Weekly Mixed Martial Arts & K-1 News Recap – 10/07/2011
By PDG Staff
UFC 140: Jones vs. Machida – Card Updates
December 10, 2011
Air Canada Centre
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
UFC Light Heavyweight Championship:
Jon Jones vs. Lyoto Machida
Frank Mir vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
Tito Ortiz vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
Brian Ebersole vs. Rory MacDonald
Mark Hominick vs. Chan Sung Jung
Mark Bocek vs. Nik Lentz
John Makdessi vs. Dennis Hallman
Claude Patrick vs. Rich Attonito
Igor Pokrajac vs. Krzysztof Soszynski
John Cholish vs. Mitch Clarke
Owners of the most unique styles in mixed martial arts today, UFC light heavyweight champion Jon “Bones” Jones and former titlist Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida will meet in the Octagon in the main event of December 10th’s UFC 140 card at Toronto’s Air Canada Centre.
UFC President Dana White on Twitter Thursday:
“Alright Toronto!!! Dec 10th UFC 140 tickets go on sale next weekend and your main event is Bones Jones vs. Machida!!!”
Lion Fight Promotions: Battle In The Desert 4
Lion Fight Promotions announced that surging Muay Thai star Chaz Mulkey (7-4) of Las Vegas will collide with four-time British Muay Thai champion Simon Chu (29-7 (17 KO’s) of Leeds, England for the vacant WBC international middleweight (160 pounds) Muay Thai championship in the main event of Lion Fight Promotions: Battle In The Desert 4, live from The Joint, at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas on Sat., Nov. 19.
In the lightweight (135 pounds) co-main event, superstar Phanuwat “Coke” Chunhawat (145-24-1 (24 KO’s) of Oakland, Calif. via Thailand will face battle-tested Muay Thai champion and professional boxing contender Rami Ibrahim (13-7-2 (6 KO’s) of Philadelphia, Pa.
Four-time world Muay Thai champion Kit Cope (23-1 (9 KO’s) will make his long-awaited return to the ring on United States soil when he squares off with rising Muay Thai and MMA star Jose Palacios (5-2 (3 KO’s) of San Jose, Calif. in a featured WBC U.S. welterweight (147 pounds) championship bout.
Two knockout artists and rapidly emerging forces will collide when Las Vegas-based Muay Thai and mixed martial arts standout Chidi Njokuani (10-1 (6 KO’s) squares off with aggressive-minded Ken Tran (13-3 (10 KO’s) of Vancouver B.C., Canada in a 170-pound catchweight fight.
The main card will also be highlighted by a pair of women’s bouts. Former Cung Le-protégé Elaina Maxwell (0-0) of San Francisco, Calif. will face off with Roxy “Balboa” Richardson (2-1) of Los Angeles, Calif. at super lightweight (140 pounds) while Vivian Leung (1-0) of Las Vegas via Saskatoon, Canada will lock horns with Heidi Otterbein (3-1 (1 KO) of Las Vegas via Vancouver B.C., Canada in a 120 pound catchweight affair.
Lombard vs. Prangley Headline Bellator 58 from Seminole Hard Rock on November 19
Bellator Fighting Championships announced that reigning middleweight champion Hector Lombard will put his 24-fight undefeated streak on the line against former UFC fighter Trevor Prangley in a non-title catchweight fight at 195 pounds from the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino at Bellator 58 LIVE on MTV2 and in commercial-free HD on EPIX at 9 p.m. ET. The preliminary card for this event will be streamed LIVE and FREE around the world on Spike.com, starting at 7 p.m. ET.
Widely regarded as one of the top middleweights in the world and a fighter known for taking every fight put in front of him, Lombard enters the bout looking to continue his dominating run through MMA. The imposing knockout artist has claimed victory in his last 19 fights with 15 coming by finish, including a devastating knockout against Falaniko Vitale at Bellator 44. A former Judo Olympian with a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and knockout power in both hands, Lombard is always eager to get back into the cage and continue as one of the most devastating fighters in the sport.
“I just want November to get here and knock someone out,” Lombard said. “I doesn’t matter who it is, I just want to do what I do and that’s win. I don’t know much about Trevor, but it doesn’t matter. I’ll be in front of my fans in Florida, and it’s going to be a show.”
While Lombard may not be very familiar with Prangley, the MMA world should be, as the longtime MMA veteran holds notable victories over Chael Sonnen, Matt Horwich and Keith Jardine. The South Africa native is always looking to finish, and knows exactly what to expect on November 19th.
“Both of us are going to get in that cage and throw bombs, no questions asked,” Prangley said. “It’s no secret both of us like to stand and bang, and that’s exactly what everyone is going to get. I know Hector is really tough on his feet, but so am I, so he’s going to have to play my game when the cage door shuts.”
The Ultimate Fighter Season 14: Team Bisping vs. Team Miller – Episode 3 Recap
– In response to last week’s tire prank by Mayhem Miller, Bisping takes the tires off of Miller’s Dodge Charger and leaves Miller’s car on jacks.
– Team Bisping seems to be having some discipline issues at their training sessions as Marcus Brimage and Diego Brandao get into during sparring sessions.
– Akira Corassani seems to be taking the roll of “House-Clown” this season and his first target is Dustin Neace (who apparently has three nutz in his sack).
– Tensions in the house are beginning to rise as the pranks continue. Akira and “Triple Sac” Neace have a fairly heated argument.
– Team Miller’s John Dodson begins leaking injury and match-up information to Team Bisping as part of his little group in the house called “Team Leprechaun”
Fight #2 (BW): Johnny Bedford (Miller) def. Josh Ferguson (Bisping) via Unanimous Decision.
TEAM MILLER – 2
TEAM BISPING – 0
– Following the fight Miller apologizes to Team Bisping for them having such a terrible coach and Bisping’s head almost explodes.
– There will be two fights next week!
Reality fighting live this Saturday on GFL: Parker Porter takes on former 12-time UFC Veteran Gabriel Gonzaga
Reality Fighting returns live on the GFL Combat Sports Network on October 8 from Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut with a stacked 10-bout card headlined by three title fights.. The night will be headlined by a Heavyweight Championship Fight between 12-time UFC veteran Gabriel Gonzaga and defending champion Parker Porter.
Gabriel “Napao” Gonzaga is a 12-time UFC veteran who might be best known by his head kick knockout of Mirko Cro-Cop. The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt is looking forward to getting back into the cage and reigniting his MMA career. Parker Porter won the Reality Fighting Heavyweight Title in February 2011 with an impressive first round doctor’s stoppage over Mike Dexter. The Underdog BJJ trained fighter is looking to make a name for him by taking out his world-renown opponent. This is the biggest fight in New England MMA history.
The Lightweight Title Fight features two fighters who have come up through the Reality Fighting ranks. Champion, Matt Bessette has amassed a 6-1 record inside the Reality Fighting cage. He won the title in 2010 with a Fight of the Year performance against Anthony Kaponis. Bessette is a top 4 ranked fighter In New England. Joe Proctor is a prodigy of UFC star Joe Lauzon. Proctor has an undefeated record in Reality Fighting of 5-0. Joe earned the title shot back in May with a win over the undefeated Oz Pariser.
In a Bantamweight Title Fight, defending champion John McLaughlin takes on Emil Haddad. These opponents were once teammates on the same high school wrestling team. Both fighters are undefeated and promise to keep the fight at a pace that will keep the crowd on the edges of their seats.
UFC on Fox 1 – Card Updates
November 12, 2011
Honda Center
Anaheim, California
UFC Heavyweight Championship:
Cain Velasquez vs. Junior dos Santos
Ben Henderson vs. Clay Guida
Norifumi Yamamoto vs. Darren Uyenoyama
Cub Swanson vs. Ricardo Lamas
Dustin Poirier vs. Pablo Garza
Mackens Semerzier vs. Robert Peralta
Alex Caceres vs. Cole Escovedo
Mike Pierce vs. Paul Bradley
Aaron Rosa vs. Matt Lucas
Clay Harvison vs. DaMarques Johnson
Bellator Returns to Canada’s Casino Rama
Bellator Fighting Championships announced today that the promotion will once again travel north of the border to Casino Rama in Ontario for Bellator 57 on November 12. The night will feature the finals of Bellator’s Season 5 Welterweight Tournament, with the winner earning $100,000 and a guaranteed shot at the Bellator Welterweight Title. Bellator 57 will also mark the return of Bellator Women’s Champion Zoila Gurgel as she takes on Brazilian submission ace Carina Damm in a non-title affair LIVE on MTV2 and The Score in Canada as well as in commercial-free HD on EPIX, starting at 7 p.m. ET. The first fight of the night will begin at 5 p.m. ET and will be streamed free and around the world LIVE on Spike.com. Tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com and the Casino Rama Box Office.
Also, husband and wife have a chance of fighting on the same card as Damm, who is married to Bellator Season 5 welterweight Luis “Sapo” Santos, could have a chance of watching her husband vie for the tournament championship that night if Santos gets by Ben Saunders at Bellator 53 on October 8 at Buffalo Run Casino & Resort in Miami, Oklahoma.
“We had a tremendous night of fights at our last event at Casino Rama, and I’m excited for another magical night on November 12 LIVE on MTV2, EPIX in HD and The Score in Canada,” said Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney.
Two of the top welterweights in the sport will square off to determine who has truly earned a title shot for the Bellator Welterweight Championship. The tournament field currently stands at four, with Saunders taking on Santos and “The Cleveland Assassin” Chris Lozano fighting Douglas Lima at Bellator 53. Two will make it to Bellator 57, and be fighting for $100,000 and the chance to be called “champion.”
TUF 14 Finale – Bisping vs. Miller Announcement
The Ultimate Fighting Championship returns to the Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort on Saturday, Dec. 3 just in time for Michael “The Count” Bisping and Jason “Mayhem” Miller to settle a feud that has been spilling over for months. The middleweights, who traded verbal barbs for months as coaches on season 14 of The Ultimate Fighter, will meet in a long-awaited five-round main event in Las Vegas. Plus, the first-ever bantamweight and featherweight winners of The Ultimate Fighter will be crowned.
“Bisping and ‘Mayhem’ spent the last few months as TUF coaches and they really got on each other’s nerves,” UFC President Dana White said. “On Dec. 3, the talking finally ends and these two will go at it inside the Octagon. There’s a lot at stake in this fight. Not only do they get to settle their feud, but they get to prove that they belong in the mix to fight Anderson Silva.”
The Ultimate Fighter Finale will be televised nationally live on Spike TV beginning at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
Winner of season 3 of The Ultimate Fighter, Michael “The Count” Bisping (fighting out of Manchester, England) is one of the most successful products of the longest running sports reality show on television. Riding consecutive wins over Dan Miller, Yoshihiro Akiyama and Jorge Rivera, the 32-year-old now has his sights set on dominating his opponent on Dec. 3. Knowing a win puts him in contention for a title shot, the motivated Brit Bisping (22-3) seeks his fourth straight against a foe who has pushed his buttons for the last time.
“Jason is one of those guys that you either love him or you hate him,” Bisping said. “I definitely don’t like him. I think most people around him find him very, very annoying. I know people on The Ultimate Fighter did and I was no different. On Dec. 3, I’m going to kick his ass.”
A charismatic performer in and out of the Octagon, Jason “Mayhem” Miller (fighting out of Los Angeles, Calif.) returns to the UFC on a two-fight winning streak. The 30-year-old’s next task is besting Bisping, and after months of trading verbal jabs on TUF, he’d like nothing more than to shut him up when the two collide at the Palms.
“I definitely got under his skin during the season,” Miller, who owns a record of 34-8 with one no contest, said. “We hate each other’s guts at this point and on Dec. 3, we’re going to get in the cage across from each other and settle it. I’m excited for this fight.”
