Tag: Alan Belcher

Crazy Story of the Day: Rousimar Palhares Had His First Birthday Cake Ever Last Sunday


(What do you mean marrow is not a flavor?!!) 

We have all heard the legend of Rousimar Palhares. Born in a radioactive swamp deep in the Brazilian jungle, “Toquinho” was raised in captivity, locked in a dark, damp cellar that only received 15 minutes of sunlight a day. It was a cruel, traumatizing upbringing, but the townspeople agreed that it was the only way to maintain the utopia they had built. Living off bread crumbs and rage for the first 20 years of his life, Palhares vowed to seek revenge on those who had enslaved him. Unfortunately for the world, he could only see the ankles of his overlords through a crack beneath the bolted steel door that held him, so his curse did not have the luxury of extending to only those who entered Camp Crystal Lake, or she who read from the Necronomicon. If you were born with a pair of ankles, then Palhares is coming for you.

Thankfully, “Toquinho” celebrated his 32nd birthday last Sunday, so the appendages of mankind have been granted a reprieve for a couple more days. Why, you ask? Well as it turns out, this past Sunday went down as a particularly special birthday for the middleweight mangling machine, as it was the first one in which he was given a cake. Unfortunately, his friends and family decided to throw a surprise party for this glorious celebration. There were no survivors.

Check out Rousimar’s reaction to the surprise after the jump.


(What do you mean marrow is not a flavor?!!) 

We have all heard the legend of Rousimar Palhares. Born in a radioactive swamp deep in the Brazilian jungle, “Toquinho” was raised in captivity, locked in a dark, damp cellar that only received 15 minutes of sunlight a day. It was a cruel, traumatizing upbringing, but the townspeople agreed that it was the only way to maintain the utopia they had built. Living off bread crumbs and rage for the first 20 years of his life, Palhares vowed to seek revenge on those who had enslaved him. Unfortunately for the world, he could only see the ankles of his overlords through a crack beneath the bolted steel door that held him, so his curse did not have the luxury of extending to only those who entered Camp Crystal Lake, or she who read from the Necronomicon. If you were born with a pair of ankles, then Palhares is coming for you.

Thankfully, “Toquinho” celebrated his 32nd birthday last Sunday, so the appendages of mankind have been granted a reprieve for a couple more days. Why, you ask? Well as it turns out, this past Sunday went down as a particularly special birthday for the middleweight mangling machine, as it was the first one in which he was given a cake. Unfortunately, his friends and family decided to throw a surprise party for this glorious celebration. There were no survivors.

Scheduled to face Alan Belcher at UFC on Fox 3 in May, Palhares said the celebration was short lived, as he had to get back to training, but he was thankful all the same:

That was really a big surprise for me. I became a child again because this was the first time in my whole life I celebrated my birthday with a cake. Everybody knows my family always had a very humble life. I thank my BTT partners to have given me this happiness. I hope this is going to be a year of much work and that God can continue giving me the opportunities to represent Brazil and show my talent inside the Octagon.

And believe it or not, Palhares was so touched by the gesture that he decided to pay it forward, offering to sign a few of the t-shirts purchased at his website, www.toquinhomma.com.br. So head over there if you want the chance to win the autograph of a man with a scarier reputation than Bill Brasky.

-J. Jones

SCC 4 Quick Results: Grove Goes to Sleep, Gunderson and Yager Pick Up Wins


(*Hello darkness, my old friend*…just to be clear, we’re referring to the darkness that accompanies being choked unconscious, not Jay Silva.)

To say that Kendall Grove has seen some ups and downs in his MMA career since winning the third season of The Ultimate Fighter would be an understatement. After defeating Ed Herman by ultra close unanimous decision to earn the coveted glass plaque, Grove would tack up two more submission wins over Chris Price and Alan Belcher. It seemed as if the lanky middleweight had the world in the palm of his hand, destined to follow Forrest Griffin and Rashad Evans as the new breed of MMA stars to make their name off the show.

And then it all fell apart.

Grove would drop his next two via form of KO to Patrick Cote and Jorge Rivera, and though he would follow up the pair of losses with victories over Evan Tanner (R.I.P.) and Jason Day, we would never see Grove rise above the rank of gatekeeper in his UFC run. He would go 2-4 in his next six, and would be ousted from the UFC after dropping a UD to Tim Boetsch at UFC 130 in Boetsch’s middleweight debut.

After scoring a quick submission win and evening the score with Joe Riggs, Grove out grappled Japanese sensation Ikuhisa Minowa at a Pro Elite event last month that we here at CP gave an official score of “meh.” Would last night’s SCC 4 card house “Da Spyda’s” first three fight win streak since 2007?


(*Hello darkness, my old friend*…just to be clear, we’re referring to the darkness that accompanies being choked unconscious, not Jay Silva.)

To say that Kendall Grove has seen some ups and downs in his MMA career since winning the third season of The Ultimate Fighter would be an understatement. After defeating Ed Herman by ultra close unanimous decision to earn the coveted glass plaque, Grove would tack up two more submission wins over Chris Price and Alan Belcher. It seemed as if the lanky middleweight had the world in the palm of his hand, destined to follow Forrest Griffin and Rashad Evans as the new breed of MMA stars to make their name off the show.

And then it all fell apart.

Grove would drop his next two via form of KO to Patrick Cote and Jorge Rivera, and though he would follow up the pair of losses with victories over Evan Tanner (R.I.P.) and Jason Day, we would never see Grove rise above the rank of gatekeeper in his UFC run. He would go 2-4 in his next six, and would be ousted from the UFC after dropping a UD to Tim Boetsch at UFC 130 in Boetsch’s middleweight debut.

After scoring a quick submission win and evening the score with Joe Riggs, Grove out grappled Japanese sensation Ikuhisa Minowa at a Pro Elite event last month that we here at CP gave an official score of “meh.” Would last night’s SCC 4 card house “Da Spyda’s” first three fight win streak since 2007?

Nope. Unfortunately, Grove would suffer the SECOND technical submission loss of his career when he was choked out by fellow UFC veteran Jay Silva via second round arm-triangle. Yeah, that Jay Silva. Grove has faced Ricardo Almeida and Demian Maia and managed to make it out alive, so props are due to Jay. With the win, Silva improves to 8-5, and Grove falls to 14-10.

In the night’s co-main event, other fellow UFC veterans John Gunderson and Justin Buchholz engaged in a back and forth affair that saw Gunderson lock up a kimura in the third round to claim the promotion’s inaugural lightweight title. TUF 11 veteran Jamie Yager was also in action, and improved to 6-2 with a unanimous decision victory over Danny Davis Jr.

Full results from SCC 4 are below.

-Jay Silva def. Kendall Grove via Submission (Arm-Triangle Choke) at 1:52 of Round 2.

-John Gunderson def. Justin Buchholz via submission (Kimura)at 2:34 of Round 3.

-Jamie Yager def. Danny Davis Jr. via unanimous decision.

-Paulo Goncalves Silva def. Dominique Robinson via unanimous decision.

-Brandon Bender def. Marlin Weikel via submission (Triangle Choke) at 2:30 of Round 3.

-Walter Harris def. Anthony Hamilton via KO at 1:15 of Round 1.

-Jimmy Jones def. Joao Victor via submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 3:49 of Round 3.

-J. Jones

Palhares Versus Belcher Slated for May 5 ‘UFC on Fox 3? Card


(And, yes, Dana has unblocked us on Twitter…Baby steps, right?)

UFC president Dana White announced this afternoon that a middleweight bout between Rousimar “The Kneejerk” Palhares and Alan “The Talent” Belcher has been signed for the May 5 UFC on Fox 3 card.

The event, which will take place at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey, will also feature Jim Miller versus Nate Diaz and Josh Koscheck versus Johny Hendricks on the main card.


(And, yes, Dana has unblocked us on Twitter…Baby steps, right?)

UFC president Dana White announced this afternoon that a middleweight bout between Rousimar “The Kneejerk“ Palhares and Alan “The Talent” Belcher has been signed for the May 5 UFC on Fox 3 card.

The event, which will take place at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey, will also feature Jim Miller versus Nate Diaz and Josh Koscheck versus Johny Hendricks on the main card.

5-1 in his last six outings, including a questionable split-decision to Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 100 in July 2009, Belcher returned from a serious eye injury that kept him out of action for a year to beat Jason MacDonald in September at UFC Fight Night: Shields vs. Ellenberger. A win over Palhares could put him in line for a title shot in 2012.

Paul Harris is no slouch himself, having won six of his last seven — including three nasty heelhook and one vicious kneebar submissions in that stretch. He was suspended for 90 days for failing to release a heelhook after Tomasz Drwal tapped out at UFC 111. During his UFC tenure, he has beaten Jeremy Horn, Ivan Salaverry and Dan Miller. He dropped a decision to Dan Henderson and also lost by brainfart TKO to Nate Marquardt after attempting to protest to referee Herb Dean mid-round about the latter having grease on his legs during their UFC Fight Night: Marquardt vs. Palhares main event bout. Marquardt capitalized on “Toquino’s” inattentiveness and caught the Brazilian off guard, stopping him with strikes.

———-

UFC on Fox 3
May 5, 2012
IZOD Center
East Rutherford, New Jersey

Nate Diaz vs. Jim Miller
Josh Koscheck vs. Johny Hendricks
Alan Belcher vs. Rousimar Palhares
Pat Barry vs. Lavar Johnson
John Dodson vs. Darren Uyenoyama
Tony Ferguson vs. Dennis Hallman
Pascal Krauss vs. John Hathaway
Danny Castillo vs. John Cholish
Mike Massenzio vs. Karlos Vemola
Louis Gaudinot vs. John Lineker

UFC on FOX 3 Gets Alan Belcher vs. Rousimar Palhares, Says Dana White

Had it not been for the fabulous world of Twitter, or rather Dana White’s compulsive obsession to use the Internet forum, the fans would be missing out on some exciting news.Just last night, the UFC President announced a welterweight collision which wi…

Had it not been for the fabulous world of Twitter, or rather Dana White‘s compulsive obsession to use the Internet forum, the fans would be missing out on some exciting news.

Just last night, the UFC President announced a welterweight collision which will pit contenders Josh Koscheck and Johny Hendricks on the next FOX card.

Now, just a few moments ago, White made yet another fight official for the event, as middleweight standouts Alan Belcher and Rousimar Palhares will meet in a pivotal 185 pound contest.

“Alan Belcher vs Rousimar Palhares fight added to FOX card!!!!!!,” exclaimed the UFC exec.

After a near career-threatening eye injury kept Belcher out of the Octagon for well over a year, the Arkansas native made an emphatic return to the cage when he blasted Jason MacDonald last September, making the Canadian tap due to mounted ground-and-pound blows in the first round.

Belcher is now riding a three-fight win streak, which includes victories over Wilson Gouveia and former title challenger Patrick Cote—stopping all before the final bell.

Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Rousimar Palhares, who recently took home silver in the prestigious ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championships, has been on a tear as of late. After succumbing to blows to former contender Nate Marquardt, “Toquinho” has gone undefeated in his last three bouts and has looked impressive all the while.

Recently, Palhares capped off his three-fight win streak with a crushing victory over collegiate wrestler Mike Massenzio, finishing off the New Jersey fighter with his patented heel hook. His submission victory took all of 63 seconds of cage time, and earned the evening’s “Submission of the Night” award.

The winner between Belcher and Palhares will move themselves into the upper echelon of the middleweight class, where either man will likely be within striking distance of a title shot. 

UFC on FOX 3 takes place on May 5 at the IZOD Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey, where lightweights Nate Diaz and Jim Miller will take center stage in a five-round non-title main event, which will likely serve as a No. 1 contender battle.

It is unclear whether or not Palhares and Belcher will get air time on the live television broadcast.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

TUF 14 Finale Results: 4 Fights Michael Bisping Should Take Next

The Ultimate Finale 14 is in the books, and Michael Bisping proved to be the better coach. After a bad first round, Bisping was able to out strike  and outlast Jason “Mayhem” Miller, earning the victory when the ref stopped the fight in …

The Ultimate Finale 14 is in the books, and Michael Bisping proved to be the better coach. 

After a bad first round, Bisping was able to out strike  and outlast Jason “Mayhem” Miller, earning the victory when the ref stopped the fight in the third round.

The UFC’s top British star has now earned his fourth straight victory and should be looking to take a step up in competition.

Here are some fights he should take next if he wants to be a serious contender.   

Begin Slideshow

Alan Belcher Could Face Vitor Belfort Before End of the Year

Looking to reenter the UFC middleweight division, Alan Belcher might not have to look very far for an opponent. According to MMAWeekly.com, Belcher’s manager, Malki Kawa, suggested that Belcher is one or two fights away from a potential title shot…

Looking to reenter the UFC middleweight division, Alan Belcher might not have to look very far for an opponent. 

According to MMAWeekly.com, Belcher’s manager, Malki Kawa, suggested that Belcher is one or two fights away from a potential title shot and said his client is looking a step up in competition for his bout. 

“I think it’s two fights away to stay conservative and be more realistic, but there’s a great fight on the horizon for Alan Belcher,” Kawa said.

And that “great fight” could be against heavy-handed Brazilian, Vitor Belfort.  “When I talk to Joe (Silva), it’s ‘who does he need to beat to get a shot at the title?’ There’s a couple of names mentioned. Vitor (Belfort) was one of them,” he said. 

Belfort is coming off a knockout victory against Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 133 and was expected to face Cung Le at UFC 139 prior to suffering an injury. Belfort was vocal about seeking a new opponent and was eager to compete before the end of the year, as he revealed that the injury was not severe. 

While other potential opponents have surfaced like Demian Maia, Belcher is willing to face a top 10 opponent in his next outing. And Kawa has hinted at the possibility of facing Belfort, a bout he said that neither him or Belcher wouldn’t hesitate to accept. 

“I love that fight, and I’ll tell you this, Alan loves that fight,” he said. 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com