Weekly Mixed Martial Arts and Kickboxing News – Welcome to 2013 First Edition
By PDG Staff
UFC 158: St-Pierre vs. Diaz – Fight Card Update
UFC 158 has added a fifth welterweight bout to its powerhouse roster of 170-pounders as Canadian Jordan “Young Gun” Mein has verbally agreed to make his UFC debut against 11-time UFC veteran Dan Miller, a New Jersey native known for his toughness. Mein, a 23-year-old Albertan, comes in with a record of 24-8 including victories over veterans Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos, Joe Riggs, Marius Zaromskis, Josh Burkman and Forrest Petz.
UFC 158: St-Pierre vs. Diaz
March 16, 2013
Bell Centre
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Georges St-Pierre (23-2) vs. Nick Diaz (26-8) – UFC welterweight title bout
Carlos Condit (28-6) vs. Rory MacDonald (14-1)
Johny Hendricks (14-1) vs. Jake Ellenberger (28-6)
Dan Miller (14-6) vs. Jordan Mein (26-8)
John Makdessi (10-2) vs. Daron Cruickshank (12-2)
Patrick Cote (18-8) vs. Bobby Voelker (24-8)
Chris Camozzi (18-5) vs. Nick Ring (13-1)
Bellator Light Heavyweight Tournament Field Complete
As Bellator MMA prepares for its highly anticipated January 17th debut on Spike TV, the promotion announced today The Toughest Tournament In Sports will feature a bracketed real sport tournament format throughout every weight class, allowing fighters and fans alike the chance to follow fighters progress throughout the twelve week tournament.
“At Bellator, there’s never been a matchmaker sitting behind a desk in a shiny suit deciding who fights who for the title,” said Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney. “The origin of Bellator was to provide a seamless connection between real sports competition and mixed martial arts, and I believe we have taken that to the next level with a true tournament bracket format.”
Emanating from California’s Bren Center in Irvine on January 17th, Bellator Featherweight World Champion Pat Curran defends his title against explosive knockout artist Patricio Pitbull, while Bellator Lightweight World Champion Michael Chandler battles former Olympian Rick Hawn in their highly anticipated Bellator Championship showdown. The night will also host the start of the Light Heavyweight Tournament, featuring the Bellator debut of decorated MMA veteran Renato “Babalu” Sobral, who will battle Russian submission ace Mikhail Zayats.
The always colorful Seth Petruzelli returns to Bellator after a year away from the cage as “The Silverback” is looking to lock up his spot in the Bellator Tournament Semifinals with a victory over Tennessee’s own Jacob Noe. Holding an impressive 10-1 record in his young MMA career, Noe collected an explosive TKO victory at Bellator 73 and will face the biggest test of his career when he battles Petruzelli on January 17th.
“There is a burning rage inside me ready to explode up out of me, and all over my opponent,” Petruzelli said. “Jacob will be covered in my rage. If you’re sitting in the front row be careful, because mo one is safe from my rage.”
California’s own “Hardcore Kid” Emanuel Newton will get another shot at tournament glory when he takes on Bulgaria’s Atanas Djambazov. After falling to eventual Bellator Light Heavyweight Tournament Champion Attila Vegh in a close split decision, Newton is eager to get back inside the Bellator cage.
“Southern California has always been home to me, so to be fighting in Irvine under the Bellator banner is a huge honor for me,” Newton said. “I love this organization, and to have another chance in the tournament is all I could ask for. I feel like I was robbed in my last fight, so this tournament is all about redemption for me. This is an incredibly tough division, and I’m ready for the challenge that starts January 17th on Spike.”
The tournament will be rounded out by MMA superstar “King Mo” Lawal, who battles the dangerous Przemyslaw Mysiala on January 24th from WinStar World Casino.
ONE FC: Return of Warriors – Full Fight Card Confirmed
The largest MMA promotion in Asia returns to Kuala Lumpur on 2 February with an incredibly stacked fight card featuring Asia’s top MMA talent and international stars, and this time, ONE FC is Powered by TUNE TALK! Headlining the card is the first ONE FC Featherweight World Championship title fight featuring top contenders Eric “The Natural” Kelly and Honorio “The Rock” Banario.
Fans can also look forward to the #1 Flyweight Contender fight between champions from the Philippines and Japan, the final elimination bout of the inaugural Bantamweight Grand Prix, and a Malaysian National Featherweight Championship Tournament.
The full fight card includes:
Honorio Banario (7-1) vs. Eric Kelly (9-0) – ONE FC featherweight title
Rey Docyogen (10-0) vs. Shinichi Kojima (12-5-5) – flyweight eliminator
Vuyisile Colossa (5-3) vs. Lowen Tynanes (2-0)
Peter Davis (5-1) vs. Leo Krishna (2-0)
Adam Kayoom (3-1) vs. Zuli Silawanto (6-5)
Ryan Diaz (13-13) vs. Thanh Vu (2-1) – bantamweight GP quarterfinal
Raymond Tiew (6-1) vs. Melvin Yeoh (4-2)
Jian Kai Chee (3-4) vs. A.J. Lias Mansor (1-2)
Saiful Merican (0-0) vs. Gianni Subba (1-0)
Jake Butler (0-0) vs. Antoni Romulo (1-0)
YOKKAO EXTREME 2013: Andy Souwer vs Dzhabar Askerov – Kickass Promo Trailer
Paulo Filho Signs with World Series of Fighting
According to MMAWeekly.com, World Series of Fighting Executive Vice President and matchmaker Ali Abdel-Aziz has confirmed the signing of former WEC middleweight champion Paulo Filho. Since losing to Chael Sonnen in his final WEC appearance, the former top middleweight has gone 7-3-2 while battling personal demons including depression and a long struggle with substance abuse.
M-1 Challenge 38: Spring Battle Set for April 9th in St-Petersburg
M-1 Global official have announced that “M-1 Challenge 38: Spring Battle” is set for April 9th in St.-Petersburg, Russia. Calling themselves the best European promotion, M-1 is going back to beautiful St-Petersburg with another great show. No fights for the card have been announced as of yet.
“The best young talents and superstars from around the world will participate in must-see M-1 show for all MMA fans!”
Bellator Announces Martinez versus Shamhalaev
After nearly four months in the making, the Bellator MMA Featherweight Tournament Finals will be concluded from Salt Lake City’s Maverik Center on February 21st as Utah’s own Rad Martinez will battle Russian striker Shahbulat Shamhalaev for a guaranteed World Title Shot and a $100,000 Bellator Tournament prize live on Spike TV.
For Martinez, the West Jordan native makes his Utah homecoming riding an impressive five fight win streak, including Bellator Tournament victories over top featherweights Nazareno Malegarie and Wagnney Fabiano. Already tasked with preparing for the biggest fight of his career, Martinez knows what’s at stake with his hometown crowd behind him.
“To have the opportunity to fight in Salt Lake City for the Bellator Featherweight Tournament Championship is just a dream come true,” Martinez said. “Utah has a great base of MMA fans, but we’ve never had a big MMA promotion come to Salt Lake City, so it’s a great honor to be headlining Utah’s first large scale MMA event.”
Shamhalaev re-enters the Bellator cage after collecting two devastating knockouts and has his sights set on a guaranteed title shot with a victory of Martinez. Armed with an arsenal of explosive jabs and strikes, Martinez is aware of the challenges that await him on February 21st.
“Shamhalaev is incredibly quick and versatile, and brings a lot of things to the table, so I know I have my work cut out for me,” Martinez said. “Fans know that any time I step into the cage you can expect a war, and nothing will change for this fight.”
The night is also scheduled to host Bellator’s Light Heavyweight Tournament Semifinals. The tournament begins January 17th live on Spike, and is headlined by “King Mo” Lawal, “Babalu” Sobral and Seth “Silverback” Petruzelli.
The Ultimate Fighter 17: Raise the Stakes
UFC on Fuel TV 8 – Fight Card Update
Former PRIDE middleweight champion Wanderlei Silva will step into the Octagon against top contender and decorated U.S. Marine Brian Stann in a five-round, light heavyweight bout on Sunday, March 3 when the Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to Japan’s Saitama Super Arena.
UFC on Fuel TV 8
March 2, 2013
Saitama Super Arena
Tokyo, Japan
Wanderlei Silva (34-12-1) vs. Brian Stann (12-5)
Mark Hunt (8-7) vs. Stefan Struve (25-5)
Takanori Gomi (34-8) vs. Diego Sanchez (23-5)
Dong Hyun Kim (16-2-1) vs. Siyar Bahadurzada (24-4-1)
Mizuto Hirota (14-5-1) vs. Rani Yahya (17-7)
Riki Fukuda (19-6) vs. Brad Tavares (9-1)
Takeya Mizugaki (16-7-2) vs. Bryan Caraway (17-5)
Cristiano Marcello (13-4) vs. Kazuki Tokudome (11-3-1)
Alex Caceres (8-5) vs. Kyung Ho Kang (11-6)
Marcelo Guimaraes (18-0-1) vs. Hyun Gyu Lim (10-3-1)
Strikeforce: Marquardt vs. Saffiedine – Final Fight Card
Strikeforce welterweight champion and seasoned UFC veteran Nate Marquardt will defend his title against current number one contender Tarec Saffiedine on Saturday, Jan. 12 as Strikeforce visits Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Okla. In the night’s co-main event, Oklahoma State University All-American wrestler and Strikeforce Grand Prix heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier takes on kickboxing veteran Dion Staring. This will mark the final Strikeforce event on Showtime.
Strikeforce: Marquardt vs. Saffiedine
January 12, 2013
Chesapeake Energy Arena
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Main Card (Showtime):
Nate Marquardt (32-10-2) vs. Tarec Saffiedine (13-3) – Strikeforce welterweight title bout
Daniel Cormier (10-0) vs. Dion Starin (28-7)
Josh Barnett (31-6) vs. Nandor Guelmino (11-3-1)
Gegard Mousasi (32-3-2) vs. Mike Kyle (19-8-1)
Ronaldo Jacare Souza (16-3) vs. Ed Herman (20-8)
Preliminary Card (Showtime Extreme):
Roger Gracie (5-1) vs. Anthony Smith (17-8)
Tim Kennedy (14-4) vs. Trevor Smith (10-2)
KJ Noons (11-5) vs. Ryan Couture (5-1)
Pat Healy (28-16) vs. Kurt Holobaugh (7-0)
Preliminary Card (Un-Aired):
Jorge Gurgel (14-8) vs. Adriano Martins (23-6)
Estevan Payan (13-3) vs. Michael Bravo (7-3)
K-1 Global Holdings, WAKO, and SuperKombat Form a Strategic Partnership
WAKO, K-1 and SuperKombat recently announced that they have reached a worldwide cooperation agreement. Ennio Falsoni (WAKO President), Mike Kim (K-1 Chairman) and Eduard Irimia (SuperKombat President) met and agreed to the following:
The three persons mentioned above signs today a Worldwide Cooperation in the Kickboxing field and in the fighting sports in general. They agree to create a global sinergy and help and support each other worldwide. They agree to mutually advertise the others logo when promoting any Kickboxing event in order to strengthen the visibility of their respective brands. K-1 and SuperKombat will support WAKO winners in the international championship under the K-1 rules and will give them the chance to qualify in official elimination at different weights. K-1 and SuperKombat will support WAKO official events of the world in various forms of cooperation including the financial support.
WAKO will assist with logistics in any country of the world for K-1 and SuperKombat related events. WAKO will help K-1 and SuperKombat to protect the brand in different countries where other promotions will try to promote events under similar rules. WAKO will recognize K-1 and SuperKombat as the official professional event for the same style and will support the local promoters in each country to get the needed authorizations from the local Government Sport Authorities where K-1 and SuperKombat needs the support of WAKO for holding the events. K-1 and SuperKombat will recognize WAKO as the ruling amateur Kickboxing Federation in the world and will support it in it’s search of the Olympic dream. K-1 and SuperKombat will cooperate with WAKO for that goal on an exclusive base.
Lumpini and Rajadamnern – The Best Knockouts of 2012
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