Category: Bellator (Page 3 of 4)

      Is Gilbert Melendez the top lightweight in the world?

      April 12, 2011 /

      nullGilbert Melendez believes he is the top lightweight in all of MMA.

      At 19-2, he has a case to argue.

      Following his first round TKO win over Tatsuya Kawajiri last Saturday, the Strikeforce Lightweight Champion stated “I think it’s time to unify some titles. I’m the No. 1 lightweight in the world. Let’s get it done.”

      Melendez has looked better with each fight, but the question for him is competition. His two losses have been decisions to Josh Thomson and Mitsuhiro Ishida, but he avenged both defeats later in his career.

      Melendez shows great striking skills and underrated grappling ability and he has been pushed for 25 minutes on more than one occasion.

      While Melendez believes he has accomplished more than top UFC lightweights Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard, I have to disagree.

      Edgar defeated B.J. Penn twice, something only Georges St. Pierre has accomplished. Maynard has been around for a shorter period of time, but is undefeated and beaten top opponents like Kenny Florian, Edgar, Jim Miller, and Melendez’ teammate Nate Diaz.

      Melendez’ argument is similar to that of Eddie Alvarez, the Bellator Lightweight Champion. Alvarez has been on a nice run, but because he doesn’t fight in the UFC, he arguably doesn’t get as much respect nationally as he deserves.

      Melendez has more of a case as he has fought tougher opponents, but until he steps into the UFC octagon, there will always be that doubt that he can contend at the highest level.

      Bellator, Fighters, Strikeforce, UFC

      Your weekly MMA TV Schedule update

      April 10, 2011 /

      nullAs always on Sunday evening, I will post your MMA TV schedule for the week so you can stay up to date on all things MMA.

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

      – On Wednesday, the third episode of The Ultimate Fighter will air on SpikeTV at 9 p.m. ET. The teams are tied at 1-1 but it appears as if both teams have some dissension this week as Brock Lesnar gets into his team and Junior dos Santos has some disagreements with one of his assistants.

      – On Thursday at midnight (so to some that is Wednesday night) UFC 129 Primetime debuts. This three-part series will follow Georges St. Pierre and Jake Shields as they prepare for their UFC welterweight championship fight on April 30. The show airs on SpikeTV and will be replayed at 1:30 a.m. and 11 p.m.

      – On Saturday, Bellator 41 takes place from Cocopah Resort and Casino in Yuma, Arizona. The show will air live on MTV2 at 9 p.m. ET. The event features a pair of champions competing in non-title fights as bantamweight title holder Zach Makovsky takes on Chad Robichaux and featherweight champion Joe Warren faces off with Marcos Galvao. The Featherweight Tournament semifinals also will take place with Daniel Straus facing Kenny Foster and Wilson Reis taking on Patricio Freire.

      Bellator, Events, News, The Ultimate Fighter, UFC

      What you might have missed: MMA news from the weekend

      April 10, 2011 /

      nullLost in the shadows of Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley Saturday night was a pretty eventful weekend in the MMA community.

      Here are a few things I think you should know about:

      -Saturday night, Bellator 40 took place and rising MMA star, Ben Askren, remained undefeated with a unanimous decision win over Nick Thompson in the main event. The two-time NCAA champion continued to show dominant wrestling form against Thompson, who was helpless against Askren’s takedown ability. Askren changed levels, worked in some striking, and had the cardio to dominate for 15 minutes. Askren is now 8-0 and, if he continues to develop his striking, he can be a real force in the national picture. In other bouts, Jay Hieron picked up a decision win over Brent Weedman to advance to the finals of the Bellator Welterweight Tournament, where he will face unbeaten Rick Hawn. In the Bellator Lightweight Tournament, Michael Chandler won a decision over Lloyd Woodard to advance to the tournament final against Patricky Freire.

      -On Friday night, MFC 29 took place on HDNet and UFC veterans Marcus Davis, Hermes Franca, and Pete Spratt each picked up wins. Davis won a split decision over Curtis Demarce in his first fight after being cut by the UFC. Franca knocked out Robert Washington just 26 seconds into the second round, giving him two straight wins. Spratt pulled off an armbar submission in the second round of his fight against Demi Deeds. The win ended a two-fight losing streak for Spratt.

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      Bellator, Events, Fighters, News, Strikeforce, UFC

      Your weekly MMA TV Schedule update

      April 3, 2011 /

      nullWith MMA Blitz up and running, you can look for this weekly MMA TV schedule every Sunday night.

      I will be posting a list of events and specials that will be airing on television throughout the week so you can get a heads up on all of the action.

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

      – On Wednesday, the second episode of The Ultimate Fighter will air on SpikeTV at 9 p.m. ET. Coach Brock Lesnar is looking for his first win while Junior Dos Santos is hoping to get a 2-0 start to the season.

      – Friday night has HDNet airing Maximum Fighting Championship 29: Conquer which has two title bouts. Welterweight champion Douglas Lima will defend his title against UFC veteran Terry Martin and light heavyweight champion Ryan Jimmo will take on Zak Cummings in a title defense. Other fighters competing that night include former UFC contender Hermes Franca, Pete Spratt, and Marcus Davis. The event takes place from Caesars Casino in Windsor, Ontario and will air at 10 p.m. ET.

      – On Saturday night at 10 p.m. Strikeforce presents Diaz vs. Daley live on Showtime from the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego. The show is headlined by a welterweight title fight between champion Nick Diaz and challenger Paul Daley. The Strikeforce Lightweight Championship will also be up for grabs as Gilbert Melendez defends his title against Tatsuya Kawajiri. The card also features a light heavyweight contest between Gegard Mousasi and Keith Jardine.

      – Another show airing live Saturday night is Bellator 40 from the First Council Casino in Newkirk, Oklahoma. The show will air live on MTV2 at 9 p.m. ET. The main event is a non-title fight between Bellator Welterweight Champion Ben Askren taking on Nick Thompson. The show will also have the final lightweight tournament semifinal between Lloyd Woodard and Michael Chandler and the final welterweight tournament semifinal match between Brent Weedman and Jay Hieron.

      Bellator, Events, Strikeforce, The Ultimate Fighter, UFC

      Bellator 39 recap: Alvarez dominates Curran

      April 3, 2011 /

      nullBellator 39 took place Saturday night from the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn. and the main event saw lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez improve his MMA record to 22-2 with a unanimous decision win over contender Pat Curran.

      Despite going the full five rounds, it was pretty clear early on that Alvarez was the better fighter.

      The champion peppered Curran (13-4) with punches to the head and body for 25 minutes but Curran was able to take the punishment. Alvarez also mixed in takedowns and shot attempts, which Curran defended well, but the challenger never seemed to poise a real threat.

      Curran fought most of the bout reacting to what Alvarez was doing and that allowed the champion to dictate the style and pace of the fight.

      In one of the featured bouts, Rick Hawn (11-0) picked up a split decision win over former Bellator welterweight champion Lyman Good (13-2) to advance to the finals of the promotion’s welterweight tournament.

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      Bellator, Events, Fighters

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