Cosmo Alexandre could pan out to be a very exciting addition to Bellator’s roster
Yesterday, Liverkick.com passed along a report that Bellator has signed accomplished Muay Thai kickboxer Cosmo Alexandre to compete in their lightweight division. Fighting mostly at 160 and 170 pounds, Cosmo has compiled a 40-14-1 kickboxing record over the past seven years, as well as a 2-0 professional boxing record. As for his mixed martial arts experience, the Brazilian currently has none in the form of professional fights. Alexandre trains out of Imperial Athletics, whose notable fighters include Rashad Evans, Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva and Jorge Santiago.
Intriguing signing, to say the least. It is certainly consistent with Bjorn Rebney’s model for developing fighters. Cosmo Alexandre is an unknown name to the American MMA fan that could essentially develop into Bellator’s version of Donald Cerrone: An elite striker who isn’t a fish out of water on the ground. Yet while Cosmo Alexandre may be able to translate his elite striking pedigree and strong camp into a successful MMA career, it is just as likely that he may be Bellator’s version of Ray Sefo: The world class kickboxer who gets caught in submissions that most of the white belts at your gym would feel embarrassed for succumbing to. Bellator’s lightweight division (and welterweight division, if he decides he’s more comfortable at 170) is stacked with good grapplers. While it helps to have Rashad Evans as a training partner, Alexandre is going to find himself getting taken down often due to the lack of fighters willing to stand and trade with him. If he doesn’t have good enough jiu jitsu to mount some offense off of his back, or at least avoid submission attempts, we may be in store for some pretty dissappointing fights. I’ll pause for you to make your own “It’s cool, he’s Brazilian” jokes.
Highlights from his Muay Thai career after the jump.
Cosmo Alexandre could pan out to be a very exciting addition to Bellator’s roster
Yesterday, Liverkick.com passed along a report that Bellator has signed accomplished Muay Thai kickboxer Cosmo Alexandre to compete in their lightweight division. Fighting mostly at 160 and 170 pounds, Cosmo has compiled a 40-14-1 kickboxing record over the past seven years, as well as a 2-0 professional boxing record. As for his mixed martial arts experience, the Brazilian currently has none in the form of professional fights. Alexandre trains out of Imperial Athletics, whose notable fighters include Rashad Evans, Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva and Jorge Santiago.
Intriguing signing, to say the least. It is certainly consistent with Bjorn Rebney’s model for developing fighters. Cosmo Alexandre is an unknown name to the American MMA fan that could essentially develop into Bellator’s version of Donald Cerrone: An elite striker who isn’t a fish out of water on the ground. Yet while Cosmo Alexandre may be able to translate his elite striking pedigree and strong camp into a successful MMA career, it is just as likely that he may be Bellator’s version of Ray Sefo: The world class kickboxer who gets caught in submissions that most of the white belts at your gym would feel embarrassed for succumbing to. Bellator’s lightweight division (and welterweight division, if he decides he’s more comfortable at 170) is stacked with good grapplers. While it helps to have Rashad Evans as a training partner, Alexandre is going to find himself getting taken down often due to the lack of fighters willing to stand and trade with him. If he doesn’t have good enough jiu jitsu to mount some offense off of his back, or at least avoid submission attempts, we may be in store for some pretty dissappointing fights. I’ll pause for you to make your own “It’s cool, he’s Brazilian” jokes.
So, are we going to be seeing highlight reel knockouts, or will he be taken down and dry humped to death before we can say “Cole Konrad really isn’t that boring”? Tell us in the comments section.
I get what he’s trying to say, but it’s a stretch to call his tilt with Okami a “date”
Perhaps it’s pointless to write an aftermath article for an Anderson Silva fight anymore. Not necessarily because he hasn’t lost since 2006, but rather, because Anderson Silva summed up his dominance of the middleweight division perfectly himself. After his victory over Yushin Okami last night, Kenny Florian asked Anderson Silva if there’s anyone out there he would like to fight next. His response? “My clone”.
If the idea of multiple Anderson Silvas wasn’t somehow reminiscent of the plot of Terminator, I’d agree with him. Other than a rematch with Dan Henderson (if the money is right) or a rematch with Chael Sonnen (if he can get past Brian Stann), who else is out there for him? Or rather, who else atmiddleweight?
This doesn’t mean that Yushin Okami doesn’t deserve credit for his performance. If Yushin Okami had any chance of beating Anderson Silva, it was going to involve getting Silva on his back and avoiding submissions. Okami started out well enough, pushing Silva into the cage and clinching with the far superior striker. The only problem was that Okami was completely unable to take Silva down. After eating a head kick at the end of the first round, it was only a matter of time before the gun-shy challenger got caught again.
I get what he’s trying to say, but it’s a stretch to call his tilt with Okami a “date”
Perhaps it’s pointless to write an aftermath article for an Anderson Silva fight anymore. Not necessarily because he hasn’t lost since 2006, but rather, because Anderson Silva summed up his dominance of the middleweight division perfectly himself. After his victory over Yushin Okami last night, Kenny Florian asked Anderson Silva if there’s anyone out there he would like to fight next. His response? “My clone”.
If the idea of multiple Anderson Silvas wasn’t somehow reminiscent of the plot of Terminator, I’d agree with him. Other than a rematch with Dan Henderson (if the money is right) or a rematch with Chael Sonnen (if he can get past Brian Stann), who else is out there for him? Or rather, who else atmiddleweight?
This doesn’t mean that Yushin Okami doesn’t deserve credit for his performance. If Yushin Okami had any chance of beating Anderson Silva, it was going to involve getting Silva on his back and avoiding submissions. Okami started out well enough, pushing Silva into the cage and clinching with the far superior striker. The only problem was that Okami was completely unable to take Silva down. After eating a head kick at the end of the first round, it was only a matter of time before the gun-shy challenger got caught again.
It took Mauricio “Shogun” Rua just under two minutes to prove that he still belongs in the mix at light-heavyweight. Fighting in Brazil for the first time since 2003, Shogun capitalized on Griffin’s attempt to push the pace and avenged his loss to Griffin from 2007. Aside from knocking Griffin out last night, Shogun may have permanently knocked Griffin out of contention for another light-heavyweight title shot. It’s been fun while it lasted, but perhaps it’s time for Griffin to be relegated to the proverbial old guy division.
In other action, Edson Barboza predictably defeated Ross Pearson, though the fight was far closer than most anticipated it being. Barboza may have gotten the victory, but it’s hard to imagine his stock rising after barely getting by a handpicked opponent. Meanwhile, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, who essentially made a career out of coming back from early damage to win fights, showed us more of the same in his comeback victory over Brendan Schaub. Perhaps Schuab, who was in trouble early against Cro Cop in his last fight, wasn’t as ready for the step up in competition as we were led to believe. Likewise, Big Nog looked slow and vulnerable for most of the fight. While it’s still an impressive victory for Nogueira, it’s also premature to declare that he is back in the mix at heavyweight.
For the record, Luiz Cane is the only Brazilian on the card to lose to a foreign opponent, getting knocked out by Stanislay Nedkov. Cane has now lost three of his last four. Luis Ramos, who fought fellow Brazilian Erick Silva, was the only other Brazilian to lose last night.
Main Card
Anderson Silva def. Yushin Okami via second-round TKO
Mauricio Rua def. Forrest Griffin via first-round KO
Edson Barboza def. Ross Pearson via split decision
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira def. Brendan Schaub via first-round KO
Stanislav Nedkov def. Luiz Cane via first-round TKO
Preliminary Bouts
Thiago Tavares def. Spencer Fisher via second-round TKO
Rousimar Palhares def. Dan Miller via unanimous decision
Paulo Thiago def. David Mitchell via unanimous decision
Raphael Assuncao def. Johnny Eduardo by unanimous decision
Erick Silva def. Luis Ramos via first-round TKO
Yuri Alcantara def. Felipe Arantes via unanimous decision
Yves Jabouin def. Ian Loveland via split decision
I’ll be honest, I kind of assumed that Aleksander’s busy schedule of crushing cans, getting prison tattoos and not having hepatitis left him zero time to actually train. For that matter, I also assumed that when you’re a decorated Russian criminal and Fedor Emelianenko’s younger brother, you wouldn’t need to practice to be really good at hurting people. Different strokes, I suppose.
I’ll be honest, I kind of assumed that Aleksander’s busy schedule of crushing cans, getting prison tattoos and not having hepatitis left him zero time to actually train. For that matter, I also assumed that when you’re a decorated Russian criminal and Fedor Emelianenko’s younger brother, you wouldn’t need to practice to be really good at hurting people. Different strokes, I suppose.
If you’re expecting this session to be two guys swilling vodka and pulling airplanes, prepare for disappointment. After warming up, Mariusz Pudzianowski, who rocks flesh colored spandex shorts throughout the session, holds pads for Aleksander. It’s a pretty random pair to see training together, but it makes sense when you consider that Aleksander will be fighting in Poland in October. No word yet on whether Mariusz will be on this card as well.
Interview with BJ Penn’s brother, Reagan, who makes his MMA debut tonight. Props: MMAHawaii.com.
Many readers are probably looking for something to do after UFC 134 tonight. Preferably something that will involve a local bar with good drink specials and attractive women. Well, we can’t help you there. But for those hardcore MMA fans among us who don’t have things like “social lives” or “friends” holding you back, Sherdog has you covered with a live stream of ProElite’s return.
The stream begins at 1 A.M. ET on Sunday morning, and no, you don’t have to pay for it.
Aside from the return of Andrei Arlovski against King of the Cage light-heavyweight Ray Lopez, the event also features a middleweight tilt between the recently axed Kendall Grove and Joe Riggs. Both fighters are riding two fight losing streaks into the cage tonight. Also on the card are 2009 NCAA D1 wrestling champion Mark Ellis, UFC veteran Drew McFedries and BJ Penn’s younger brother, Reagan Penn, who is making his MMA debut. Again, you don’t have to pay for it.
Interview with BJ Penn’s brother, Reagan, who makes his MMA debut tonight. Props: MMAHawaii.com.
Many readers are probably looking for something to do after UFC 134 tonight. Preferably something that will involve a local bar with good drink specials and attractive women. Well, we can’t help you there. But for those hardcore MMA fans among us who don’t have things like “social lives” or “friends” holding you back, Sherdog has you covered with a live stream of ProElite’s return.
The stream begins at 1 A.M. ET on Sunday morning, and no, you don’t have to pay for it.
Aside from the return of Andrei Arlovski against King of the Cage light-heavyweight Ray Lopez, the event also features a middleweight tilt between the recently axed Kendall Grove and Joe Riggs. Both fighters are riding two fight losing streaks into the cage tonight. Also on the card are 2009 NCAA D1 wrestling champion Mark Ellis, UFC veteran Drew McFedries and BJ Penn’s younger brother, Reagan Penn, who is making his MMA debut. Again, you don’t have to pay for it.
The decision to hold an event on the same night as the UFC’s return to Brazil is a curious one. Especially considering that the card isn’t especially great, even for a regional promotion. Yet despite the strength of the card, odd start time and lack of television coverage, ProElite managed to secure Coors Light and Monster as sponsors for the event. Well played, ProElite.
Andrei Arlovski (241.3) vs. Ray Lopez (225.8)
Kendall Grove (184.8) vs. Joe Riggs (185)
Mark Ellis (244.8) vs. Jake Heun (236)
Drew McFedries (194.6) vs. Garrett Olson (195.4)
Sara McMann (135.8) vs. Raquel Pa’aluhi (135.5)
Reagan Penn (170.2) vs. Paul Gardiner (169.9)
So while we’re waiting on KarmaAteMyCat to deliver some videos from last night’s Bellator 48, let’s talk about the action, shall we? With all of the excitement from last night’s event, it only makes sense to start with Cole Konrad vs. Paul Buentello. Yes, they fought. Yes, Cole Konrad won in unspectacular fashion. Yes, we can now stop talking about this fight.
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the evening was Pat Curran’s dramatic head kick knockout of former Sengoku champion Marlon Sandro. Despite being in trouble early on, Pat Curran kept his composure and unleashed a brutal roundhouse kick. With his victory, Pat Curran becomes the first fighter to win a Bellator tournament in two different weight classes. I’m not sure what I’m looking forward to more: Pat Curran’s inevitable clash with Joe Warren, or the confused look on his banker’s face when he tries to cash that oversized check.
So while we’re waiting on KarmaAteMyCat to deliver some videos from last night’s Bellator 48, let’s talk about the action, shall we? With all of the excitement from last night’s event, it only makes sense to start with Cole Konrad vs. Paul Buentello. Yes, they fought. Yes, Cole Konrad won in unspectacular fashion. Yes, we can now stop talking about this fight.
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the evening was Pat Curran’s dramatic head kick knockout of former Sengoku champion Marlon Sandro. Despite being in trouble early on, Pat Curran kept his composure and unleashed a brutal roundhouse kick. With his victory, Pat Curran becomes the first fighter to win a Bellator tournament in two different weight classes. I’m not sure what I’m looking forward to more: Pat Curran’s inevitable clash with Joe Warren, or the confused look on his banker’s face when he tries to cash that oversized check.
Seth Petruzelli also surprised everyone with his dominant performance against Ricco Rodriguez. Petruzelli managed to forge the black belt grappler into a striking contest, eventually culminating with a hard right hand to Ricco’s jaw. According to MMAFighting.com, Petruzelli more than likely secured a spot in next season’s light-heavyweight tournament. Given last season’s light-heavyweights, Petruzelli has to be an early favorite to challenge Christian M’Pumbu for Bellator’s light-heavyweight title. If it works out that way, it’ll be a good test for both fighters. As for Ricco Rodriguez, he vows that he isn’t going back to can crushing and plans on fighting for Bellator again. Whether he gets another chance with the promotion or not is to be seen.
Pat Curran def. Marlon Sandro via KO (head kick) – Round 2, 4:00 (featherweight-tourney finale)
Champ Cole Konrad def. Paul Buentello via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) (heavyweight non-title fight)
Seth Petruzelli def. Ricco Rodriguez via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:21
Rene Nazare def. Juan Barrantes via TKO (doctor’s stoppage) – Round 2, 5:00
Preliminary Card
Jeff Nader def. Dan Cramer via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 1:04
Nik Fekete def. Mark Griffin via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 3:12
Andrew Calandrelli def. Matt Nice via submission (keylock) – Round 1, 3:55
Ryan Quinn def. Brett Oteri via technical submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 1:48
Saul Almeida def. Tateki Matsuda via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
I’ll be honest: I tried not to cover this. I figured that this was something that would go away on its own, and it’s best not to draw attention to something that may hurt the sport. Plus, after reading reactions to “cunty-gate”, I realized that the majority of our readers simply do not care about issues like this. But after two straight days of Michael Bisping calling things “gay” on Twitter, I feel that the issue needs to be addressed before it gets blown out of proportion.
It started off as a response to a response to a tweet by Chael Sonnen, who himself is not a big fan of Michael Bisping. In a rare miss, Sonnen said that his fight with Brian Stann will be “Iron Man vs. Captain America”, and promised not to wear the suit if Stann didn’t bring the shield. Bisping seized the opportunity to mock Chael Sonnen with the following tweet:
Check after the jump for Michael Bisping’s tweets
Pay attention, now. This will come up again.
I’ll be honest: I tried not to cover this. I figured that this was something that would go away on its own, and it’s best not to draw attention to something that may hurt the sport. Plus, after reading reactions to “cunty-gate”, I realized that the majority of our readers simply do not care about issues like this. But after an entire day’s worth of Michael Bisping calling things “gay” on his Twitter account, I feel that the issue needs to be addressed before it gets blown out of proportion.
It started off as a response to a tweet by Chael Sonnen, who himself is not a big fan of Michael Bisping. In a rare miss, Sonnen said that his fight with Brian Stann will be “Iron Man vs. Captain America”, and promised not to wear the suit if Stann didn’t bring the shield. Bisping seized the opportunity to mock Chael Sonnen with the following tweet:
Okay, the guillotines line made me laugh. I’ll give him that before continuing.
I want to be as easy on Michael Bisping as possible, because in no way does he come off as a homophobe. In no way does it appear that he was trying to get under anyone’s skin except Chael Sonnen’s with his original remark. In fact, I’ll go as far as agree with him on the “bitches being offensive to women and dogs” joke: America as a whole is too sensitive with certain things. There’s just one problem: None of that is relevant.
Remember when Kobe Bryant used a homophobic remark towards an official earlier this year? The NBA immediately fined him and, in a joint effort with the GLSEN, sponsored a series of PSAs discouraging people from using the word “gay” as an insult. Even though the majority of basketball fans were either indifferent towards the situation or supportive of Kobe, David Stern recognized that the media, and more importantly, the NBA’s television partners and sponsors, would not tolerate such behavior. Whether Kobe is homophobic, whether most basketball websites would have bothered covering the offesnive comment if ESPN didn’t make a big deal about it or whether “gay” can still be used as a synonym for “happy” is irrelevant.
Now that the UFC has a deal with Fox, it’s safe to say that the sport is mainstream. While this is phenomenal for the growth of the sport, this also means that fighters are going to have to learn to play by the mainstream’s rules if they want to keep enjoying the mainstream’s attention. It doesn’t matter than most MMA sites aren’t covering this or stories like it. We now more than ever have to worry about the way that mainstream sports outlets such as ESPN portray our sport. Also, notice how the influence of Fox executives is already being felt? I’m willing to bet they wouldn’t be too happy to read Michael Bisping tweeting that things are “gay” any more than they would like to read Ryan Howard or Michael Vick tweeting that.
Again, I understand that Michael Bisping’s comments really aren’t that bad. In fact, I’d say that his comments are nowhere near as bad for our sport as, say, Mayhem Miller’s assault charges or Mike Whitehead’s sexual assault charges. But that’s not the point. The bottom line is that we are a mainstream sport now. It’s time we start acting like it.
