Chael Sonnen Clarifies Calling Fedor’s Previous Fights ‘Fixed’

Chael Sonnen has addressed why he has said in the past that Fedor’s fights were fixed.

The post Chael Sonnen Clarifies Calling Fedor’s Previous Fights ‘Fixed’ appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Chael Sonnen clarifies his comments made in the past about how Fedor Emelianenko had fixed fights while competing under the now-defunct PRIDE banner.

The former middleweight and light heavyweight title contender is well known for his trash talk. In the past, Sonnen has discredited Emelianenko’s resume and questioned the legitimacy of his career in the promotion.

Chael Sonnen Clarifies

However, that has all changed while promoting his scheduled fight which is a heavyweight grand prix semifinal at Bellator 208. Now, Sonnen is praising Fedor as the greatest heavyweight of all time.

“I’ll clarify it: PRIDE was fixed,” Sonnen told MMAjunkie. “That’s not to say his fights were fixed. PRIDE was so long ago I can’t believe people are still talking about it. PRIDE had fixed fights, and that’s the way it goes. If you fix one fight your whole organization is ruined. I think it’s one of the reasons that they’re off TV and they’re out of business and they’re not doing it anymore.”

Continues

Sonnen continued by stating that if Fedor did have fixed fights then he would need to go back and look at them.

“If Fedor had fixed fights – I’d have to go back and look. I don’t remember thinking Fedor was in fixed fights, I don’t remember thinking a number of those guys were in fixed fights. But they fixed fights. Period.”

The Event

Sonnen was able to pick up a decision win over former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton Jackson at Bellator 192 at The Forum in Inglewood, California in January to move forward in the tournament.

Bellator 208 is set to take place on Saturday, October 13, 2018 at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York. The preliminary card will air online at 7:00 pm EST while the main card will air on Paramount Network at 9:00 PM EST.

The post Chael Sonnen Clarifies Calling Fedor’s Previous Fights ‘Fixed’ appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Video: Chael Sonnen & Fedor’s Intense Bellator 208 Media Day Staredown

Chael Sonnen & Fedor Emelianenko had quite the intense staredown when taking the stage for the media. Staredown On Thursday, the Viacom-owned promotion held media day to promote the Bellator 208 event that will be one of two events for the company as Bellator 207 takes place the night before this show. The Fight Sonnen […]

The post Video: Chael Sonnen & Fedor’s Intense Bellator 208 Media Day Staredown appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Chael Sonnen & Fedor Emelianenko had quite the intense staredown when taking the stage for the media.

Staredown

On Thursday, the Viacom-owned promotion held media day to promote the Bellator 208 event that will be one of two events for the company as Bellator 207 takes place the night before this show.

The Fight

Sonnen and Emelianenko will battle it out in a heavyweight tournament semifinal bout, which will serve as the main event. The winner of this fight will face the winner of Bellator 207’s headliner between Matt Mitrione and Ryan Bader in January of 2019. You can see the staredown here.

The winner of this tournament will earn the vacant Bellator heavyweight title. Bellator has been without a heavyweight champion since the title was vacated. The previous champion was Vitaly Minakov. Bellator decided to strip him of it in May of 2016 for failing to defend the title.

Emelianenko is fresh off a win in a first round bout against former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir. Before that, he suffered a knockout loss to Matt Mitrione in Bellator’s inaugural event at Madison Square Garden last year.

Emelianenko found success in Pride and is arguably the greatest heavyweight fighter of all-time. However, over the past few years, he has landed on tough times. He retired back in 2012 but came back three years later.

Bellator 208 is set to take place on Saturday, October 13, 2018 at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York.

The preliminary card will air online at 7:00 pm EST while the main card will air on Paramount Network at 9:00 PM EST. Alexander Shlemenko vs. Anatoly Tokov in a middleweight will serve as the co-main event.

The post Video: Chael Sonnen & Fedor’s Intense Bellator 208 Media Day Staredown appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Rampage & Wanderlei Silva Want Fifth Fight To End Rivalry

These two MMA legends could be fighting for a fifth and final time.

The post Rampage & Wanderlei Silva Want Fifth Fight To End Rivalry appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Wanderlei Silva’s mixed martial arts (MMA) rivalry isn’t going anywhere.

The two heavy hitters have been a staple in the sport for the past few decades. Initially, the pair squared off for the first time ever under the Pride banner. The Brazilian finished Jackson via first round TKO. One year later, Jackson sought redemption when he met Silva again in Pride. Unfortunately, the result was the same, with Jackson losing via second-round knockout.

Four years later, both Jackson and Silva would find their way into the UFC. They were booked for a third fight at UFC 92 in December of 2008. “Rampage” finally extracted his revenge. He brutally knocked out “The Axe Murderer” in the first round.

A decade later, both men are now inked to deals with Bellator MMA. They co-main evented this past weekend’s (Sat. September 29, 2018) Bellator 206 pay-per-view (PPV) card. In the fourth meeting of a series that was in favor of Silva 2-1, Jackson evened the odds.

Jackson picked up his first win since 2016 by finishing Silva in the second round via TKO. Despite the series sitting at a 2-2, with both men in their 40s, their desire for a fifth fight is mutual. Silva said in the post-fight press conference that real rivalries don’t exist in MMA anymore. He and Jackson’s is one of the last ones (via MMA Junkie):

“Real rivals don’t exist anymore,” Silva said. “This is one of the last ones. Four fights, never go to the points. Now we have to have the fifth fight.

“I accept already. I hope he accept too because he beat me two times, I beat him two times and now have to have fifth fight to decide. … Next time I’m going to cut your head.”

Jackson wasn’t expecting a fifth fight to even be a discussion. Now that it is, “Rampage” is game:

“Honestly I wasn’t thinking about a fifth fight because last time I beat Wanderlei he dropped weight classes,” Jackson said. “It’s a dream come true that he comes up to heavyweight because I’m like, ‘Damn, I’m too fat to fight Wanderlei now.’ But he came up to heavyweight, which means he’s a true soldier.

“He came up after the fight and said, ‘You know, we’re 2-2. Somebody’s got to be the victor.’ He said it, so it surprised the hell out of me. I’m down with a fifth fight, but I don’t know if (Bellator President) Scott (Coker) is down with a fifth fight. But I’m down for the fifth fight.”

The post Rampage & Wanderlei Silva Want Fifth Fight To End Rivalry appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Wanderlei Silva Speculates On Fighting Future

Following his TKO loss to Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson at Bellator 206, Wanderlei Silva speculates on the future of his fighting career. Prior to his co-main event loss at Bellator 206, Silva was adamant that he would keep fighting win or lose. Despite the loss, it appears the “Axe Murderer” hasn’t shied away from his promise […]

The post Wanderlei Silva Speculates On Fighting Future appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Following his TKO loss to Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson at Bellator 206, Wanderlei Silva speculates on the future of his fighting career.

Prior to his co-main event loss at Bellator 206, Silva was adamant that he would keep fighting win or lose. Despite the loss, it appears the “Axe Murderer” hasn’t shied away from his promise to keep fighting.

“I want to be more busy, I want to fight as soon (as I) can,” Silva said at the post-fight press conference. “I want to do better next time.”

Later still, Silva took to Instagram to echo his earlier sentiment and to proclaim that he and “Rampage” put on the fight of the night at the SAP Center.

“At 42, I can still do a few more fights,” Silva said. “I’m already thinking about the next one. Who could be my next opponent?”

“I’d like to thank all my friends and fans for rooting for me. Leaving the octagon acclaimed made me very happy and it gives me the strength to fight again. I represented our country with heart. Unfortunately, the win didn’t come this time. It was the best fight of the night at Bellator 206. At 42, I can still do a few more fights. I’m already thinking about the next one. Who could be my next opponent? Thank you for the support, brothers.”

Finding a suitable opponent for Silva may not be that difficult. Shortly before Bellator 206, fellow Brazilan Vitor Belfort took to social media to declare his bias towards his countryman. Belfort also mentioned a possible “soccer stadium” rematch of their 1998 encounter in Brazil.

With the loss on Saturday night (Sept. 29, 2018) Silva and Jackson are now tied at two wins apiece.

Let us know what you think. Should Silva and “Rampage” meet for the fifth time to settle the score once and for all?

The post Wanderlei Silva Speculates On Fighting Future appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Rory MacDonald Reacts To Brutal Bellator 206 Loss

Rory MacDonald met a harsh reality when he was thoroughly beaten by middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi in the main event of last night’s (Sept. 29, 2018) Bellator 206 (highlights here) from the SAP Center in San Jose, California. Mousasi dominated the action from the very beginning. Overall, he poured out precious little offense. He simply appeared overmatched […]

The post Rory MacDonald Reacts To Brutal Bellator 206 Loss appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Rory MacDonald met a harsh reality when he was thoroughly beaten by middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi in the main event of last night’s (Sept. 29, 2018) Bellator 206 (highlights here) from the SAP Center in San Jose, California.

Mousasi dominated the action from the very beginning. Overall, he poured out precious little offense. He simply appeared overmatched by the larger ‘Dreamcatcher.’ Mousasi used his patented accurate jab to batter and bloody ‘The Red King’ in the first.

In the second, Mousasi’s edge on the ground became violently apparent. He achieved mount and rained down endless bludgeoning strikes on his welterweight foe. The referee had to stop the fight.

Its a massively disappointing set of circumstances for the welterweight champion. However, he’s not going to make any excuses for the loss. MacDonald reacted to his loss to ‘The Dreamcatcher’ on Twitter today. In the reaction, he said he didn’t show up mentally and froze. He gave all credit to Mousasi and made no excuses:

He said he just wanted to update his fans on why he lost in such dominant fashion. MacDonald thanked his fans for all of their support:

The Bellator welterweight ruler will regroup. He’s scheduled to take on onetime UFC contender Jon Fitch. The two will meet in the opening round of the Bellator World Welterweight Grand Prix.

He should have an easier matchup due to Fitch’s more similar size. A return to the top could come as a result. GSP’s protege is far from done.

The post Rory MacDonald Reacts To Brutal Bellator 206 Loss appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Aaron Pico Calls Out Bellator Champion After Latest Knockout Win

Surging future star Aaron Pico picked up his fourth straight knockout win (highlights here) by defeating veteran Leandro Higo at last night’s (Sat., September 29, 2018) Bellator 206 from the SAP Center in San Jose, California. After losing his pro debut at Bellator 180 in June 2017, Pico has looked like a man possessed. He’s run […]

The post Aaron Pico Calls Out Bellator Champion After Latest Knockout Win appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Surging future star Aaron Pico picked up his fourth straight knockout win (highlights here) by defeating veteran Leandro Higo at last night’s (Sat., September 29, 2018) Bellator 206 from the SAP Center in San Jose, California.

After losing his pro debut at Bellator 180 in June 2017, Pico has looked like a man possessed. He’s run through every one of the opponents Bellator has put in front of him. Not one of the fights has left the opening round.

The sky is obviously the limit for the 21-year-old prospect. It looks like he’s aiming for the top of the food chain already, however.

Pico discussed his words to current featherweight champ Patricio Freire after his win at Bellator 206. Asked what he said to Freire, Pico revealed at the post-fight press conference via MMAjunkie that he told the champion his time was coming:

“Your time is coming. It’s a new generation of young fighters, and the clock is ticking down for him,” he said at the event’s press conference. “Every day he goes and trains, there’s a guy like me just waiting to get a shot at him and take his belt. That’s just how it goes.”

The nature of the fight game is a cold, patient beast. Indeed there’s always a hungry young contender waiting to rise up and take the king’s throne.

Pico is that fighter – perhaps more than any other rising contender in MMA right now. But while it seems he may be aiming for the fences by calling out the current champ, Pico knows he has to focus on getting better. That won’t happen in just one fight:

“My whole job is just to progress as a fighter,” Pico said. “That’s so important to me right now. I’m very young in my career. I have a lot of things to work on.

“Being the best fighter doesn’t happen overnight. It takes many years. But all I can do is progress and take each fight as it comes.”

He appears to have the mindset of a fighter much older than his years. Freire could be an option for Pico soon, yet maybe it shouldn’t be in his very next fight.

Pico knows he has all the time in the world. He’s only getting better, too, so the future is more than bright for MMA’s fastest-rising star. How long do you think it’ll it take for him to rise to the pinnacle of the sport?

The post Aaron Pico Calls Out Bellator Champion After Latest Knockout Win appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.