Bellator XXXIV: Not With a Bang, But a Whimper

(Hector Lombard takes Alexander Shlemenko way out of his game, and Zoila Frausto doesn’t look like a woman who just won a fight. Photos courtesy of our own John Sluder. Full gallery coming soon!)
By ReX “Unnecessary Literary Reference” R…

Hector Lombard Alexander Shlemenko Bellator 34
Zoila Frausto Bellator 34
(Hector Lombard takes Alexander Shlemenko way out of his game, and Zoila Frausto doesn’t look like a woman who just won a fight. Photos courtesy of our own John Sluder. Full gallery coming soon!)

By ReX “Unnecessary Literary Reference” Richardson

Bellator Fighting Championships slouched toward Bethlehem last night, returning to the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida for the last show of the third season. Anticipation for this last show has been running high, and Bellator held back some exciting fighters for the finale, trying to put some asses in the seats. The women’s featherweight tournament concluded with monster featherweight Zoila Frausto versus undefeated phenom Megumi Fujii, and middleweight champ Hector Lombard putting his title on the line against eternal scrapper Alexander Shlemenko. Also on the broadcast was Serbian next big thing Dragan Tesanovic — who brought an undefeated record from the European circuit for his first fight in the US — as well as King of the Cage moneyweight Tony Lopez arriving in Bellator, presumably hoping they’ll establish a light heavyweight title for him to collect.

I’m not gonna lie to you: I wish the season had ended last week. Only three fights made the broadcast because decisions were the order of the night. Make that controversial decisions, since fans were already debating what kind of drugs the judges were on before the televised event was finished. Come on in past the jump, and I’ll recap the action for you and possibly bitch about judging a bit. I’m not even going to tease you with anything this time, because that’s just the kind of guy I am.

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Wednesday Morning MMA Link Club

(Nick Thompson is stretchered to safety after getting smoked by Taisuke Okuno at Sengoku 14. Check out FIGHT! Magazine’s exclusive gallery of photos from the event right here.)
Some selected highlights from our friends around the MMA blogos…

Nick Thompson Okuno Sengoku 14 photos MMA japan
(Nick Thompson is stretchered to safety after getting smoked by Taisuke Okuno at Sengoku 14. Check out FIGHT! Magazine‘s exclusive gallery of photos from the event right here.)

Some selected highlights from our friends around the MMA blogosphere. E-mail [email protected] for details on how your site can join the MMA Link Club…

– BJ Penn Hopes James Toney Does Well Against Randy Couture (MMA Convert)

– Facing your "Mirs": Where do Lashley and King Mo go from here? (Watch Kalib Run)

– 5 Things To Watch For At UFC 118 (Heavy.com/MMA)

– Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua’s Return Delayed Until Mid-2011 (Versus MMA Beat)

– Why Nick Diaz vs. ‘Mayhem’ Miller Is the Fight Strikeforce Needs Now (MMA Fighting)

– Exclusive Interview With Bellator Middleweight Tournament Winner Alexander "Storm" Shlemenko (LowKick)

– Outstanding Wrestlers and the Lessons Learned (Five Ounces of Pain)

– Kickboxing Legend Andy Hug, R.I.P. (MMA Scraps)

– This Rampage vs. Machida trailer will be the greatest thing you will see today, guaranteed (MiddleEasy)

Where Is MMA’s Next Great Middleweight?

Filed under: UFC, Strikeforce, BellatorFor all his pre-fight bluster, Chael Sonnen walked into the octagon as a major underdog against UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, with most expecting him to emerge chastened and quieted, however briefly. Y…

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Anderson Silva kicks Chael Sonnen in the main event of UFC 117.For all his pre-fight bluster, Chael Sonnen walked into the octagon as a major underdog against UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva, with most expecting him to emerge chastened and quieted, however briefly. Yet for about 23 minutes, Sonnen did just what he said he would, dominating Silva as he seemingly coasted towards his moment of glory. It was not to be. In a comeback that will live on in MMA lore for years to come, Silva found a way to steal a win from Sonnen’s back pocket, trapping him with a fight-ending triangle/armbar submission.

Even in losing, though, Sonnen did something of immeasurable value to the UFC: he stayed a viable contender. Beyond the UFC’s long-reigning champion, a look at the 185-pound class worldwide shows a wide-open field. More specifically, most of the world’s top 10 middleweights are over 30 years old. While opportunities abound, though, few young 185-pound prospects have distinguished themselves.

Most weight classes have their exciting, young prodigies. Featherweight has Jose Aldo, welterweight has John Hathaway, and light-heavyweight has Jon Jones, among others. So where, we must ask, is the next great, young middleweight?

Lombard vs. Shlemenko Bellator Title Match Likely for October 28

Filed under: FanHouse Exclusive, Bellator, NewsHector Lombard steps back into the Bellator cage on Thursday when he faces Herbert “Whisper” Goodman in a non-title matchup, but the Cuban middleweight will have little time to rest upon the bout’s conclus…

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Hector Lombard steps back into the Bellator cage on Thursday when he faces Herbert “Whisper” Goodman in a non-title matchup, but the Cuban middleweight will have little time to rest upon the bout’s conclusion.

The Bellator middleweight champion is likely to defend his belt against No. 1 contender Alexander Shlemenko on Oct. 28 at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida, Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney told MMA Fighting.

Midseason MMA Awards: Top Fighter

Filed under: UFCStop and think for a moment about where Chris Leben was in his mixed martial arts career at the beginning of 2010: In his most recent fight he had been submitted by the eminently mediocre Jake Rosholt. Before that he had served a suspen…

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Stop and think for a moment about where Chris Leben was in his mixed martial arts career at the beginning of 2010: In his most recent fight he had been submitted by the eminently mediocre Jake Rosholt. Before that he had served a suspension for testing positive for steroids following his loss to Michael Bisping. It had been 22 months since he last won a fight, and he was probably one more loss away from getting cut from the UFC.

But what a 2010 it’s been: Leben is 3-0 this year, he’s cashed bonus checks for Fight of the Night and Knockout of the Night, and he’s gone from being known mostly as a guy who acted like a jerk on the first season of The Ultimate Fighter to getting a huge ovation from the crowd after winning the co-main event at the UFC’s biggest card of the year.

Bellator XXIII Recap: OK, You Can Forget About FOX Sports Net Again…

(Zoila Frausto vs. Rosi Sexton. Props: YouTube.com/BellatorMMA)
By DL “All’s Well That Enswell” Richardson
Like summer vacations, dorm parties, and that time you dated the sex-crazed stripper, all good things must come to an end…

(Zoila Frausto vs. Rosi Sexton. Props: YouTube.com/BellatorMMA)

By DL “All’s Well That Enswell” Richardson

Like summer vacations, dorm parties, and that time you dated the sex-crazed stripper, all good things must come to an end. It was the final show for Bellator’s second season last night, and if you weren’t watching, it was your own damn fault. Louisville, Kentucky plays host for the finals in two weight classes, a women’s division superfight, and a bantamweight tourney qualifier, plus some regional action and (I assume) some horse races and bourbon tastings out of sheer habit. What surprises are in store? Who will turn in a stellar performance and make a name for themselves, as Ben Askren did just last week? Who will claim the poster-sized check and grin goofily as they hold it aloft for all to see, as Ben Askren also did last week? Will Alexander “The Dreidel” Shlemenko manage to keep his fight on the feet? Will we finally make up our minds about whether Joe Warren is a pretty cool guy who isn’t afraid of anything, or is he, after all, just a turbo douche? That’s a lot of questions — what are you, a preschooler? Seriously, if you start just asking “why?” every time I say something, I’ll turn this car around, and we won’t even go to the Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory Tour. Follow me past the jump, and all will be revealed. If you’re good, maybe I’ll talk your mother into seeing the zoo. If not, I’m taking us to see the World’s Largest Bottle of Booze.

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