Tag: Bellator signings

28-0 Featherweight Phenom Julio Cesar Neves Will Be Cartwheel-Kicking Dudes in Bellator Now


(Finally, we can use the terms “hot prospect” and “Bellator” in the same sentence without being sarcastic. / Photo via Sherdog)

At 19-and-a-half years old, Julio Cesar Neves Junior is off to the fastest start in MMA history. In just two years of professional competition, the Brazilian featherweight prodigy has compiled a 28-0 record, with 25 wins by stoppage. “Morceguinho” has already blown past the career-opening win streaks posted by Megumi Fujii (who won her first 22 fights) and Khabib Nurmagomedov (who’s won 21 and counting), and he’s within arm’s reach of the 32-fight win streak that Igor Vovchanchyn earned from 1996-1999 — to date the longest MMA win streak unbroken by draws or no-contests.

We first introduced you to Neves back in August, when he picked up his 26th win by Capoeira cartwheel-kicking the shit out of Dener Dos Santos. “We have a feeling this one will get him noticed by the big leagues,” we wrote…and indeed it has. MMAFighting informs us that Neves has just signed a contract with Bellator, and will make his promotional debut at an event to be named later.

Alright, so maybe Bellator isn’t the biggest of big leagues, but it’s a hell of an opportunity for a teenager from Santa Catarina. According to MMAFighting, Neves is the younger brother of Rafael “Morcego” Silva, who won Bellator’s 2013 Summer Series Bantamweight Tournament this year, and is riding an impressive 13-fight win streak himself. Can the Morcego/guinho brothers become the next Pitbull brothers? And how much longer will Neves’s win streak last now that he’ll be facing a higher level of competition?


(Finally, we can use the terms “hot prospect” and “Bellator” in the same sentence without being sarcastic. / Photo via Sherdog)

At 19-and-a-half years old, Julio Cesar Neves Junior is off to the fastest start in MMA history. In just two years of professional competition, the Brazilian featherweight prodigy has compiled a 28-0 record, with 25 wins by stoppage. “Morceguinho” has already blown past the career-opening win streaks posted by Megumi Fujii (who won her first 22 fights) and Khabib Nurmagomedov (who’s won 21 and counting), and he’s within arm’s reach of the 32-fight win streak that Igor Vovchanchyn earned from 1996-1999 — to date the longest MMA win streak unbroken by draws or no-contests.

We first introduced you to Neves back in August, when he picked up his 26th win by Capoeira cartwheel-kicking the shit out of Dener Dos Santos. “We have a feeling this one will get him noticed by the big leagues,” we wrote…and indeed it has. MMAFighting informs us that Neves has just signed a contract with Bellator, and will make his promotional debut at an event to be named later.

Alright, so maybe Bellator isn’t the biggest of big leagues, but it’s a hell of an opportunity for a teenager from Santa Catarina. According to MMAFighting, Neves is the younger brother of Rafael “Morcego” Silva, who won Bellator’s 2013 Summer Series Bantamweight Tournament this year, and is riding an impressive 13-fight win streak himself. Can the Morcego/guinho brothers become the next Pitbull brothers? And how much longer will Neves’s win streak last now that he’ll be facing a higher level of competition?

Vladimir Matyushenko Signs with Bellator, Expected to Debut in Non-Tournament Bout


Photo courtesy of Scott Hirano/LowKick.com

Despite being one of many fighters released from the UFC in February, forty-two year old Vladimir “The Janitor” Matyushenko won’t be hanging up his gloves just yet. Earlier today, Bellator announced that they have signed the former IFL champion to compete at a future event. While it was announced that Matyushenko will be making his promotional debut in a non-tournament bout, neither a date for the fight nor a prospective opponent have been named yet.

In a news release posted on Bellator’s website, Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney appeared very optimistic about the signing. “Vladimir is a fighter I’ve watched for years. He’s an exciting fighter with an incredible wrestling background and a great pedigree in our sport. When the opportunity presented itself and we had the chance to have him join the Bellator family it was a very easy decision to make,” he said.


Photo courtesy of Scott Hirano/LowKick.com

Despite being one of many fighters released from the UFC in February, forty-two year old Vladimir “The Janitor” Matyushenko won’t be hanging up his gloves just yet. Earlier today, Bellator announced that they have signed the former IFL champion to compete at a future event. While it was announced that Matyushenko will be making his promotional debut in a non-tournament bout, neither a date for the fight nor a prospective opponent have been named yet.

In a news release posted on Bellator’s website, Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney appeared very optimistic about the signing. “Vladimir is a fighter I’ve watched for years.  He’s an exciting fighter with an incredible wrestling background and a great pedigree in our sport.  When the opportunity presented itself and we had the chance to have him join the Bellator family it was a very easy decision to make,” he said.

“With our Champion Attila Vegh sitting at the top of the mountain right now, and with guys like Emanuel Newton, Mikhail Zayats and King Mo coming on strong, the light heavyweight division for Bellator continues to evolve and Vladimir should fit in perfectly to that mix.”

Of course, Matyushenko also joins the ranks of fellow UFC washouts Seth Petruzelli and Renato “Babalu” Sobral, but let’s not talk about that right now.

Matyushenko may bring an impressive resume into his Bellator tenure, but how much of an impact can he actually make on the promotion? Bellator’s light-heavyweight division is extremely competitive, and the tournament format won’t exactly be an advantage for an aging fighter. Will “The Janitor” put together one last title run in Bellator, or will he be an also-ran in the promotion’s surprisingly deep light-heavyweight division?

@SethFalvo

Bellator Signs Marcus ‘Lelo’ Aurelio, Your Favorite Capoeira Knockout Artist


“Day-bow-bow“

Bellator’s welterweight division just became far more interesting.

Earlier this morning, the organization announced that it had signed Marcus “Lelo” Aurelio (no, not Maximus), an explosive Capoeira fighter from Brazil. If the name sounds familiar, it should: He’s the guy from the infamous Capoeira kick knockout video from 2009. And the equally awesome flying switch kick from last August, for that matter.

After getting caught in a triangle choke during his first professional fight, Lelo has gone on to win six straight. None of his fights have ever gone the distance, and his only submission victory was a rear-naked choke over Canadian Muay Thai champion Ken Tran at Battlefield Fight League 7 last March. His most recent effort saw him KO Matt Dwyer with a slam just thirty seconds into their bout in April.


“Day-bow-bow“

Bellator’s welterweight division just became far more interesting.

Earlier this morning, the organization announced that it had signed Marcus “Lelo” Aurelio (no, not Maximus), an explosive Capoeira fighter from Brazil. If the name sounds familiar, it should: He’s the guy from the infamous Capoeira kick knockout video from 2009. And the equally awesome flying switch kick from last August, for that matter.

After getting caught in a triangle choke during his first professional fight, Lelo has gone on to win six straight. None of his fights have ever gone the distance, and his only submission victory was a rear-naked choke over Canadian Muay Thai champion Ken Tran at Battlefield Fight League 7 last March. His most recent effort saw him KO Matt Dwyer with a slam just thirty seconds into their bout in April.

In a press release sent out by Bellator, Bjorn Rebney had this to say about the signing:

“Marcus is an absolute explosive anomaly in our sport,” said Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney. “If you have never seen him fight, you are missing something totally unique and special. Marcus brings a completely unique style and confidence to the cage that I’ve never seen before. It will be great to see how his explosive Capoeira translates in the Bellator cage.”

Aurelio is set to make his promotional debut at Bellator 73 on August 24, although an opponent has not been named at this time. By the way, Bellator 73 also features both the bantamweight and featherweight tournament finals and Pat Curran defending his featherweight title against Patricio “Pitbull” Freire.

In a division of solid strikers, Aurelio should have some entertaining battles with the likes of Bryan Baker, David Rickels and Chris Lozano. But how will his ground game hold up against the deep end of the welterweight division? And is he elusive enough to to prevent a five round snoozer against Ben Askren? Tell us what you think.

Muhammad “King Mo” Lawal Signs With Bellator and TNA Wrestling


(Like this, Stone Cold?)

MMA Weekly is reporting that former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal has signed with MMA promotion Bellator Fighting Championships and professional wrestling organization Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.

Lawal was fired from Strikeforce after testing positive for a banned steroid and is currently serving out a nine-month suspension from the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Because of that suspension, Lawal will have to wait to be able to compete under the Bellator banner — but since he’s also signed with TNA, he can conceivably begin making some money much sooner since professional wrestling is not regulated as a competitive sport by athletic commissions. Lawal signing with both organizations fuels rumors that Bellator and TNA  — both of which air on Viacom-owned television channels and, starting in 2013, will appear on Spike TV — will somehow collaborate or cross-promote.


(Like this, Stone Cold?)

MMA Weekly is reporting that former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal has signed with MMA promotion Bellator Fighting Championships and professional wrestling organization Total Nonstop Action Wrestling.

Lawal was fired from Strikeforce after testing positive for a banned steroid and is currently serving out a nine-month suspension from the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Because of that suspension, Lawal will have to wait to be able to compete under the Bellator banner — but since he’s also signed with TNA, he can conceivably begin making some money much sooner since professional wrestling is not regulated as a competitive sport by athletic commissions. Lawal signing with both organizations fuels rumors that Bellator and TNA  — both of which air on Viacom-owned television channels and, starting in 2013, will appear on Spike TV — will somehow collaborate or cross-promote.

If you’ve watched MMA for any length of time, you’ve probably met at least one idiotic person who claims that the sport is “fake” like pro wrestling, meaning that the results are pre-determined. While we can’t begrudge King Mo for paying his bills in any honest way that he can, if Bellator and TNA do start mixing narratives and roster members, it could confuse viewers and set back the credibility of MMA as a sport.

Many American fighters have delved into professional wrestling for extended periods of time, including Josh Barnett, Ken Shamrock, Mark Coleman, and Bob Sapp. But Lawal’s experiment might end up being the biggest balancing act of the two that any fighter has yet attempted in the U.S.

For now, that’s all speculation. We’ll bring you more as the story develops. As it stands, we just know that King Mo is back on his feet with a j-o-b.

–Elias Cepeda

War Machine Re-Signs With Bellator; May Compete in Season 6 Welterweight Tournament


(“I’ve turned over a new leaf, Fujiko. So no funny stuff this time. Just a normal Swedish massage and asshole wax, please.”)

War Machine‘s career comeback is picking up steam. After his third-round TKO victory against Roger Huerta last month — War’s first match after spending a year in prison for assault — the previously-troubled welterweight has announced his signing with Bellator: “So it’s now official public knowledge. I signed with Bellator and will be in the next welterweight tournament. [I] can’t wait to be back fighting on live television with the big boys.”

Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney confirmed the signing, though not War Machine’s participation in the next welterweight bracket; his debut date and opponent is yet to be announced. As Rebney told MMAJunkie, “Jon’s not had an easy road. And there’s no doubt he’s made some poor choices, but after having had conversations with him since his release, he really seems to understand where and why things went wrong and wants to make them right…I hope he’s able to turn this second chance into something positive.”


(“I’ve turned over a new leaf, Fujiko. So no funny stuff this time. Just a normal Swedish massage and asshole wax, please.”)

War Machine‘s career comeback is picking up steam. After his third-round TKO victory against Roger Huerta last month — War’s first match after spending a year in prison for assault — the previously-troubled welterweight has announced his signing with Bellator: “So it’s now official public knowledge. I signed with Bellator and will be in the next welterweight tournament. [I] can’t wait to be back fighting on live television with the big boys.”

Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney confirmed the signing, though not War Machine’s participation in the next welterweight bracket; his debut date and opponent is yet to be announced. As Rebney told MMAJunkie, “Jon’s not had an easy road. And there’s no doubt he’s made some poor choices, but after having had conversations with him since his release, he really seems to understand where and why things went wrong and wants to make them right…I hope he’s able to turn this second chance into something positive.”

Of course, this isn’t War Machine’s first contract with Bellator. Back in January 2009, War — then known by his given name Jon Koppenhaver — signed with the upstart Bellator promotion following his release from the UFC, which stemmed from comments he made about Evan Tanner’s death and his refusal to take a fight against Brandon Wolff. But his mouth quickly got him in trouble again, as he was fired by Bellator a month later for implying that somebody should assassinate the president.

War Machine’s bad judgment later got him fired from the porn industry, which I had no idea was even possible, and led to a year-long lockup for one nightclub beating too many. And now he’s getting a second chance with Bellator, which has put War in a reflective mood:

“My past has kind of shaped and molded who I’ve become, but the mistakes I’ve made in the past have definitely made me realize that I have to avoid certain situations in order to be the type of person I want to be. I pressed rewind, and now I have a chance to get my life back on track. It feels great. Not everyone gets this kind of opportunity. I’m just stoked to be back in the mix here with Bellator. I didn’t get released from Bellator because I sucked. I got released because I was making poor decisions in my life. Right now I’m just out to show the world that I do belong here fighting the best with Bellator.”

Is War really done fucking up his own life? And how far can he take his career if he stays focused?