Author: Nick Caron

Minnesota MMA: Tony Belvedere on CFX Lawsuit, Josh Rave Fight, UFC Aspirations

One of the most popular fighters in the Midwest is back in action on Saturday night as Tony Belvedere steps in the cage to compete in the main event of Driller Promotions’ Downtown Showdown 8. The 125-pounder will be competing at the Hyatt hote…

One of the most popular fighters in the Midwest is back in action on Saturday night as Tony Belvedere steps in the cage to compete in the main event of Driller Promotions’ Downtown Showdown 8.

The 125-pounder will be competing at the Hyatt hotel in downtown Minneapolis against a veteran opponent in Josh Rave, who has made a name for himself in the Omaha, Neb., area and throughout the country.

It’s an opportunity for Belvedere to not only get in the cage against a high-level opponent, but also one that he has been looking forward to fighting for quite some time.

“I’ve kind of had him on my radar for quite some time. He’s been kind of a big deal in the Midwest at 125 and I’ve always wanted to get the chance to fight him,” Belvedere told Bleacher Report MMA. “I want tough fights, fights that are going to challenge me.”

A well-rounded flyweight, Josh Rave presents new challenges for Belvedere, who understands that this could be a major breakout fight for his career.

“This is the biggest fight of my life. It’s a huge opportunity and I can’t wait,” he said.

This will be Belvedere’s second fight of the year after he defeated Jon Barker in his flyweight debut for Driller Promotions this past January.

After a surprising non-stoppage midway through that bout, Belvedere won a lopsided judges’ decision. The new weight class felt like home for the Wisconsin-native.

“I’ve always been the shorter, smaller fighter,” Belvedere said. “I barely even had to cut any weight to make 135. 125 is a good cut for me, it brings me back to my days wrestling and cutting weight.”

He was set to make his return to the cage as part of the big CFX show at the Target Center in April, but despite getting into shape to compete, the fight never materialized.

When his original opponent, Zach Wolff, canceled due to a staph infection, CFX promoters weren’t quick to inform Belvedere.

“Zach notified them on Monday before the fight,” Belvedere said. “But no one told me until Wednesday. Then that night, around 10:00 p.m., Nick Gamst [CFX promoter] called and told me that they had found a replacement opponent in Johnny Coleman. They said he couldn’t make 125, but that he’d make 130. They also said he couldn’t make it to the weigh-ins and asked if I’d be comfortable with letting him weigh-in in front of the referee.”

Always one to bring a huge crowd with him to his fights, Belvedere agreed to these terms in order to just get a fight. He went on to make weight on Friday before being informed on the day of the fight that Coleman wasn’t going to show up to fight.

“When I got to the Target Center that night, I talked to Rick [the referee] and he told me that Johnny Coleman never even showed up to weigh-in on Friday,” Belvedere said. “So it was just a big lack of communication by CFX.”

A lack of communication is one thing, but Belvedere believes that it was done intentionally in an effort to keep money in CFX’s pockets from ticket sales that would’ve likely not been there had Belvedere not been competing.

“I felt like CFX knew Johnny wasn’t coming that night. In fact, he fought that same night down in Iowa,” Belvedere said. “So I feel like, as soon as Zach [Wolff] pulled out of the fight, they came up with the master plan to string me along and get my ticket sales, knowing full well that I didn’t have an opponent. We’re actually in a legal battle right now. I’ll be going to court here against those guys on that issue.”

On Saturday evening, however, Belvedere will need to put the pending legal matter in the back of his mind and focus on the toughest opponent of his career. The opportunity is great for this 125-pounder who is looking to catch the attention of the UFC with a win.

“The last guy that beat Josh Rave, Tim Elliott, got the call [from the UFC] five weeks later,” he said. “I feel like I’m ready to fight anybody in the world. I know that I can always get better and there will always be things for me to improve on, but right now I’m happy with where my game is at. I know I can compete with anybody at 125 pounds.”

A win on Saturday will make it nine victories in his past 10 fights, most of which took place at 135 where he was a significantly smaller fighter. Given the relatively small roster in the UFC’s flyweight division, Belvedere’s dreams may be closer than even he realizes.

If he can impress on Saturday night in Minneapolis, fans could be looking at the newest addition to the UFC’s most exciting division.

For more MMA news, fighter interviews and opinions, follow Nick Caron: .

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UFC on Fuel TV 4 Results: Memorable Moments from Munoz vs. Weidman

Just days from arguably the biggest mixed martial arts fight ever, the UFC was back at it on Wednesday evening for UFC on FUEL TV 4: Munoz vs. Weidman. Two top-10 middleweights took center stage for the main event as Mark Munoz and Chris Weidman b…

Just days from arguably the biggest mixed martial arts fight ever, the UFC was back at it on Wednesday evening for UFC on FUEL TV 4: Munoz vs. Weidman. 

Two top-10 middleweights took center stage for the main event as Mark Munoz and Chris Weidman battled it out for the potential right of being the next challenger to UFC 185-pound champion Anderson Silva. 

There was a very decisive winner in a very historic moment for that fighter’s career. 

But that was just one of the things that this fight card will be remembered for.

Let’s take a look back at the most memorable moments from UFC on Fuel TV 4: Munoz vs. Weidman in San Jose.

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Silva vs. Sonnen 2: Keys to Victory for Chael Sonnen at UFC 148

We’re mere hours away from the biggest fight in UFC history, the middleweight title bout between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen. The rematch has been highly anticipated since Sonnen nearly won the first bout back in August 2010. That night w…

We’re mere hours away from the biggest fight in UFC history, the middleweight title bout between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen.

The rematch has been highly anticipated since Sonnen nearly won the first bout back in August 2010.

That night was the first time that Silva had really ever been even challenged in the Octagon. It was the first time that he looked vulnerable. It was the first time that he looked human.

… and he still won.

At UFC 148, Sonnen will need to be perfect if he hopes to walk away with a win. If he succeeds with the following keys to victory, he could very well be the new UFC middleweight champion.

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UFC 148: Steven Seagal Taught Anderson Silva ‘Moves We Thought Were Illegal’

Just when we thought the Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen rivalry couldn’t get any more bizarre, it seems that we have all forgotten about the insanity that Silva’s “sensei,” Steven Seagal, brings to the table.In an interview with MMA Fighting’s Ariel H…

Just when we thought the Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen rivalry couldn’t get any more bizarre, it seems that we have all forgotten about the insanity that Silva’s “sensei,” Steven Seagal, brings to the table.

In an interview with MMA Fighting’s Ariel Helwani, Seagal revealed that he has been working extensively with the current UFC middleweight champion on a variety of techniques in preparation for his fight on Saturday against Sonnen.

Though the action movie star and seventh-degree Aikido black belt wouldn’t divulge information on exactly what the new moves were, he did give a small hint.

“Stuff that we thought was maybe illegal, that’s not illegal,” Seagal told Helwani.

Without knowing more about what the Silva camp thought was illegal, it’s very difficult to speculate on exactly what the moves could be.

“It turns out to not be illegal,” he clarified.

The only information Seagal let fans know is that the techniques he taught Silva are, as one would expect from an Aikido expert, to be utilized on the feet. 

“Everything I’m teaching him is standup and how to not go on the ground,” Seagal said.

Despite accompanying Silva and other members of Black House MMA to the cage in the past, Seagal said that he will not be cornering the champion during Saturday’s fight. He did note, however, that he will have communication to the corner through Silva’s manager Ed Soares and that he will continue to work with Silva up until the fight.

“I just got done training him and I’m going to keep training him until he walks in the ring,” Seagal said.

After crediting himself with “inventing” the front face kick that knocked out Vitor Belfort at UFC 126, Seagal has been seen increasingly more often at UFC events, leading some to believe that perhaps there is something to all this crazy talk.

So, are you drinking the kool-aid yet?

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Chael Sonnen Responds to the ‘Real’ Anderson Silva: ‘The Guy Is a Dirtbag’

The rivalry between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen continues to grow heading into the UFC 148 main event which will feature the two 185-pounders competing for the UFC middleweight championship. Silva made waves earlier this week when he finally respo…

The rivalry between Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen continues to grow heading into the UFC 148 main event which will feature the two 185-pounders competing for the UFC middleweight championship.

Silva made waves earlier this week when he finally responded to the seemingly endless trash talk from the man who came closest to beating him in the UFC.

“I’m going to make sure that every one of his teeth are broken, his arms are broken, his legs are broken,” Silva told reporters on the UFC 148 conference call. “He’s not going to be able to walk out of the Octagon by himself.”

Never short on words, we knew it wouldn’t take Sonnen long to respond. The No. 1 contender joined the UFC Tonight broadcast on FUEL TV via phone and let the world know that this is the Anderson Silva he has always seen.

“It was nice to see the real Anderson come through. The guy is a dirtbag, as I’ve told you for years,” Sonnen said. “I’ve fought forty-nine men before, it’s not as though I’ve never been to the orthodontist before. It’s not like I’ve never had my jaw reset. It’s not like I haven’t had to have my scalp stapled shut in the E.R.”

Sonnen added that he expects Silva to say that he’s going to beat him. But Sonnen also noted some things that were missing in the champion’s speech.

“A couple things he didn’t say he was gonna do, starting with beating me, starting with breaking my spirit and leaving with a victory, because he’s not,” Sonnen said. “I think he was one-off from saying like, ‘I’m gonna’ give you a knuckle sandwich’ and I’m kind of sitting there going, ‘Well, duh, we’re in the middle of a cage fight, dummy.’ “

The confident challenger will get a chance to make his case on July 7th.

“There’s a venue where we can figure this out,” Sonnen continued. “And on 7/7 at 7pm and 10pm in the East and only on pay-per-view, I will be in that Octagon. If he wants to meet my demands, fine, but if he doesn’t, I’m going to spear double and run him into that cage, put him on his priss little ass and run my fists into his head for 25 minutes or until he gives up.”

With only a few days remaining before the fight itself, most fighters would be stopping the trash talk and preparing for the fight itself. If anything, they’d be hyping their opponent up to make themselves look better—win, lose or draw. Sonnen just doesn’t see that as an option for him in this fight.

“The last thing you want to do is insult a guy you’re about to fight. You really want to build him up,” he said. “It’s just very hard to hide the fact that he sucks.”

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Pat Schilling on UFC Release: ‘I Have No Regrets, Still Feels Like a Dream’

For many young people, it is a dream to become a celebrity. Whether it’s to become a famous musician, an athlete or even the President, most have high hopes of having their names plastered all over the country. For young athletes in combat sports…

For many young people, it is a dream to become a celebrity. Whether it’s to become a famous musician, an athlete or even the President, most have high hopes of having their names plastered all over the country.

For young athletes in combat sports, the dream is to make it to the big stage of the UFC where they will fight in front of millions of fans worldwide. But like most of these dreams, very few ever get to see it come to fruition.

Minnesota MMA fighter Pat Schilling lived his dream of competing in the UFC in January when he fought Daniel Pineda in the Octagon at UFC on FX.

Schilling was not expecting to get the opportunity so quickly. The 23-year-old was caught off-guard when he received the phone call while working in his retail job at Best Buy.

Unfortunately, Schilling fell flat that night, submitting to Pineda in just 97 seconds. Octagon jitters might have gotten the best of him.

Schilling got another chance to prove himself in early June at The Ultimate Fighter 15 finale when he fought Max Holloway. Though he lasted to the final bell, the end result was the same as Schilling watched as his opponent’s hand was raised in the center of the Octagon after the fight.

With an 0-2 record in the UFC, Schilling knew that his name was potentially on the UFC chopping block. Though he showed tremendous heart in his loss to Holloway, Schilling was released by the UFC.

“I can’t say I didn’t see it coming, but you can see a punch in the face coming too and it still hurts,” Schilling told MNMMAnews.com’s Ben Pherson. “But I am not a dweller. Obviously, there is so much more positive to come from the overall experience than the negative of losing and getting cut. I consider myself incredibly lucky and grateful to Dana White, Sean Shelby and the UFC for the amazing opportunity.”

 

Schilling’s positive attitude is a nice change-of-pace from the sometimes hostile reactions that certain fighters have following their release.

“I can’t say there was a bad part of the UFC experience,” he said. “I have no regrets. Still feels like a dream.”

A separated shoulder, which he sustained in the early minutes of the fight against Holloway, will keep Schilling out until November with a medical suspension. He admits to being anxious to get back to training, but is taking things one step at a time.

“Wounds are still a little fresh to make any big decisions,” Schilling said. “If I fight [in Minnesota] again, I hope it is against someone who will make it fun to watch for everyone.”

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com