Tag: Bellator 170

Reminder: Bellator 170 Pre-Fight Press Conference Live at 3 p.m. ET

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7X6371BDb7g&feature=youtu.be

Bellator 170 comes to us this Saturday night (Jan. 21) from The Forum in Inglewood, California. Bellator is rolling out the final pre-fight conference before the event takes place. The conference will be held today (Jan. 19) and it’ll begin at 3 p.m. ET.

The main event of Bellator 170 will feature a grudge match between from Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) light heavyweight title holder Tito Ortiz and Chael Sonnen. “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” has claimed this will be his final fight.

Welterweights will collide in the co-main event. Former middleweight title challenger Brennan Ward will go to war with former UFC, Strikeforce, EliteXC, and BAMMA veteran Paul Daley. Ward has said he and “Semtex” are one of the few “old-school guys” in mixed martial arts (MMA). If the bout lives up to the hype, we could be looking at an early “Fight of the Year” candidate.

Middleweight action will also be showcased on the main card. Knockout artist Hisaki Kato will welcome Ralek Gracie back to MMA competition. Gracie’s last MMA fight was in May 2010. Kato doesn’t have any particular feeling when it comes to fighting someone from the Gracie family. It should go without saying, but many believe this bout will end in either a knockout or submission.

Bellator 170’s main card has a featherweight contest as well. The two 145-pounders are Georgi Karakhanyan and Emmanuel Sanchez. Karakhanyan is a seasoned veteran who has had 33 professional MMA bouts. Sanchez will do battle for the 17th time in his career. He has won three of his last four bouts and all of them have resulted in a split decision.

Lightweights Derek Campos and Derek Anderson are expected to get the main card started. After losing three of his last four bouts, Campos stunned Melvin Guillard with a second round knockout. He followed that up with a unanimous decision over Djamil Chan. Anderson will also be looking to extend his winning streak to three. He defeated Patricky Freire and Saad Awad in his last two outings.

The main card of Bellator 170 will air at 9 p.m. ET on Spike.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7X6371BDb7g&feature=youtu.be

Bellator 170 comes to us this Saturday night (Jan. 21) from The Forum in Inglewood, California. Bellator is rolling out the final pre-fight conference before the event takes place. The conference will be held today (Jan. 19) and it’ll begin at 3 p.m. ET.

The main event of Bellator 170 will feature a grudge match between from Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) light heavyweight title holder Tito Ortiz and Chael Sonnen. “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” has claimed this will be his final fight.

Welterweights will collide in the co-main event. Former middleweight title challenger Brennan Ward will go to war with former UFC, Strikeforce, EliteXC, and BAMMA veteran Paul Daley. Ward has said he and “Semtex” are one of the few “old-school guys” in mixed martial arts (MMA). If the bout lives up to the hype, we could be looking at an early “Fight of the Year” candidate.

Middleweight action will also be showcased on the main card. Knockout artist Hisaki Kato will welcome Ralek Gracie back to MMA competition. Gracie’s last MMA fight was in May 2010. Kato doesn’t have any particular feeling when it comes to fighting someone from the Gracie family. It should go without saying, but many believe this bout will end in either a knockout or submission.

Bellator 170’s main card has a featherweight contest as well. The two 145-pounders are Georgi Karakhanyan and Emmanuel Sanchez. Karakhanyan is a seasoned veteran who has had 33 professional MMA bouts. Sanchez will do battle for the 17th time in his career. He has won three of his last four bouts and all of them have resulted in a split decision.

Lightweights Derek Campos and Derek Anderson are expected to get the main card started. After losing three of his last four bouts, Campos stunned Melvin Guillard with a second round knockout. He followed that up with a unanimous decision over Djamil Chan. Anderson will also be looking to extend his winning streak to three. He defeated Patricky Freire and Saad Awad in his last two outings.

The main card of Bellator 170 will air at 9 p.m. ET on Spike.

Tito Ortiz Asks: ‘What Has Chael Sonnen Done Legendary?’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgOTOAaVEr8

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) light heavyweight title holder Tito Ortiz will finally settle his differences with Chael Sonnen at Bellator 170 this Saturday night (Jan. 21). Ortiz sat down with the media after his recent open workouts.

“The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” isn’t amused by those who call Sonnen a legend (via MMAFighting.com):

“What has he done legendary? He was a fill-in. He’s never had a big win in, [what] five years? Eight years? He talks well. His mouth sells everything. But Chael Sonnen is writing checks that his ass can’t cash.”

Ortiz also isn’t thrilled with Sonnen’s trash talking style. He claims Sonnen’s words have fueled him to perform at his best.

“He’s made it personal. He said things about my family. He said things about my character. He’s said some things about the things I’ve worked so hard to get for my family. He’s made it personal and I want to hurt him. I want to make him quit.”

“Don’t say things about my character. Don’t talk about my family. This man has said some things that I’ve taken to heart. I fight on emotions. When I don’t fight on emotions, I don’t fight well. I fight on emotion, because I’m in for survival.”

Ortiz also called into question Sonnen’s heart and motivation. He believes when the going gets tough, his opponent will back down.

“He is playing a game. He’s an actor. He’s playing a game. He knows who’s the better fighter. He knows it deep down. When I’m on top of him and I’m elbowing his face, and I split his face wide open — there’s blood everywhere — he’s gonna quit. He’s gonna give his back. I’m gonna try to hurt him. This is not a game. This is not a wrestling match.”

Bellator 170 will take place from The Forum in Inglewood, California. The main card will begin at 9 p.m. ET on Spike.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgOTOAaVEr8

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) light heavyweight title holder Tito Ortiz will finally settle his differences with Chael Sonnen at Bellator 170 this Saturday night (Jan. 21). Ortiz sat down with the media after his recent open workouts.

“The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” isn’t amused by those who call Sonnen a legend (via MMAFighting.com):

“What has he done legendary? He was a fill-in. He’s never had a big win in, [what] five years? Eight years? He talks well. His mouth sells everything. But Chael Sonnen is writing checks that his ass can’t cash.”

Ortiz also isn’t thrilled with Sonnen’s trash talking style. He claims Sonnen’s words have fueled him to perform at his best.

“He’s made it personal. He said things about my family. He said things about my character. He’s said some things about the things I’ve worked so hard to get for my family. He’s made it personal and I want to hurt him. I want to make him quit.”

“Don’t say things about my character. Don’t talk about my family. This man has said some things that I’ve taken to heart. I fight on emotions. When I don’t fight on emotions, I don’t fight well. I fight on emotion, because I’m in for survival.”

Ortiz also called into question Sonnen’s heart and motivation. He believes when the going gets tough, his opponent will back down.

“He is playing a game. He’s an actor. He’s playing a game. He knows who’s the better fighter. He knows it deep down. When I’m on top of him and I’m elbowing his face, and I split his face wide open — there’s blood everywhere — he’s gonna quit. He’s gonna give his back. I’m gonna try to hurt him. This is not a game. This is not a wrestling match.”

Bellator 170 will take place from The Forum in Inglewood, California. The main card will begin at 9 p.m. ET on Spike.

Hisaki Kato on Ralek Gracie: Either It Will Be Boring or I Will Knock Him out

Hisaki Kato is not like a box of chocolates. You know exactly what the hell you’re getting with him.
And his fans have another opportunity to get it Saturday, when the Japanese-French knockout sensation faces jiu-jitsu palace court member Ralek G…

Hisaki Kato is not like a box of chocolates. You know exactly what the hell you’re getting with him.

And his fans have another opportunity to get it Saturday, when the Japanese-French knockout sensation faces jiu-jitsu palace court member Ralek Gracie at Bellator 170.

“It’s easy to understand,” Kato said in an exclusive interview with Bleacher Report. “It’s a striker versus grappler matchup. I’m expecting him to try to put me down, and he expects me to strike him out.”

They are both reasonable expectations. Kato (7-2) has seven knockouts to his name. That’s some good symmetry there. Gracie is 3-0 as a pro with two submissions, but hasn’t competed in pro MMA for nearly seven years.

To his credit, Kato doesn’t pretend to view things as besides what they are. He doesn’t extol all the grappling work he’s been doing in the gym to prepare for Gracie. He doesn’t play coy with his game plan. As they say in baseball, he’s throwing his best pitch; we’ll all see together if Gracie can hit it.

Or rather, in this case, whether he can avoid being hit by it.

“I have nothing to hide,” Kato said. “My record is in knockouts, so it’s evident that we’re going to try to do what we’re good at. This is MMA, so I’m doing a lot of grappling and jiu-jitsu. But I enjoy more to strike. …I’d be lying if I said I’m better on the ground.”

When striking, Kato, a left-hander, carries a lot of power. He’s a bit of a berserker in there, a dervish of violence. His stance makes him that much harder to read.

“I’m a natural southpaw, so my left straight I’m confident in,” he said. “I would say I’m really effective and really unorthodox because I’m a southpaw and become of karate background. I think I have a different timing and different movements.”

Against Gracie, he’ll have a chance to redeem his last Bellator bout, a TKO loss to Melvin Manhoef, one of the hardest hitters in MMA history.

“He hits hard, and his hands are quick, but I wouldn’t say I was surprised [by Manhoef’s power],” Kato said. “But I have a lot of experience in karate fighting a lot of Russian and Ukrainian fighters, and they hit hard. I know what it means to be hit.”

As for MMA idols, Kato seems to have himself a bit of an Alpha Male fixation. He likes the kicks, quickness and movement of smaller fighters, including contender T.J. Dillashaw, formerly of Team Alpha Male, and current Team Alpha Male member and UFC bantamweight champ Cody Garbrandt.

“I like Urijah Faber [for his] incredible kicks and round kicks, movement,” Kato said. “I like T.J. Dillashaw. The new champ, Garbrandt, or however you say his name, for his quickness and the speed. Demetrious Johnson. I like a lot of different guys.”

On Friday, Kato’s prediction is clear. No one can say they were misled.

“It’s either going to be a boring fight on the ground, or it’s going to be on the feet striking and I will knock him out,” Kato said.

Unless otherwise noted, all quotes in this article were obtained by the author firsthand. 

Scott Harris writes about MMA for Bleacher Report. For more, follow Scott on Twitter. 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Hisaki Kato Has ‘No Particular Feeling’ About Fighting Ralek Gracie

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-fQQhcJGMk

Bellator middleweight Hisaki Kato has developed a reputation of being a knockout artist. Kato has a professional mixed martial arts (MMA) record of 7-2. All seven of his wins have come by way of knockout.

One of Kato’s most memorable finishes came when he faced Joe Schilling back in June 2015. Kato had knocked out Schilling before in Bellator’s second kickboxing event. In the cage, Kato did it again with a brutal superman punch.

He’s gone 2-1 since that fight and now has his sights set on Bellator 170. Kato will be on the main card and his opponent will be Ralek Gracie. The Kudo specialist told MMAJunkie.com that he hasn’t put much thought behind fighting someone from the Gracie family:

“I don’t really care about (his name). He’s a Gracie and comes from the Gracie family, so I will be careful on the ground and trying to keep the fight standing. But it gives me no particular feeling because he’s from the Gracie family.”

Besides being a well known Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner, Gracie also founded Metamoris in 2012. It’s a promotion that puts together events with 20 minute gi or no-gi matches. Back in October 2016, he announced he had signed with Bellator.

Gracie hasn’t competed in an MMA bout since May 2010. Nonetheless, Kato feels an impressive win could earn him a title shot.

“He’s really famous so it’s a good match-up. I was not expecting to fight him, but it’s a good match-up so it’s OK for me. If I have a good win and I can knock him out or something then I will really push to have a title shot, because I think I would deserve it.”

Bellator 170 takes place this Saturday night (Jan. 21) at The Forum in Inglewood, California. A grudge match between Tito Ortiz and Chael Sonnen will headline the card.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-fQQhcJGMk

Bellator middleweight Hisaki Kato has developed a reputation of being a knockout artist. Kato has a professional mixed martial arts (MMA) record of 7-2. All seven of his wins have come by way of knockout.

One of Kato’s most memorable finishes came when he faced Joe Schilling back in June 2015. Kato had knocked out Schilling before in Bellator’s second kickboxing event. In the cage, Kato did it again with a brutal superman punch.

He’s gone 2-1 since that fight and now has his sights set on Bellator 170. Kato will be on the main card and his opponent will be Ralek Gracie. The Kudo specialist told MMAJunkie.com that he hasn’t put much thought behind fighting someone from the Gracie family:

“I don’t really care about (his name). He’s a Gracie and comes from the Gracie family, so I will be careful on the ground and trying to keep the fight standing. But it gives me no particular feeling because he’s from the Gracie family.”

Besides being a well known Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner, Gracie also founded Metamoris in 2012. It’s a promotion that puts together events with 20 minute gi or no-gi matches. Back in October 2016, he announced he had signed with Bellator.

Gracie hasn’t competed in an MMA bout since May 2010. Nonetheless, Kato feels an impressive win could earn him a title shot.

“He’s really famous so it’s a good match-up. I was not expecting to fight him, but it’s a good match-up so it’s OK for me. If I have a good win and I can knock him out or something then I will really push to have a title shot, because I think I would deserve it.”

Bellator 170 takes place this Saturday night (Jan. 21) at The Forum in Inglewood, California. A grudge match between Tito Ortiz and Chael Sonnen will headline the card.

Brennan Ward Feels he & Paul Daley Are ‘One of The Last Old-School Guys’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnjqLSASXPI

The co-main event of this Saturday night’s (Jan. 21) Bellator 170 card has the potential to be one of the most thrilling fights of the year. Welterweight heavy hitters Brennan Ward and Paul Daley will throw down inside The Forum in Inglewood, California.

“The Irish Bad Boy” gave “Semtex” praise during his appearance on MMAJunkie Radio. Ward appears to be anticipating this bout as much as the fans are.

“I’m super excited to fight Paul. We’re always boys when we’re at the fights. He’s one of the last old-school guys like me. We’re not out here, posting all our (expletive) workouts on Instagram and Facebook and (expletive). We handle our business, we get in the cage, and we throw it down. That’s why we’re the co-main event on the biggest fight (card) of the year.”

There are many words to describe the Ward vs. Daley match-up. Perhaps the last word you’d expect to hear is “boring.” Ward is expecting a barn burner.

“Fans know they’re going to tune in. Paul and I are incapable of putting on a boring fight, win or lose.”

After falling short to Alexander Shlemenko for the middleweight title and getting knocked out by Tamdan McCrory, Ward moved down to welterweight. “The Irish Bad Boy” had gone 4-0 since the move and finished all of his opponents in that stretch.

Ward suffered an upset submission loss at the hands of the now retired Evangelista Santos. The fight only lasted 30 seconds. He made a nice recovery by knocking out Saad Awad in the first round of his last outing.

Bellator 170’s headliner will feature former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz taking on Chael Sonnen. This will be Sonnen’s Bellator debut.

Also featured on the main card will be Ralek Gracie vs. Hisaki Kato, Georgi Karakhanyan vs. Emmanuel Sanchez, and Derek Campos vs. Derek Anderson.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnjqLSASXPI

The co-main event of this Saturday night’s (Jan. 21) Bellator 170 card has the potential to be one of the most thrilling fights of the year. Welterweight heavy hitters Brennan Ward and Paul Daley will throw down inside The Forum in Inglewood, California.

“The Irish Bad Boy” gave “Semtex” praise during his appearance on MMAJunkie Radio. Ward appears to be anticipating this bout as much as the fans are.

“I’m super excited to fight Paul. We’re always boys when we’re at the fights. He’s one of the last old-school guys like me. We’re not out here, posting all our (expletive) workouts on Instagram and Facebook and (expletive). We handle our business, we get in the cage, and we throw it down. That’s why we’re the co-main event on the biggest fight (card) of the year.”

There are many words to describe the Ward vs. Daley match-up. Perhaps the last word you’d expect to hear is “boring.” Ward is expecting a barn burner.

“Fans know they’re going to tune in. Paul and I are incapable of putting on a boring fight, win or lose.”

After falling short to Alexander Shlemenko for the middleweight title and getting knocked out by Tamdan McCrory, Ward moved down to welterweight. “The Irish Bad Boy” had gone 4-0 since the move and finished all of his opponents in that stretch.

Ward suffered an upset submission loss at the hands of the now retired Evangelista Santos. The fight only lasted 30 seconds. He made a nice recovery by knocking out Saad Awad in the first round of his last outing.

Bellator 170’s headliner will feature former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz taking on Chael Sonnen. This will be Sonnen’s Bellator debut.

Also featured on the main card will be Ralek Gracie vs. Hisaki Kato, Georgi Karakhanyan vs. Emmanuel Sanchez, and Derek Campos vs. Derek Anderson.

Bellator 170’s Chael Sonnen & Tito Ortiz Pass Recent Drug Tests

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfMXasp3qMo

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) light heavyweight title holder Tito Ortiz will step inside the Bellator cage for the fourth time in his career. He also says it’ll be the last time. Sharing the cage with him will be former UFC middleweight contender Chael Sonnen, who is making his Bellator debut.

This bout will be contested in the 205-pound division.

Executive officer of the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) Andy Foster (via MMAFighting.com) revealed Sonnen and Ortiz have passed all of their out-of-competition drug tests heading into their showdown at Bellator 170 next Saturday night (Jan. 21) inside The Forum in Inglewood, California.

Sonnen had passed a “full WADA panel” before “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” was drug tested. Barring any last minute mishaps, Ortiz vs. Sonnen will take place on Spike.

The main card action will begin at 9 p.m. ET. The co-main event will showcase a welterweight battle with two heavy hitters. Former UFC, Strikeforce, EliteXC, and BAMMA competitor Paul Daley will mix it up with former Bellator middleweight contender Brennan Ward.

Ralek Gracie has not competed in a mixed martial arts (MMA) bout in over six years. He will make his return, but he was not given an easy fight. Knockout artist Hisaki Kato will welcome Gracie back to active competition. All of Kato’s seven victories have come by way of knockout.

Featherweight action will also be featured on the main card. Emmanuel Sanchez will take on 33-fight veteran Georgi Karakhanyan. Sanchez will look to rebound from a split decision loss to Daniel Weichel back in July 2016. “Insane” is going for his third straight win.

A lightweight bout between Derek Anderson and Derek Campos is expected to open the main card. Anderson is coming off decision wins over Patricky Freire and Saad Awad. Campos is riding a wave of momentum with his knockout victory over Melvin Guillard and his decision win over Djamil Chan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfMXasp3qMo

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) light heavyweight title holder Tito Ortiz will step inside the Bellator cage for the fourth time in his career. He also says it’ll be the last time. Sharing the cage with him will be former UFC middleweight contender Chael Sonnen, who is making his Bellator debut.

This bout will be contested in the 205-pound division.

Executive officer of the California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) Andy Foster (via MMAFighting.com) revealed Sonnen and Ortiz have passed all of their out-of-competition drug tests heading into their showdown at Bellator 170 next Saturday night (Jan. 21) inside The Forum in Inglewood, California.

Sonnen had passed a “full WADA panel” before “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” was drug tested. Barring any last minute mishaps, Ortiz vs. Sonnen will take place on Spike.

The main card action will begin at 9 p.m. ET. The co-main event will showcase a welterweight battle with two heavy hitters. Former UFC, Strikeforce, EliteXC, and BAMMA competitor Paul Daley will mix it up with former Bellator middleweight contender Brennan Ward.

Ralek Gracie has not competed in a mixed martial arts (MMA) bout in over six years. He will make his return, but he was not given an easy fight. Knockout artist Hisaki Kato will welcome Gracie back to active competition. All of Kato’s seven victories have come by way of knockout.

Featherweight action will also be featured on the main card. Emmanuel Sanchez will take on 33-fight veteran Georgi Karakhanyan. Sanchez will look to rebound from a split decision loss to Daniel Weichel back in July 2016. “Insane” is going for his third straight win.

A lightweight bout between Derek Anderson and Derek Campos is expected to open the main card. Anderson is coming off decision wins over Patricky Freire and Saad Awad. Campos is riding a wave of momentum with his knockout victory over Melvin Guillard and his decision win over Djamil Chan.