Category: Bellator (Page 2 of 4)

      MMA News & Notes from the weekend

      May 8, 2011 /

      nullThis weekend was somewhat uneventful in the MMA world coming off historic UFC 129 last Saturday.

      Still, there is always some news going on, so here is a look at some news and notes from the weekend.

      – Jay Hieron won the Bellator Season 4 Welterweight Tournament on Saturday with a split decision victory over Rick Hawn. Hieron used his diverse striking to keep Hawn out of reach, but still took a good deal of punishment and looked like he took more damage when the fight was over. Still, two judges saw the fight 29-28 in his favor, giving him $100,000 and a title fight with Ben Askren in the future.

      – UFC heavyweight Antoni Hardonk retired from competition. He had just an 8-6 record in his career and never quite lived up to the potential that many thought he had. Hardonk is still considered to have some of the best kicks in all of MMA.

      – Tachi Palace 9 took place on Friday and saw a pair of former UFC contenders in action. Middleweight Gerald Harris picked up a unanimous decision win over Anthony Ruiz in his first bout after the UFC while lightweight Efrain Escudero suffered a decision loss to Fabricio Camoes.

      -Gina Carano has an opponent for her return to action as she will face Sarah D’Alelio at the Strikeforce event on June 18 in Dallas. Carano hasn’t competed since August of 2009 when she lost to Cyborg Santos.

      – In a couple of UFC injury notes, Matt Riddle will be unable to compete on June 26 against T.J. Grant, so Grant will now face Charlie Brenneman in Pittsburgh. Lightweight Cody McKenzie is out for his scheduled bout with Bart Palaszewski at UFC 130, but Gleison Tibau will step in to take on the scrappy WEC veteran.

      Bellator, Fighters, News, Strikeforce, UFC

      Top 10 Lightweight Rankings

      May 4, 2011 /

      nullFor the most part, rankings fighters in each division starts easy and ends tough.

      That isn’t the case for my lightweight rankings.

      Of any division in MMA, the lightweights are the toughest to sort through. The group is very top-heavy and even the distant contenders are hard to decipher.

      Nonetheless, here is my top 10 list for the lightweights. Feel free to add your take on who should be in the top spots.

      (If you need to go back and find my pound-for-pound, heavyweight, light heavyweight, middleweight, or welterweight rankings, click on the links)

      1. Frankie Edgar (13-1-1) – Edgar is the UFC Lightweight Champion and the lone lightweight in the world to clearly dominate the great B.J. Penn. Edgar will get his chance to put his stamp on the top spot when he faces Gray Maynard for the third time on May 28, but the fact that Edgar pulled out a draw at UFC 125 after that brutal first round is a testament to his abilities. Edgar’s speed, hands, and wrestling are a very impressive combination, especially for a man that could arguably fight at featherweight.

      2. Gray Maynard (10-0-1) – Maynard has yet to lose and if he didn’t put everything he had into knocking Edgar out in the first round of their UFC 125 bout, he would be the champion today. Maynard was once just a wrestler, but is now showing strong striking ability. If he can put forth a full 25 minutes in May, he will become the champion and take over the top spot in my rankings.

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      Bellator, Dream, Fighters, Strikeforce, UFC

      Your weekly MMA TV Schedule update

      May 1, 2011 /

      nullIt is Sunday night, so that means it is time for your weekly MMA on TV update.

      Here is a look at the MMA content that will be airing this week:

      – On Wednesday, the sixth episode of The Ultimate Fighter will air on SpikeTV at 9 p.m. ET. Team Lesnar got back on track with a win last week and now the final two prelim fights will take place and then Dana White will announce the wild card entrants. Also, Team dos Santos continues to have dissention between the coaches.

      – On Friday, Tachi Palace Fights 9 will stream live on Sherdog.com at 8:30 p.m. ET. The show will take place from the Tachi Palace Hotel and Casino in Lemoore, Calif. The event will be headlined by a flyweight contest between Ian McCall (9-2) and Dustin Ortiz (7-0). Other competitors on the card include former UFC fighters Efrain Escudero (15-2) and Gerald Harris (17-4).

      – On Saturday, Bellator 43 takes place from the First Council Casino in Newkirk, Oklahoma. The card is still being pieced together, but the main event is the Season 4 Welterweight Tournament Final between Jay Hieron (21-4) and Rick Hawn (11-0). The event airs on MTV2 at 9 p.m. ET.

      Bellator, Events, Fighters, The Ultimate Fighter, UFC

      Your weekly MMA TV Schedule update

      April 17, 2011 /

      nullIt is Sunday night, so that means it is time for your weekly MMA on TV update.

      Here is a look at the MMA content that will be airing this week:

      – On Wednesday, the fourth episode of The Ultimate Fighter will air on SpikeTV at 9 p.m. ET. Team dos Santos took a 2-1 edge in the prelims last week and regained control of the fight picks. This week, Lesnar brings in fellow wrestler Matt Hughes to work with his team.

      – On Thursday at midnight (so to some that is Wednesday night) UFC 129 Primetime airs its second of three episodes. The show is following Jake Shields and Georges St. Pierre as they prepare for their UFC 129 welterweight championship showdown on April 30. The second episode airs on SpikeTV and will be replayed at 1:30 a.m. and 11 p.m.

      – On Saturday, Bellator 42 takes place from the Lucky Star Casino in Concho, Okla. The show will air live on MTV2 at 9 p.m. ET. This event features a main event of heavyweight champion Cole Konrad taking on former UFC heavyweight contender, Paul Buentello. The fight will be a non-title contest. The light heavyweight tournament semifinals will also take place as Tim Carpenter faces off with Christian M’Pumbu and Richard Hale squares off against D.J. Linderman.

      Bellator, Events, Fighters, The Ultimate Fighter, UFC

      Poker Site Shutdowns Could Impact MMA

      April 16, 2011 /

      nullIn an interesting development in the business-side of MMA, three major poker websites were shut down on Friday due to federal indictments.

      According to a report by MMAWeekly.com, poker sites PokerStars, Full Tilt Poker, and Absolute Poker received indictments for illegal gambling and money laundering.

      “These defendants concocted an elaborate criminal fraud scheme, alternately tricking some U.S. banks and effectively bribing others to assure the continued flow of billions in illegal gambling profits,” Preet Bharara, the U.S. attorney in Manhattan, said in a statement.

      The poker sites have been shut down by the government, and while some people may still be able to access them currently, it will only be a matter of time before they are shut down completely and inaccessible.

      The online sites were once a prominent sponsor of the big MMA promotions like the UFC, but those days have passed. Despite the UFC avoiding these sponsors, they are still vital to smaller promotions that have to rely on their sponsorship dollars to stay afloat.

      Also, despite the organization not allowing the sponsor, fighters still use sites like these for their own sponsorship. Time will tell what these indictments will do to the fighters’ bankroll.

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      Bellator, News, Strikeforce, UFC

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