Filed under: Fighting, ResultsMMA Fighting has ProElite results of Andrei Arlovski vs. Ray Lopez, Kendall Grove vs. Joe Riggs and the rest of the Aug. 27 card from the Blaisdell Center in Honolulu, Hawaii.
MMA Fighting has ProElite results of Andrei Arlovski vs. Ray Lopez, Kendall Grove vs. Joe Riggs and the rest of the Aug. 27 card from the Blaisdell Center in Honolulu, Hawaii.
This ProElite 1 card relaunches the ProElite promotion purchased this year by the Stratus Media Group. Besides the aforementioned matchups, the event will also feature the MMA debut of Reagan Penn, the brother of B.J.
Check out ProElite results below. The main card starts at 1 a.m. ET.
Main Card
Kendall Grove def. Joe Riggs via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 0:59
Andrei Arlovski def. Ray Lopez via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 2:43
Reagan Penn def. Paul Gardiner via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 1:10
Mark Ellis def. Jake Heun via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 2:29
Sarah McMann def. Raquel Pa’aluhi via submission (armlock) – Round 3, 2:53 Drew McFedries def. Garrett Olson via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 4:04
Spike TV Bouts
Spencer Fisher (156 lbs.) vs. Thiago Tavares (156 lbs.)
Dan Miller (184) vs. Rousimar Palhares (185)
Facebook Bouts
David Mitchell (171 lbs.) vs. Paulo Thiago (169 lbs.)
Raphael Assuncao (134 lbs.) vs. Johnny Eduardo (135 lbs.)
Erick Silva (169 lbs.) vs. Luis Ramos (171 lbs.)
Felipe Arantes (145 lbs.) vs. Yuri Alcantara (144 lbs.)
Yves Jabouin (135 lbs.) vs. Ian Loveland (135 lbs.)
Spike TV Bouts
Spencer Fisher (156 lbs.) vs. Thiago Tavares (156 lbs.)
Dan Miller (184) vs. Rousimar Palhares (185)
Facebook Bouts
David Mitchell (171 lbs.) vs. Paulo Thiago (169 lbs.)
Raphael Assuncao (134 lbs.) vs. Johnny Eduardo (135 lbs.)
Erick Silva (169 lbs.) vs. Luis Ramos (171 lbs.)
Felipe Arantes (145 lbs.) vs. Yuri Alcantara (144 lbs.)
Yves Jabouin (135 lbs.) vs. Ian Loveland (135 lbs.)
Filed under: Strikeforce, NewsThe Strikeforce Challengers 18 event on Aug. 12 at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas sold a total of 549 tickets for a gate of $53,670, the Nevada athletic commission revealed Wednesday.
The Strikeforce Challengers 18 event on Aug. 12 at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas sold a total of 549 tickets for a gate of $53,670, the Nevada athletic commission revealed Wednesday.
A total of 1,956 tickets were issued, with 1,341 tickets papered and 66 left unsold. According to reported salaries, fighters earned $92,000 in purses and win bonuses on the 10-bout card.
The numbers for Strikeforce Challengers 18 was an improvement from the promotion’s debut at the Palms Casino Resort on July 22 when Strikeforce Challengers 17 sold 458 tickets for a gate of $42,987.50.
However, both shows drew far less than the The Ultimate Fighter Finale cards which also call the Pearl at the Palms its home base. At the TUF 13 Finale in June, the UFC pulled in 1,494 paid for a live gate of $429,000.
Strikeforce Challengers 18 was highlighted by Joe Duarte outpointing Jorge Gurgel in the main event and Ronda Rousey making her Strikeforce debut with an armbar win in 25 seconds.
Filed under: Bellator, NewsWith the UFC joining forces with FOX instead of inking a new deal with Spike TV, it only seems natural that Bellator will eventually fill the MMA void for Spike TV. But as much as fans and pundits alike have already pegged Be…
With the UFC joining forces with FOX instead of inking a new deal with Spike TV, it only seems natural that Bellator will eventually fill the MMA void for Spike TV. But as much as fans and pundits alike have already pegged Bellator as Spike TV-bound, Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney says it’s not that simple.
“Viacom is hugely, hugely successful entertainment empire that has motion pictures and television networks underneath that umbrella and they do extremely well on multiple fronts,” Rebney said Monday on The MMA Hour. “And there’s a lot of really smart people who makes decisions as to who goes where and who does what, when certain programming premieres and when certain programmings does the things that it does.”
Even though Bellator is under a contract with MTV Networks, which owns MTV, MTV2, Comedy Central, Spike TV and many other channels, it depends on the overall strategy of MTV. Where Bellator ends up in the near future will be left up to programming executives and it’s not his call.
“My job is really, truly to build this brand,” Rebney said. “To produce unbelievable shows, deliver them to our partners and try to keep signing world class fighters like the Pat Currans of the world, the [Rene] Nazares and the Mike Chandlers and the Eddies (Alvarez).”
Bellator debuted in 2009 with ESPN Deportes and then ran season two and three on Fox Sports Net in 2010. This past April, Bellator left the land of tape-delay when the Chicago-based company signed on with MTV 2.
Whether or not Bellator finds itself on Spike TV, the promotion, now around 10 months into its three-year deal with MTV Networks, is very happy with its current situation, consistently putting up solid numbers for MTV 2.
“What happens in the future will ultimately happen in the future wherever it goes, but boy, have we been happy in our place with MTV2, what’s going on and the building out of stronger ratings and bigger numbers and the expansion of the demo,” he says. “It’s just been awesome.”
Rebney would agree though, that the UFC’s deal with FOX was a positive for everyone. Rebney says UFC’s presence on FOX and its family of networks will only introduce the sport to more fans.
“I think it’s good for Bellator, I think it’s good for the sport of MMA and it remains to see how that will work out with the UFC, but on its face, it sure doesn’t look like a bad situation.”
Filed under: MMA Fighting Exclusive, BellatorAfter fighting seven times total in 2010, Bellator champion Cole Konrad will be stepping inside the cage for the first time this year when he faces MMA veteran Paul Buentello this Saturday at Bellator 48 at …
After fighting seven times total in 2010, Bellator champion Cole Konrad will be stepping inside the cage for the first time this year when he faces MMA veteran Paul Buentello this Saturday at Bellator 48 at Uncasville, Conn.
In this exclusive Q&A with MMA Fighting, the two-time NCAA wrestling champ and teammate of Brock Lesnar talks about improving his standup with Pat Barry, how he deals with fighters calling him out and how he partakes in his MMA fandom — without the luxury of a television.
Check out the interview below.
With this extended layoff, what are some of the areas you’ve been focusing on in your training?
I’ve been working extensively on my feet. I think I’ve come a long, long way since even my last fight to where I am at now. I’ve been very fortunate to have Pat Barry move up here and we’ve been working together daily. He’s helped me a ton on my feet and I feel like I’ve helped him a ton with the wrestling game. I think that’s the biggest area where you’ll see improvements out of me. Obviously, I haven’t neglected my ground game or my wrestling. I still train that just as much as I always have but I’ve really focused and tried to become more of a well-rounded fighter.
Are the improvements on the feet dramatic enough that people can expect a different fighter against Buentello?
I hope so. I think you’ll see a more confident fighter on the feet, as much sparring with high-level guys as I’ve done in the last ten months. I’m definitely not shy on confidence when it comes to standing up and exchanging punches. I think if you saw the fight go in that direction, I think people will be pleasantly surprised. I’m not saying what direction where the fight will go because you never know until you get out there, but I think there’s certainly a new attitude in me as far as my standup goes. I’m definitely not shy on confidence when it comes to standing up and exchanging punches. — Cole Konrad Considering the addition of Pat Barry to the mix of your striking coaches along with the regulars Erik Paulson and Peter Welch and how different trainers can have their own specific detail to moves and techniques, how do you process everything you need to know when working with a variety of trainers?
I’ve been very fortunate in my career with both wrestling and fighting that I’ve been surrounded by numerous great coaches and what you learn from that is that you learn to pick up the things that work for you and incorporate it in your game. Bottom line is that I can’t do the same things that the guy next to me can do and he can’t do the same things that I can do. If I see 200 different techniques and I can pull six things that work for me, that’s a win. And fortunately having Marty Morgan as my main coach, he knows me. I’ve been with him since I was 18 years old, day in and day out with wrestling and now with fighting.
What do you consider to be Paul Buentello’s strongest asset, his striking or his experience?
I think it’s a combination. I think he’s an accomplished fighter. I think he’s fought numerous times and with that comes a lot of knowledge in the cage, that’s obviously a danger. Anybody that’s been out there a number of times — you learn so much when you’re actually in the cage. You can sit and practice all day but when that cage closes a lot of that stuff goes out the window and you’re relying on instincts and past experiences. That’s a big deal.
He’s a good standup fighter. He’s got quick hands and that’s where he’s going to want to take this fight I assume. I don’t see why he would want to take it to the ground where it’s obviously my strong point. His experience and his hands are two dangerous, dangerous combinations.
Returning to the topic of cage-time, would you say being Bellator champion limits the amount of fights you can get per year?
I wouldn’t say it limits the amount of fights. I think the higher up the food chain so-to-speak the more difficult it is to get competitive fights and fights that do make sense. So Bellator or not Bellator, I think it’s always a struggle get guys fights that make sense, that it draws and it’s an intriguing fight. For me this is a good fight for me. I’m going to be tested in areas I haven’t truly been tested before and I don’t think that’s a reflection of being so-to-speak “limited” in Bellator. I think once you get to a certain level there’s only a handful of guys you can turn to, to make that fight happen and fortunately Paul stepped up and took this fight and I think it’s a perfect matchup for me. I don’t think it matters what organization. I think when you get towards the top it’s difficult to get fights, relatively quick, anyways. Every six months you’re going to find a fight but not every eight weeks like I was used to last year.
As your career continues to progress, you’re going to become a target for other up-and-coming fighters. How do you react to a fighter calling you out?
I just ignore it. I’ve been in top of the world before as far as the wrestling world goes. If I paid attention to that, you’d drive yourself crazy. I don’t care what people say or what people do. When it’s time to fight, I’m ready to go. Honestly, I don’t follow it at all. I didn’t even realize I was called out until about a week later when someone told me about it because I just don’t follow it. I just don’t care what someone else says. Saying stuff doesn’t mean anything. Step up and put your money where your mouth is. I’m assuming you’re talking about the last guy I fought, Neil Grove, calling me out. I mean (Laughs.), put your money where your mouth is. Look at what happened the last time you stepped up. You just won a sloppy fight against a subpar fighter, I don’t understand the basis for the claims. I love fighting and I do love to watch it but I can’t obsess over it or it’ll drive me mad. — Cole Konrad
Did you get a chance to see that fight? It was a unique, to say the least.
I didn’t see the fight and I was told about it a week later so then I hopped on YouTube. I didn’t see it live. I actually don’t have TV.
Since you don’t own a TV, how closely do you follow the sport?
I’m well aware of what’s going on. I follow it close, it’s just I’m not obsessed with watching everything live. I catch a lot of things on the Internet. I’m aware of who’s who and what’s going on and things like that. When I’m out of the practice room and out of the cage, I kind of want to shut my mind out of it and not overthink it. You start doing that then personally, I start to overthinking it or start worrying about things I don’t need to be worrying about — like a guy calling me out. I don’t care to worry about it because it means nothing. I try to limit what I see to an extent and I’ve just found that it helps for me. It’s always helped me in wrestling and I’ve carried that over to the cage. Obviously, I love fighting and I do love to watch it but I can’t obsess over it or it’ll drive me mad.
When you’re watching a fight, what’s your experience like as a spectator? Do you envision yourself in there or can you enjoy fights simply as a fan?
A little of each and usually I try to sit back and enjoy it. But regardless of whether I’m watching a heavyweight or lightweight it doesn’t much matter. (Chuckles.) “Ooh, what would I do there?” It always clicking in my brain. “You should have done this, this or this. I would’ve done this or this.” Once you’re in the sport and you love the sport, you’re constantly analyzing things all the time and you’re working out solutions in your head.
It’s all but official that UFC is heading to FOX and if that’s the case, Bellator would presumably be a good match for Spike. Are you looking forward to the prospects of that happening?
If that’s the case, that’s great. I don’t know viewership or things like that. I don’t know if it’ll drive it up or down or whatever. If that’s a move up, that’s great. It’s great for the company and it’s great for me to get on TV and get more exposure. Bellator has really been taking off and it’s been fun to be with them this last two years.
It would and it would also be in HD, if you’re into all that.
Cool. Yeah, well, that’s sweet. I don’t have a TV. (Laughs.)
Filed under: Strikeforce, NewsFormer Strikeforce champion Marloes Coenen holds no ill will towards Zuffa for releasing her following her title loss to Miesha Tate, stating Tuesday she would more than welcome a return to Strikeforce.
Former Strikeforce champion Marloes Coenen holds no ill will towards Zuffa for releasing her following her title loss to Miesha Tate, stating Tuesday she would more than welcome a return to Strikeforce.
“I would love to fight for Strikeforce,” Coenen said on The MMA Hour. “They’ve always treated me well.”
And although she may disagree with her release, Coenen says she can understand it.
“I’ve been in this game since I was a teenager,” she said. “So I know how it works and it’s business. It really is a business and when we renegotiate, things can go hard.”
First, it was Alistair Overeem who was said to be released from Strikeforce. Shortly after, Coenen and her Golden Glory teammates Jon Olav Einemo and Valentijn Overeem were conveniently cut. It’s highly unusual for a fighter coming off a title loss like Coenen to be cut from the roster, but it’s believed to be because of her loyalty to Golden Glory management, a group currently in negotiations with Zuffa for Alistair Overeem’s services.
Even though Coenen can analyze the situation presently without taking it to heart, it’s not to say she wasn’t devastated with the news of her release. Coenen said it was “a little bit too much” for her when she was informed of her new free agent status.
Considered to hold the submission advantage against Tate, Coenen tapped out to an arm-triangle choke, a hold she routinely escapes from during training. Coenen took the loss hard, playing the fight over and over in her head and considering how she might not be in her current predicament had she retained her title.
“I just lost, I was very emotional about that,” she said. “I had been dieting for two months, I had been training and training my butt off and then I lose. If I had not lost, then I would not have been cut.”
UFC president Dana White explained the releases by saying the UFC does not follow Golden Glory’s alleged demand to have the promotion pay the management instead of the fighter. That was clearly not the case though, as Coenen sent out a photo of her check made out in her name.
“I think Dana was misinformed because he wasn’t running the day-to-day activities and I think somebody told him wrong,” Coenen said. “He’s the spokesperson of the UFC and I think that’s what happened.”
Coenen, who considers both the Golden Glory management and stable as family, had no issue with showing her check to the public and possibly ruffling a few feathers with Zuffa.
“It’s my family and if you diss my family, then I will stand up [for them],” she said with a chuckle.
Coenen will have to wait and see if Golden Glory and Zuffa can come to terms for a new deal with Overeem and what that means for her and her team. For now, Coenen is talking to several promotions for a possible fight before the end of the year.
MMA Fighting has ProElite results of Andrei Arlovski vs. Ray Lopez, Kendall Grove vs. Joe Riggs and the rest of the Aug. 27 card from the Blaisdell Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. 
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