedo vs. Maeda, Barnett Confirmed for Dream 13
March 11, 2010
SHINE FIGHTS UPDATE Thompson vs. Pamplona Confirmed for May 15th
March 11, 2010
BELLATOR FC UPDATE Hess and Loeffler Confirmed as 185lb. Tourney Participants By FCF Staff
Bellator Fighting Championships has announced today that Jared Hess and Sean Loeffler will both compete in the promotion’s upcoming second season, middleweight tournament, which is set to begin in April. The fighters are the fourth and fifth competitors to be confirmed for the tourney, joining the previously announced Bryan “The Beast” Baker, Matt Major and Eric Schambari. Hess (10-1-1) returns to Bellator after advancing to the finals of the promotion’s middleweight tournament last year, where he was stopped by current champion, Hector Lombard, in the fourth round. The former NCAA All American wrestler most recently competed at a Bricktown Brawl event in December, where he submitted Keith Johnson in the first round. “I’m looking forward to winning the tournament and getting a chance to face Hector again,” the 26 year-old Hess was quoted saying in the promotion’s news release. “I think it would be a much different outcome this time. My stand-up has improved by leaps and bounds since then. Add that to my wrestling and I think I’d have a distinct edge this time.” Loeffler (18-4) will make his Bellator debut having won 6 straight fights. The 27 year-old fighter, who turned pro at the age of 17, has been training in martial arts since the young age of five. “I watch fights on TV and the guys are dancing around and throwing jabs. That’s not for me … that’s not MMA,” Loeffler said. “This is not ballet. It’s combat sports, so you won’t see me stalling and circling. If there’s one word to describe my fighting style, it’s violent. Win or lose, if you fight me, you’re not gonna leave looking pretty.” Bellator’s second season will be carried live on Fox Sports Net.
March 10, 2010
UFC UPDATE Report: Bonnar Loses Appeal Over UFC 110 Loss By FCF Staff The Combat Sports Authority of New South Wales has decided that the TKO loss Stephan Bonnar incurred against Krzystztof Soszynski last month, at UFC 110 in Sydney, will stand. Bonnar incurred a fight ending cut on his forehead after he and Soszynski clashed heads in the third round of their February 20th fight. The referee ruled, however, that Bonnar had been cut due to a strike, and the bout was awarded to Soszynski. The Sports Network’s official site (TSN) reported news of Bonnar’s failed bid to have the bout ruled a No Contest earlier today. With the win being upheld, Soszynski’s record will remain at 19-19-1 while Bonnar’s stands at 11-7. Both fighters have agreed to have a rematch, however, no date has yet been confirmed by the UFC.
March 10, 2010
STRIKEFORCE UPDATE Holscher vs. Trevino Confirmed for Mar.26th Challengers By FCF Staff
Strikeforce has announced today that Ben “The Teacher” Holscher will take on fellow lightweight Alex Trevino, at the promotion’s upcoming March 26th Challengers event, which will be held at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, California. The card will be headlined by a heavyweight match-up between Lavar Johnson (13-3) and Lolohea Mahe (4-0-1). Holscher, who is a full time ninth grade teach and wrestling coach at Clovis High in Clovis, California, has gone undefeated in 5 professional fights to date. The former collegiate wrestler made his Strikefore debut in November and worked his way to a Unanimous Decision victory over Johnny Goh. “It definitely motivates you because there are a lot of people that are going to come out,’’ Holscher was quoted saying in a news release from the promotion. “There are a lot of people looking at me, especially my students. I don't want to let them down. I am thankful that I have the opportunity to use my career as a mixed martial artist to give back to the students who are in my life.’’ Trevino (4-1) has competed for Strikeforce on 4 occasions to date, and earned victories over Eric Jacob, Gennaro Strangis, and Isaiah Hill, before losing by UD to Rico Altamirano, at a Challengers event in November. Some of the other bouts scheduled for the March 26th Challengers event include “Abongo” Humphrey (5-1) vs. George Bush III (5-1), Luke Stewart (6-2) vs. Andre Galvao (3-1) and Zoila Frausto (2-0) vs. Miesha “Takedown” Tate (7-2).
March 9, 2010
NORTH AMERICAN FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIP NEWS Several UFC/ WEC Vets Confirmed for Inaugral NAFC Event By FCF Staff
The North American Fighting Championship has confirmed several UFC and WEC veterans for the promotion’s upcoming inaugral event, which will take place April 3rd, at the Wisconsin State Fair Park in West Allis, WI. The card will feature 10 bouts, including match-ups that will feature UFC vets Jason Dent and Sherman Pendergarst, former WEC competitor Joe Pearson, as well as Bellator FC vet, Nick Agallar. According to a news release sent out this afternoon, the NAFC is a joint venture between renowned striking and MMA coach Duke Roufus, businessman Scott Joffe, and Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame nose tackle Gilbert Brown.
March 9, 2010
BELLATOR FC UPDATE Toby Imada Returns for Bellator’s Second Season By FCF Staff
Bellator FC has confirmed that lightweight veteran Toby Imada will return for the promotion’s upcoming second season tournament, which is scheduled to begin next month. Imada (23-13) made headlines last May for his highlight reel, inverted triangle-choke victory over Jorge Masvidal, which advanced the veteran into Bellator’s first season tourney finals against Eddie Alvarez. Imada failed to win the Bellator Lightweight Championship, however, as Alvarez submitted him in the second round with a rear-naked-choke. “It’s a great thing for me to return to Bellator,” Imada was quoted saying in the Bellator news release. “I can’t promise that I’ll give the fans another inverted triangle, but I can promise that I’m gonna be fighting my heart out and looking to take home that belt. I want to thank Bellator for all the opportunities they’ve given me.” “Toby has meant a great deal to our company and we are very pleased to have him back for our Season 2 lightweight tournament,” said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “Toby Imada epitomizes the heart and soul of our tournament format where winning is what matters and where fighters can truly control their own destiny.” Most recently, on January 30th, Imada knocked out Daisuke Hanazawa in the second round at a King of the Cage event in Japan. The 31 year-old-fighter is the sixth confirmed participant for Bellator’s season 2 lightweight tournament, as Carey Vanier, Ferrid Kheder, Mike Ricci, Janne Tulirinta and Chad Hinton will also compete.
March 8, 2010
UFC UPDATE “Kimbo Slice” vs. Matt Mitrione Confirmed for UFC 113 By FCF Staff Although rumors surfaced recently speculating that Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson might face UFC newcomer James Toney in his next bout, the UFC has confirmed today that Slice will face fellow TUF 10 competitor Matt Mitrione, May 8th. The bout will take place on the televised portion of UFC 113, which will be held at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec. Slice (4-1) will be looking for his second UFC win, as in his first official Octagon bout last December, the Elite XC veteran worked his way to a Unanimous Decision victory over Houston Alexander. Mitrione (1-0) made his official pro MMA debut at the TUF 10 Finale in December a successful one, by knocking out fellow NFL veteran Marcus Jones in the second round. UFC 113 will be headlined by a rematch between light-heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida and challenger Mauricio “Shogun” Rua. Machida defended his title by Unanimous Decision in their first meeting last October, in what was widely considered to be an extremely competitive affair. Some of the other bouts scheduled for UFC 113 include Josh Koscheck vs. Paul Daley, Sam Stout vs. Jeremy Stephens, and Alan Belcher vs. Patrick Cote.
March 8, 2010
BELLATOR FC UPDATE Tyler Stinson Wins Bellator Open Tryout Kansas Fighter to Compete on Promotion’s April 29th Card By FCF Staff
Bellator Fighting Championship has announced today that 24 year-old Kansan, Tyler Stinson, was selected as the winner of the promotion’s open tryout this past weekend. The 16-5 fighter was chosen from a reported field of 72 athletes that attended the tryouts in Kansas. As a result of his performance, Stinson has earned a spot on the promotion’s upcoming April 29th card, which will take place at the Kansas City Power and Light District. “This whole experience was just awesome,” Stinson was quoted saying in a release from the promotion. “To hear my name called at the end of the day was just unbelievable. I’m really almost speechless right now. Bellator is just such a great organization and I’m excited for the chance to fight in front of my family and friends in Kansas City.” Stinson will head into his Bellator debut having won three straight fights. Most recently the veteran submitted Jerome Martinez with a first round armbar at a C3 event on February 13th. No announcement was made as to who Stinson will fight on April 29th. Bellator has also announced that the tryout’s second place finisher was Leonardo Pecanha (11-6), who is now being considered for a spot on one of the promotion’s cards in May. Bellator’s second season tournaments are scheduled to begin April 8th.
March 8, 2010
SHINE FIGHTS UPDATE Din Thomas Ready to Trade with Ricardo Mayorga By Kelsey Mowatt Last week much of the disussion throughout the MMA world focused on the news that heavyweight boxing champion James Toney had signed with the UFC, leading to widespread speculation as to who and what kind of fighter (striker, wrestler etc), the promotion might match Toney up against first. Well for sometime now, an upcoming bout between former welterweight and junior middleweight boxing champion Ricardo Mayorga and UFC veteran Din Thomas, has been in play for Shine’s May 15th event in Fayettville, North Carolina. In other words, in Mayorga’s first MMA test, he will face a well rounded fighter with a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt.
“No, not really,” said Thomas (25-8), when asked if he was surprised that Mayorga’s MMA debut would come against a notable competitor, himself. “The reason why is because he’s a tough guy; he’s a brawler, he likes to bang it out, he likes to fight. He’s been in with high level guys and if you’ve been in with a lot of high level guys it’s hard to go back down and start over. Plus he’s no spring chicken so it doesn’t surprise me that he wants to see what he can do right off the bat.” Of course, the question that is always present when contempating a match-up between a mixed-martial-artist like Thomas, and an accomplished boxer like the 36 year-old Mayorga (who in addition to winning several championships went 29-7 as a pro), is whether or not the MMA fighter will elect to stand and trade with the boxer, or look to exploit any weaknesses on the ground. “I don’t know yet,” said the 33 year-old Thomas. “It will really depend on my training camp. I definitely want to stand up with him for a little bit you know what I’m saying? I aint really just looking to go out there and submit him. I don’t really know the extent of how much I’m going to stand up with him. I’m definitely going to pick him apart and try to figure out where his weaknesses are.” “I know he has a lot of them,” Thomas added, who has won 3 straight fights. “We’ve all seen him fight; so we know he has a lot of weaknesses. I think I can exploit his weaknessess, and then when I’m ready to get him out of there, I might just take him down and submit him. I think I want to show the boxing world what a MMA fighter is capable of. Especially one that is of my caliber.” The debate regarding the well rounded capabilities of MMA competitors in comparison to the striking skills of professional boxers is certainly nothing new. Although the debate is old, the discussion has been heightened more recently, due to the imminent MMA debuts of fighters like Mayorga and Toney. “I think a lot of boxers have a really big ego,” said Thomas, when asked why he thinks more former boxing champions have made the decision to test the MMA waters. “They look at a lot of MMA fighters and see fighters who don’t have really sharp hands, and they think ‘this is a club fight; I’ll knock this bum right out.’ But they don’t know that there is a lot more to it than throwing hands. They don’t know that you just can’t set up the same way in MMA and look as pretty.” “Also I think part of it is financial,” Thomas furthered. “I think some of these guys have had their better days in boxing and it’s a little bit too challenging for them to go get bigger fights and get paid. They figure they can just come here and get paid. Not fight as tough a fight; this is what they think. They don’t know it’s going to be as tough as it will be.”
March 7, 2010
UFC UPDATE Claude Patrick Confirms New UFC Deal By FCF Staff IFL veteran and one of Canada’s top ranked welterweights, Claude Patrick (11-1), has confirmed to FCF that he has signed with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The deal comes after Patrick went 2-0 in 2009, defeating Dave Mazany and Daniel Grandmaison, and most recently in February, the welterweight submitted Matt MacGrath to extend the Mississauga fighter’s winning streak to 10. In an email Patrick told FCF:
“I'm super happy to be on the UFC roster, at this point in my career I could and maybe will write a book about some of the drama I've been through to make it here :) but with the support of my training partners and fans things managed to for the most part work out. That being said simply being in the UFC doesn’t mean a damn thing. I plan on training and performing at the highest level possible to make the dream a reality. Keep up on what I’m doing on my website at http://www.mississaugaelite.com.” Patrick has had a long road to the UFC; for example, after winning his IFL debut in September, 2006, by submitting Ray Steinbess with a first round guillotine choke, an injured knee kept Patrick out of action until May, 2008. In February, when asked by FCF whether or not he believed he was on the verge of making the jump to an established international promotion, Patrick said: “I have had some offers in the past, but after my IFL injury I realized the importance of developing my academy (Mississauga Elite), so the timing hasn’t been great,” Patrick told FCF last month. “Also it’s tough to make a jump to the top level competition without the proper training and in Toronto that is not quite yet available in a feasible way for me, so soon ‘quite soon I hope’, I’ll be making the move back to international fights. Record aside I think I display clean technique in my fights, can put together a correct sentence and like to think I’m moderately handsome and who doesn’t like that?” Patrick did not offer a comment on when he expects to make his UFC debut.
March 6, 2010
WEC 47 Cruz Beats Bowles for the Bantamweight Belt Benavidez Submits Torres By Dustin Lee DePue Columbus, OH—MMA fans in the Nationwide Arena witnessed the crowning of a new bantamweight champion as Dominick Cruz put on a fantastic display of footwork and timing en route to a TKO stoppage over champion Brian Bowles. In a battle of bantamweight contenders, Joseph Benavidez positioned himself as the next contender by submitting former champion Miguel Torres. Cruz used his brilliant combination of speed, athleticism and timing to dominate Bowles en route to a TKO stoppage between rounds. Cruz fought at 100 mph from beginning to end, using an impressive mix of dips, feints and fancy footwork to freeze out the hard hitting champion. Bowles responded to Cruz early by pursuing with his heavy right hand but he quickly found himself on the losing end of the exchanges as Cruz repeatedly landed overhand right counters. Bowles did manage to land a solid right hand but he had to eat several punches to get the one. Cruz added a takedown late in a round he clearly won. Bowles landed a hard right hand in the second round but again did so at the expense of eating several hard counter rights. Cruz’s seamless movement in and out of range coupled with lightening fast changes in direction and angle kept Bowles from setting up his power shots. As Bowles’s frustration began to show, Cruz turned up the heat, backing Bowles up with a four punch combination and dropping him with a hard low kick. Confused and frustrated, Bowles continued absorbing punishment for the rest of the round, walking back to his corner after the bell looking beat up. He failed to answer the bell for the third round citing a broken hand, resulting in a TKO victory for Cruz. Joseph Benavidez scored the biggest win of his career, stopping former bantamweight champion Miguel Torres by guillotine choke. Compact and powerful, Benavidez held the center of the cage, following as Torres bounced around out of range, countering Torres’s attacks with hard looping right hooks. Torres looked to use his reach advantage to pepper Benavidez with kicks and jabs. He landed with both but it was Benavidez landing the harder shots, knocking Torres down with a counter right hand as Torres kicked. Benavidez switched gears, taking Torres down with a beautiful hip toss. Torres immediately went for an armbar but Benavidez countered and controlled Torres on the ground for the remainder of the round. Benavidez opened the second round with a nice body- head combination. He pressed Torres, flicking out low kicks to close the distance and following with big hooks. Torres answered with his jab, which he landed several times until Benavidez perfectly timed a deep double leg takedown. Benavidez followed with a short elbow that opened a cut on Torres’s forehead. Torres, spilling blood everywhere, answered with an armbar attempt. Benavidez escaped and in the scramble locked on a tight guillotine, pulling guard and forcing the tapout at 2:57 of the second round. Javier Vasquez notched his first win in the WEC, besting fellow old-school veteran Jens Pulver by armbar. Pulver managed to grapple with the jiu-jitsu black belt for a time, threatening with a guillotine choke early and scoring several reversals on the mat. Despite survival in the early ground battles, Pulver wanted to stand and bang, however, an ill-advised low kick opened him up for a takedown and a second tour on the mat. After another scramble, Vazquez ended up in Pulver’s guard, which he quickly passed, landing punches from the crucifix position before securing the mount and spinning beautifully into an armbar that forced the tapout at 3:41 of the first round. After the fight, Pulver delivered an emotional speech, alluding to retirement and thanking the fans for their support and Dana White for all the opportunities given to him. For anyone who has watched Pulver since day one, it was an emotional moment. LC Davis took a majority decision in an uneventful affair against Deividas Taurosevicius. Most of the fight took place in the clinch with both fighters landing knees to the body and short punches to the head. Davis seemed to just barely get the better of the clinch by scoring a nice elbow from the clinch. In the second round, Taurosevicius was finally able to score a single leg takedown but was unable to do any damage on the ground as Davis quickly worked back to his feet. Davis countered late in the round with a takedown of his own in another very close round. The final round saw Davis land a solid left cross and score a takedown. There were few memorable moments and the fight was close enough to go either way or be ruled a draw, but two of the judges felt Davis did enough to earn the win by a score of 29-28, 29-28, 28-28. Bart “Bartimus” Palaszewski turned around a characteristic slow start with a brilliant submission victory over Karen Darabedyan. Darabedyan came out aggressive, backing Palaszewski against the cage with a flurry of wild punches before scooping him up and slamming him to the mat. Palaszewski immediately went to work on his back, looking for triangles and armbars as Darabedyan dropped hammerfists and punches. Shortly after getting his bell rung by a solid right hand, Bartimus took advantage of Darabedyan’s reckless attack by slapping on a beautiful armbar. Darabedyan fought to escape but was eventually forced to tap with just twenty seconds left in the round. WEC 47 Full Results Dominick Cruz def Brian Bowles by TKO (Injury) 0:00 Rd 2 Joseph Benavidez def Miguel Torres by Guillotine Choke 2:57 Rd 2 Javier Vazquez def Jens Pulver by Armbar 3:41 Rd 1 L.C. Davis def Deividas Taurosevicius by Majority Decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-28) Bart Palaszewski def Karen Darabedyan by Armbar 4:40 Rd 1 Scott Jorgensen def Chad George by Guillotine Choke 0:31 Rd 1 Chad Mendes def Erik Koch by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) Anthony Pettis def Danny Castillo by KO 2:17 Rd 1 Leonard Garcia and George Roop fight to a draw (29-27, 27-29, 28-28) Fredson Paixao def Courtney Buck by Rear Naked Choke 2:39 Rd1 Ricardo Lamas def Bendy Casimir by KO 3:43 Rd 1
March 6, 2010
WEC UPDATE Fighters Make Weight for WEC “Bowles vs. Cruz”
March 5, 2010
UFC NEWS Swick Confirms Injury; Not Fighting Serra April 17th By FCF Staff
In a post attributed to Mike Swick on the welterweight fighter’s official Twitter page, the veteran has stated that he will not be fighting Matt Serra on April 17th as rumoured, due to an injured arm. Reports have surfaced today speculating that the UFC is looking to promote an event on April 17th, the same day that Strikeforce is scheduled to hold a card at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. A bout between Swick and Serra was rumored to be in the works as part of the UFC’s counterprogramming effort. In response to a question regarding the possibility of a bout with Serra, a post on Swick’s Twitter account stated: Not fighting Serra guys. Most likely having surgery soon. And then in a follow up post shortly after, more details were given, regarding the nature of Swick’s injury. Dr appt on Mon. to figure out how they are going to fix my arm which is most certainly only w/surgery. MRI results were pretty bad. Swick (14-4) is coming off a defeat at the hands of Paulo Thiago, who rendered the former middleweight unconscious with a second round choke at UFC 109 in February. |
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