Author: SethF

Bellator 63 Recap: Cleveland Chokes, Cavemen Rejoice

Karl Amoussou vs. Chris Lozano, courtesy of IronForgesIron.com

As dangerous as Cleveland can be as a city, it has struggled to field decent sports teams and produce champions (not to mention keeping them). Last night at Bellator 63, which gave viewers the Quarterfinal round of this season’s welterweight tournament, “The Cleveland Assassin” Chris Lozano looked to break the cycle and make a run at Bellator’s welterweight title. If you’ve been paying any attention, you already know what to expect.

Perhaps no one in MMA other than Chael Sonnen embraces his alter-ego more than Lozano’s opponent, “Psycho” Karl Amoussou, who had Lozano uncharacteristically angered with his psycho routine before the fight. While that didn’t translate to either man swinging for the fences at the bell, it did lead to an early finish for the French judoka. After Amoussou cut Lozano with a head kick, “The Cleveland Assassin” took Amoussou down and landed in his guard, which would be Lozano’s only offense for the fight. From there, Amoussou swept Lozano, mounted him and took his back to sink in the rear-naked choke. Karl Amoussou improves to 14-4-2 in his welterweight debut.


Karl Amoussou vs. Chris Lozano, courtesy of IronForgesIron.com

As dangerous as Cleveland can be as a city, it has struggled to field decent sports teams and produce champions (not to mention keeping them). Last night at Bellator 63, which gave viewers the Quarterfinal round of this season’s welterweight tournament, “The Cleveland Assassin” Chris Lozano looked to break the cycle and make a run at Bellator’s welterweight title. If you’ve been paying any attention, you already know what to expect.

Perhaps no one in MMA other than Chael Sonnen embraces his alter-ego more than Lozano’s opponent, “Psycho” Karl Amoussou, who had Lozano uncharacteristically angered with his psycho routine before the fight. While that didn’t translate to either man swinging for the fences at the bell, it did lead to an early finish for the French judoka. After Amoussou cut Lozano with a head kick, ”The Cleveland Assassin” took Amoussou down and landed in his guard, which would be Lozano’s only offense for the fight. From there, Amoussou swept Lozano, mounted him and took his back to sink in the rear-naked choke. Karl Amoussou improves to 14-4-2 in his welterweight debut.

In a rare miss for the promotion, the evening’s co-main event saw Bryan Baker take home a split decision over Carlos Alexandre Pereira. Perhaps due to this fight being Baker’s first at welterweight, perhaps due to both fighters respecting each other’s striking, or more than likely due to some combination of the two, neither fighter seemed eager to exchange. Despite the lack of overall action in the fight, Baker landed more takedowns and successfully used his kicks to keep Pereira outside, which was enough to earn him the victory. Hopefully Baker works out his cut to welterweight, as his performance from last night won’t be enough for the next round of the tournament.

It’s likely that it will take you longer to read our description of Jordan Smith vs. David Rickels than it will to actually watch the fight. Both men came out swinging, with David Rickels landing pretty much everything he threw. The stoppage came only twenty two seconds into the fight, putting ”The Caveman” at a perfect 10-0 in his MMA career.

One final note, UFC veteran Ben Saunders put in a dominant performance against Raul Amaya. Save for a brief period in the third round when Amaya managed to take Saunders’ back, Raul Amaya had zero answers for anything “Killa B” attempted. Saunders was clearly the better striker, and constantly attempted submissions once the fight hit the mats. Saunders is now 5-1 since being released from the UFC, and is an early favorite to win this season’s welterweight tournament.

Full Results:

Main Card:

Karl Amoussou def. Chris Lozano via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 2:05 of Round 1
Bryan Baker def. Carlos Alexandre Pereira via Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
David Rickels def. Jordan Smith via TKO (Punches) at 0:22 of Round 1
Ben Saunders def. Raul Amaya via Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)

Preliminary Card

Ryan Quinn def. Marc Stevens via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Saul Almeida vs. Matt Bessette def. Saul Almeida via Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Brandon Fleming def. Pete Rogers via Submission (Peruvian Necktie) at 3:39 of Round 1
Dan Cramer def. Jeff Nader via Split Decision (27-30, 29-28, 29-28)
Andrey Koreshkov def. Tiawan Howard via Knockout (Uppercut and Punches) at 1:26 of Round 1
Munah Holland def. Marianna Kheyfets via Knockout (Punch) at 4:45 of Round 2

M-1 Global Sues Bellator Middleweight Vyacheslav Vasilvsky over Breach of Contract


Which means whoever made this picture just wasted a bunch of time.

If you were impressed with Vyacheslav Vasilvsky’s performance at Bellator 61, out gunning Victor O’Donnell en route to a unanimous decision victory, don’t get used to seeing him in Bellator just yet.

MMAJunkie.com is reporting that M-1 Global has been awarded damages from a breach of contract by former M-1 Light Heavyweight Champion Vyacheslav Vasilvsky by a Dutch court, and is planning on pursuing Vasilvsky- who wasn’t present in court, nor were any of his representatives, mind you- in the United States. Okay, that sounds pretty rough, but at least M-1 is being reasonable in their demands and not trying to bury the guy, right? Um, have you heard of M-1 Global?

The promotion has been granted €1,000 for each day he’s been in breach of contract (which, according to M-1, is exactly one year today), €5,000 for each fight he’s had in another promotion (five since 2010), and court fees. I’m not exactly a mathematician, but I think that adds up to 1,000x more money than M-1 Global could have possibly made off of Vyacheslav Vasilvsky. Ken Shamrock could not be reached for comment.


Which means whoever made this picture just wasted a bunch of time.

If you were impressed with Vyacheslav Vasilvsky’s performance at Bellator 61, out gunning Victor O’Donnell en route to a unanimous decision victory, don’t get used to seeing him in Bellator just yet.

MMAJunkie.com is reporting that M-1 Global has been awarded damages from a breach of contract by former M-1 Light Heavyweight Champion Vyacheslav Vasilvsky by a Dutch court, and is planning on pursuing Vasilvsky- who wasn’t present in court, nor were any of his representatives, mind you- in the United States. Okay, that sounds pretty rough, but at least M-1 is being reasonable in their demands and not trying to bury the guy, right? Um, have you heard of M-1 Global?

The promotion has been granted €1,000 for each day he’s been in breach of contract (which, according to M-1, is exactly one year today), €5,000 for each fight he’s had in another promotion (five since 2010), and court fees. I’m not exactly a mathematician, but I think that adds up to 1,000x more money than M-1 Global could have possibly made off of Vyacheslav Vasilvsky. Ken Shamrock could not be reached for comment.

Naturally, Vasilvsky’s manager, Sam Kardan, denies that M-1 Global has any type of enforceable contract with the fighter. As Kardan says:

“When Bellator signed him back in November, I know at that point, the fighter requested – and I believe Bellator has done the same – requested a copy of the (M-1) contract…If he was presented a contract, I’m pretty sure Bellator would not have signed him. I’m pretty positive of that. So for almost six months, [M-1 hasn’t] presented any kind of contract that would state they do have an existing agreement with him.”

For what it’s worth, when Bellator first signed Vasilvsky in November, CEO Bjorn Rebney denied any knowledge of a contract with M-1 Global but agreed that if one existed Bellator would respect it.

A lot of stuff to digest here. Is this a case of M-1 Global, who recently allowed Yasubey Enomoto to fight with an open wound infection that bled throughout the bout, showing it doesn’t care about it’s non-Emelianenko fighters? Or is this a case of a naive young man recklessly disregarding his prior commitments? Your thoughts, comments section.

UFC Booking Roundup: Barao to Fight Menjivar, Jorgensen & Neer Have Next Opponents


Photo courtesy of fighthousemanagement.com

Yesterday, the UFC announced that top bantamweights Renan Barao and Ivan Menjivar are now scheduled to meet at UFC 148. Barao, who was initially scheduled to meet Jeff Hougland at the event, confirmed the switch on his Twitter account by saying “Menjivar is my new opponent at UFC 148. I know him.” Brevity is the soul of wit, people.

Don’t be surprised if the winner of this fight meets the winner of UFC 148’s (expected) main event clash between Urijah Faber and champion Dominick Cruz. Both fighters are 3-0 in the octagon, with Menjivar coming off of a wild, back and forth fight against John Albert at UFC on FUEL, which saw “The Pride of El Salvador” take home a first round rear-naked choke victory and Submission of the Night honors. Meanwhile, Barao has gone twenty nine straight fights without a loss. His most recent fight was a dominant performance against Scott Jorgensen at UFC 143, which saw him take home a unanimous decision victory.

As for Barao’s initial opponent? Jeff Hougland will step in for an injured Mike Easton to fight Yves Jabouin at UFC on FUEL 3.


Photo courtesy of fighthousemanagement.com

Yesterday, the UFC announced that top bantamweights  Renan Barao and Ivan Menjivar are now scheduled to meet at UFC 148. Barao, who was initially scheduled to meet Jeff Hougland at the event, confirmed the switch on his Twitter account by saying “Menjivar is my new opponent at UFC 148. I know him.” Brevity is the soul of wit, people.

Don’t be surprised if the winner of this fight meets the winner of UFC 148′s (expected) main event clash between Urijah Faber and champion Dominick Cruz. Both fighters are 3-0 in the octagon, with Menjivar coming off of a wild, back and forth fight against John Albert at UFC on FUEL, which saw “The Pride of El Salvador” take home a first round rear-naked choke victory and Submission of the Night honors. Meanwhile, Barao has gone twenty nine straight fights without a loss. His most recent fight was a dominant performance against Scott Jorgensen at UFC 143, which saw him take home a unanimous decision victory.

As for Barao’s initial opponent? Jeff Hougland will step in for an injured Mike Easton to fight Yves Jabouin at UFC on FUEL 3.

And speaking of Scott Jorgensen, he will look to get back in the win column against Eddie Wineland at the upcoming UFC on FX 3. Wineland has lost two straight fights, most recently losing to Joe Benavidez at UFC on Versus 5: Lytle vs. Hardy. If this fight is not win or go home for Wineland, it’s pretty damn close to it.

Also in the works for UFC on FX 3 is a bout between Mike Pyle and Josh Neer. While Twitter isn’t always the most reliable source, and this bout has not been made official by the UFC yet, Pyle recently tweeted that the bout is set. Pyle is coming off of a first round TKO victory over Ricardo Funch at UFC 142, while “The Dentist” is coming off of a first round submission victory over Duane Ludwig at UFC on FX 1.

UFC on FX 3 will be headlined by the rematch between Ian McCall and Demetrious Johnson. It is set to go down on June 8th at a location TBA.

Video Roundup: 2012 NCAA D1 Wrestling Championships


Hint: This guy does pretty well. Props: The Cornell Sun

Last night concluded the NCAA’s three day tournament for the 2012 D1 National Wrestling Championships in St. Louis, Missouri. Given the success that dominant wrestlers have had in mixed martial arts, it’s almost guaranteed you’ll be seeing a few of these guys in the cage at some point, so you might as well learn who last night’s big winners were. It’s MMA’s version of March Madness, without the annoying Hooter’s commercials (Unrelated, but why are you giving us that dejected look, Bellator?).

Perhaps the biggest winner from last night was Cornell’s Kyle Dake. The 157 pound Ivy League grappler became the first wrestler in NCAA history to win three national titles in three different weight classes, defeating Iowa’s Derek St. John, 4-1. Cornell would wind up finishing fourth in the team standings with 102.5 points, behind Iowa (107.5), Minnesota (117.5) and Penn State (142), who had already clinched the team title before last night’s finals.

If you want a list of full results, check here, then come back for the videos, courtesy of IronForgesIron.com, after the jump.


Hint: This guy does pretty well. Props: The Cornell Sun

Last night concluded the NCAA’s three day tournament for the 2012 D1 National Wrestling Championships in St. Louis, Missouri. Given the success that dominant wrestlers have had in mixed martial arts, it’s almost guaranteed you’ll be seeing a few of these guys in the cage at some point, so you might as well learn who last night’s big winners were. It’s MMA’s version of March Madness, without the annoying Hooter’s commercials (Unrelated, but why are you giving us that dejected look, Bellator?).

Perhaps the biggest winner from last night was Cornell’s Kyle Dake. The 157 pound Ivy League grappler became the first wrestler in NCAA history to win three national titles in three different weight classes, defeating Iowa’s Derek St. John, 4-1. Cornell would wind up finishing fourth in the team standings with 102.5 points, behind Iowa (107.5), Minnesota (117.5) and Penn State (142), who had already clinched the team title before last night’s finals.

If you want a list of full results, check here, then come back for the videos, courtesy of IronForgesIron.com, after the jump.

Hallman Out, Tavares In Against Tony Ferguson at UFC on FOX 3

TATAME.com is reporting that UFC lightweight Dennis Hallman has pulled out of his
upcoming bout with TUF 13 winner Tony Ferguson. While the details are still up in the air, it appears that Hallman has suffered an injury while training. Replacing him at UFC on FOX 3 will be Thiago Tavares.

Since winning The Ultimate Fighter 13, Tony Ferguson has gone 2-0 in the UFC. His most recent victory has been a unanimous decision over veteran Yves Edwards at the TUF 14 Finale in December. During the same time period, Thiago Tavares has also gone 2-0, with his victories coming against Spencer Fisher and Sam Stout. This bout will mark the first
time that Tavares has fought on American soil in over a year, as both of his previous fights have taken place in Rio de Janeiro at UFC 134 and UFC 142. His last fight in America saw him lose to Shane Roller by second round knockout at UFC on Versus 3: Sanchez vs. Kampmann last March.

UFC on FOX 3 will go down on May 5 at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The full fight card now looks like this:

TATAME.com is reporting that UFC lightweight Dennis Hallman has pulled out of his
upcoming bout with TUF 13 winner Tony Ferguson. While the details are still up in the air, it appears that Hallman has suffered an injury while training. Replacing him at UFC on FOX 3 will be Thiago Tavares.

Since winning The Ultimate Fighter 13, Tony Ferguson has gone 2-0 in the UFC. His most recent victory has been a unanimous decision over veteran Yves Edwards at the TUF 14 Finale in December. During the same time period,  Thiago Tavares has also gone 2-0, with his victories coming against Spencer Fisher and Sam Stout. This bout will mark the first time that Tavares has fought on American soil in over a year, as both of his previous fights have taken place in Rio de Janeiro at UFC 134 and UFC 142. His last fight in America saw him lose to Shane Roller by second round knockout at UFC on Versus 3: Sanchez vs. Kampmann last March.

UFC on FOX 3 will go down on May 5 at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The full fight card now looks like this:

Main Card

Nate Diaz vs. Jim Miller
Josh Koscheck vs. Johny Hendricks
Rousimar Palhares vs. Alan Belcher
Pat Barry vs. Lavar Johnson

Preliminary Card

Tony Ferguson vs. Thiago Tavares
John Dodson vs. Darren Uyenoyama
John Hathaway vs. Pascal Krauss
Louis Gaudinot vs. John Lineker
Danny Castillo vs. John Cholish
Dennis Bermudez vs. Pablo Garza
Nick Denis vs. Johnny Bedford
Mike Massenzio vs. Karlos Vemola

[VIDEO] Bob Sapp’s Backfist TKO Over Bill Mahood


Spoiler alert: It was a better punch than this one, and twice as effective. Props: Getty Images via MMAFighting.com

I guess it goes without saying, but today has been a pretty slow news day. But even if it wasn’t, I like to imagine we’d still give this our attention. When something as rare as Bob Sapp being involved in a competitive fight happens, it’s worth a few cheap laughs seconds.

Sapp headlined Super Fight League 1, which was live on Youtube earlier this morning, against robbery victim James Thompson. While weighing in for his fight against “The Colossus”, Bob Sapp landed one of the most beautiful backfists I’ve ever seen. His technique was flawless, like it was a something he had actually been practicing. Even Phil Baroni, who was on hand to introduce fighters, seemed shocked at the technique on display from “The Beast”.

Of course, it would have been far more impressive if it actually landed on James Thompson. Or if it, you know, was intentional. But it’s probably for the best that the move was an accident. If he had been trying to do that, he probably would have missed, taken a dive and immediately started tapping.


Spoiler alert: It was a better punch than this one, and twice as effective. Props: Getty Images via MMAFighting.com

I guess it goes without saying, but today has been a pretty slow news day. But even if it wasn’t, I like to imagine we’d still give this our attention. When something as rare as Bob Sapp being involved in a competitive fight happens, it’s worth a few cheap laughs seconds.

Sapp headlined Super Fight League 1, which was live on Youtube earlier this morning, against robbery victim James Thompson. While weighing in for his fight against “The Colossus”, Bob Sapp landed one of the most beautiful backfists I’ve ever seen. His technique was flawless, like it was something he had actually been practicing. Even Phil Baroni, who was on hand to introduce fighters, seemed shocked at the technique on display from “The Beast”.

Of course, it would have been far more impressive if it actually landed on James Thompson. Or if it, you know, was intentional. But it’s probably for the best that the move was an accident. If he had been trying to do that, he probably would have missed, taken a dive and immediately started tapping.

As for his actual fight against James Thompson, picture his fight against Rolles Gracie. Now imagine he had mounted an actual attack at some point during the fight. And imagine that he tapped after awkwardly landing after a takedown a little less than two minutes into the fight. Yep, that’s how he lost this time.

Also of note from the card, Jimmy Ambriz defeated Satish Jha via TKO just fourteen seconds into their bout. Your move, Todd Duffee.