MMA News Thread
- Thread starter Shogun Locc
- Start date
from SF Challengers 10 days ago.. not sure if everyone caught it though.
David Douglas, LW from the Cesar Gracie camp.
i think he's definitely one to watch for in the future..
since melendez (also a CG fighter) is the SF LW champ, & Diaz is the WW champ, i'd like to see him fight in dream a little..
EDIT: dude stayed down for hella long after that choke
Bellator Will Start Events Earlier to Create Fight Block with UFC
When Bellator announced a partnership with MTV2 last year, some interesting programming options became possible.
Like SpikeTV, which airs UFC events, MTV2 is owned by Viacom. It would seem to make sense for the networks to work together in promoting their MMA programming. However, UFC President Dana White has never been eager to use his company to push another fight organization.
While the UFC boss might not like the thought of Bellator promos airing during UFC programming on SpikeTV, Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney believes the networks will do what works best.
“Viacom is the third largest entertainment company on earth [and they] make their own decisions,” Rebney said recently on the Sherdog Radio Network’s “Beatdown” show. “MTV2 and the great folks at MTV2 make their decisions in terms of where they put their promos. We’ll see them. So far I’ve seen promos for Bellator on Spike. I’ve seen them on MTV. I’ve seen them on MTV2, which is great.”
Bellator has a three-year deal with MTV2 that began this year. The first event on the network airs live Saturday at Bellator’s regular timeslot this season: 9 p.m. ET.
“It’s a spectacular timeslot,” Rebney said. “That wasn’t the timeslot by accident. That was a conscious decision working with our partners at MTV and looking at things like … how many people are home, who’s watching, what the demo is, et cetera, et cetera. That wasn’t by mistake.”
Of course, the UFC also has cards on many Saturdays, with prelim fights often airing on SpikeTV at 9 p.m. ET. When the UFC is promoting an event, Rebney said Bellator will move to 7 p.m. ET to create a block of MMA programming.
“If there’s a UFC pay-per-view, we can move our show a little bit earlier, so it turns into a mixed martial arts night where you can watch two hours of a live Bellator show and then you can go watch the UFC on Spike or on pay-per-view,” Rebney said. “It gives us some flexibility. Strikeforce does a show once every four or five weeks on Showtime, but from a universe perspective, they’re reaching 15 million homes; we’re reaching 82 million homes. That’s not as much of a concern in terms of the counterprogramming. The counterprogramming issue really gets taken off the table because we’re working under an umbrella and a banner where we can say, ‘Hey, there’s a UFC show. We’ll push [our] show up.’”
Rebney said at least two Bellator shows in the upcoming season are already scheduled for a 7 p.m. ET start. In the end, he believes that will benefit all parties involved.
“The more people who tune in to watch mixed martial arts, the better it is for everybody in this business,” Rebney said. “It’s better for my organization. It’s better for Scott Coker’s organization. It’s better for Dana White’s organization. This is the greatest sport in the world. It’s the most exciting, fastest-paced, electrifying sport on earth. If you get people to watch it, nine out of 10 of them will come back and watch it again. So whether they’re watching the UFC on Spike or Bellator Fighting Championships on MTV2 or whether they’re watching Strikeforce on Showtime, that helps all of us.”
When Bellator announced a partnership with MTV2 last year, some interesting programming options became possible.
Like SpikeTV, which airs UFC events, MTV2 is owned by Viacom. It would seem to make sense for the networks to work together in promoting their MMA programming. However, UFC President Dana White has never been eager to use his company to push another fight organization.
While the UFC boss might not like the thought of Bellator promos airing during UFC programming on SpikeTV, Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney believes the networks will do what works best.
“Viacom is the third largest entertainment company on earth [and they] make their own decisions,” Rebney said recently on the Sherdog Radio Network’s “Beatdown” show. “MTV2 and the great folks at MTV2 make their decisions in terms of where they put their promos. We’ll see them. So far I’ve seen promos for Bellator on Spike. I’ve seen them on MTV. I’ve seen them on MTV2, which is great.”
Bellator has a three-year deal with MTV2 that began this year. The first event on the network airs live Saturday at Bellator’s regular timeslot this season: 9 p.m. ET.
“It’s a spectacular timeslot,” Rebney said. “That wasn’t the timeslot by accident. That was a conscious decision working with our partners at MTV and looking at things like … how many people are home, who’s watching, what the demo is, et cetera, et cetera. That wasn’t by mistake.”
Of course, the UFC also has cards on many Saturdays, with prelim fights often airing on SpikeTV at 9 p.m. ET. When the UFC is promoting an event, Rebney said Bellator will move to 7 p.m. ET to create a block of MMA programming.
“If there’s a UFC pay-per-view, we can move our show a little bit earlier, so it turns into a mixed martial arts night where you can watch two hours of a live Bellator show and then you can go watch the UFC on Spike or on pay-per-view,” Rebney said. “It gives us some flexibility. Strikeforce does a show once every four or five weeks on Showtime, but from a universe perspective, they’re reaching 15 million homes; we’re reaching 82 million homes. That’s not as much of a concern in terms of the counterprogramming. The counterprogramming issue really gets taken off the table because we’re working under an umbrella and a banner where we can say, ‘Hey, there’s a UFC show. We’ll push [our] show up.’”
Rebney said at least two Bellator shows in the upcoming season are already scheduled for a 7 p.m. ET start. In the end, he believes that will benefit all parties involved.
“The more people who tune in to watch mixed martial arts, the better it is for everybody in this business,” Rebney said. “It’s better for my organization. It’s better for Scott Coker’s organization. It’s better for Dana White’s organization. This is the greatest sport in the world. It’s the most exciting, fastest-paced, electrifying sport on earth. If you get people to watch it, nine out of 10 of them will come back and watch it again. So whether they’re watching the UFC on Spike or Bellator Fighting Championships on MTV2 or whether they’re watching Strikeforce on Showtime, that helps all of us.”
Roller Eager to Match Ground Game Against Tavares
Thiago Tavares is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, but Shane Roller says he wants to see just how good his ground game is when they meet Thursday at “UFC Live 3.”
“I think he wants it on the ground probably,” Roller said recently on the Sherdog Radio Network’s “Beatdown” show. “That’s where I want it eventually, so I think it’s going to be a battle on the ground at some point. It’s all about fighting for that dominant position. It’s going to be fun to go against a guy with his caliber of grappling skills and see where I rank. I’m definitely not scared to take it to the ground.”
Roller was a three-time All-American wrestler at Oklahoma State University. He’s also picked up submissions quickly, scoring three wins via rear-naked choke and three via guillotine. He’s not the type of wrestler content to sit in the guard.
“I don’t think anybody can be comfortable in anybody’s guard because that’s a dangerous position,” Roller said. “I’m always going to be looking to pass and get to a more dominant position in half guard or pass to side mount or mount, back. If you just sit in someone’s guard, then they can finish the fight anytime.”
In fact, Roller suffered the only submission loss of his career in the guard. With just nine seconds remaining in an August 2010 WEC bout against Anthony Pettis, Roller tapped to a triangle choke.
“Looking back, I wish I would have stood with him a little bit more,” Roller said of the defeat. “I felt I was getting the better of him on my feet and I just kind of pushed trying really to take it down to the ground. It just wasn’t there that night. I wasn’t feeling it. I should have just believed in my standup and tried a different approach.”
Win or lose, Roller’s fights are usually entertaining. He has gone the distance just once while winning nine of 12 fights.
“I want to finish fights,” he said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s with a submission or if I rock someone on my feet. If I see blood, I’m trying to go for the kill. I want to end fights. That’s what fans enjoy. Honestly, that’s what gets me hyped up. Finishing a fight, it’s just like … when I’d pin someone in wrestling. It’s the same thing.”
That will be Roller’s aim against Tavares: put him away, even if that means engaging a world-class grappler on the ground.
“He’s very dangerous on the ground,” Roller said, “and it’s going to be fun to see how I match up with him.”
Thiago Tavares is a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, but Shane Roller says he wants to see just how good his ground game is when they meet Thursday at “UFC Live 3.”
“I think he wants it on the ground probably,” Roller said recently on the Sherdog Radio Network’s “Beatdown” show. “That’s where I want it eventually, so I think it’s going to be a battle on the ground at some point. It’s all about fighting for that dominant position. It’s going to be fun to go against a guy with his caliber of grappling skills and see where I rank. I’m definitely not scared to take it to the ground.”
Roller was a three-time All-American wrestler at Oklahoma State University. He’s also picked up submissions quickly, scoring three wins via rear-naked choke and three via guillotine. He’s not the type of wrestler content to sit in the guard.
“I don’t think anybody can be comfortable in anybody’s guard because that’s a dangerous position,” Roller said. “I’m always going to be looking to pass and get to a more dominant position in half guard or pass to side mount or mount, back. If you just sit in someone’s guard, then they can finish the fight anytime.”
In fact, Roller suffered the only submission loss of his career in the guard. With just nine seconds remaining in an August 2010 WEC bout against Anthony Pettis, Roller tapped to a triangle choke.
“Looking back, I wish I would have stood with him a little bit more,” Roller said of the defeat. “I felt I was getting the better of him on my feet and I just kind of pushed trying really to take it down to the ground. It just wasn’t there that night. I wasn’t feeling it. I should have just believed in my standup and tried a different approach.”
Win or lose, Roller’s fights are usually entertaining. He has gone the distance just once while winning nine of 12 fights.
“I want to finish fights,” he said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s with a submission or if I rock someone on my feet. If I see blood, I’m trying to go for the kill. I want to end fights. That’s what fans enjoy. Honestly, that’s what gets me hyped up. Finishing a fight, it’s just like … when I’d pin someone in wrestling. It’s the same thing.”
That will be Roller’s aim against Tavares: put him away, even if that means engaging a world-class grappler on the ground.
“He’s very dangerous on the ground,” Roller said, “and it’s going to be fun to see how I match up with him.”
Filho Likely to Face 'Ximu' May 14 in Brazil
Paulo Filho is carving out a busy schedule for himself.
Niteroi, Rio de Janeiro-based promotion Fatality Arena will return for its third card on May 14 at the Canto do Rio Football Club Gymnasium in its backyard. Sherdog.com has learned that the company is in the process of finalizing a main event between the embattled Filho and fellow middleweight veteran Gustavo Machado. Contracts have not been signed, but the bout has been agreed to in principle.
Brazilian outlet Tatame first reported the bout Tuesday, speaking with Machado.
Filho, 32, last saw action for Bitetti Combat in December, where he was able to grind out a unanimous decision verdict over Japanese journeyman Yuki Sasaki. Since his infamous and bizarre November 2008 loss to Chael Sonnen at WEC 36, "Paulao" has competed primarily on Brazil's local circuit.
Filho is already scheduled for two other bouts in the coming weeks, as he's slated to meet Peruvian Jackson Mora at World Fight Combat "Pretorian" on March 19 in Rio das Ostras, Rio de Janeiro, and on April 29 in Recife, Pernambuco, he is set to headline International Fighter Championship's inaugural card against 22-year-old rising light heavyweight prospect Ronny Markes.
The 35-year-old Machado has won eight of his last nine bouts, dating back to October 2007, his lone loss coming to middleweight prospect and former "The Ultimate Fighter" alum Jordan Smith. "Ximu" hasn't competed since last September, where he headlined Fatality Arena's second offering, defeating Argentina's Matias Ezequiel Lemon for the second time in a year.
Also slated for the May 14 card is a welterweight bout between Nogueira brothers training partner Andre Santos and Felipe Arinelli. "Chatuba," known for his outstanding anaconda choke, previously defeated Arinelli in April 2009 by split decision.
Paulo Filho is carving out a busy schedule for himself.
Niteroi, Rio de Janeiro-based promotion Fatality Arena will return for its third card on May 14 at the Canto do Rio Football Club Gymnasium in its backyard. Sherdog.com has learned that the company is in the process of finalizing a main event between the embattled Filho and fellow middleweight veteran Gustavo Machado. Contracts have not been signed, but the bout has been agreed to in principle.
Brazilian outlet Tatame first reported the bout Tuesday, speaking with Machado.
Filho, 32, last saw action for Bitetti Combat in December, where he was able to grind out a unanimous decision verdict over Japanese journeyman Yuki Sasaki. Since his infamous and bizarre November 2008 loss to Chael Sonnen at WEC 36, "Paulao" has competed primarily on Brazil's local circuit.
Filho is already scheduled for two other bouts in the coming weeks, as he's slated to meet Peruvian Jackson Mora at World Fight Combat "Pretorian" on March 19 in Rio das Ostras, Rio de Janeiro, and on April 29 in Recife, Pernambuco, he is set to headline International Fighter Championship's inaugural card against 22-year-old rising light heavyweight prospect Ronny Markes.
The 35-year-old Machado has won eight of his last nine bouts, dating back to October 2007, his lone loss coming to middleweight prospect and former "The Ultimate Fighter" alum Jordan Smith. "Ximu" hasn't competed since last September, where he headlined Fatality Arena's second offering, defeating Argentina's Matias Ezequiel Lemon for the second time in a year.
Also slated for the May 14 card is a welterweight bout between Nogueira brothers training partner Andre Santos and Felipe Arinelli. "Chatuba," known for his outstanding anaconda choke, previously defeated Arinelli in April 2009 by split decision.
Wolfslair Responds to UFC 127 Controversy
The fallout from UFC 127 continues, as the controversy surrounding the co-main event has now become a war of words.
Jorge Rivera and Michael Bisping entered their middleweight affair Down Under with a considerable amount of bad blood hyping the contest. Rivera had drawn the Brit's ire through a series of YouTube videos in which “El Conquistador” and his team openly mocked Bisping.
When the pair finally stepped into the cage, the tension was high. After Bisping controlled the opening minutes by mixing his boxing with takedowns, he landed an illegal knee to the face of a kneeling Rivera. It looked as though the fight would be stopped, but Rivera gamely opted to continue. His efforts would be in vain, however, as Bisping finished the job in round two with a flurry of punches to his dazed opponent.
In the bout's aftermath, Bisping shouted at Rivera and allegedly demanded an apology. He also found his way to Rivera's corner and spat in the direction of the veteran's boxing coach, Matt Phinney, who gained fame by impersonating Bisping in the aforementioned YouTube videos. Following the incident, Rivera's team asked that Bisping be disciplined, not only for the illegal strike -- which Rivera's camp believes was intentional -- but also for Bisping's postfight actions.
Tuesday, Bisping's team at Wolfslair MMA responded to the situation in an official statement, claiming that Rivera and Phinney's behavior at the fighters' hotel was the primary instigator for Bisping's emotional reaction in the cage.
“In five years of competing in the UFC at every level, we have never encountered a more unprofessional outfit as Jorge Rivera’s camp. All the teams who rub shoulders regularly at all the events are always polite, respectful and courteous to each other, regardless of any of the fighters' smack talk or actions,” wrote Wolfslair head Anthony McGann. “As always, fighters are staying in close proximity in the hotel for over a week, and during the day the camps pass each other. Normally the fighters will be tense with their opponents, but the teams always remain neutral and polite. Rivera’s crew [was allegedly] mocking Mike and laughing at him, and Jorge even gave an interview to [AOL] FanHouse saying if Mike was a man he would confront him in the hotel.”
McGann also asserts that the Wolfslair camp understands why Rivera chose to make his hype videos, and that the YouTube shorts are not the cause of the camp's complaint. In particular, McGann singles out Phinney as the source of the unprofessional behavior. Regarding the illegal knee, Bisping's camp still claims that the blow was accidentally delivered in the heat of battle.
“The illegal knee was what it was. Mike was overexcited and timed it wrong. He is not known for illegal blows, although this does happen in the sport from time to time,” wrote McGann. “Whilst Rivera was recovering, Phinney was [allegedly] shouting obscenities to Mike. If you look, you can see Mike [allegedly] give him the [middle] finger in reply. [Phinney] was also hurling abuse at our cornermen. Once again, this behavior is unheard of in the UFC.”
On the topic of Bisping's spitting episode, McGann writes that Phinney's verbal taunts simply elicited an emotional response from the fighter.
“Mike was still emotional and asked Rivera for an apology. Still, Phinney was [allegedly] shouting abuse, and Mike replied to him. Mike did spit but on the floor in his direction, [but] not on him. Phinney was [allegedly] hurling abuse at Mike and our corner men the whole time.”
According to McGann, the blame for the situation falls on the shoulders of Rivera and his camp.
“Mike apologized [at] the press conference for losing his cool. He apologized [in] the post fight [interview] with Joe Rogan. The joke is after all the efforts that Rivera’s camp [allegedly] made to create this situation, it was them who complained afterward, not us. We have more respect for the UFC and did not want to make an issue of their behavior.”
The fallout from UFC 127 continues, as the controversy surrounding the co-main event has now become a war of words.
Jorge Rivera and Michael Bisping entered their middleweight affair Down Under with a considerable amount of bad blood hyping the contest. Rivera had drawn the Brit's ire through a series of YouTube videos in which “El Conquistador” and his team openly mocked Bisping.
When the pair finally stepped into the cage, the tension was high. After Bisping controlled the opening minutes by mixing his boxing with takedowns, he landed an illegal knee to the face of a kneeling Rivera. It looked as though the fight would be stopped, but Rivera gamely opted to continue. His efforts would be in vain, however, as Bisping finished the job in round two with a flurry of punches to his dazed opponent.
In the bout's aftermath, Bisping shouted at Rivera and allegedly demanded an apology. He also found his way to Rivera's corner and spat in the direction of the veteran's boxing coach, Matt Phinney, who gained fame by impersonating Bisping in the aforementioned YouTube videos. Following the incident, Rivera's team asked that Bisping be disciplined, not only for the illegal strike -- which Rivera's camp believes was intentional -- but also for Bisping's postfight actions.
Tuesday, Bisping's team at Wolfslair MMA responded to the situation in an official statement, claiming that Rivera and Phinney's behavior at the fighters' hotel was the primary instigator for Bisping's emotional reaction in the cage.
“In five years of competing in the UFC at every level, we have never encountered a more unprofessional outfit as Jorge Rivera’s camp. All the teams who rub shoulders regularly at all the events are always polite, respectful and courteous to each other, regardless of any of the fighters' smack talk or actions,” wrote Wolfslair head Anthony McGann. “As always, fighters are staying in close proximity in the hotel for over a week, and during the day the camps pass each other. Normally the fighters will be tense with their opponents, but the teams always remain neutral and polite. Rivera’s crew [was allegedly] mocking Mike and laughing at him, and Jorge even gave an interview to [AOL] FanHouse saying if Mike was a man he would confront him in the hotel.”
McGann also asserts that the Wolfslair camp understands why Rivera chose to make his hype videos, and that the YouTube shorts are not the cause of the camp's complaint. In particular, McGann singles out Phinney as the source of the unprofessional behavior. Regarding the illegal knee, Bisping's camp still claims that the blow was accidentally delivered in the heat of battle.
“The illegal knee was what it was. Mike was overexcited and timed it wrong. He is not known for illegal blows, although this does happen in the sport from time to time,” wrote McGann. “Whilst Rivera was recovering, Phinney was [allegedly] shouting obscenities to Mike. If you look, you can see Mike [allegedly] give him the [middle] finger in reply. [Phinney] was also hurling abuse at our cornermen. Once again, this behavior is unheard of in the UFC.”
On the topic of Bisping's spitting episode, McGann writes that Phinney's verbal taunts simply elicited an emotional response from the fighter.
“Mike was still emotional and asked Rivera for an apology. Still, Phinney was [allegedly] shouting abuse, and Mike replied to him. Mike did spit but on the floor in his direction, [but] not on him. Phinney was [allegedly] hurling abuse at Mike and our corner men the whole time.”
According to McGann, the blame for the situation falls on the shoulders of Rivera and his camp.
“Mike apologized [at] the press conference for losing his cool. He apologized [in] the post fight [interview] with Joe Rogan. The joke is after all the efforts that Rivera’s camp [allegedly] made to create this situation, it was them who complained afterward, not us. We have more respect for the UFC and did not want to make an issue of their behavior.”
Two UFC on Versus 3 prelimary-card fights to stream live on Facebook
Two preliminary-card fights from Thursday's UFC on Versus 3 event will stream for free on Facebook.
MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) today confirmed that lightweights Joe Stevenson (31-12 MMA, 8-6 UFC) vs. Danny Castillo (10-3 MMA, 0-0 UFC) and light heavyweights Steve Cantwell (7-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC) vs. Cyrille Diabate (16-7-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) will be part of the live one-hour stream, which begins at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT).
An hour later at 9 p.m., the event's main card airs live on Versus.
UFC on Versus 3 takes place at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky., with a welterweight headliner between contenders Diego Sanchez and Martin Kampmann.
The UFC's Facebook page (www.facebook.com/ufc) has been used to stream UFC Fight Night 23, UFC 126 and UFC 127 preliminary-card fights. As MMAjunkie.com recently reported, UFC president Dana White plans to make the social-networking giant a fixture with its future broadcast efforts.
The official UFC on Versus 3 lineup now includes:
MAIN CARD
* Martin Kampmann vs. Diego Sanchez
* C.B. Dollaway vs. Mark Munoz
* Alessio Sakara vs. Chris Weidman
* Brian Bowles vs. Damacio Page
PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook.com/UFC)
* Danny Castillo vs. Joe Stevenson
* Cyrille Diabate vs. Steve Cantwell
PRELIMINARY CARD
* Shane Roller vs. Thiago Tavares
* Reuben Duran vs. Takeya Mizugaki
* Rob Kimmons and Dongi Yang
* Dave Branch vs. Rousimar Palhares
* Todd Brown vs. Igor Pokrajac
Two preliminary-card fights from Thursday's UFC on Versus 3 event will stream for free on Facebook.
MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) today confirmed that lightweights Joe Stevenson (31-12 MMA, 8-6 UFC) vs. Danny Castillo (10-3 MMA, 0-0 UFC) and light heavyweights Steve Cantwell (7-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC) vs. Cyrille Diabate (16-7-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) will be part of the live one-hour stream, which begins at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT).
An hour later at 9 p.m., the event's main card airs live on Versus.
UFC on Versus 3 takes place at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky., with a welterweight headliner between contenders Diego Sanchez and Martin Kampmann.
The UFC's Facebook page (www.facebook.com/ufc) has been used to stream UFC Fight Night 23, UFC 126 and UFC 127 preliminary-card fights. As MMAjunkie.com recently reported, UFC president Dana White plans to make the social-networking giant a fixture with its future broadcast efforts.
The official UFC on Versus 3 lineup now includes:
MAIN CARD
* Martin Kampmann vs. Diego Sanchez
* C.B. Dollaway vs. Mark Munoz
* Alessio Sakara vs. Chris Weidman
* Brian Bowles vs. Damacio Page
PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook.com/UFC)
* Danny Castillo vs. Joe Stevenson
* Cyrille Diabate vs. Steve Cantwell
PRELIMINARY CARD
* Shane Roller vs. Thiago Tavares
* Reuben Duran vs. Takeya Mizugaki
* Rob Kimmons and Dongi Yang
* Dave Branch vs. Rousimar Palhares
* Todd Brown vs. Igor Pokrajac
Zelaznik says UFC "very likely" to make Swedish debut in November
The Ultimate Fighting Championship continues to blaze new ground, and Sweden is apparently on the current "to do" list.
While UFC president Dana White in February confirmed to MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that the organization was targeting Sweden for a 2011 event, UFC exec Marshall Zelaznik has a more defined target in mind.
Specifically, November.
Following this past weekend's UFC 127 event in Australia, Zelaznik confirmed with Swedish MMA news website Kimura.se that the promotion is currently holding dates at a handful of Swedish venues for a potential event on Nov. 5.
"We're holding dates, but that's pretty common for us," Zelaznik told Kimura.se. "We'll hold dates all around any of the markets we like, trying to make sure that if we want to go, we have the opportunity."
And just how likely is the UFC to touch down in Sweden before the end of the year?
"It's very likely," Zelaznik said. "We've had some really good success speaking with the groups down there to be able to bring the event in. It's one of our biggest markets."
Zelaznik said the UFC is discussing potential sites in both Stockholm and Malmö, among other places. The UFC's U.K. division head hopes to have more available on the potential date later this week.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship continues to blaze new ground, and Sweden is apparently on the current "to do" list.
While UFC president Dana White in February confirmed to MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that the organization was targeting Sweden for a 2011 event, UFC exec Marshall Zelaznik has a more defined target in mind.
Specifically, November.
Following this past weekend's UFC 127 event in Australia, Zelaznik confirmed with Swedish MMA news website Kimura.se that the promotion is currently holding dates at a handful of Swedish venues for a potential event on Nov. 5.
"We're holding dates, but that's pretty common for us," Zelaznik told Kimura.se. "We'll hold dates all around any of the markets we like, trying to make sure that if we want to go, we have the opportunity."
And just how likely is the UFC to touch down in Sweden before the end of the year?
"It's very likely," Zelaznik said. "We've had some really good success speaking with the groups down there to be able to bring the event in. It's one of our biggest markets."
Zelaznik said the UFC is discussing potential sites in both Stockholm and Malmö, among other places. The UFC's U.K. division head hopes to have more available on the potential date later this week.
Jimmy Smith, Sean Wheelock return to broadcast Bellator's season-four tournaments
Despite previous reports that Jimmy Smith would not serve as a part of Bellator Fighting Championships' upcoming fourth season, the veteran color commentator will indeed return to the broadcast booth.
Bellator officials today announced that Smith will again serve alongside play-by-play man Sean Wheelock for this season's MTV2 broadcasts.
"With their wealth of experience, knowledge of the game and excitement for MMA, I truly believe that we have the best broadcast team in the sport," Bellator Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney stated in the official release.
Smith and Wheelock joined the promotion in the company's second season.
This past December, Smith told MiddleEasy.com Bellator offered him a contract extension that he deemed "unacceptable" and that it appeared "increasingly unlikely" that he would come to terms with the tournament-based organization.
Despite the differing positions, Smith and Bellator have now agreed to a multi-year contract.
Smith, a pro fighter with a 6-1 record, previously worked with Wheelock on past M-1 Global broadcasts. He also hosts "Fight Quest" on the Discovery Channel.
Wheelock joined Bellator after past experience with PRIDE Fighting Championships and M-1 Global. Wheelock is also a longtime soccer announcer who currently calls the action for Major League Soccer's Kansas City Wizards and was part of the broadcast team for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
Bellator also announced George X and Manny Rodriguez will return for the company's Spanish-language broadcasts. Both commentators have been in place since Bellator's debut season.
Bellator's fourth season kicks off March 5 on MTV2.
Despite previous reports that Jimmy Smith would not serve as a part of Bellator Fighting Championships' upcoming fourth season, the veteran color commentator will indeed return to the broadcast booth.
Bellator officials today announced that Smith will again serve alongside play-by-play man Sean Wheelock for this season's MTV2 broadcasts.
"With their wealth of experience, knowledge of the game and excitement for MMA, I truly believe that we have the best broadcast team in the sport," Bellator Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney stated in the official release.
Smith and Wheelock joined the promotion in the company's second season.
This past December, Smith told MiddleEasy.com Bellator offered him a contract extension that he deemed "unacceptable" and that it appeared "increasingly unlikely" that he would come to terms with the tournament-based organization.
Despite the differing positions, Smith and Bellator have now agreed to a multi-year contract.
Smith, a pro fighter with a 6-1 record, previously worked with Wheelock on past M-1 Global broadcasts. He also hosts "Fight Quest" on the Discovery Channel.
Wheelock joined Bellator after past experience with PRIDE Fighting Championships and M-1 Global. Wheelock is also a longtime soccer announcer who currently calls the action for Major League Soccer's Kansas City Wizards and was part of the broadcast team for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
Bellator also announced George X and Manny Rodriguez will return for the company's Spanish-language broadcasts. Both commentators have been in place since Bellator's debut season.
Bellator's fourth season kicks off March 5 on MTV2.
Teammates give Strikeforce champ "Feijao" insider Henderson knowledge
When Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante (10-2 MMA, 3-1 SF) was nothing more than an MMA neophyte, Dan Henderson was already a kingpin.
By the time "Feijao" stepped into the cage for the first time in 2006, Henderson (26-8 MMA, 1-1 SF) was the PRIDE welterweight champion and had 23 total fights to his credit.
Fast forward to present day, where the pair has somehow managed to cross paths and soon will fight one another with the Strikeforce light-heavyweight title on the line.
It is Cavalcante's first attempted title defense since he became champion.
The appropriately titled "Strikeforce: Feijao vs. Henderson" is scheduled for this Saturday, March 5, at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. Showtime airs the main card.
"For me, it's a pleasure (to fight Henderson)," Cavalcante recently told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio). "It's an honor for me to fight a guy like that. When I grew up, when I started doing MMA, I saw him fighting. He fought three friends of mine; Anderson (Silva), (Antonio) Rodrigo (Nogueira), (Antonio) Rogerio (Nogueira)."
Henderson is a combined 1-3 against this formidable trio across the RINGS, PRIDE and UFC promotions. This accounts for a healthy percentage of his career defeats.
To combat the experience gap between Henderson and himself, Cavalcante has done diligent tape viewing and picked the brains of his aforementioned teammates.
Like all fighters, Henderson has developed certain tendencies and habits in the cage. The trick is to identify and be able to capitalize on them.
"I try to see the whole thing and study everything," Cavalcante said. "I have all these fights I study. I see his fights every day, and I ask my partners and trainers Rodrigo and Rogerio and they say, 'Do that, and don't do this.' They always help me. I need to listen to experienced voices. They have a lot of fights. I'm just beginning."
He also singled out UFC middleweight champion Silva as a man he respects and solicits advice from when he can.
Silva is the most recent of his teammates to face Henderson, whom he defeated via second-round submission in March 2008 at UFC 82. Coincidentally, the bout also took place at Nationwide Arena in Columbus.
"Anderson is very smart," Cavalcante said. "I like to train with him because you never know what is coming up – knees, elbows, hands. You don't know what he's going to throw. He's very smart. It's a strong point on him."
Cavalcante clearly understands the luxury he has and the value in training with elite fighters on a regular basis both in Brazil and, on occasion, in California at the Black House MMA gym.
"When you're training with these guys, when you go to the fights, it is easier because you can do no worse than you did inside your camp," he said.
When Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante (10-2 MMA, 3-1 SF) was nothing more than an MMA neophyte, Dan Henderson was already a kingpin.
By the time "Feijao" stepped into the cage for the first time in 2006, Henderson (26-8 MMA, 1-1 SF) was the PRIDE welterweight champion and had 23 total fights to his credit.
Fast forward to present day, where the pair has somehow managed to cross paths and soon will fight one another with the Strikeforce light-heavyweight title on the line.
It is Cavalcante's first attempted title defense since he became champion.
The appropriately titled "Strikeforce: Feijao vs. Henderson" is scheduled for this Saturday, March 5, at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. Showtime airs the main card.
"For me, it's a pleasure (to fight Henderson)," Cavalcante recently told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio). "It's an honor for me to fight a guy like that. When I grew up, when I started doing MMA, I saw him fighting. He fought three friends of mine; Anderson (Silva), (Antonio) Rodrigo (Nogueira), (Antonio) Rogerio (Nogueira)."
Henderson is a combined 1-3 against this formidable trio across the RINGS, PRIDE and UFC promotions. This accounts for a healthy percentage of his career defeats.
To combat the experience gap between Henderson and himself, Cavalcante has done diligent tape viewing and picked the brains of his aforementioned teammates.
Like all fighters, Henderson has developed certain tendencies and habits in the cage. The trick is to identify and be able to capitalize on them.
"I try to see the whole thing and study everything," Cavalcante said. "I have all these fights I study. I see his fights every day, and I ask my partners and trainers Rodrigo and Rogerio and they say, 'Do that, and don't do this.' They always help me. I need to listen to experienced voices. They have a lot of fights. I'm just beginning."
He also singled out UFC middleweight champion Silva as a man he respects and solicits advice from when he can.
Silva is the most recent of his teammates to face Henderson, whom he defeated via second-round submission in March 2008 at UFC 82. Coincidentally, the bout also took place at Nationwide Arena in Columbus.
"Anderson is very smart," Cavalcante said. "I like to train with him because you never know what is coming up – knees, elbows, hands. You don't know what he's going to throw. He's very smart. It's a strong point on him."
Cavalcante clearly understands the luxury he has and the value in training with elite fighters on a regular basis both in Brazil and, on occasion, in California at the Black House MMA gym.
"When you're training with these guys, when you go to the fights, it is easier because you can do no worse than you did inside your camp," he said.
Ryan Jimmo Captures MFC Title, “Only Going To Get Better”
After a long period of time when he was the proverbial next in line, Canadian light heavyweight Ryan Jimmo has stepped to the front of the pack and claimed his first major MMA title.
This past Friday at MFC 28: Supremacy, Jimmo defeated rival Dwayne Lewis to claim the promotion’s 205-pound championship in a fight he controlled from the beginning.
“Dwayne’s a very tough guy,” Jimmo told MMAWeekly.com. “He was tougher than I anticipated, so it was a good win, a good victory, and I’m glad to have the belt around my waist.”
Early on Jimmo peppered Lewis’ side and legs with kicks, which quickly developed deep, dark bruises.
“I couldn’t tell when I looked at Dwayne that it was hurting him, but in between rounds I looked over and his side was just pretty purple, so I knew it was taking his toll,” said Jimmo.
The fighters eventually hit the ground, which to Jimmo’s admittance probably should have been his focus of attack from the beginning.
“Once it hit the ground, it was no contest there,” he stated. “I feel I’m quite a bit better on the ground than he is, but I stood with him and played into his strengths a little bit. If I had taken the fight right to the ground it could have been over quite a bit quicker.”
The fight came to an abrupt end in the third round when an apparent clash of heads caused Lewis to develop what could only be described as one of the most grotesque cases of swelling under the eye in MFC history.
The doctor stopped the fight due to Lewis’ inability to see, and awarded the win and belt to Jimmo.
“It was fantastic, and I felt relief,” said Jimmo. “It was like, ‘Ah, finally I can eat a fatty meal, have a beer, and relax and not be so strict.’ It’s just a lot of relief and a big rush of joy.”
While most may bask in the elation of winning a championship, Jimmo intends to approach his newfound glory in a different way.
“I’m going to treat this as a failure,” he admitted. “I know it’s not a failure, it’s a win, but I’m going to pretend in my own mind that it’s a loss, so I make sure I get better.
“It’s very easy when you win something like this and get complacent. So I’m going to look at this as a failure and am going to keep working harder to improve.”
In a month, Jimmo intends to compete in the Wrestling Nationals, and after that his attention will return to defending his MFC title against a fighter he believes will be someone he has defeated before.
“I think right now it may be Emanuel Newton,” commented Jimmo. “He beat Dwayne Lewis, who just fought me for the title, and he just beat Rodney Wallace.
“I may be mistaken, but I think the winner of Rodney versus Razak Al-Hassan (whom Newton replaced due to injury) was supposed to go against the winner of me and Dwayne for the title. So it’s Emanuel if you ask me, and I don’t see how they’d really argue with that.”
Now that he has a title, Jimmo intends to be a fighting champion and believes that it will make him an even better fighter as time moves on.
“We’re going to wrestle in a month, then fulfill our MFC contract, and then my manager and team will see what’s on the horizon and see what pops up and take the opportunities as they come,” he said in closing.
“They say when someone gets the belt and becomes a champion, just through confidence they get better – like 30 percent better just in confidence – so keep your eyes open because I’m only going to get better.”
After a long period of time when he was the proverbial next in line, Canadian light heavyweight Ryan Jimmo has stepped to the front of the pack and claimed his first major MMA title.
This past Friday at MFC 28: Supremacy, Jimmo defeated rival Dwayne Lewis to claim the promotion’s 205-pound championship in a fight he controlled from the beginning.
“Dwayne’s a very tough guy,” Jimmo told MMAWeekly.com. “He was tougher than I anticipated, so it was a good win, a good victory, and I’m glad to have the belt around my waist.”
Early on Jimmo peppered Lewis’ side and legs with kicks, which quickly developed deep, dark bruises.
“I couldn’t tell when I looked at Dwayne that it was hurting him, but in between rounds I looked over and his side was just pretty purple, so I knew it was taking his toll,” said Jimmo.
The fighters eventually hit the ground, which to Jimmo’s admittance probably should have been his focus of attack from the beginning.
“Once it hit the ground, it was no contest there,” he stated. “I feel I’m quite a bit better on the ground than he is, but I stood with him and played into his strengths a little bit. If I had taken the fight right to the ground it could have been over quite a bit quicker.”
The fight came to an abrupt end in the third round when an apparent clash of heads caused Lewis to develop what could only be described as one of the most grotesque cases of swelling under the eye in MFC history.
The doctor stopped the fight due to Lewis’ inability to see, and awarded the win and belt to Jimmo.
“It was fantastic, and I felt relief,” said Jimmo. “It was like, ‘Ah, finally I can eat a fatty meal, have a beer, and relax and not be so strict.’ It’s just a lot of relief and a big rush of joy.”
While most may bask in the elation of winning a championship, Jimmo intends to approach his newfound glory in a different way.
“I’m going to treat this as a failure,” he admitted. “I know it’s not a failure, it’s a win, but I’m going to pretend in my own mind that it’s a loss, so I make sure I get better.
“It’s very easy when you win something like this and get complacent. So I’m going to look at this as a failure and am going to keep working harder to improve.”
In a month, Jimmo intends to compete in the Wrestling Nationals, and after that his attention will return to defending his MFC title against a fighter he believes will be someone he has defeated before.
“I think right now it may be Emanuel Newton,” commented Jimmo. “He beat Dwayne Lewis, who just fought me for the title, and he just beat Rodney Wallace.
“I may be mistaken, but I think the winner of Rodney versus Razak Al-Hassan (whom Newton replaced due to injury) was supposed to go against the winner of me and Dwayne for the title. So it’s Emanuel if you ask me, and I don’t see how they’d really argue with that.”
Now that he has a title, Jimmo intends to be a fighting champion and believes that it will make him an even better fighter as time moves on.
“We’re going to wrestle in a month, then fulfill our MFC contract, and then my manager and team will see what’s on the horizon and see what pops up and take the opportunities as they come,” he said in closing.
“They say when someone gets the belt and becomes a champion, just through confidence they get better – like 30 percent better just in confidence – so keep your eyes open because I’m only going to get better.”
Fábio Maldonado wants to fight wrestlers: “I can handle their punishment; they can’t”
After tem wins in a row, the striker Fabio Maldonado had the chance of debuting on UFC and didn’t let his fans down: the tough guy knocked out James McSweeney on the 120th edition of the event. The athlete might return to the rings on UFC 130, which will happen on May 28th, in Canada, but the waiting without knowing who his opponent will be is making Fabio anxious. On the chat, that you can check below, the tough guy commented his trainings, talked about the distressful wait for the definition of his opponent and guaranteed he’s knockout Ryan Bader, Jason Brilz and Wladmir Matyushenko.
Do you have an opponent chosen for your return on UFC?
Unfortunately I don’t have anything, my manager Alex still didn’t have any response.
How are you physically and how are your trainings going? If they schedule a fight today, would you be 100%?
They can schedule this fight for whenever they want to and I’ll be there. Usually they schedule things like these three months in advance, but if they schedule it for a month from now I’m it. I’m well trained, stronger, thinner, and I need to work, man, I can wait to fight again.
How do you feel about they taking so long to schedule your fight? Are you anxious, distressed?
I have to admit I’m a little anxious indeed, but that’s how things work lately, there’s no such thing like we used to do, like fighting four times within five weeks, this time’s gone. But I’m pretty anxious, because it’s been three months I fought and it’s time for me to fight, right? I don’t know what to do, if I have to start challenging the guys… I’ve told Alex I’1d fight anyone, but he wants to match a fight for me against another striker because, that way, it’ll be a more interesting fight, because they know that if they put me against a striker I won’t take it to the floor, but, on the other hand, you can’t escape from these things on MMA. For me it doesn’t make any difference, if they want to put me to fight a wrestler I don’t mind our games don’t match, I want to beat up a wrestler and if he takes me down I’ll punch him from there. I’m mad to fight and not fighting is killing me.
What opponents would you like to confront on the light heavyweight division?
There’re some guys I’d like to confront. Maybe three of them have fought with my training partner Minotouro and I’d like to confront Jason Brilz, Matyushenko, Ryan Bader... It’s not that I want revenge for Minotouro, it’s not that at all, even because he can handle these guys, but on his fight against Bader he was going through a hard time. On my weight class I just wouldn’t like to fight MInotouro, apart from him I can fight any guy of UFC, but I prefer to fight against one of these three I’ve pointed out and I’m sure I can knockout any of them. I don’t think they’re so hard to get, and I can handle their punishment, but I believe they can’t.
Don’t you think that fighting wrestlers might make it harder for you to play your own game?
Man, these three I’ve pointed out I’d like to face, I believe that they wouldn’t manage to take me down, but they can, of course, but I’ll stand quickly. Maybe Rashad Evans’ game doesn’t match mine, because he make a good transition between the punches and the takedowns, so when you think he’ll try to hit you hard, he takes you down, and when you think he’ll try to take you to the ground, he punches you, and so I think he’s a more complicated guy to fight than Jason, Matyushenko and Bader. Actually, the guy I’d really like to fight is Quinton Jackson, but I’ve just got here and he’s on the top of the division, in another level, but I’d be a good fight.
After tem wins in a row, the striker Fabio Maldonado had the chance of debuting on UFC and didn’t let his fans down: the tough guy knocked out James McSweeney on the 120th edition of the event. The athlete might return to the rings on UFC 130, which will happen on May 28th, in Canada, but the waiting without knowing who his opponent will be is making Fabio anxious. On the chat, that you can check below, the tough guy commented his trainings, talked about the distressful wait for the definition of his opponent and guaranteed he’s knockout Ryan Bader, Jason Brilz and Wladmir Matyushenko.
Do you have an opponent chosen for your return on UFC?
Unfortunately I don’t have anything, my manager Alex still didn’t have any response.
How are you physically and how are your trainings going? If they schedule a fight today, would you be 100%?
They can schedule this fight for whenever they want to and I’ll be there. Usually they schedule things like these three months in advance, but if they schedule it for a month from now I’m it. I’m well trained, stronger, thinner, and I need to work, man, I can wait to fight again.
How do you feel about they taking so long to schedule your fight? Are you anxious, distressed?
I have to admit I’m a little anxious indeed, but that’s how things work lately, there’s no such thing like we used to do, like fighting four times within five weeks, this time’s gone. But I’m pretty anxious, because it’s been three months I fought and it’s time for me to fight, right? I don’t know what to do, if I have to start challenging the guys… I’ve told Alex I’1d fight anyone, but he wants to match a fight for me against another striker because, that way, it’ll be a more interesting fight, because they know that if they put me against a striker I won’t take it to the floor, but, on the other hand, you can’t escape from these things on MMA. For me it doesn’t make any difference, if they want to put me to fight a wrestler I don’t mind our games don’t match, I want to beat up a wrestler and if he takes me down I’ll punch him from there. I’m mad to fight and not fighting is killing me.
What opponents would you like to confront on the light heavyweight division?
There’re some guys I’d like to confront. Maybe three of them have fought with my training partner Minotouro and I’d like to confront Jason Brilz, Matyushenko, Ryan Bader... It’s not that I want revenge for Minotouro, it’s not that at all, even because he can handle these guys, but on his fight against Bader he was going through a hard time. On my weight class I just wouldn’t like to fight MInotouro, apart from him I can fight any guy of UFC, but I prefer to fight against one of these three I’ve pointed out and I’m sure I can knockout any of them. I don’t think they’re so hard to get, and I can handle their punishment, but I believe they can’t.
Don’t you think that fighting wrestlers might make it harder for you to play your own game?
Man, these three I’ve pointed out I’d like to face, I believe that they wouldn’t manage to take me down, but they can, of course, but I’ll stand quickly. Maybe Rashad Evans’ game doesn’t match mine, because he make a good transition between the punches and the takedowns, so when you think he’ll try to hit you hard, he takes you down, and when you think he’ll try to take you to the ground, he punches you, and so I think he’s a more complicated guy to fight than Jason, Matyushenko and Bader. Actually, the guy I’d really like to fight is Quinton Jackson, but I’ve just got here and he’s on the top of the division, in another level, but I’d be a good fight.
Rousimar Palhares ready for a restart against Dave Branch
razilian Top Team black belt, Rousimar Toquinho will be back to UFC’s cage this Thursday, March 3rd, in Kentucky, United States, and he’s hunger for the victory. Coming from a loss to the tough Nate Marquardt, the Brazilian will now confront Dave Branch, and promises extra stamina on the octagon.
“You can hope it’ll be a great fight, it’ll leave as a winner. I’ll give my best”, said Rousimar on a chat with TATAME, guaranteeing he’s learned his lesson with his last loss, when he made a mistake and suffered the first knockout of his career. “Our lives teach us stuff, everything has a positive and a negative side. We just have to learn from our mistakes, but it’s even better if you can learn from your victories”.
Initially chosen to confront his ex-training partner Alexandre Cacareco, Rousimar changed his training focus to Branch, but guarantees the replacement won’t make much difference. “It didn’t change much this replacement, it’s fine… The trainings were great, I’m prepared for anything”, guarantees the middleweight.
Before launching to America, Toquinho tells he’s watched many videos and evaluates his opponent’s game, who holds a professional record of 8 wins in 9 fights, beg six of them by submission or KO. “I’ve evaluated his ground game, I’ve watched some of his fights… Let’s wait to see what he’ll bring me (laughs), but I’m ready to get there and bring it on”, warns the Brazilian.
razilian Top Team black belt, Rousimar Toquinho will be back to UFC’s cage this Thursday, March 3rd, in Kentucky, United States, and he’s hunger for the victory. Coming from a loss to the tough Nate Marquardt, the Brazilian will now confront Dave Branch, and promises extra stamina on the octagon.
“You can hope it’ll be a great fight, it’ll leave as a winner. I’ll give my best”, said Rousimar on a chat with TATAME, guaranteeing he’s learned his lesson with his last loss, when he made a mistake and suffered the first knockout of his career. “Our lives teach us stuff, everything has a positive and a negative side. We just have to learn from our mistakes, but it’s even better if you can learn from your victories”.
Initially chosen to confront his ex-training partner Alexandre Cacareco, Rousimar changed his training focus to Branch, but guarantees the replacement won’t make much difference. “It didn’t change much this replacement, it’s fine… The trainings were great, I’m prepared for anything”, guarantees the middleweight.
Before launching to America, Toquinho tells he’s watched many videos and evaluates his opponent’s game, who holds a professional record of 8 wins in 9 fights, beg six of them by submission or KO. “I’ve evaluated his ground game, I’ve watched some of his fights… Let’s wait to see what he’ll bring me (laughs), but I’m ready to get there and bring it on”, warns the Brazilian.
Light Heavyweight Tournament Set for Bellator 38 in Mississippi
Bellator Fighting Championships announced Tuesday the location and venue of Bellator 38: the event will go down March 26 and will emanate from Harrah's Tunica Hotel and Casino in Tunica Resorts in Tunica, Miss.
The event, which marks Bellator's first trip to Mississippi, will showcase all four quarterfinals in the promotion's inaugural light heavyweight tournament.
While the first-round matchups have yet to be released by the promotion, all eight competitors have been made public. Daniel Gracie, Raphael Davis, Nik Fekete, Chris Davis, D.J. Linderman, Tim Carpenter, Richard Hale and Christian M'Pumbu have all been greenlit for the competition. The winner of the tournament will be awarded $100,000 in total pay and the title of Bellator's first-ever 205-pound champion.
According to Bellator's official press release, Harrah's Tunica seats 2,300 in the casino's event center. Bellator 38 will be the promotion's fourth event of its upcoming fourth season. The three shows preceding Bellator 38 will serve to decide the opening rounds of the promotion's new featherweight, lightweight and welterweight tournaments, respectively.
“We are thrilled to be bringing our live MTV2 broadcast to the great state of Mississippi and to the magical Harrah’s Tunica,” said Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney in the official release. “This will be a spectacular show featuring eight world class light heavyweights.”
The event will air live on MTV2 at 7 p.m. ET, with the preliminary contests beginning at 5 p.m. ET.
Bellator Fighting Championships announced Tuesday the location and venue of Bellator 38: the event will go down March 26 and will emanate from Harrah's Tunica Hotel and Casino in Tunica Resorts in Tunica, Miss.
The event, which marks Bellator's first trip to Mississippi, will showcase all four quarterfinals in the promotion's inaugural light heavyweight tournament.
While the first-round matchups have yet to be released by the promotion, all eight competitors have been made public. Daniel Gracie, Raphael Davis, Nik Fekete, Chris Davis, D.J. Linderman, Tim Carpenter, Richard Hale and Christian M'Pumbu have all been greenlit for the competition. The winner of the tournament will be awarded $100,000 in total pay and the title of Bellator's first-ever 205-pound champion.
According to Bellator's official press release, Harrah's Tunica seats 2,300 in the casino's event center. Bellator 38 will be the promotion's fourth event of its upcoming fourth season. The three shows preceding Bellator 38 will serve to decide the opening rounds of the promotion's new featherweight, lightweight and welterweight tournaments, respectively.
“We are thrilled to be bringing our live MTV2 broadcast to the great state of Mississippi and to the magical Harrah’s Tunica,” said Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney in the official release. “This will be a spectacular show featuring eight world class light heavyweights.”
The event will air live on MTV2 at 7 p.m. ET, with the preliminary contests beginning at 5 p.m. ET.
UFC 127 "UFC Prelims" draws 714,000 viewers on ION Television
While UFC officials offered just one-week's notice that three fights from this past weekend's UFC 127 event would air live on ION Television, the broadcast still netted 714,000 viewers.
MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) today learned of the figures from industry sources. The ratings mark the lowest rating in the series' 17-month history
This past weekend's one-hour program marked the UFC's second special on ION Television. Past editions of "UFC Prelims" have also aired on Spike TV and UFC.com.
ION Television also hosted a pair of fights from January's UFC 125 event. The debut program on ION Television scored an average of 829,000 viewers.
Prior to UFC 127, the most recent edition of "UFC Prelims" to air on TV was for "UFC 126: Silva vs. Belfort," which drew a record 2 million viewers to Spike TV. The figures for this past weekend's event mark a 64 percent decrease from the February broadcast of UFC 126, as well as a 14 percent drop from the UFC 125 edition.
UFC 127 also featured two fights streaming live on Facebook.com, though the promotion did not reveal the number of online viewers who tuned in.
UFC officials have yet to announce if the promotion will continue to provide content to ION Television, which was launched in 1998 as PAX TV and was rebranded as ION Television in 2007. The channel was also known as i from 2005 to 2007.
The "UFC Prelims" special for UFC 127 featured two exciting contests and one head-scratching decision as Ross Pearson defeated Spencer Fisher, Alexander Gustaffsson submitted James Te Huna, and Nick Ring earned a curious decision over Riki Fukuda.
To date, the UFC has aired 16 "UFC Prelims" TV broadcasts.
The full list of "UFC Prelims" broadcasts and ratings, which has traditionally aired on Spike TV, as compiled by MMAjunkie.com includes:
* 1) UFC 126 (February 2011): 2 million viewers
* 2) UFC 109 (February 2010): 1.7 million viewers
* 3) UFC 114 (May 2010): 1.6 million viewers
* 4) UFC 108 (January 2010): 1.5 million viewers
* 4) UFC 121 (October 2010): 1.5 million viewers
* 4) UFC 123 (November 2010): 1.5 million viewers
* 7) UFC 104 (October 2009): 1.4 million viewers
* 7) UFC 103 (September 2009): 1.4 million viewers
* 9) UFC 119 (September 2010): 1.3 million viewers
* 9) UFC 116 (July 2010): 1.3 million viewers
* 9) UFC 115 (June 2010): 1.3 million viewers
* 9) UFC 106 (November 2009): 1.3 million viewers
* 13) UFC 111 (March 2010): 1.2 million viewers
* 14) UFC 118 (August 2010): 1.1 million viewers
* 15) UFC 125 (January 2011): 829,000 viewers*
* 16) UFC 127 (February 2011): 714,000 viewers*
* - Aired on ION Television
The UFC first offered a PPV teaser broadcast for UFC 103, when the UFC went head-to-head on Spike TV with a boxing PPV broadcast featuring Floyd Mayweather vs. Juan Manuel Marquez. The specials proved effective enough at generating last-minute PPV buys that officials from the UFC and the organization's longtime cable partner decided to make them a regular offering.
While UFC officials offered just one-week's notice that three fights from this past weekend's UFC 127 event would air live on ION Television, the broadcast still netted 714,000 viewers.
MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) today learned of the figures from industry sources. The ratings mark the lowest rating in the series' 17-month history
This past weekend's one-hour program marked the UFC's second special on ION Television. Past editions of "UFC Prelims" have also aired on Spike TV and UFC.com.
ION Television also hosted a pair of fights from January's UFC 125 event. The debut program on ION Television scored an average of 829,000 viewers.
Prior to UFC 127, the most recent edition of "UFC Prelims" to air on TV was for "UFC 126: Silva vs. Belfort," which drew a record 2 million viewers to Spike TV. The figures for this past weekend's event mark a 64 percent decrease from the February broadcast of UFC 126, as well as a 14 percent drop from the UFC 125 edition.
UFC 127 also featured two fights streaming live on Facebook.com, though the promotion did not reveal the number of online viewers who tuned in.
UFC officials have yet to announce if the promotion will continue to provide content to ION Television, which was launched in 1998 as PAX TV and was rebranded as ION Television in 2007. The channel was also known as i from 2005 to 2007.
The "UFC Prelims" special for UFC 127 featured two exciting contests and one head-scratching decision as Ross Pearson defeated Spencer Fisher, Alexander Gustaffsson submitted James Te Huna, and Nick Ring earned a curious decision over Riki Fukuda.
To date, the UFC has aired 16 "UFC Prelims" TV broadcasts.
The full list of "UFC Prelims" broadcasts and ratings, which has traditionally aired on Spike TV, as compiled by MMAjunkie.com includes:
* 1) UFC 126 (February 2011): 2 million viewers
* 2) UFC 109 (February 2010): 1.7 million viewers
* 3) UFC 114 (May 2010): 1.6 million viewers
* 4) UFC 108 (January 2010): 1.5 million viewers
* 4) UFC 121 (October 2010): 1.5 million viewers
* 4) UFC 123 (November 2010): 1.5 million viewers
* 7) UFC 104 (October 2009): 1.4 million viewers
* 7) UFC 103 (September 2009): 1.4 million viewers
* 9) UFC 119 (September 2010): 1.3 million viewers
* 9) UFC 116 (July 2010): 1.3 million viewers
* 9) UFC 115 (June 2010): 1.3 million viewers
* 9) UFC 106 (November 2009): 1.3 million viewers
* 13) UFC 111 (March 2010): 1.2 million viewers
* 14) UFC 118 (August 2010): 1.1 million viewers
* 15) UFC 125 (January 2011): 829,000 viewers*
* 16) UFC 127 (February 2011): 714,000 viewers*
* - Aired on ION Television
The UFC first offered a PPV teaser broadcast for UFC 103, when the UFC went head-to-head on Spike TV with a boxing PPV broadcast featuring Floyd Mayweather vs. Juan Manuel Marquez. The specials proved effective enough at generating last-minute PPV buys that officials from the UFC and the organization's longtime cable partner decided to make them a regular offering.
Ronnie Mann vs. Josh Arocho targeted for Bellator 40 on April 9
Former World Victory Road featherweight standout Ronnie Mann (18-2-1 MMA, 0-0 BFC) will make his Bellator Fighting Championships debut on April 9.
MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) has learned from sources close to the fighters that Mann and Josh Arocho (13-9 MMA, 0-0 BFC) have verbally agreed to meet at Bellator 40. Bout agreements are expected to be finalized shortly.
Featuring welterweight champion Ben Askren in a non-title contest with Nick Thompson, Bellator 40 takes place April 9 at First Council Casino in Newkirk, Okla.
At 17 years old, the U.K.-based Mann made his pro MMA debut and went undefeated over his first 12 fights. The former Cage Gladiators champion is 7-1 over his past eight fights, and the lone loss came to eventual tourney finalist Hatsu Hioki in World Victory Road's 2009 featherweight grand prix.
Eleven of his 18 career wins have come via submission.
Meanwhile, Arocho has been fighting professionally since 2005. Despite opening his career with three consecutive defeats – including losses to tough competition in Clay French and Alvin Robinson – Arocho has since righted the ship and is currently riding a five-fight win streak. Four of the victories have come via first-round submission.
Former World Victory Road featherweight standout Ronnie Mann (18-2-1 MMA, 0-0 BFC) will make his Bellator Fighting Championships debut on April 9.
MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) has learned from sources close to the fighters that Mann and Josh Arocho (13-9 MMA, 0-0 BFC) have verbally agreed to meet at Bellator 40. Bout agreements are expected to be finalized shortly.
Featuring welterweight champion Ben Askren in a non-title contest with Nick Thompson, Bellator 40 takes place April 9 at First Council Casino in Newkirk, Okla.
At 17 years old, the U.K.-based Mann made his pro MMA debut and went undefeated over his first 12 fights. The former Cage Gladiators champion is 7-1 over his past eight fights, and the lone loss came to eventual tourney finalist Hatsu Hioki in World Victory Road's 2009 featherweight grand prix.
Eleven of his 18 career wins have come via submission.
Meanwhile, Arocho has been fighting professionally since 2005. Despite opening his career with three consecutive defeats – including losses to tough competition in Clay French and Alvin Robinson – Arocho has since righted the ship and is currently riding a five-fight win streak. Four of the victories have come via first-round submission.