Author: Matt Erickson

Joe Warren Stunned in Bellator Bantamweight Tournament

Filed under: Bellator, NewsJoe Warren’s pursuit of a second Bellator title didn’t get very far.

Warren, Bellator’s featherweight champion, dropped to bantamweight to enter the promotion’s Season 5 tournament, hoping to win the tourney and get a shot …

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Joe Warren’s pursuit of a second Bellator title didn’t get very far.

Warren, Bellator’s featherweight champion, dropped to bantamweight to enter the promotion’s Season 5 tournament, hoping to win the tourney and get a shot at bantamweight champ Zack Makovsky. But Alexis Vila had plenty to say about that Saturday at Bellator 51, and he said it with his left hand.

Vila dropped Warren with a big left in the main event, knocking him out before he hit the ground. The knockout came at just 1:04 of the first round. Vila advanced to the semifinals of the Bellator bantamweight tourney, as did Eduardo Dantas, Marcos Galvao and Ed West with their wins on Saturday in Canton, Ohio.

“This is what MMA is about,” Vila said after the fight. “I think everyone’s happy with my performance, so let’s roll. I’m looking for the title. It’s why I came here – to get a title.”

Warren’s loss snapped a five-fight winning streak, all in Bellator, since his last loss at Dream 11, a submission setback to Bibiano Fernandes in October 2009. Warren’s featherweight title was not on the line. Vila, from Cuba, remained unbeaten at 10-0. It was his Bellator debut.

In the co-main event, Dantas, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, upset Wilson Reis with a first-round knockout. Dantas landed a big flying right knee to Reis’ chin. Six shots on the ground later, Reis was in his second straight Bellator semifinals. He lost in the featherweight tournament’s semis in the spring.

And in a pair of unanimous decisions to open the quarterfinals, Marcos Galvao beat former WEC bantamweight champion Chase Beebe with a close split decision. Galvao, a BJJ black belt, survived several first-round submission attempts from Beebe. And West beat Luis Nogueira, a Brazilian national wrestling champion, by unanimous decision.

The semifinal fights of the bantamweight tournament are expected to take place in a Bellator event next month.

 

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Miguel Torres, Nick Pace Slated for UFC 139 Bantamweight Bout in San Jose

Filed under: UFC, NewsA pair of bantamweights coming off losses will meet in San Jose, Calif., looking to get back in the win column.

Former WEC 135-pound champion Miguel Torres and Nick Pace have verbally agreed to a fight at UFC 139 in November. Bot…

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A pair of bantamweights coming off losses will meet in San Jose, Calif., looking to get back in the win column.

Former WEC 135-pound champion Miguel Torres and Nick Pace have verbally agreed to a fight at UFC 139 in November. Both ex-WEC fighters won their UFC debuts, but suffered setbacks in their second outings with the promotion.

Pace said on his Twitter account Friday that he was fighting Torres – but later removed the Tweet from his page. But early Saturday, sources close to the fight confirmed to MMA Fighting that the bout has been agreed to.

Torres (38-4, 1-1 UFC) lost a unanimous decision to Demetrious Johnson at UFC 130 in May – a fight most analysts and observers believe Torres won. That loss snapped a two-fight winning streak for Torres. But more importantly for Johnson, it got him a title shot against Dominick Cruz next week.

Torres went nearly six years without a loss, catapulting himself into the conversation of pound-for-pound top fighters in the world. But in his fourth defense of the WEC bantamweight title, he suffered the first knockout of his career, surrendering the belt to Brian Bowles at WEC 42. He followed that loss up with a submission to Joseph Benavidez – his first tapout loss. That defeat prompted him to change his training strategy, and rather than mostly training himself at his gym in Northwest Indiana, he moved his camps to the Tristar Gym in Montreal under the direction of Firas Zahabi.

Pace (6-2, 1-1 UFC) was the Ring of Combat bantamweight champ before signing with the WEC last year. His first loss under the Zuffa banner came to Johnson by unanimous decision. After a submission win over Will Campuzano at the TUF 12 Finale last December, Pace dropped a unanimous decision to Ivan Menjivar at UFC 133 in August.

UFC 139 was expected to feature a heavyweight title fight between champ Cain Velasquez, who trains in San Jose, and Junior dos Sanots. But that fight was moved to the UFC’s debut on the Fox network Nov. 12. Instead, Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Dan Henderson will return to the UFC and headline the event against former champ Mauricio “Shogun” Rua.

Also on the card, Wanderlei Silva faces Cung Le in Le’s UFC debut. Former champs Urijah Faber and Bowles meet in a bantamweight bout. TUF 8 winner Ryan Bader faces Jason Brilz. And TUF 1 runner-up Stephan Bonnar meets Kyle Kingsbury.

 

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After Titan Loss, Jamie Varner Says He’s Retiring From MMA

Filed under: NewsJamie Varner says he’s had all he can stand, and he can’t stand any more.

After a unanimous decision loss to Dakota Cochrane on Saturday night at Titan Fighting Championships 20, Varner said via Twitter that he intends to retire from…

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Jamie Varner says he’s had all he can stand, and he can’t stand any more.

After a unanimous decision loss to Dakota Cochrane on Saturday night at Titan Fighting Championships 20, Varner said via Twitter that he intends to retire from mixed martial arts.

Varner left the Titan cage bloodied after a 30-27 sweep by Cochrane, who took the fight on just two days notice, and moments later Tweeted his announcement. But a little while later, the Tweet was removed from Varner’s timeline.

“I gave fighting another shot I need 2 thank u guys 4 ur support! But I just don’t have it anymore. Love u all but ull never c me fight again,” Varner said initially on Twitter before the message was removed, indicating the fighter may have reacted rashly after his loss to Cochrane, a heavy underdog in the fight.

A message left for Varner by MMA Fighting seeking comment was not immediately returned.

Varner (17-6-1, 2 NC) now has just one win in his last six fights, a submission of Tyler Combs in Jeff Curran‘s XFO promotion in May. That was his first bout after being cut from Zuffa and the WEC last December, and it came in a temporary move to welterweight.

Varner won the WEC lightweight title against Rob McCullough at WEC 32 in February 2008 and defended it twice against Marcus Hicks and Donald Cerrone. The Cerrone fight was a split decision that ended because of an illegal knee from Cerrone – and touched off one of the most heated rivalries in MMA history.

But injuries suffered in that fight kept Varner out for nearly a year. And once he returned, it’s been mostly downhill.

Varner lost his WEC lightweight title to Ben Henderson at WEC 46 in January 2010. He returned six months later, but settled for a draw with Kamal Shalorus. And in a highly anticipated rematch with Cerrone, he was dominated in a 30-27 sweep.

Varner then took a fight with Shane Roller at WEC 53, the final show in the promotion’s history – and in his backyard in Glendale, Ariz. But he was submitted in the first round and Zuffa cut him loose.

Varner started his career 11-1 with a pair of no contests, mostly in his native Arizona, before signing with the UFC in 2006. His UFC debut was a submission loss to Hermes Franca at UFC 62. At UFC 68, Varner submitted Jason Gilliam, then signed with the WEC, where he would win the lightweight belt in his second fight in the promotion.

 

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UFC 135 Weigh-In Results: Jon Jones, Rampage Jackson Official for Title Fight

Filed under: UFC, NewsThe UFC’s version of “Spygate” may still be lingering, but it doesn’t matter much now. One of the most anticipated title fights in recent UFC memory goes down Saturday, spy or no spy.

Main event light heavyweights Jon Jones and …

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The UFC‘s version of “Spygate” may still be lingering, but it doesn’t matter much now. One of the most anticipated title fights in recent UFC memory goes down Saturday, spy or no spy.

Main event light heavyweights Jon Jones and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson were both on the mark Friday for their title fight, which headlines UFC 135 at the Pepsi Center in Denver. The official weigh-in event took place at the Wells Fargo Theater at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver.

Jones defends the light heavyweight title for the first time since winning it against Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 128 in March. He took that fight on short notice, filling in for then-teammate Rashad Evans when Evans was hurt. Evans now waits in the wings to fight the winner of Jones-Jackson.


Jones, who typically looks away from his opponents during staredowns at the weigh-ins, this time looked right at Jackson and the two talked back and forth to each other in animated fashion before being split apart by UFC president Dana White.

“I had to tell him I’m going to end his hype tomorrow, that’s what I told him,” Jackson told emcee Joe Rogan. “It’s about time he grew up and started acting like a real MMA fighter. We stare each other down – that’s what we do in the UFC.”

Jones had very little to say: “I feel real good. I’ve done enough talking, and it’s time for me to show what I’ve got now. So let’s do it.”

The training camp period for the title fight was interrupted by controversy after Jackson’s camp accused the Jones camp of planting a spy to monitor the challenger’s training – which Jones’ side vehemently denied.

In the co-main event, former title challenger Josh Koscheck returns for the first time since losing to welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre in December. He takes a short notice fight against UFC Hall of Famer and former world champion Matt Hughes. Koscheck was 170.5 pounds; Hughes was 170.

The main card opens with an intriguing lightweight fight between up-and-down fighters Nate Diaz and Takanori Gomi. Diaz has lost two straight fights, but is always a candidate for an exciting bout. And Gomi has lost two of three since joining the UFC after a lengthy career in Japan. Both losses have been by submission.

And in a pair of heavyweight fights, Travis Browne looks to remain unbeaten when he meets Rob Broughton. And former IFL star Ben Rothwell returns after a long injury layoff to meet Mark Hunt.

The preliminary card features five fights. The first three will stream live on the UFC’s Facebook fan page, including a bantamweight bout between former title challenger Takeya Mizugaki and Cole Escovedo.

Those three fights will be followed by a pair of bouts on Spike TV starting at 8 p.m. Eastern. Tony Ferguson, winner of Season 13 of “The Ultimate Fighter” this past June, fights for the first time since winning that title. He’ll drop down to lightweight to take on veteran Aaron Riley. And at middleweight, Tim Boetsch meets TUF veteran Nick Ring.

UFC 135 takes place Saturday with the main card airing on pay-per-view at 9 p.m. Eastern.

The complete weigh-in results are below:

Main Card
Jon Jones (204.5) vs. Quinton Jackson (204)
Matt Hughes (170) vs. Josh Koscheck (170.5)
Ben Rothwell (263) vs. Mark Hunt (261)
Travis Browne (255) vs. Rob Broughton (261)
Nate Diaz (156) vs. Takanori Gomi (155)
Preliminary Card
Tony Ferguson (155) vs. Aaron Riley (155)
Nick Ring (185) vs. Tim Boetsch (186)
Junior Assunção (145) vs. Eddie Yagin (145)
Takeya Mizugaki (135) vs. Cole Escovedo (135)
James Te Huna (205) vs. Ricardo Romero (205)

 

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Krzysztof Soszynski Meets Igor Pokrajac at UFC 140 in Toronto

Filed under: UFC, NewsA potential misspelling nightmare bout has been booked by the UFC for December.

Krzysztof Soszynski will face off with Igor Pokrajac in a light heavyweight fight at UFC 140, which is expected to take place in Toronto on Dec. 10….

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A potential misspelling nightmare bout has been booked by the UFC for December.

Krzysztof Soszynski will face off with Igor Pokrajac in a light heavyweight fight at UFC 140, which is expected to take place in Toronto on Dec. 10. The two fighters were originally paired up for a fight at UFC 131 in June, but an injury pushed Pokrajac off the card.

UFC 140 will be the promotion’s second trip to Toronto in 2011. The first visit, in April, took place at the Rogers Centre and set a North American record with more than 55,000 fans. This card, though, will take place at the Air Canada Centre with an expected main event between heavyweights Frank Mir and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.

Soszynski (26-11-1, 6-2 UFC) has won back-to-back decisions since suffering his first TKO in nearly three years with a loss to Stephan Bonnar in July 2010. In June, Soszynski beat Mike Massenzio, who had filled in for Pokrajac. And in that fight, Pokrajac had filled in for Anthony Perosh.

Soszynski, a Season 8 cast member of “The Ultimate Fighter,” has won three fight night bonus awards in his eight UFC fights, including consecutive Submission of the Night wins against Shane Primm and Brian Stann in his first two fights for the promotion.

Pokrajac (23-8, 2-3 UFC) is coming off a March win over Todd Brown at UFC on Versus 3. He has won two of three fights, including a submission over James Irvin last year. His one loss in that stretch was a unanimous decision setback against Bonnar at the TUF 12 Finale in December.

UFC 140 also is expected to feature a light heavyweight bout between Tito Ortiz and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, which was originally scheduled for this past March before Ortiz pulled out with an injury. Other fights on the card include Brian Ebersole vs. Rory MacDonald and Mark Hominick vs. Chan Sung Jung.

 

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No Words Exchanged Between Ellenberger, Shields on Shields’ Father’s Death

Filed under: UFC, NewsNEW ORLEANS – Jake Ellenberger’s quick and dominant win over Jake Shields on Saturday will forever be linked to a story that transcends the world of fighting and sports.

When Shields’ father and manager, Jack Shields, died sudde…

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NEW ORLEANS – Jake Ellenberger‘s quick and dominant win over Jake Shields on Saturday will forever be linked to a story that transcends the world of fighting and sports.

When Shields’ father and manager, Jack Shields, died suddenly last month, there were quickly questions of whether he would be able to recover emotionally for the main event with Ellenberger at UFC Fight Night 25 – or if he even might pull out of the fight altogether. Shields was that close with his dad.

Ellenberger said leading up to the fight he could not help but understand Shields’ grief, and respected his decision to go through with the fight. After Ellenberger’s 53-second TKO win, he said he didn’t exchange any words with Shields, post-fight, about the loss of his father.

“I don’t feel it’s my place to be (offering condolences after the fight),” Ellenberger told MMA Fighting. “I know he’s going through a really tough time, but I don’t think it’s my place to talk about it. I feel for him – I really do. Like I said when I heard about this, family is the most important thing in the world outside of fighting, outside of anything.”

Shields had not been stopped in a fight since 2000, his third pro fight, and only in April, in a decision loss to Georges St-Pierre for the welterweight title, had his more than six-year-long winning streak snapped. He has now lost two straight for the first time in his career, which included the Strikeforce middleweight title before he vacated it last year to sign with the UFC.

Ellenberger’s win gave him five straight in the welterweight division, and the ease with which he dispatched Shields likely thrust his name right into title contention with another win. St-Pierre defends next against Carlos Condit in October. Nick Diaz fights BJ Penn on the same night with the winner likely to be next in line after Condit. But Ellenberger’s quick win, taking virtually no damage, may mean he’s back to work quickly, hoping to build on his streak and cement himself as next in line for a shot sometime in 2012.

Saturday, though, he said anyone who wants to downgrade his win by saying Shields might not have been ready for the fight in the wake of his father’s death should reconsider.

“It doesn’t matter, to be honest,” Ellenberger said. “He took the fight. He stayed in there, which I respect about him. He showed he’s a professional and a warrior. He had the opportunity to pull out. I’m not taking anything away from him. A fight is a fight.”

Before Jack Shields passed, there was just a hint of bad blood starting to rise between the two Jakes when Shields said he hadn’t really heard of Ellenberger. But after Saturday night, that likely all got swept under the carpet.

But Ellenberger said he knew he had to put his sympathy for Shields aside when the cage door closed.

“That’s the hard part,” Ellenberger said. “I know he’s going through such a tough time. No matter what you do and say, it’s really hard to push that aside and compete. But I do feel for him. Outside of fighting, I feel for him. I respect him. But when you get in there, it’s our job to fight, and that’s what we do.”

 

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