Rafael Carvalho entered hostile territory Saturday at Bellator 190 and came away with a victory and his middleweight title still intact. Carvalho needed just 44 seconds to land an elbow that ended the night of Alessio Sakara in his home country of Ital…
Rafael Carvalho entered hostile territory Saturday at Bellator 190 and came away with a victory and his middleweight title still intact. Carvalho needed just 44 seconds to land an elbow that ended the night of Alessio Sakara in his home country of Italy. The bout headlined the MMA portion of the doubleheader and aired on […]
It’s once again fight day here at LowKickMMA, and the talent on display tonight (Saturday, December 9th, 2017) will come in the form of Bellator 190. Headlining the card are Rafael Carvalho and Alessio Sakara, but there’s a whole bunch of great fights also taking place on the rest of the main card. Rafael Carvalho […]
It’s once again fight day here at LowKickMMA, and the talent on display tonight (Saturday, December 9th, 2017) will come in the form of Bellator 190. Headlining the card are Rafael Carvalho and Alessio Sakara, but there’s a whole bunch of great fights also taking place on the rest of the main card.
Rafael Carvalho and Alessio Sakara meet in a middleweight title bout in the main event.
Brandon Girtz and Luka Jelcic meet in a lightweight bout in the co-main event.
Lena Ovchynnikova vs. Alejandra Lara is next in a women’s flyweight bout.
Opening the main card on Spike TV is Mihail Nica vs. Carlos Miranda in a lightweight bout. In round 1, Miranda clinched with him and went for a takedown but couldn’t get anything. He blitzed him with strikes then they exchanged knees in the clinch. Nica went for his own takedown but Miranda put up good takedown defense. Miranda managed to get a trip takedown midway through the round. Miranda worked him over with strikes and elbows. Nica was able to get back to his feet as the round came to a close. In round 2, Miranda was able to score a takedown to start the round and got full mount. He landed some solid shots. Complete domination. Nica tried to scramble and Miranda locked in an armbar but Nica got out of it and to his feet. They clinched up against the fence. Miranda was able to secure a takedown and got full guard to end the round. In round 3, Miranda took him down once again and Nica went for a guillotine choke but couldn’t get it. Miranda landed some more solid shots from the top. Miranda picked up the decision win.
Here are the results of this event:
Middleweight World Title Main Event: Rafael Carvalho vs. Alessio Sakara Lightweight Main Card Bout: Brandon Girtz vs. Luka Jelcic
Women’s Flyweight Main Card Bout: Lena Ovchynnikova vs. Alejandra Lara Lightweight Main Card Bout: Carlos Leal Miranda def. Mihail Nica via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
Rafael Carvalho will enter hostile territory, defending his middleweight title against Alessio Sakara at Bellator 190. The event takes place December 9 from the Nelson Mandela Forum in Florence, Italy and will also include the next Bellator kickboxing …
Rafael Carvalho will enter hostile territory, defending his middleweight title against Alessio Sakara at Bellator 190. The event takes place December 9 from the Nelson Mandela Forum in Florence, Italy and will also include the next Bellator kickboxing event. Carvalho (14-1) will be meeting the Italian Sakara (19-11) in third title defense after successfully defeating […]
It’s once again fight day here at LowKickMMA, and the talent on display tonight (Saturday, December 10th, 2016) will come in the form of Bellator 168. Headlining the card are Alessio Sakara and Joey Beltran, but there’s a whole bunch of great fights also taking place on the rest of the main card. Alessio Sakara
It’s once again fight day here at LowKickMMA, and the talent on display tonight (Saturday, December 10th, 2016) will come in the form of Bellator 168. Headlining the card are Alessio Sakara and Joey Beltran, but there’s a whole bunch of great fights also taking place on the rest of the main card.
Alessio Sakara (18-11, 2 NC) and Joey Beltran (17-13, 1 NC) met in the main event of Bellator 168. Beltran throwing a lot of jabs early as the crowd is clearly behind Sakara. Beltran was poked in the left eye. We get back to action. Sakara stunned him with a right hand then finished him with strikes to end the fight.
Goiti Yamauchi (31-9) and Valeriu Mircea (12-3) met in a lightweight bout. Yamauchi comes out aggressive, but Mircea catches him with a right hand and drops him. Mircea swarms him with strikes on the ground, and Yamauchi locked in an armbar, but Mircea slammed his way out of it and did so twice. Mircea stayed in guard and worked him over with strikes. Yamauchi scrambled and locked in a triangle choke for the win. Ed Ruth (1-0) and Emanuele Palombi (5-2) met in a middleweight bout. Ruth came right out caught Palombi and finished him with strikes in just one minute and 33 seconds.
Philipe Lins (10-1) and Kleber Raimundo Silva (12-7) met in a light heavyweight bout. In round 1, hey have a feeling out process early. Silva was the more aggressive fighter. They had a wild exchange halfway through the round. Silva landed a sick spinning back kick to end the round. In round 2, Lins came out quick and backed up Silva with his strikes. Silva was doing some good work with his jabs. Lins landed a flurry of combos throughout the round. Silva stunned him, and Lina dropped but got right back to his feet. Silva stayed on him and landed a series of strikes that ended the fight.
Opening the main card on Spike TV was John Salter (13-3) vs. Claudio Annicchiarico (1-5) in a middleweight bout. Salter shot in and scored a takedown within seconds. Salter got full mount then smashed his face into get the TKO win.
(To answer the question posed by your body language, hellz yeah bro, that is some sick ink. / Photo via Getty)
BloodyElbow gives us the heads up that three notable UFC fighters have had their profiles removed from UFC.com — a sure sign that they’ve recently been released by the promotion. While it’s always sad to see people lose their jobs right before Christmas, you can’t argue that these three didn’t have it coming. So who felt the axe in the latest round of roster-cuts? Let’s begin…
Alessio Sakara: The Italian striker has been a reliable gatekeeper-presence at light-heavyweight and middleweight since his Octagon debut in 2005, earning solid wins against Elvis Sinosic, Joe Vedepo, Thales Leites, and James Irvin. But training injuries began to pile up beginning in 2009, and Sakara also missed fights due to sudden illness and the loss of his father.
In 2011, Sakara kicked off what would become a four-fight losing streak, when he dropped a decision to newcomer (and future middleweight champion) Chris Weidman, who came into the fight as a short notice injury replacement. After that, Sakara was KO’d by Brian Stann, DQ’d due to rabbit-punches in a fight against Patrick Cote, and armbarred by UFC rookie Nicholas Musoke during his most recent appearance at UFC Fight Night 30 in October. That loss dropped Sakara’s overall UFC record to 6-8 with one no-contest.
George Sotiropoulos: After entering the UFC as semi-finalist on TUF 6 in 2007, Sotiropoulos went on an absolute tear, winning seven fights in a row (which earned him a spot on the all-time leaderboard). In 2010, Sotiropoulos defeated Joe Stevenson, Kurt Pellegrino, and Joe Lauzon, making him a legitimate title contender in the lightweight division. But in a stunning reversal of fortune, Sotriopoulos would never win another fight in the UFC.
(To answer the question posed by your body language, hellz yeah bro, that is some sick ink. / Photo via Getty)
BloodyElbow gives us the heads up that three notable UFC fighters have had their profiles removed from UFC.com — a sure sign that they’ve recently been released by the promotion. While it’s always sad to see people lose their jobs right before Christmas, you can’t argue that these three didn’t have it coming. So who felt the axe in the latest round of roster-cuts? Let’s begin…
Alessio Sakara: The Italian striker has been a reliable gatekeeper-presence at light-heavyweight and middleweight since his Octagon debut in 2005, earning solid wins against Elvis Sinosic, Joe Vedepo, Thales Leites, and James Irvin. But training injuries began to pile up beginning in 2009, and Sakara also missed fights due to sudden illness and the loss of his father.
In 2011, Sakara kicked off what would become a four-fight losing streak, when he dropped a decision to newcomer (and future middleweight champion) Chris Weidman, who came into the fight as a short notice injury replacement. After that, Sakara was KO’d by Brian Stann, DQ’d due to rabbit-punches in a fight against Patrick Cote, and armbarred by UFC rookie Nicholas Musoke during his most recent appearance at UFC Fight Night 30 in October. That loss dropped Sakara’s overall UFC record to 6-8 with one no-contest.
George Sotiropoulos: After entering the UFC as semi-finalist on TUF 6 in 2007, Sotiropoulos went on an absolute tear, winning seven fights in a row (which earned him a spot on the all-time leaderboard). In 2010, Sotiropoulos defeated Joe Stevenson, Kurt Pellegrino, and Joe Lauzon, making him a legitimate title contender in the lightweight division. But in a stunning reversal of fortune, Sotriopoulos would never win another fight in the UFC.
First, G-Sots was bombed out by Dennis Siver, losing a unanimous decision after being repeatedly unable to take Siver to the mat. Then, Sotiropoulos was on the wrong end of brutal knockouts by Rafael dos Anjosand Ross Pearson, his rival coach on TUF: Smashes. (There was even a rumor that George was KO’d during the filming of that show.) Luckily, Sotiropoulos remained conscious during his most recent appearance at UFC 167 in October, but he still lost a decision to KJ Noons, sealing his fate with the promotion.
Rosi Sexton: The British WMMA veteran came into the UFC with a solid 13-2 record — her only losses coming against Gina Carano and Zoila Frausto Gurgel — but she failed to make an impact in the bantamweight division, losing consecutive decisions to Alexis Davis and Jessica Andrade this year; in case you missed it, Sexton’s loss to Andrade was a thoroughly lopsided beat-down. Luckily, Sexton still has her osteopathy practice and doctorate in theoretical computer science to fall back on, which begs the question: What the hell was Rosi Sexton doing fighting other women in cages in the first place? Don’t people only compete in MMA as a last resort? Sexton plans to get surgery to repair two prolapsed discs in her neck, and is not sure if she’ll ever fight again.
(An elusive striker who throws punches like they cost him money vs. a former All-American wrestler. Yeah, baby. This is the matchup the Brits have been *begging* for. / Photo via Getty)
Handling the play-by-play for us today will be George Shunick, who will be stacking results from the FOX Sports 2 main card broadcast after the jump beginning at 3 p.m. ET / noon PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest updates, and fire off your own observational witticisms in the comments section.
(An elusive striker who throws punches like they cost him money vs. a former All-American wrestler. Yeah, baby. This is the matchup the Brits have been *begging* for. / Photo via Getty)
Handling the play-by-play for us today will be George Shunick, who will be stacking results from the FOX Sports 2 main card broadcast after the jump beginning at 3 p.m. ET / noon PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest updates, and fire off your own observational witticisms in the comments section.
Preliminary Card Results
– Al Iaquinta def. Piotr Hallmann via unanimous decision (30-27 x 2, 29-28)
– Luke Barnatt def. Andrew Craig via submission (rear-naked choke), 2:12 of round 2
– Jessica Andrade def. Rosi Sexton via unanimous decision (30-26 x 2, 30-27)
– Cole Miller def. Andy Ogle via unanimous decision (29-28 x 3)
– Jimy Hettes def. Robert Whiteford via technical submission (triangle choke), 2:17 of round 2
– Brad Scott def. Michael Kuiper via submission (front choke), 4:17 of round 1
Welcome Potato Nation, to this Saturday presentation of the prestigious UFC liveblog. I know plenty of you are probably surfing between watching the fights and college football – not that any of you went to college, you degenerates – so this should keep you up-to-date on today’s happenings while you attempt to filter the sheer amount of sanctioned violence you will bear witness to. The main event today will be Lyoto Machida making his debut in the middleweight division against wrestler and power striker Mark Muñoz. I’m taking Machida, but don’t discount Muñoz’ knockout power or the judges’ ability to utterly fail to understand the most basic precepts of MMA. With that said, on to the fights!
Phil Harris vs. John Lineker
Like Lineker here; dude packs serious power and manages to be an exceptionally exciting fighter in an exciting division to begin with. Harris will be a test, but one he should pass.
Round 1
Harris misses an overhand. Lineker lands a low kick that spins Harris around. Overhand from Harris grazes Lineker. Low kick from Lineker spins Harris around again. Another lands. Harris’ leg is already reddened. Harris lands a 1-2 combo. Another right from Harris. Linker drops him with a right, but it’s as much a slip as the power. Body shot from Lineker. Left hook rocks Harris! He’s wobbly but fires back. Right hand drops Harris. Harris stands but he’s wobbly and eating shots. Body shots followed by a left hook to the head. Harris is in big trouble. Left hook the liver drops Harris, Lineker swarms and it’s all over. Beautiful liver shot from Lineker ends the fight. John Lineker def. Phil Harris via TKO, 2:51 of round 1.
Replay shows the punch landed on Harris’ solar plexus. As Rogan notes, Lineker didn’t make weight for the fight; still, it’s an impressive win. Lineker is still relatively raw and isn’t remotely ready to hang with John Dodson or Demetrious Johnson, but it will be interesting to see him develop over the next year or two.
Alessio Sakara vs. Nicholas Musoke
Musoke is from Sweden. Sakara is from Italy. Ummmm… that’s the extent of my analysis here.
Round 1
Musoke moving forward, but Sakara hurts him and tosses him to the ground. Sakara lands a left inside Musoke’s guard. Sakara gets caught! Musoke lands knees from the clinch! Both men are swinging in the middle of the octagon now! Musoke clinches against the fence and takes Sakara down. Sakara went for a triangle, but Musoke uses this to pass to half-guard. Now side control. Knee to the body from Musoke. Sakara regains half-guard. Sakara explodes from the bottom and starts throwing bombs from the top! Now in Musoke’s guard. WHOA! Musoke with an armbar out of nowhere wins it for the Swede! Nicholas Musoke def. Alessio Sakara via verbal submission (armbar), 3:07 of round 1.
If you blinked, you missed that armbar. Damn. Excellent debut for Musoke. Gustafsson, in the crowd, applauds his countryman’s accomplishments. In the polite, reserved Swedish manner, of course.
Norman Parke vs. Jon Tuck
Norman Parke is a TUF Smashes winner. Jon Tuck is a former competitor on TUF Live. In other words, none of you know who either fighter is.
Round 1
Jon Tuck’s nickname is “The Super Saiyan.” Well I know who I’m rooting for. Tuck opens with a headkick. He lands a low kick. Body kick from Tuck. Parke answers with one of his own. Right lands from Tuck. Parke lands a low kick. High kick from Tuck blocked. Nice left hand from Parke. Tuck unloads with three straight rights. They exchange crosses. Parke wiffs on a 1-2. Parke says he got poked but Tuck goes after him anyway; the ref doesn’t intervene. Rogan claims there was no eye poke according to replays. Both exchange crosses again; Tuck’s right against Parke’s left. Teep from Tuck. Low kick Tuck. Tuck barely misses a high kick. Parke lands a nice counter left. Right to the body from Tuck. Parke goes for a takedown at the end of the round and gets it just as time expires. Close round. 10-10.
Round 2
Left to the body from Parke, who’s gaining the momentum. Now he works the jab.Tuck is slowing down but lands a nice body kick. Parke lands a counter left, the a shot to the body. Nice right from Tuck. Uppercut from Parke. Right hook, left cross from Parke. Parke is putting the pressure on now. He’s beginning to land more and more. Left to the body followed by a kick from Parke. Uppercut Parke. Three punch combo for Parke. Nice body shot from Tuck, but immediately countered with a cross. Another cross lands for Parke. Parke isn’t letting Tuck breathe. He’s continuing to land combinations at will. Tuck is tired, and it’s really showing right now. He tries for a flying knee, but it’s blocked. Uppercut-cross combo from Parke. Tuck misses a superman punch off the cage. Parke lands another left. Round ends, 10-9 Parke.
Round 3
jab lands from Parke. Parke misses a capoeira kick. Body shot from Parke. Tuck needs to get the fight to the ground, but he’s not making any effort to do so. They exchange in the center of the ring, smiling at each other. Tuck’s mouthpiece is knocked out, and he’s hit with a barrage as he picks it up and pops it back in his mouth. now he’s getting tagged repeatedly by Parke. Tuck is simply exhausted. Tuck lands a body shot and a knee from the clinch. Parke with a big combo, though. Uppercut from Parke. Then an overhand. Park with a body kick. Tuck is on fumes as the last minute approaches. Left over the top from Parke. 3 punch combo lands from Parke. Two big overhands from Park. They’re exchanging until the end of the round, with Parke almost landing that capoeira kick. He should win this fight handily though.
Norman Parke def. Jon Tuck via unanimous decision (29-28 x 2, 30-27). Tuck should’ve eaten a senzu bean between rounds. That’s just poor planning on his part.
Jimi Manuwa vs. Ryan Jimmo
On one hand, Jimi Manuwa is a terrifying striker. On the other, he’s got a terrible ground game. He last beat Cyrille Diabate when the latter injured his calf. In other words, I’m not sold on the hype. Jimmo by submission or decision.
Round 1
Jimmo comes forward. Manuwa lands a left. Jimmo with a low kick. He reutns with a kick that Manuwa catches. Jimmo uses this to initiate a clinch and bring the fight to the fence. Manuwa lands a knee. Jimmo focusing on positioning. The ref separates them, and Manuwa lands two knees and pushes Jimmo into the fence. Jimmo lands a knee to the face, but it lacks the impact of Manuwa’s. Manuwa landing knees to the thighs of Jimmo. Jimmo winces and turns them around against the cage. Manuwa switches now, but the ref separates them. Jimmo’s in obvious pain, and Manuwa accentuates his point with a low kick. Body kick from Jimmo. Low kick from Manuwa. Hook kick almost lands from Manuwa. Jimmo answers a low kick with a body kick. Manuwa seems like he’s beginning to slow.Jimmo has more energy, but he’s currently refusing to engage. Manuwa tries to chase him down. Jimmo lands a counter right on a hard kick from Manuwa. 10-9 Manuwa.
Round 2
Manuwa rushes in and lands a right, only to get turned around and put against the cage. Jimmo can’t land anything from this position, though. Nice knee to the face, though. The ref breaks them. BIG body kick from Manuwa. Jimmo lands a low kick. High kicked from Manuwa blocked, but vicious low kick lands. Another lands. Manuwa rushes Jimmo into the fence, and begins to land short knees until he’s quickly reversed. Still, Jimmo can’t manage to do much with this position. Jimmo is hit with a low blow, and the fight is briefly stopped. Low kick from Manuwa. Jimmo almost lands a takedown, but they’re back against the fence, neither man doing anything. They’re separated again. Manuwa pushes Jimmo into the fence. They separate and Manuwa lands a big knee! Suddenly Jimmo goes down; it doesn’t appear to have been caused by the knee. The fight is over. The Curse of Manuwa strikes again. Jimi Manuwa def. Ryan Jimmo via TKO (injury), 4:41 of round 2.
Rogan asks Manuwa what sorcerer he trained with prior to this fight. Or he would if he was a responsible broadcaster! Alas, we will never know what dark magics played a role in his triumph. In the meantime, we get a shot of Michael Bisping firing up the crowd with something other than vitriol. Only in Britain.
Ross Pearson vs. Melvin Guillard
This fight isn’t as one-sided as some of you might think. Yes, Guillard has the speed and power, but on the other hand… he’s Melvin Guillard. He can be dominating the fight, but the instant something goes wrong he loses. His misfortunes metastasize as a single slipping rock may set off an avalanche. Should he win? Yes. Will he? I’m not so sure.
Round 1
They touch gloves. Guillard moving on the outside. Pearson with an inside leg kick. Guillard lands a left. Kick checked by Pearson. Inside kick from Pearson. Guillard misses an uppercut. Guillard lands a right to Pearson’s temple. And another. Guillard is loose now. Pearson still pushing forward. Knee from the clinch by Guillard. Flying knee from Pearson, who lands on the canvas! As he tries to return to his feet, Guillard knees him in the temple. The fight is stopped; the first knee is barely legal. However, the second knee is technically illegal — Pearson’s hand was on the ground. All in all, an unsatisfying conclusion to this business.
The fight is declared a no-contest due to an accidental illegal knee (1:57 of round 1). The audio keeps cutting out, presumably due to audience profanity, as Rogan tries to interview Pearson. Pearson has a nasty cut on his forehead; even if the fight wasn’t stopped for an illegal blow, it wouldn’t have lasted much longer. That cut would’ve been a fight-ender.
Lyoto Machida vs. Mark Muñoz
Machida’s movement, striking and takedown defense should prove too much here. Most people forget that Muñoz’ takedowns aren’t that exceptional; he was an accomplished collegiate wrestler largely on the strength of his scrambling and positional abilities. However, should Muñoz succeed in taking Machida down, he’s more than capable of finishing him. His ground and pound is extraordinarily powerful, and possesses more power from the guard than anyone since Fedor. But I suspect it won’t factor into this fight. Machida via decision.
Round 1
They touch gloves. Lots of distance between the two fighters so far. Machida looking for oblique kicks. Machida showing some weird movement right now. Over a minute in, no strikes landed. Muñoz misses a kick. Then he misses a takedown. Body kick from Machida lands! That’s our first strike, two minutes in. Hard body kick from Machida. Low kick Machida. HEAD KICK KNOCKOUT FOR MACHIDA! WOW! Fight’s over, ladies and gentlemen. Lyoto Machida def. Mark Munoz via KO, 3:10 of round 1.
So, Machida just won KO of the Night with that. He leaped on Muñoz when he fell, but restrained himself from following through, seeing Muñoz was out. Then they embraced when Muñoz came to. Lyoto Machida is that dude who will take you out and give you a hug after. Like a hyper-violent teddy bear. Nothing special in the post-fight interview. That’s all for today, heathens!
