Author: Matt Erickson

Strikeforce Sets Middleweight Title Fight, but Misses Out on Tournament Hopes

Filed under: Strikeforce, FanHouse ExclusiveOn Friday night, Strikeforce announced it will fill its vacant middleweight title by pairing Tim Kennedy and Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza against each other in Houston on Aug. 21. But the promotion won’t be filling…

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On Friday night, Strikeforce announced it will fill its vacant middleweight title by pairing Tim Kennedy and Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza against each other in Houston on Aug. 21. But the promotion won’t be filling that title void the way it set out to.

While the solution to make the Kennedy-Souza winner the new 185-pound champion seems simple enough, MMA Fighting has learned from sources with knowledge of the situation that Strikeforce had been planning a one-night, four-man tournament in Houston to determine its next champion. The four competitors were to be Kennedy, Souza, Robbie Lawler and Matt Lindland.

Those plans, however, were nixed by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation.

UFC Fight Night 22 Official With Demian Maia-Alan Belcher Headlining

Filed under: UFC, NewsThe UFC and Spike TV on Monday made official the Fight Night 22 card for Sept. 15 in Austin, Texas.

Fight Night 22 will take place at the Frank Erwin Special Events Center on the University of Texas campus and will feature a mai…

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The UFC and Spike TV on Monday made official the Fight Night 22 card for Sept. 15 in Austin, Texas.

Fight Night 22 will take place at the Frank Erwin Special Events Center on the University of Texas campus and will feature a main event middleweight fight between Demian Maia and Alan Belcher and a co-main event rematch between Mac Danzig and Matt Wiman.

The main card will air live on Spike. And as has become customary, the card is expected to serve as the lead-in for the Season 12 premiere of “The Ultimate Fighter,” which features welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre and Josh Koscheck as coaches.

Rashad Evans Wants to Fight the Best Shogun Rua When He’s Ready

Filed under: UFC, NewsHAMMOND, IND. – Sitting on a well-worn weight bench in his friend Miguel Torres’ sweltering gym on Friday, Rashad Evans said there’s no reason for him to be in a hurry.

Evans, the former UFC light heavyweight champion, beat Quin…

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HAMMOND, IND. – Sitting on a well-worn weight bench in his friend Miguel Torres’ sweltering gym on Friday, Rashad Evans said there’s no reason for him to be in a hurry.

Evans, the former UFC light heavyweight champion, beat Quinton “Rampage” Jackson in May to become the top contender for Mauricio “Shogun” Rua‘s belt. But Rua, who won the title from Lyoto Machida in May with an injured knee, will be on the shelf until at least March recovering from surgery. And that means Evans is on the shelf, as well – by choice.

“I’m really not in a rush to fight right now – I’m ready, but I just want to fight the best fighters,” Evans said. “I know he fought Machida when he was hurt, so I can wait to fight the best Shogun. I’m not like, ‘Ahhh – I need to fight! I need to fight!’ There’s a lot of things I can do with my time when I’m not fighting.”

‘Angry’ Miguel Torres Wants Return to Aggressive Roots at WEC 51

Filed under: WECMiguel Torres is angry. Or, to quote him more accurately, he’s “a pissed off Mexican right now.”

Torres, the former WEC bantamweight champion, learned Friday his next fight will come Sept. 30 against Charlie Valencia at WEC 51 in Broo…

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Miguel Torres is angry. Or, to quote him more accurately, he’s “a pissed off Mexican right now.”

Torres, the former WEC bantamweight champion, learned Friday his next fight will come Sept. 30 against Charlie Valencia at WEC 51 in Broomfield, Colo. And he told MMA Fighting just moments after he agreed to the bout that he’s ready for a style change – this time reverting back to his old form. There’s something to be said for not fighting angry, but for Torres, the formula had been working.

“Now I’m looking to come back and use my old style and stay aggressive,” Torres said, “and just beat the (crap) out of people.”

Torres (37-3, 5-2 WEC) took a 17-fight winning streak and three straight defenses of the bantamweight belt into the main event of WEC 42 last August. But Brian Bowles handed him the first knockout of his career and left Las Vegas with the title. Seven months later, hoping to show his first loss in nearly six years was a fluke, Torres was cut – badly – by Joseph Benavidez. Blood gushing from his forehead, which would later require plastic surgery, Torres was soon tapping out from a guillotine – his first submission loss and his first successive defeats.

Bellator Source Refutes Reports Paul Daley Has Signed With Promotion

Filed under: FanHouse Exclusive, Bellator, NewsContrary to multiple reports the last two days, former UFC welterweight Paul “Semtex” Daley has not signed with Bellator Fighting Championships.

A Bellator source confirmed Saturday to MMA Fighting that …

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Contrary to multiple reports the last two days, former UFC welterweight Paul “Semtex” Daley has not signed with Bellator Fighting Championships.

A Bellator source confirmed Saturday to MMA Fighting that the promotion had not, in fact, inked the British fighter to a contract, refuting a story first reported at bjpenn.com citing undisclosed sources.

“Paul Daley is not under contract with Bellator,” the source told MMA Fighting. Per the promotion’s policy, no further comment could be given since Daley is not one of the company’s fighters. There is no word whether or not Daley is in talks with Bellator to join the promotion following his fight against Daniel Acacio for Impact FC in Sydney on July 18.

Chris Lytle-Matt Serra Rematch Booked for UFC 119 in Indianapolis

Filed under: UFC, NewsA welterweight rematch between Chris Lytle and Matt Serra has been booked for UFC 119.

The news was first reported by MMA Junkie on Saturday and MMA Fighting has confirmed with Lytle that the bout will take place in Indianapolis…

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A welterweight rematch between Chris Lytle and Matt Serra has been booked for UFC 119.

The news was first reported by MMA Junkie on Saturday and MMA Fighting has confirmed with Lytle that the bout will take place in Indianapolis on Sept. 25 – in front of Lytle’s home crowd.

The fight is a rematch from the Season 4 finale of “The Ultimate Fighter,” which Serra won by split decision. That win gave Serra a shot at Georges St-Pierre for the 170-pound title, which he won with a shocking first-round TKO. That win is considered by many to be the biggest upset in the history of the UFC, and possibly the sport. He would lose the title back to St-Pierre in his first defense a year later.