Filed under: Bellator, NewsFormer UFC heavyweight champion Ricco Rodriguez was on a 12-fight winning streak and appeared to be on the way back, if not to a title than at least to respectability. But Seth Petruzelli put a stop to any talk that Rodriguez…
Former UFC heavyweight champion Ricco Rodriguez was on a 12-fight winning streak and appeared to be on the way back, if not to a title than at least to respectability. But Seth Petruzelli put a stop to any talk that Rodriguez is back.
Petruzelli brutally knocked Rodriguez out in the first round of their Bellator fight on Saturday night: Petruzelli landed a spinning kick to the head to knock Rodriguez off balance, and then when Rodriguez recovered and charged forward with his hands down, Petruzelli leveled him with a big right hand to the chin. With Rodriguez on his back, Petruzelli whaled on him with a double hammerfist, and then the referee stepped in to stop the fight.
The official time of the technical knockout victory was 4 minutes, 21 seconds of the first round. For Rodriguez, the loss was the first time he’s been finished since losing to Tim Sylvia at UFC 41.
For Petruzelli, this was his most significant win since knocking out Kimbo Slice in 2008, in a nationally televised fight that led to the downfall of the old EliteXC promotion. Now Petruzelli says he wants to help build Bellator as an up-and-coming promotion.
“I’m so happy,” Petruzelli said afterward. “That light heavyweight belt for Bellator has my name written all over it, and I’m coming for it.”
UNCASVILLE, Conn. — This is the Bellator 48 live blog for Seth Petruzelli vs. Ricco Rodriguez, a heavyweight bout on tonight’s Bellator card from the Mohegan Sun.
Petruzelli (13-6) and Rodriguez (47-11) are making their promotional debuts for Bellator. Rodriguez has won 12 straight fights. Petruzelli has won one since his UFC exit last November.
Round 1: Petruzelli takes the center of the cage. Rodriguez fires off the first shot with a head kick that misses. Petruzelli lands a front kick to the body. Moments later he lands a right to the head. A Petruzelli spin kick lands low, forcing a timeout. Rodriguez rushes in but loses his balance and Petruzelli ends up taking him down. Rodriguez wants the fight anyway. Petruzelli lands a shot but lets him up. Petruzelli throwing lots of kicks, landing a right to the jaw behind one of them. Petruzelli follows him into a corner and they clinch, with Rodriguez pushing him against the fence. Rodriguez digs for the takedown but Petruzelli works free and lands a kick. It’s turning into Petruzelli’s fight. More kicks, to the legs, then a spinning kick to the head. Another spin kick, then a straight right to the jaw drops Rodriguez. Petruzelli finishes him off with a couple double hammerfists.
Winner: Seth Petruzelli via TKO, Rd. 1 (4:21)
“That was exactly how I had it in my head,” Petruzelli said afterward. “I’m so happy.”
UNCASVILLE, Conn. — This is the Bellator 48 live blog for Seth Petruzelli vs. Ricco Rodriguez, a heavyweight bout on tonight’s Bellator card from the Mohegan Sun.
Petruzelli (13-6) and Rodriguez (47-11) are making their promotional debuts for Bellator. Rodriguez has won 12 straight fights. Petruzelli has won one since his UFC exit last November.
Round 1: Petruzelli takes the center of the cage. Rodriguez fires off the first shot with a head kick that misses. Petruzelli lands a front kick to the body. Moments later he lands a right to the head. A Petruzelli spin kick lands low, forcing a timeout. Rodriguez rushes in but loses his balance and Petruzelli ends up taking him down. Rodriguez wants the fight anyway. Petruzelli lands a shot but lets him up. Petruzelli throwing lots of kicks, landing a right to the jaw behind one of them. Petruzelli follows him into a corner and they clinch, with Rodriguez pushing him against the fence. Rodriguez digs for the takedown but Petruzelli works free and lands a kick. It’s turning into Petruzelli’s fight. More kicks, to the legs, then a spinning kick to the head. Another spin kick, then a straight right to the jaw drops Rodriguez. Petruzelli finishes him off with a couple double hammerfists.
Winner: Seth Petruzelli via TKO, Rd. 1 (4:21)
“That was exactly how I had it in my head,” Petruzelli said afterward. “I’m so happy.”
UNCASVILLE, Conn. — This is the Bellator 48 live blog for Rene Nazare vs. Juan Barrantes, a lightweight bout on tonight’s Bellator card from the Mohegan Sun.
Fighting for Bellator, the undefeated Nazare (9-0) has defeated Luiz Azeredo and Kelvin Hackney. Barrantes (7-5) is making his Bellator debut coming off a knockout loss to Antonio Carvalho at a W-1 event in Canada last year.
Round 1: Nazare with hard combos early, backing Barrantes against the cage. He’s a huge favorite in this one. The two fighters trading, but Nazare is getting the better of it. After he lands a few shots, they clinch. Nazare lands a shot on the exit. Barrantes already bleeding from the nose. The two trade uppercuts in the clinch until Nazare dumps him on the mat. Nazare landing shots from the top from time to time as he advances to half-guard. Barrantes throws up a triangle but Nazare’s out in a flash. Nazare tries a guillotine as the round ran out but Barrantes escaped at the bell. Easy 10-9 for Nazare.
Round 2: Nazare controlling the striking early. A minute in, he ducks under a hook and takes Barrantes down. Working from half-guard, Nazare lands a few elbows. Barrantes is proving a tough out though. He’s not threatening submissions from the bottom but uses enough hip movement to affect Nazare’s balance and timing. Barrantes gets to his feet with just over a minute left. Nazare drills Barrantes with an uppercut and a hook that both land flush, and then takes him down again with 30 seconds left. Everything but the finish, though it’s another 10-9 for Nazare.
In between rounds though, the cageside doctor takes a look at Barrantes and won’t allow him to continue due to a swollen shut eye.
Winner: Rene Nazare def. Juan Barrantes via TKO (doctor stoppage), Rd. 2, 5:00
UNCASVILLE, Conn. — This is the Bellator 48 live blog for Rene Nazare vs. Juan Barrantes, a lightweight bout on tonight’s Bellator card from the Mohegan Sun.
Fighting for Bellator, the undefeated Nazare (9-0) has defeated Luiz Azeredo and Kelvin Hackney. Barrantes (7-5) is making his Bellator debut coming off a knockout loss to Antonio Carvalho at a W-1 event in Canada last year.
Round 1: Nazare with hard combos early, backing Barrantes against the cage. He’s a huge favorite in this one. The two fighters trading, but Nazare is getting the better of it. After he lands a few shots, they clinch. Nazare lands a shot on the exit. Barrantes already bleeding from the nose. The two trade uppercuts in the clinch until Nazare dumps him on the mat. Nazare landing shots from the top from time to time as he advances to half-guard. Barrantes throws up a triangle but Nazare’s out in a flash. Nazare tries a guillotine as the round ran out but Barrantes escaped at the bell. Easy 10-9 for Nazare.
Round 2: Nazare controlling the striking early. A minute in, he ducks under a hook and takes Barrantes down. Working from half-guard, Nazare lands a few elbows. Barrantes is proving a tough out though. He’s not threatening submissions from the bottom but uses enough hip movement to affect Nazare’s balance and timing. Barrantes gets to his feet with just over a minute left. Nazare drills Barrantes with an uppercut and a hook that both land flush, and then takes him down again with 30 seconds left. Everything but the finish, though it’s another 10-9 for Nazare.
In between rounds though, the cageside doctor takes a look at Barrantes and won’t allow him to continue due to a swollen shut eye.
Winner: Rene Nazare def. Juan Barrantes via TKO (doctor stoppage), Rd. 2, 5:00
MMA Fighting has live Bellator 48 results of Pat Curran vs. Marlon Sandro and rest of the Bellator Summer Series finale card at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn.
In the main event, Sandro (19-2) battles Curran (15-4) in the finals of the Summer Series Featherweight Tournament for a chance to challenge Joe Warren for the title at a later date.
MTV 2 Bouts Pat Curran def. Marlon Sandro via second-round KO(live blog) Cole Konrad def. Paul Buentello via unanimous decision (live blog) Seth Petruzelli def. Ricco Rodriguez via first-round KO (live blog) Rene Nazare def. Juan Barrantes via second-round TKO (doctor’s stoppage) (live blog)
Preliminary Bouts Saul Almeida def. Tateki Matsuda via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) – The 22-year-old Almeida, a rising prospect from the New England region, controlled Matsudi with ground work for most of the fight. He threatened Matsuda with submissions through the duration of the fight, hunting a kimura at the end of the first round and a rear naked choke at the end of the second. Matsuda survived but was otherwise overwhelmed. Almeida rose to 10-1 with his third straight win.
Ryan Quinn def. Brett Oteri via technical submission (rear naked choke), Rd. 1, 1:49 – Quinn got the takedown early, got Oteri’s back and applied the choke. Oteri tried breaking his grip and never tapped before he went unconscious and the referee stopped it.
Andrew Calandrelli def. Matt Nice via submission (keylock), Rd. 1, 3:55 – Calandrelli was given superstar treatment by this crowd, as he’s a popular local trainer. He peppered Nice early with jabs and a left hook, then took him down and quickly moved into side control, where he applied the fight-ending move.
Nik Fekete def. Mark Griffin via TKO, Rd. 2 (3:12) – Fekete looked like the stronger fighter from the get-go, bullying Griffin around in the clinch and taking him down late in the first. In the second, Fekete scored another takedown early in the round and placed Griffin in a crucifix, eventually scoring the stoppage after a series of unanswered short elbows from the top.
Jeff Nader def. Dan Cramer via TKO, Rd. 3 (1:04) – A great comeback win for Nader, who was completely dominated on the ground in each of the first two rounds. In either round, it looked like he could have been stopped as Cramer pummeled him with strikes, some of which were deflected. But he fought on and early in the third, Nader caught Cramer early with a right hook behind the ear. Cramer was wobbled and Nader caught him at least three more times. On a flush uppercut, Cramer’s legs buckled and referee Kevin Mulhall saw enough and stopped the action. Cramer, who never went down during the flurry, immediately protested, but to no avail.
MMA Fighting has live Bellator 48 results of Pat Curran vs. Marlon Sandro and rest of the Bellator Summer Series finale card at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn.
In the main event, Sandro (19-2) battles Curran (15-4) in the finals of the Summer Series Featherweight Tournament for a chance to challenge Joe Warren for the title at a later date.
MTV 2 Bouts Pat Curran def. Marlon Sandro via second-round KO(live blog) Cole Konrad def. Paul Buentello via unanimous decision (live blog) Seth Petruzelli def. Ricco Rodriguez via first-round KO (live blog) Rene Nazare def. Juan Barrantes via second-round TKO (doctor’s stoppage) (live blog)
Preliminary Bouts Saul Almeida def. Tateki Matsuda via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) – The 22-year-old Almeida, a rising prospect from the New England region, controlled Matsudi with ground work for most of the fight. He threatened Matsuda with submissions through the duration of the fight, hunting a kimura at the end of the first round and a rear naked choke at the end of the second. Matsuda survived but was otherwise overwhelmed. Almeida rose to 10-1 with his third straight win.
Ryan Quinn def. Brett Oteri via technical submission (rear naked choke), Rd. 1, 1:49 – Quinn got the takedown early, got Oteri’s back and applied the choke. Oteri tried breaking his grip and never tapped before he went unconscious and the referee stopped it.
Andrew Calandrelli def. Matt Nice via submission (keylock), Rd. 1, 3:55 – Calandrelli was given superstar treatment by this crowd, as he’s a popular local trainer. He peppered Nice early with jabs and a left hook, then took him down and quickly moved into side control, where he applied the fight-ending move.
Nik Fekete def. Mark Griffin via TKO, Rd. 2 (3:12) – Fekete looked like the stronger fighter from the get-go, bullying Griffin around in the clinch and taking him down late in the first. In the second, Fekete scored another takedown early in the round and placed Griffin in a crucifix, eventually scoring the stoppage after a series of unanswered short elbows from the top.
Jeff Nader def. Dan Cramer via TKO, Rd. 3 (1:04) – A great comeback win for Nader, who was completely dominated on the ground in each of the first two rounds. In either round, it looked like he could have been stopped as Cramer pummeled him with strikes, some of which were deflected. But he fought on and early in the third, Nader caught Cramer early with a right hook behind the ear. Cramer was wobbled and Nader caught him at least three more times. On a flush uppercut, Cramer’s legs buckled and referee Kevin Mulhall saw enough and stopped the action. Cramer, who never went down during the flurry, immediately protested, but to no avail.
Filed under: MMA Fighting Exclusive, Bellator, NewsOn Thursday morning in Los Angeles, the UFC announced a milestone deal to get mixed martial arts on network TV. It’s not the first time, of course, but it has been a while. The first promotion to see i…
On Thursday morning in Los Angeles, the UFC announced a milestone deal to get mixed martial arts on network TV. It’s not the first time, of course, but it has been a while. The first promotion to see its product on network air was EliteXC, the short-lived organization that aired on CBS and built itself around MMA rookie Kimbo Slice.
The decision proved disastrous when late replacement Seth Petruzelli knocked Slice out in just 14 seconds of their October 2008 match. It would be the last time EliteXC ran a show on CBS.
While that was essentially the end of that promotion, fight life went on for Petruzelli. The Ultimate Fighter alumni eventually returned to the UFC, but after an 0-2 stretch, he was released. Now 31 years old, he’s moved on to Bellator, where he faces the surging Ricco Rodriguez at Saturday night’s Bellator 48 event. It will be the first of a three-fight deal, but like most deals, not a lot is guaranteed past one fight.
Petruzelli, who will fight Rodriguez at a 230-pound catch weight, hopes that a win will propel him into a future Bellator light-heavyweight tournament, and admits that a lot is riding on this fight.
“It’s definitely nerve-racking,” he said of the current MMA landscape. “You always have to perform to the top of your ability as a fighter or you feel you could get cut, take a pay cut, or fight for a lesser organization. It sucks for a guy like me, but it’s the profession we chose.”
Petruzelli (13-6) has always been considered a colorful character in the fight game. Though he first came to public notice on season two of The Ultimate Fighter, it was his only match in EliteXC that is most remembered.
On that night, Slice was set to face Ken Shamrock when Shamrock injured himself backstage and could not fight. Petruzelli, who was scheduled for a light-heavyweight bout the same night, stepped in to replace him. Despite the weight differential and short notice, Petruzelli easily dispatched Slice.
The win has continued to follow him around. He’s still recognized as “the guy who KO’d Kimbo,” and he was once offered a boxing match against him. That one moment is often the first thing people think when they see him fighting.
For Petruzelli, it’s a good news/bad news scenario.
“I would never want to take that away,” he said. “What it did for my career was huge, but I don’t just want to be known as that guy. I want to be known as a great MMA fighter and martial artist, not the guy who KO’d Kimbo. I don’t want it to define me.”
The win did open up certain avenues for him though. Soon afterward, he opened up a gym, Jungle MMA in Orlando, Florida. It also allowed him to do personal appearances and seminars, which he notes was “nice to make money not being punched in the face.”
But after having his second UFC run extinguished by a pair of losses, Petruzelli says he’s focused on getting good matchups and being an exciting fighter. With his Bellator signing, he believes he’ll accomplish that. A major attraction to him was Bellator’s tournament format, which rewards success above all else.
“It’s a fighters’ organization,” he said. “You have to prove yourself and win to get that belt. Nothing is handed to you. That’s the way it should be in every organization. Politics shouldn’t play a role in fighting. Unfortunately it does a lot, but it shouldn’t.”
In Rodriguez, Petruzelli is facing a fighter riding a 12-fight win streak. During that 2+ year stretch, Rodriguez has been an MMA mercenary, competing in 11 different organizations and four different countries.
A closer look at the opponents he’s beaten raises a few questions though, as Rodriguez has often prized frequent activity and paydays above quality opposition. Among his victims were John Juarez (0-1 at the time he faced Rodriguez), Doug Williams (6-12) and Bobby Martinez (9-12). On the plus side, he’s beaten Sengoku veteran Moise Rimbon, M-1 vet Daniel Tabera and veteran Travis Fulton.
That opponent mix makes it hard to know exactly what level Rodriguez is at, but Petruzelli says that is what makes this fight a good measuring stick.
“It’s going to tell me if I’m just a stepping stone for him or I belong at the top of the fight game,” he said. “He’s on a streak. Those guys are good, but were they the top? Not so much. If he does the same thing to me, then I know where I stand, I guess. But I don’t foresee that happening.”
Petruzelli expects Rodriguez, who has 24 of his 47 career wins by submission, to concentrate completely on takedowns and ground work.
“He knows that he doesn’t want to stand up with me, and I know that he wants to take me down, so it’s pretty much going to come down to, can he take me down, or can I defend it?” he said. “I’m sure there’s no secrets. He knows I’m going to be trying to knock him out.”
In fact, that’s how Petruzelli sees it ending, with a first- or second-round knockout. It is, he hopes, the restart of his major MMA career. One day in the future, he won’t be fighting anymore, and he wants people to have a few more memories of him than the one he made in 14 seconds on one October night.
That said, the subject is never too far away. Just last weekend, Slice made his pro boxing debut, knocking out a journeyman named James Wade. But if things had been different a couple years ago, that pro debut might have been against Petruzelli, who had boxing promoters approach him about facing Slice in a ring shortly after that infamous night. It never happened, of course, and the two men went their separate ways.
“I wish he would’ve gone straight to boxing years ago instead of wasting time trying to sprawl and learn jiu-jitsu,” he said. He waits a beat, then offers, “I still would box him.”
The link between them won’t be broken anytime soon, but at least they’re trying. In a perfect bit of symmetry, they are two fighters restarting their careers, trying not to run from the past, trying to make new memories.
Jason “Mayhem” Miller arrested for putting his sister in a headlock. Man, I didn’t know I could have pressed charges on my brother every time he kept me from grabbing the remote control. Damn it!.
Jason “Mayhem” Miller arrested for putting his sister in a headlock. Man, I didn’t know I could have pressed charges on my brother every time he kept me from grabbing the remote control. Damn it! Also some new Bellator Russian fighter is accused of murder: here.
Kenny Florian takes over color commentating for UFC 134 while Joe Rogan films Fear Factor: here.
Dana White talks Brock Lesnar‘s return in 2012 and more on that Fox tv deal, you may not have heard of yet: here.
Rashad Evans tells TMZ about his hand and wrist injury that’s forced him into a cast: here.
Kim Kardashian‘s wedding dress for Saturday revealed: here.
Clay Guida and Playboy Playmate of 2003, Charis Burrett are hosting Silver Star Clothing’s MAGIC Party this Monday, Aug. 22 at Tabù Ultra Lounge in MGM Grand Hotel & Casino. Enjoy some NSFW pics of Charis Burrett below:
Former UFC heavyweight champion Ricco Rodriguez was on a 12-fight winning streak and appeared to be on the way back, if not to a title than at least to respectability. But Seth Petruzelli put a stop to any talk that Rodriguez is back.
UNCASVILLE, Conn. — This is the 
MMA
