Weekly Mixed Martial Arts & K-1 News Recap – 09/23/2011
By PDG Staff
Strikeforce: Britt vs. Sayers Announced
Talented striker Antwain “The Juggernaut” Britt (11-5) goes head-to-head with grappling ace Lumumba “Heavy Hands” Sayers (4-2) in a middleweight bout as Strikeforce returns to the Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas on Friday, Nov. 18. Strikeforce will air live on SHOWTIME at 11 p.m. ET/PT.
Strikeforce, presented by Rockstar Energy Drink, also features Adlan “Borz” Amagov (8-1-1) taking on Anthony “Lionheart” Smith (14-6) in a middleweight matchup, T.J. Cook (15-3) battling Trevor “Hot Sauce” Smith (8-1) in an explosive light heavyweight tilt, as well as an exciting women’s featherweight bout between undefeated judo player and Olympic bronze-medalist Ronda “Rowdy” Rousey (3-0) and Julia “The Jewel” Budd (2-1). In addition, unbeaten lightweight prospects Matt Ricehouse (5-0) and Bill “The Grill” Cooper (2-0) are set to collide.
“We love showcasing some of the best up-and-coming talent in this sport and we expect Britt and Sayers to deliver,” said Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker. “The rest of the card is filled with great matchups, including the returns of Ronda Rousey and Adlan Amagov. This is a great card for the fight fans in Las Vegas.”
UFC 139 – Card Updates
November 19, 2011
HP Pavillion
San Jose, California
Dan Henderson vs. Mauricio “Shogun” Rua
Wanderlei Silva vs. Cung Le
Urijah Faber vs. Brian Bowles
Rick Story vs. Martin Kampmann
Chris Weidman vs. Tom Lawlor
Nick Pace vs. Miguel Torres
Gleison Tibau vs. Rafael dos Anjos
Bellator 52 from L’Auberge Du Lac – Loaded Undercard
Bellator Fighting Championships makes its return to Louisiana on Saturday, October 1st as the promotion hosts Bellator 52 from L’Auberge Du Lac Casino Resort in Lake Charles. The action begins at 7 p.m. ET with a stacked undercard streaming LIVE on Spike.com. The televised portion of the event will feature the quarterfinals of Bellator’s Season 5 Heavyweight Tournament and will begin at 9 p.m. ET LIVE on MTV2 and in commercial-free HD on EPIX.
Lightweight sensation Cosmo “Good Boy” Alexander will make his MMA debut against Lake Charles native Josh Quayhagen, who will also be making his professional debut. Alexander enters Bellator with an incredible resume in Muay Thai, as the 29-year-old striker has over 50 professional kickboxing fights under his belt, along with several of the sport’s most notable championship titles. The Miami resident is one of the most highly-coveted prospects in all of MMA and looks to put on a show for Bellator fans.
Bellator featherweights collide as Genair da Silva takes on Bellator veteran Bryan Goldsby. For Silva, the Brazilian striker is looking to get back into the win column after suffering a close split-decision loss at the hands of fellow Brazilian Marlon Sandro in Bellator’s Summer Series Featherweight Tournament.
Undefeated light-heavyweight Matt Van Buren joins Bellator looking for victory over Alexandria, La. resident Nick Nichols. At 25 years old, the Virginia based Van Buren will look to impress Bellator brass with a dominating win.
There are also two intriguing heavyweight fights on the ledger as Josh Burns battles former The Ultimate Fighter competitor Zak Jensen, and Liron Wilson takes on the undefeated Justin Frazier, who will put his 4-0 record on the line.
The Season 5 heavyweight tournament will feature an eight-man field that boasts a dominating 73-15-2 record along with 41 combined knockouts. Undefeated Ron Sparks takes on Oklahoma native Mark Holata, Season 3 finalist Neil Grove faces 15-win veteran Mike “300” Hayes; and in other quarterfinal action, Thiago “Big Monster” Santos looks to be the first man to put a blemish on Blagoi Ivanov’s 4-0 record and Army veteran Eric Prindle will test Abe Wagner, the man who beat former UFC heavyweight champion Tim Sylvia in the first round earlier this year.
“L’Auberge Du Lac has been an incredible venue partner for us, and we should have a great night of fights on October 1st LIVE on MTV2 and EPIX, as well as on Spike.com,” said Bellator Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “There are some first-time Bellator fighters on this card that I can’t wait to watch and see what they can do in the cage.”
The Ultimate Fighter Season 14: Team Bisping vs. Team Miller – Episode 1 Recap
– This season’s elimination-round fights take place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas and not the UFC Training Center. Dana White tells the fighters they have earn the right to get into the UFC facilities.
– Dana White announces bonuses for this season for best fight, best knockout and best submission. The fans will vote and the winner’s will receive $25,000.00
Bantamweight Fights:
Josh Ferguson def. Casey Dyer
John Dodson def. Brandon Merkt
Roland Delorme def. B.J. Ferguson
Johnny Bedford def. Carson Beebe
Dustin Pague def. Tateki Matsuda
Louis Gaudinot def. Paul McVeigh
T.J. Dillashaw def. Matt Jaggers
John Albert def. Orville Smith
Welterweights:
Akira Corassani def. Brian Pearman
Stephen Bass def. Karsten Lenjoint
Steven Siler def. Micah Miller (Dana White crossed Siler off his list before the fight even happened)
Dustin Neace def. Josh Clopton
Bryan Caraway def. Eric Marriott
Marcus Brimage def. Bryson Wailehua-Hansen
Dennis Bermudez def. Jimmie Rivera
Diego Brandao def. Jesse Newell (Devastating KO by Brandao and it looked just like when Hendo KO’ed Bisping)
– The tournament’s opening 16 fights resulted in eight knockouts and five submissions.
– Teams will be picked next week.
Alistair Overeem leaves Golden Glory
The Strikeforce, DREAM and K-1 heavyweight champion posted the following on Twitter page:
“I would like to make a statement regarding the recent news of the separation from my long-time management Golden Glory. As with any relationship, there are good times and bad times – you have your common ground and your differences. As with any relationship, you have trust. When differences lead to a breach of trust, there’s no turning back and no way to continue a positive, working relationship. I don’t air my dirty laundry. I would appreciate the respect regarding my privacy to not disclose any further details on this matter.
Again, I would like to thank team Golden Glory for all the years we worked together and wish them success for the future.”
Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez Suffers Injury
Bellator Fighting Championships announced that reigning Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez has suffered an injury that will force the title holder off of the October 15th card at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J. The Philadelphia fighter was scheduled to square off against Season 4 Lightweight Tournament winner Michael Chandler in a Bellator Lightweight title fight. The fight has yet to be rescheduled, but the possibility remains for a title fight later this season.
“Eddie suffered an injury that will keep him out of our October 15th show at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City,” said Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney. “Eddie Alvarez has a huge heart and if there was any way for him to fight on the 15th, I know he would. Ed’s in spectacular condition, so both of us are hopeful that this fight can potentially still occur later this fall.”
The night will feature the semifinals of Bellator’s middleweight tournament, as well as Bellator Bantamweight Champion Zack Makovsky in a non-title super fight against former UFC veteran Ryan Roberts.