Author: SethF

DREAM 17 Results: Banuelos, Fernandes Advance in Bantamweight World GP

Aoki vs. McCullough. Enjoy it while it’s still available. Props: FightVieoMMA.com

Earlier this morning, DREAM 17 went down in Saitama, Japan. For those of you who have been reading this website for a while now, you know the drill. For those of you who are new here, first off, welcome. Second, DREAM publishes the results of their fights immediately after they happen, but the fights aren’t typically aired on HDNet until a later date. So if you feel like you’ve already read the results from somewhere or already saw the fights, well, you probably have. However, if you were really drunk last night and want to refresh your memory on what you saw (not that we condone that sort of thing), or are too disinterested in DREAM to have stayed in to watch it, then come inside where we have full results waiting after the jump.


Aoki vs. McCullough. Enjoy it while it’s still available. Props: FightVieoMMA.com

Earlier this morning, DREAM 17 went down in Saitama, Japan. For those of you who have been reading this website for a while now, you know the drill. For those of you who are new here, first off, welcome. Second, DREAM publishes the results of their fights immediately after they happen, but the fights aren’t typically aired on HDNet until a later date. So if you feel like you’ve already read the results from somewhere or already saw the fights, well, you probably have. However, if you were really drunk last night and want to refresh your memory on what you saw (not that we condone that sort of thing), or are too disinterested in DREAM to have stayed in to watch it, then come inside where we have full results waiting after the jump.

Still here? Good. Try not to act too surprised, but Shinya Aoki managed to dump another striker on his back and work for a submission last night. While Rob McCullough managed to get back to his feet after Aoki’s first takedown, he proceeded to do absolutely nothing until getting taken down again. Another impressive performance from Aoki, albeit against questionable competition.

In other non-tournament action, Takeshi Inoue dazzled the Japanese crowd with a head kick knockout of Caol Uno. Sorry, we don’t have a video of that for you. In far more predictable news, Tatsuya Kawajiri submitted Joachim Hansen with an arm triangle in the third round, Sakuraba lost yet another fight, this time to Yan Cabral, Gerald Harris picked up a split decision victory over Kazuhiro Nakamura and Ikuhisa Minowa submitted another oversized freak,  Baru Harn. And yes, we actually DO have a video of that.

 

In Bantamweight World Grand Prix action, UFC veteran Antonio Banuelos picked up a split decision victory over Hideo Tokoro. This fight was his first since being canned by the UFC after a unanimous decision loss to Miguel Torres at UFC 126. Bibiano Fernandes, Masakazu Imanari, and Rodolfo Marques also advanced to the next round with victories last night.

Full results, courtesy of MMAFighting:

Non-Tournament Bouts
Shinya Aoki def. Rob McCullough via submission (neck crank) – R1, 4:52
Tatsuya Kawajiri def. Joachim Hansen via submission (arm-triangle), R3, 2:30
Takeshi Inoue def. Caol Uno via KO – R1, 4:17
Yan Cabral def. Kazushi Sakuraba via submission (arm-triangle choke) – R1, 2:42
Satoru Kitaoka def. Willamy Freire via split decision
Gerald Harris def. Kazuhiro Nakamura via split decision
Ikuhisa Minowa def. Baru Harn via submission (scarf-hold armbar) – R1, 4:39

Bantamweight World GP Quarterfinal
Antonio Banuelos def. Hideo Tokoro via split decision
Bibiano Fernandes def. Takafumi Otuska via submission (rear-naked choke) – R1, 0:41
Masakazu Imanari def. Abel Cullum via submission (armbar) – R3, 0:46
Rodolfo Marques def. Yusup Saadulaev via unanimous decision

 

Strikeforce Challengers 19 Results: Larkin Still Undefeated, Jordan upsets Johnson


With a chest like that, Shawn Jordan deserves a special place in our hearts

Let’s pretend that you’re a novice MMA fan. You just started watching the sport after being at a bar that was showing “one of those UFC events”, and you want to follow this sport more closely. Specifically, you want to be able to watch the sport’s brightest prospects fighting on the same card while it’s still mostly for recognition. Then let me tell you everything you need to know: The UFC 135 Facebook prelims begin at 5:30 ET. You’re welcome.

For those of you who really want to be hardcore fans, and want to know about the brightest prospects of the minor leagues fighting to be somewhat more famous minor league prospects, we got your back, too. Strikeforce Challengers 19 went down last night in Las Vegas last night at the Palms Resort Casino. While most of the fighters were pretty rough around the edges, the crowd was still treated to some decent fights.

In the main event, light heavyweight prospect Lorenz Larkin remained undefeated by edging out Nick Rossborough for a unanimous decision victory. Despite accepting the fight on short notice, Nick Rossborough kept the fight close throughout the first round by utilizing the clinch against the shorter Larkin. However, Larkin managed to wear Rossborough down with leg kicks throughout the second round, and opened up a cut on Rossborough’s forehead with elbows in the third. Lorenz Larkin is now 12-0 in his MMA career, while Nick Rossborough falls to 20-15.


With a chest like that, Shawn Jordan deserves a special place in our hearts

Let’s pretend that you’re a novice MMA fan. You just started watching the sport after being at a bar that was showing “one of those UFC events”, and you want to follow this sport more closely. Specifically, you want to be able to watch the sport’s brightest prospects fighting on the same card while it’s still mostly for recognition. Then let me tell you everything you need to know: The UFC 135 Facebook prelims begin at 5:30 ET. You’re welcome.

For those of you who really want to be hardcore fans, and want to know about the brightest prospects of the minor leagues fighting to be somewhat more famous minor league prospects, we got your back, too. Strikeforce Challengers 19 went down last night in Las Vegas last night at the Palms Resort Casino. While most of the fighters were pretty rough around the edges, the crowd was still treated to some decent fights.

In the main event, light heavyweight prospect Lorenz Larkin remained undefeated by edging out Nick Rossborough for a unanimous decision victory. Despite accepting the fight on short notice, Nick Rossborough kept the fight close throughout the first round by utilizing the clinch against the shorter Larkin. However, Larkin managed to wear Rossborough down with leg kicks throughout the second round, and opened up a cut on Rossborough’s forehead with elbows in the third. Lorenz Larkin is now 12-0 in his MMA career, while Nick Rossborough falls to 20-15.

The only stoppage on the main card came in the night’s co-main event, as Shawn Jordan secured a keylock in the second round against Lavar Johnson. A member of the LSU’s 2007 National Championship football team, Shawn Jordan caught Lavar Johnson with a vicious left hand thirty seconds into the fight, causing Johnson’s right eye to swell up. From there, Jordan showed off an impressive chin by laughing off Johnson’s punches before dumping him on his back as often as possible. By the second round, Johnson was more focused on his swollen eye than protecting himself from Jordan’s submission attempts, allowing Jordan to secure the fight ending keylock. While the Greg Jackson product needs to work on his standup game, a victory over Lavar Johnson is a quality win for him.

In other action, Ryan Couture still looked pretty raw and one-dimensional, but managed to grind out a majority decision against Maka Watson. Watson managed to open up a cut on Couture’s forehead in the first round, but managed to out-grapple Watson for the majority of the fight. Also, both Jason High and Brian Melancon managed to grind out unanimous decision victories that left the Las Vegas fans booing. Jason High has now won six straight fights.

Full Results, courtesy of MMAJunkie:

OFFICIAL MAIN CARD RESULTS

Lorenz Larkin def. Nick Rossborough via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
Shawn Jordan def. Lavar Johnson via submission (keylock) – Round 2, 3:08
Ryan Couture def. Maka Watson via majority decision (28-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Jason High def. Todd Moore via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Brian Melancon def. Felipe Portela via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)

OFFICIAL PRELIMINARY CARD RESULTS

James Terry def. Magno Almeida via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 3:27
Bobby Green def. Charon Spain via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 1, 2:54
Chris Spang def. Joe Ray via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Quinn Mulhern def. Danny Davis via submission (arm-triangle choke) – Round 3, 4:08

‘UFC Fight Night: Shields vs. Ellenberger’ Bonuses: That Other Jake Pockets 55k

For Jake Ellenberger, the best part about his victory last night has to be his arrival in the UFC’s welterweight division. With a quick, convincing victory over Jake Shields, Ellenberger has set himself up for better opponents, more attention from the fans and the media and the better paydays that accompany those things. The second best part? The 55k Knockout of the Night bonus he picked up in the process, of course.

Submission of the Night honors went to T.J. Waldburger for his first round triangle choke against Mike Stumpf. Initially, Waldburger appeared to have Stumpf caught in an armbar. When Stumpf managed to escape, Waldburger pulled off a textbook transition to a triangle choke. The win gives T.J. Waldburger his 11th victory by submission.

For Jake Ellenberger, the best part about his victory last night has to be his arrival in the UFC’s welterweight division. With a quick, convincing victory over Jake Shields, Ellenberger has set himself up for better opponents, more attention from the fans and the media and the better paydays that accompany those things. The second best part? The 55k Knockout of the Night bonus he picked up in the process, of course.

Submission of the Night honors went to T.J. Waldburger for his first round triangle choke against Mike Stumpf. Initially, Waldburger appeared to have Stumpf caught in an armbar. When Stumpf managed to escape, Waldburger pulled off a textbook transition to a triangle choke. The win gives T.J. Waldburger his 11th victory by submission.

As for the Fight of the Night bonuses, they went to Lance Benoist and Matt Riddle for their highly energetic scrap on the Facebook prelims. Both fighters fed off of the crowd’s energy, with Lance Benoist getting the better of Matt Riddle for the first two rounds. However, at the end of the second round, a cut opened up on the nose of Benoist that bothered him for the rest of the fight. Riddle nearly managed to finish Benoist during the third round, but Benoist held on long enough to pick up the unanimous decision victory.

‘UFC Fight Night: Shields vs. Ellenberger’ Aftermath: Big Upset in the Big Easy


Our thoughts exactly. Props: MMAMania

Coming into last night’s UFC Fight Night 25, Jake Shields was in a lose-lose situation. He was presented with an opponent, Jake Ellenberger, who was facing his first real step up in competition. A victory over him wouldn’t necessarily propel Shields back to the top of the welterweight division. If Jake Shields lost, well, Jake Shields isn’t going to lose this one so let’s not worry about it. Last night was going to be Jake Shield’s first step towards living up to the hype that surrounded him when he entered the UFC and getting back in the mix for a shot at the welterweight title. There was only one problem: That didn’t happen. In just under one minute, Jake Ellenberger practically ended the Jake Shields era.

This isn’t to say that it’s over for Jake Shields, or that he still can’t work his way back to relevance in the welterweight division. But it’s certainly over for the myth that Jake Shields is still one of the top fighters out there. Last night, Jake Shields couldn’t implement his game plan because Jake Ellenberger was able to stuff his takedown attempts. It wasn’t “What did Shields do wrong”; it was what Ellenberger did right. He was the better fighter, plain and simple. And let’s not entertain the thought of “early stoppage” any more than we had to after hearing Jake Shields imply it last night. When you take a knee directly to the chin, immediately turtle up, and then try to grapple with the referee who pulls your opponent off of you, you have no business saying that the fight was stopped early. If you didn’t think Shields was out when you first watched that fight, watch it again while you still can.


Our thoughts exactly. Props: MMAMania

Coming into last night’s UFC Fight Night 25, Jake Shields was in a lose-lose situation. He was presented with an opponent, Jake Ellenberger, who was facing his first real step up in competition. A victory over him wouldn’t necessarily propel Shields back to the top of the welterweight division. If Jake Shields lost, well, Jake Shields isn’t going to lose this one so let’s not worry about it. Last night was going to be Jake Shield’s first step towards living up to the hype that surrounded him when he entered the UFC and getting back in the mix for a shot at the welterweight title. There was only one problem: That didn’t happen. In just under one minute, Jake Ellenberger practically ended the Jake Shields era.

This isn’t to say that it’s over for Jake Shields, or that he still can’t work his way back to relevance in the welterweight division. But it’s certainly over for the myth that Jake Shields is still one of the top fighters out there. Last night, Jake Shields couldn’t implement his game plan because Jake Ellenberger was able to stuff his takedown attempts. It wasn’t “What did Shields do wrong”; it was what Ellenberger did right. He was the better fighter, plain and simple. And let’s not entertain the thought of “early stoppage” any more than we had to after hearing Jake Shields imply it last night. When you take a knee directly to the chin, immediately turtle up, and then try to grapple with the referee who pulls your opponent off of you, you have no business saying that the fight was stopped early. If you didn’t think Shields was out when you first watched that fight, watch it again while you still can.

I’m really not sure what to call Court McGee’s performance last night. But I will say that the TUF 11 winner handled his eleven months away from the sport as well as possible. He stuck to his game plan against a game Dongi Yang, and managed to grind out a decision victory. McGee may not be ready for the deep end of the middleweight division yet, but he’s certainly appearing promising so far. Ed Herman is being suggested as a future opponent, and I can’t say I disagree with that. As for the other TUF winner on the card, Jonathan Brookins didn’t win, but he managed to not get knocked out against Erik Koch. Admit it: that was far more than you were expecting from him. Brookins did what he had to do to remain conscious against Koch by implementing a wall-and-stall “offense”, and secured a few takedowns in the process. An ugly way to lose, but when you’re a TUF winner, you can get away with it. Likewise, the ugly victory more than likely stalls Koch for the time being, despite the improved wrestling that he displayed by managing to avoid most of Brookins’ takedowns.

One final thing to take away from last night was Alan Belcher’s effortless return to action. Despite a sixteen month layoff that nearly ended his career, Belcher made quick work of Jason MacDonald, punching him out in the first round. Given the almost embarrassing lack of depth in the middleweight division, Belcher may find himself back in the mix with that victory. Not bad for a guy who was considering retirement before last night’s fight. As for Jason MacDonald, well, there’s always Strikeforce (for the next few months, at least).

Full results, courtesy of MMAJunkie:

MAIN CARD

Jake Ellenberger def. Jake Shields via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 0:53
Court McGee def. Dongi Yang via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-28)
Erik Koch def. Jonathan Brookins via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
Alan Belcher def. Jason MacDonald via verbal submission (punches) – Round 1, 3:48

PRELIMINARY CARD

Vagner Rocha def. Cody McKenzie via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 3:49
Evan Dunham def. Shamar Bailey via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Lance Benoist def. Matt Riddle via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Ken Stone def. Donny Walker via technical submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 2:40
Seth Baczynski def. Clay Harvison via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 1:12
T.J. Waldburger def. Mike Stumpf via submission (triangle choke) – Round 1, 3:52
Robert Peralta def. Mike Lullo via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Justin Edwards def. Jorge Lopez via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

(SF)

Pic of the Day: Chuck has that Look in his Eyes *Again*


Click on the image for full sized picture

I’ll be honest: I don’t know the complete back-story to this photograph that was posted on Luke Rockhold’s Facebook page. I’m assuming it is from one of the AKA weddings that took place earlier this year (Both Cain Velasquez and Josh Thomson got married this summer), but I may be wrong. It’s really not that important.

What is important is that, from this picture, I can gather two things. Number one, Jon Fitch is clearly the life of the party. Why fans consider the man boring I’ll never fully understand. And number two, Chuck Liddell is just high on life. It’s nice to see that despite retiring from MMA, Chuck Liddell still has that look in his eyes that made him a legend in the sport. If this man weren’t still getting tested by someone, I’d probably draw slightly different conclusions about the whole “high on _____” thing. But when you’re as rich and successful as Chuck Liddell, life can be one helluva drug.


Click on the image for full sized picture

I’ll be honest: I don’t know the complete back-story to this photograph that was posted on Luke Rockhold’s Facebook page. I’m assuming it is from one of the AKA weddings that took place earlier this year (Both Cain Velasquez and Josh Thomson got married this summer), but I may be wrong. It’s really not that important.

What is important is that, from this picture, I can gather two things. Number one, Jon Fitch is clearly the life of the party. Why fans consider the man boring I’ll never fully understand. And number two, Chuck Liddell is just high on life. It’s nice to see that despite retiring from MMA, Chuck Liddell still has that look in his eyes that made him a legend in the sport. If this man weren’t still getting tested by someone, I’d probably draw slightly different conclusions about the whole “high on _____” thing. But when you’re as rich and successful as Chuck Liddell, life can be one helluva drug.

Nate Marquardt Wants Paul Daley for BAMMA Debut, Daley has Other Plans


“Cut to 170? In how long? Like we don’t already know how this will end.”

When former UFC middleweight Nate Marquardt initially signed with BAMMA, most of us wondered who, aside from Paul Daley, Marquardt could fight in the organization. Nate Marquardt is currently set to make his BAMMA debut at BAMMA 8 on December 10 in Nottingham, England. While Nate has been busy vying for a fight with Paul Daley, it is starting to look like this fight may not happen. At least not any time this year.

Earlier this week, Paul Daley took to his website, stating, “I’m sorry to announce that I will not be fighting on the BAMMA 8 card in Nottingham on 10th December. Details as to why I will not be appearing on this card will remain undisclosed. I was most definitely looking forward to competing in front of my home town crowd, and was positive the event would have gone down in, not only Nottingham’s prestigious fighting history, but in UK MMA history as well… The rumours of a possible matchup between myself and Nate are now extremely unlikely to happen.”


“Cut to 170? In how long? Like we don’t already know how this will end.”

When former UFC middleweight Nate Marquardt initially signed with BAMMA, most of us wondered who, aside from Paul Daley, Marquardt could fight in the organization. Nate Marquardt is currently set to make his BAMMA debut at BAMMA 8 on December 10 in Nottingham, England. While Nate has been busy vying for a fight with Paul Daley, it is starting to look like this fight may not happen. At least not any time this year.

Earlier this week, Paul Daley took to his website, stating, “I’m sorry to announce that I will not be fighting on the BAMMA 8 card in Nottingham on 10th December. Details as to why I will not be appearing on this card will remain undisclosed. I was most definitely looking forward to competing in front of my home town crowd, and was positive the event would have gone down in, not only Nottingham’s prestigious fighting history, but in UK MMA history as well… The rumours of a possible matchup between myself and Nate are now extremely unlikely to happen.”

Not to read too much into the whole undisclosed reasons thing, but Paul Daley is currently set to fight fellow UFC veteran Luigi Fioravanti at an October Ringside MMA event. Perhaps he just doesn’t want rush himself into a fight with Nate Marquardt on short notice. But that last sentence? What can possibly be keeping Paul Daley from fighting Nate Marquardt? It’s not like Paul Daley has to worry about Zuffa calling him, considering its lack of a 176 lb division. And that whole lifelong ban thing, I guess. Is Daley assuming that Nate Marquardt will crush his opponent at BAMMA 8 and then get called back up to the UFC?

Nate Marquardt seems just as confused by this statement. As he told to MMAWeekly, “I don’t know if he’s scared that he can’t make weight or what. I don’t get it.” Really? Do you need us to spell it out for you?

What’s your take on this? Will this fight never happen, or is Paul Daley just delaying the inevitable? And who can BAMMA find to fight Nate Marquardt? Your thoughts below.