Antwain Fisher, 35, was initially charged with first-degree kidnapping. One of the three suspects initially charged in relation to the homicide of Aniah Blanchard, stepdaughter of UFC heavyweight Walt Harris, saw …
Auburn Police Department
Antwain Fisher, 35, was initially charged with first-degree kidnapping.
One of the three suspects initially charged in relation to the homicide of Aniah Blanchard, stepdaughter of UFC heavyweight Walt Harris, saw their charges dropped earlier this week. According to WAGM8 Lee County District Attorney Brandon Hughes has dropped a first-degree kidnapping charge against Antwain Fisher, 35.
Fisher was arrested in Auburn, AL in November. This came after U.S. Marshals captured Ibraheem Yazeed, 30, in Escambia County, FL. Yazeed has been charged with capital murder and is accused of killing Blanchard after abducting her on the night of October 23rd.
Fisher was initially accused of aiding Yazeed, by providing transportation and disposing of evidence. According to Hughes, since none of Fisher’s actions meet the state’s legal benchmarks for being charged as an accomplice he has sought a dismissal of the charge on “legal and jurisdictional grounds.”
A judge agreed to dismiss the charges and thus Fisher is no longer charged with any crimes in connection to the case.
David Johnson Jr. has been charged with hindering prosecution in this case. He is accused of providing false information to investigators to protect his son, who is believed to have driven Yazeed over state lines. Johnson’s son has not been charged with any crimes. Johnson was released on a $3,500 bond.
The final Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) card of 2019 hits Sajik Arena in Busan, South Korea, this Saturday morning (Dec. 21, 2019). And while it’s understandably filled mostly with Asian tal…
Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
The final Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) card of 2019 hits Sajik Arena in Busan, South Korea, this Saturday morning (Dec. 21, 2019). And while it’s understandably filled mostly with Asian talent, there’s a Latin American newcomer set to make his debut. On this edition of “New Blood,” the series where I find out just how busted Fight Pass is, we look at an undefeated Henri Hooft-trained bruiser from Venezuela.
Morales spent most of his career feasting on subpar opposition in his native Venezuela before scoring a brutal sub-minute knockout in his Bellator debut. Almost exactly one year later, he stepped into a “Contender Series” main event opposite LFA champion Harvey Park. Though the underdog, Morales badly hurt Park with low kicks to set up a fight-ending right hand early in the second round and earn himself a contract.
Though submissions feature most prominently on his finishing record, Morales’ mobile striking is his star attraction. The guy kicks like a mule, boasting exceptional speed and power in his right low kick and switch high kick especially. It didn’t take many hits at all to completely compromise Park’s lead leg, leaving him wide open for Morales’ right hand, and the Bellator knockout came courtesy of catching his opponent leaning with a head kick.
His boxing, though powerful, doesn’t appear to be quite as crisp as his kicking game. He’s prone to planting his feet and throwing heat when pressured, looping his powerful right instead of ramming it straight down the pipe. In addition, besides backing straight up, he looks vulnerable to getting caught on the break or when exchanging; Park blasted him with two massive hooks as they separated. His chin held up exceptionally well, though, so he’s got that going for him.
What stood out besides his kicks was his defensive clinch work. He did an excellent job of pummeling for underhooks against Park, shutting down the LFA champ’s wrestling game and getting back into kicking range. As a result, we didn’t get to see any of his ground game, but I suppose the best submission defense is never letting your opponent even get in a position to submit you.
Morales is old for a prospect at 34, but has a solid camp behind him at Hard Knocks 365 and showed a lot of promise against a legit fighter in Harvey Park. Though he might not have time to make a real run, he’s liable to get a couple of nice UFC wins.
Opponent: Dong Hyun Ma has given us some terrific brawls during his UFC tenure, but he took serious damage in his last two fights. His outlook doesn’t look great against yet another hard-hitting slugger, especially not one with technically superior striking. Expect Morales to start his UFC tenure on the right foot.
Tape: His “Contender Series” appearance is on ESPN+.
Remember that MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Fight Night 165 fight card this weekend, starting with the ESPN+“Prelims” that are scheduled to begin at 2 a.m. ET, then the main card portion that will also stream on ESPN+ at 5 a.m. ET.
To check out the latest and greatest UFC Fight Night 165: “Edgar vs. Korean Zombie” news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive right here.
Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
The UFC has done some roster trimming. The UFC roster is quite large nowadays, and the reality of fighting dictates that sometimes fighters aren’t performing well enough in the Oct…
Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
The UFC has done some roster trimming.
The UFC roster is quite large nowadays, and the reality of fighting dictates that sometimes fighters aren’t performing well enough in the Octagon to stay with the promotion. 10 of those fighters are no longer on with the company as of today.
Two of the more prominent fighters were guys with eight or more UFC fights under their belts. One that was already confirmed in the past was veteran welterweight Sergio Moraes. In 14 UFC fights he was a very respectable 8-5-1, but he had lost three in a row. Another was Zak Ottow, who went 4-4 in his Octagon appearances. He alternated wins and losses his whole time with the organization, but was stopped by Alex Morono in his last outing.
Here are the other eight fighters who are no longer on the roster (via MMA Junkie):
Boston Salmon (6-3, 0-2 UFC)
Allan Zuniga (13-1, 0-1 UFC)
Darrell Horcher (13-4, 1—3 UFC)
Lauren Mueller (5-3, 1-3 UFC)
Jason Gonzalez (11-5, 1-3 UFC)
Kurt Holobaugh (17-7, 0-4 UFC)
Te Edwards (6-3, 0-2 UFC)
Rostem Akman (6-2, 0-2 UFC)
In addition to that, it appears that heavyweight Allen Crowder (10-4, 1-2 UFC) has decided to retire from MMA and is no longer on the roster as well (news via BJPenn.com)
Bellator 235: “USO Presents – Salute the Troops” airs TONIGHT (Fri., Dec. 20, 2019) from Neal S. Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii, streaming live online via DAZN (and on Paramount Network). The seven fight card is free to …
Bellator MMA
Bellator 235: “USO Presents – Salute the Troops” airs TONIGHT (Fri., Dec. 20, 2019) from Neal S. Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu, Hawaii, streaming live online via DAZN (and on Paramount Network). The seven fight card is free to attend for all military personnel and their families in Hawaii.
Salute the Troops’ main card will start at 10 p.m. ET on Paramount Network and DAZN (watch it) with “Prelims” undercard bouts kicking off at 8:45 p.m. ET. MMAmania.com will deliver results and play-by-play for the entirety of the Bellator MMA card.
Many readers check in before, during and after the fights to share their thoughts on all of the action. Feel free to leave a comment about the bouts and chat with all the other Maniacs during the show — it’s always a lot of fun!
BELLATOR SALUTE THE TROOPS QUICK RESULTS:
Josh Barnett vs. Ronny Markes — CANCELLED. ^1 Erik Perez vs. Toby Misech — Misech KO 0:54 R1. Joey Davis vs. Chris Cisneros — Davis TKO 3:55 R1. Alejandra Lara vs. Veta Arteaga — Lara UD 30-26 X3. Tywan Claxton vs. Braydon Akeo — Claxton UD 30-27 X3. Ty Gwerder vs. Joseph Creer — Creer UD 30-27 X2, 29-26. Cass Bell vs. Pierre Daguzan — Bell UD 30-27 X2, 29-28. Hunter Ewald vs. Brysen Bolohao — Ewald sub (RNC) 1:42 R1.
Black trunks with a Monster logo, blue gloves and lucha libre mask on for Perez. He’s 19-6 as a pro. Black trunks and red gloves for Misech, 11-7 as a pro. Perez fights out of San Diego, California. Misech fights out of Hilo, Hawaii. Our referee is Mike Beltran.
Round 1: Perez and Misech quickly meet to exchange strikes. Perez throws a head kick. Misech drops him with a single strike and wins by knockout – just, like, THAT. He set it up with a little right jab and dropped Perez with a left hook flush that caught him looking. There was an audibly loud CRACK when the shot landed. Perez woke back up once he bounced off the mat, but Beltran stopped it the moment Perez went out cold.
Final result: Toby Misech wins via first round knockout at 0:54 of round one.
Joey Davis vs. Chris Cisneros
Black trunks and blue gloves for the 19-10 Cisneros. White trunks and red gloves for the 6-0 Davis. Cisneros fights out of Hilo, Hawaii. Davis fights out of Compton, California. The referee in charge is Mike Beltran.
Round 1: Glove tap. Davis shoots and gets a takedown at 9 seconds. Cisneros scoots backward toward the fence. Davis pops him with a shoulder to the chin. Left elbow smacks down as Cisneros is pinned to the fence. Davis keeps posturing up from his knees to come down with lefts and rights. Davis stands up at the halfway mark of the round to unload hard rights to the head. There’s a pool of blood behind Cisneros’ head when he sits up. Davis pushes him back down and the blood smears on his left shoulder. Big right to the head. Ground and pound pours on top until Beltran waves it off at 3:55.
Final result: Joey Davis via technical knockout at 3:55 of the first round.
Alejandra Lara vs. Veta Arteaga
Arteaga is out first in the black trunks, green top and blue gloves. Her record is 5-3 and she’s coming off a title fight opportunity against Ilima-Lei Macfarlane she lost by TKO. Lara has the blue trunks and top with red gloves and she dances her way to the cage, 8-3, and coming off a TKO via strikes in her last fight at Bellator 225. Arteaga hails from Boise, Idaho and Lara from Medellin, Colombia. Our referee in charge is Jason Herzog.
Round 1: Tap of gloves to start and Arteaga immediately lands a right hand, and 2-3 more at the 15 second mark. Lara with a body kick. Lara with a knee to the body as she pushes Arteaga to the fence. Herzog tells them to keep it clean as the taller Lara tries to overwhelm her opponent. Left hand to the face. Knee to the body from Arteaga on the break. Lara fires off a combo in response and she puts Arteaga right back on the cage. 90 seconds gone. Lara with a right hand on the break. Leg kick from Arteaga. Arteaga looks to have some swelling around her right eye. Lara closes the distance and throws knees right at that spot. She backs away for elbows and hands at 2:50. Arteaga’s face is getting busted up. Hard left hand. Big right. Arteaga is on the fence again. Those five inches of reach Lara has on her opponent are doing a world of hurt. She drops Arteaga at 3:46 and pounces on the ground. McCarthy is claiming she slipped. She gets back up and Lara backs away to throw an elbow. Head kick from Lara and Arteaga is hurt. 30 seconds left. Arteaga covers up and backs away but not before eating an elbow. Stiff left hand. 10-8 Lara.
Round 2: A doctor looked Arteaga over and cleared her to continue. Glove tap again to start the round. Lara continues to land the left hand with impunity. Leg kick for Arteaga. Left right left for Lara. Arteaga closes the distance and gets turned and pushed into the cage. Lara hits the left as she backs up. Head kick for Lara. Another hard left hook for Lara. Arteaga is trying to pressure and close the distance. Lara with kicks and body strikes. Left kick high at 2:30 for Lara. Solar plexus kick. Arteaga with a right at close range. Both women swing nasty at 3:00. Head kick nails Arteaga at 3:18 and Lara swarms as Arteaga gets back up. Lara is clipping her repeatedly. Herzog is keeping a close eye on it. Arteaga recovers and comes forward firing rights. Arteaga swarms as Lara lands a head kick. Another head kick at the 10 second clap. 10-9 Lara.
Round 3: Both women swinging hard right from the bell here. Body kick by Lara at 30 seconds. Clinch 8 seconds later and Lara rushes Arteaga to the fence. They break 10 seconds later. Spinning backfist and head kick from Lara. Body kick and hard combo of punches to the head from Lara. It’s amazing how many times Lara has tagged Arteaga and not finished the fight. Another spinning backfist. Leg and body kicks from Lara. 2:30. Right hoks from Lara. Arteaga charges and gets put against the fence for some elbows that landed flush and momentarily stunned Arteaga. Lara backs up to fight at range. Lara sends Arteaga flying backward with a kick and throws a big kick to the body and some elbows up top as she gets in close. The elbows have opened a huge cut on the right side of Arteaga’s face and a massive amount of blood is pouring everywhere. This is Muta Scale 1.0. Another head kick for Lara. Right hand for Arteaga. Head kick again. 10-8 round for Lara.
Final result: Lara takes a 30-26 X3 unanimous decision.
Tywan Claxton vs. Braydon Akeo
Blue gloves and trunks for Akeo with a pro record of 3-0. Red gloves and trunks for Claxton sporting a record of 5-1. Akeo fights out of Hawaii. Claxton fights out of Cleveland, Ohio. Dayne Furuta is the referee.
Round 1: No glove tap to start. Claxton charges in at the 20 second mark and Akeo ducks under the strikes. Claxton leads heavily on his right leg and swings kicks with the left. Right kick brushes the head. He bounces on his feet and comes forward with a right hook. He falls down trying to throw a combo at 1:52 but pops right up. Akeo jabs and Claxton gets his hands up to block. Akeo circles left and right looking for an opening. 2:30 gone. Claxton backs him up with a big left. Leg kick for Akeo. Akeo runs away from a right hand and pops Claxton, then they clinch up and Claxton pushes him into the fence. Knees from Claxton. Big elbow swing by Claxton on the break. Left hook for Claxton. 10-9 Claxton.
Round 2: Claxton nearly flies over the top of Akeo with his striking 20 seconds into the round, giving Akeo a leg in the process, but Akeo is unable to take him down. Claxton starts to land some heavy shots on the fence a minute in and then locks up with Akeo, who turns him around against the fence at 1:29. Claxton is free and firing right hands at 1:46. Head kick misses. Akeo lands a leg kick. Another leg kick for Akeo and Claxton responds in kind. Akeo runs away from the power strikes. Claxton clips him at 2:50. The right hand connects again. Akeo throws a front kick and a right. He tries to shoot and gets clipped with another right. Claxton puts him on the fence at 3:40. Akeo escapes at 4:23 after some dirty boxing and close quarters combat. Hard jab from Claxton. 10-9 Claxton.
Round 3: Akeo has the back and goes hard for a takedown in the first minute, even getting one hook in a couple of times, but Claxton does not go down. He’s got his back to the fence and turns Akeo around as we pass the minute mark. Spinning backfist from Claxton. Uppercut at close range. Hard body shots and uppercuts. Knees to the legs. Akeo can do nothing but take his lumps. He finally gets away at 2:23. Body kick from Claxton. Leg kick. Another. Akeo shoots at 2:54 and is easily blocked. Claxton responds with his own takedown 10 seconds later. He stands up to fire ground and pound and Akeo gives up his back. Akeo stands back up at 3:35 but he eats more shots to the head. One minute left. Lefts to the head. Knee to the chin. Takedown to full mount at 4:18. Big left hands as Akeo gives up his back again. Claxton goes for the rear naked choke late but Akeo survives. 10-8 round for Claxton.
Final result: The judges score it 30-27 X3 all for Tywan Claxton.
Ty Gwerder vs. Joseph Creer
Creer is 6-1-1 in the white trunks and blue gloves out of Detroit, Michigan. Gwerder is 4-0 in the black trunks and red gloves out of Honolulu, Hawaii. Our referee is Chris West.
Round 1: Glove tap gets us underway. Creer is backed up to the fence with a left hand from Gwerder, whose longest pro fight to date is under half a round. The left hand finds a home again and Creer clinches him against the cage. Gwerder turns him around, brings a knee up, then briefly picks Creer up off his feet. Gwerder takes a blow to the cup and the ref calls time so he can recover from the errant knee. It only takes him a minute or less to recover. Creer throws leg kicks and tries to spin his way into range. Creer lands a body shot and Gwerder responds with an uppercut. Gwerder throws a left head kick. Creer tries to pressure him into the fence and then grabs a muay thai plum to throw a knee before they break. Gwerder comes forward with heavy leather and more uppercuts. 90 seconds left in the round. Leg kicks are exchanged. Creer gets caught with a 1-2 combo after some nice jabs. Creer gets a takedown with 10 seconds left but it’s a 10-9 round for Gwerder.
Round 2: Creer is coming forward with a flurry of hands to start and digs hard for a takedown, which he gets at 41 seconds. He’s got the legs laced with Gwerder’s back against the cage. Creer moves to take the back and has one hook in at 1:54. Both hooks are in 10 seconds later. He’s going hard for a rear naked choke but it’s not cleanly under the chin. Creer lets it go and resets. Gwerder spins on top at 3:38. He stands up at 3:53. Gwerder and Creer tag each other with hard shots. Creer throws Gwerder to the ground again at 4:25 and takes the back with short time left. 10-9 Creer.
Round 3: Creer and Gwerder tie up at 30 seconds and break 10 seconds later. Gwerder circles on the outside as Creer stalks him and continually fires the right jab and left hook. Creer is snapping Gwerder’s head back when the right lands. Gwerder is throwing looping overhand rights. Creer shoots in and gets a takedown at 1:50, quickly taking a full mount. Gwerder pushes off the fence with his feet but can’t get back up TO his feet. He tries again with just over 90 seconds left and Creer is still on top in side control. He goes for an arm lock late but Gwerder is saved by the bell. 10-9 Creer.
Final result: The judges score it 30-27, 30-27 and 29-26 all for Creer.
Cass Bell vs. Pierre Daguzan
Bell is 4-0 in the red gloves, red/green trunks and green hair out of Humboldt County, California. Daguzan 5-3 in the blue gloves, black trunks and mohawk out of Versailles, France. Dayne Furuta is our referee.
Round 1: Both fighters paw at each other in the center and throw leg kicks to start. Bell throws a right high kick that’s checked, and then his left kick is caught before he breaks free. Bell throws a leg kick at distance and Daguzan charges in to return the favor. Bell goes high with the right head kick again and Daguzan tries to take him down. Bell pops right up. Two minutes gone. Daguzan misses with a front kick and a right hook. Bell circles on the outside and then goes for a left and a right head kick back to back. For some reason the round ends two minutes early. 10-9 Bell.
Round 2: Bell opens R2 circling Daguzan and looking for more leg and head kicks. Daguzan catches a kick and sweeps Bell to the ground with a hard leg kick of his own, but Bell gets up at 1:12 and rocks Daguzan immediately with a spinning backfist. Daguzan stumbles getting back to his feet and Bell gives chase. Daguzan seems recovered by the two minute mark. Bell lands a left hook and throws a left head kick. Right head kick at 2:45. Leg kick for Bell. Daguzan only seems to find the range when he catches Bell’s leg and holds on. Bell snaps a kick into Daguzan’s elbow. Daguzan tries to cut an angle and keep Bell at the fence but he easily sidesteps away. This time we got the full five minutes. 10-9 Bell.
Round 3: Daguzan sweeps Bell to the ground immediately but he’s back to his feet at 18 seconds. Bell shoots and is initially stuffed but the second attempt gets Daguzan down at 52 seconds and Bell immediately has back mount with both hooks in. Daguzan escapes at 1:38. Right hook by Daguzan. Leg kick. Body kick by Bell. Left hook. Bell shoots at 2:35 and is stuffed, but he lands the spinning backfist again when they break. Right head kick for Bell with a minute left. Daguzan continues to miss at range while Bell repeatedly finds his. He ends the third round with some nice left hooks. 10-9 Bell.
Final result: The judges score it 30-27, 29-28 and 30-27 all for Cass Bell.
Hunter Ewald vs. Brysen Bolohao
Blue gloves and blue/pink trunks for the 0-1 Bolohao out of Hawaii. Red gloves and black trunks for Ewald in his pro debut also out of Hawaii. The referee is Jason Herzog.
Round 1: Ewald is looking to take the back 44 seconds into the fight with one hook in. He first tries to lift and then throws Bolohao to the ground. He’s got the back with both hooks. Ewald is going for a rear naked choke. Bolohao taps at 1:42.
Final result: Hunter Ewald via submission (RNC) at 1:42 of the first round.
Former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker will face top contender Jared Cannonier in his first fight since losing the title. The bout will take place at UFC 248 on March 7, at the T Mobile Arena in Las Vegas Nevada. The Australians two-year reign as middleweight king came to an ugly end against New Zealander Israel […]
Former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker will face top contender Jared Cannonier in his first fight since losing the title. The bout will take place at UFC 248 on March 7, at the T Mobile Arena in Las Vegas Nevada.
The Australians two-year reign as middleweight king came to an ugly end against New Zealander Israel Adesanya. ‘The Last Stylebender’ picked up a second round TKO win when the pair squared off at UFC 243 in October this year. His win ended a title run that for Whittaker has been plagued with injuries and misfortune.
Since beating Yoel Romero in impressive fashion in 2017, Whittaker has seriously struggled with injuries. After 11 months out with a knee injury he again fought the Cuban, in another five round dog fight. Again, he picked up the judge’s decision to retain his title. Another 16 months out the octagon followed before Whittaker was able to fight Adesyana, who had just come off a five-round war with would be title challenger Kelvin Gastelum. He proved too much for a rusty Whittaker and got the early stoppage in front of a sold-out stadium in Australia.
Whilst Whittaker has been struggling at the top Cannonier as been making his way up there. Since moving down to middleweight, the ‘Killa Gorilla’ is unbeaten. The 35-year-old has been impressive at 185lbs picking up three consecutive TKO wins. His win streak began win the second-round stoppage of David Branch, before he stopped Anderson Silva with a leg kick and finished top contender Jack Hermansson. A win over a former champion Whittaker would make his calls out a UFC title shot undeniable. This is a true cross roads fight. Will the former champion have what it takes to get another shot? Or will the up-and-coming starlet emerge victorious and announce himself as the next big thing? I guess we’ll find out when these two square off at UFC 248 in March.
Can Robert Whittaker get back to winning ways against
Jared Cannonier?
Welterweight champion Kamaru Usman defended his belt in emphatic fashion against Colby Covington at UFC 245. The two fighters primarily known for their wrestling credentials went to war on the feet throughout five hard rounds. Usman actually broke Covington’s jaw in the third round before eventually dropping ‘Chaos’ twice which saw referee Marc Goddard stop […]
Welterweight champion Kamaru Usman defended his belt in emphatic fashion against Colby Covington at UFC 245. The two fighters primarily known for their wrestling credentials went to war on the feet throughout five hard rounds. Usman actually broke Covington’s jaw in the third round before eventually dropping ‘Chaos’ twice which saw referee Marc Goddard stop the fight in the fifth and final round, much to to the displeasure of Covington. .
The UFC have now released their customary Fight Motion video. If you haven’t seen it before it’s the events best clips all shown in super slow motion. It really makes any moment truly epic and the epic moments even better. If you’re not too squeamish, take a look at the Americans jaw breaking in slow motion and the nights best bits below. (H/T UFC)
Since the fight Covington has had his broken jaw confirmed and been suspended by the commission for 180 days. Despite the loss ‘Chaos’ is still full of confidence and ready to get straight back in there as soon as hes medically cleared according to his manager Dan Lambert.
“The Nigerian Nightmare’ Kamaru Usman will now look to continue his reign as champion for as long as possible. Welterweight is full of killers right now and he’s already got a couple 170lb fighters lining up. Inaugural BMF champion Jorge Masvidal has enjoyed a brilliant 2019, picking up three consecutive knockout wins over Darren Till, Ben Askren and Nate Diaz. It’s hard to say he shouldn’t be next in line for a crack at Usman. On the other hand you have British fighter Leon Edwards, who has been quietly clearing out the division. Currently riding an 8-fight UFC win streak Edwards could also be next in line for a chance to avenge the sole defeat of his career against Usman.
