Tag: Bellator

Tito Ortiz Training and Waiting for Bellator MMA to Call

Tito Ortiz isn’t going to give up on the contract he signed with Bellator MMA over seven months ago.
Originally booked to fight Quinton “Rampage” Jackson on Bellator MMA’s inaugural pay-per-view, Ortiz suffered a neck injury in October that forced him …

Tito Ortiz isn’t going to give up on the contract he signed with Bellator MMA over seven months ago.

Originally booked to fight Quinton “Rampage” Jackson on Bellator MMA’s inaugural pay-per-view, Ortiz suffered a neck injury in October that forced him from the fight card. As a result, Bellator MMA scrapped the pay-per-view and moved Jackson to a later event on Spike TV.

With Ortiz’s injuries piling up, many felt it would be the end of a memorable career in MMA. However, the 39-year-old recently told MMAWeekly.com and Knockout Radio that he is ready to return to fighting.

“Everything is good,” Ortiz said. “I’m about my ninth week in training. I’m kind of on hold right now, waiting for Bellator to set me up with a match. I thought I’d be on this pay-per-view that’s coming up, but they wanted to wait.”

Although Ortiz hasn’t competed since a July 2012 loss to Forrest Griffin, he’s a former UFC champion and could be a draw for Bellator MMA, a promotion looking to become serious competition for the world’s top MMA organization.

With only one win in his past nine fights, what keeps Ortiz coming back, though?

“After my last loss to Forrest Griffin,” Ortiz explained, “it left a bad taste in my mouth. No one wants to retire off a loss.”

Having had so little success recently, the Huntington Beach Bad Boy might have to take a big step down in competition to pick up that victory he’s seeking. While a bout between Ortiz and Jackson is one of the biggest fights Bellator MMA could put together with its current roster, it doesn’t look like it will be rebooked any time soon.

Jackson is set to fight Muhammed Lawal in a light heavyweight tournament final on what is now set to be Bellator MMA’s first pay-per-view. Should Jackson beat Lawal, he’ll be lined up for a title shot against Emanuel Newton. If Rampage goes on to become champion, Ortiz would have to fight his way through a 205-pound tournament to get a shot at him under Bellator MMA’s current structure, and that is something his body may not allow him to do.

Even in the event Jackson loses to Lawal in May, though, he no longer appears interested in a bout with Ortiz. 

“I’m not interested in fighting Tito anymore,” Jackson told MMAJunkie.com in November. “No interest. There’s a couple reasons why, but I’m not interested. I’m over it.”

That leaves Bellator MMA with few realistic options for Ortiz’s next matchup. Matching him up with an unknown opponent would be wasting his ability to draw fans to the promotion, so Bellator MMA will have to bring a new light heavyweight in or pair Ortiz with one of its few notable 205-pounders.

Former Bellator MMA champion Attila Vegh might be the most talented option, but he’s not a competitor many non-Bellator MMA fans would recognize without some research. A fight between Lawal and Ortiz would demand attention, but Lawal could spoil that matchup with a win in his upcoming bout with Jackson. 

Remaining options include Joey Beltran and Vladimir Matyushenko. Those UFC veterans just happen to be scheduled to meet in April. The winner of that fight would probably be the best choice as an opponent for Ortiz, who can’t be thrown to the wolves after such a long hiatus.

It also creates the possibility of a rematch between Ortiz and Matyushenko. The two met in a UFC title fight at UFC 33, where Ortiz walked away with a decision victory. Somebody somewhere might be interested in seeing the veterans go at it again.

That is the Ortiz dilemma. His skills have clearly diminished at this stage, and injuries aren’t going to allow him to make a serious run at a Bellator MMA championship. So the promotion will need to grasp at any storyline it can find to keep fans interested in Ortiz, who is one of its biggest stars. 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Bellator 113 Results: Newton Edges Vegh, “Pitbull” Freire Buries “Caveman” Rickels

Much to Bellator’s dismay, their light heavyweight title belongs to someone not named Muhammad “King Mo” Lawal; Emanuel Newton bested Attila Vegh in a lackluster decision at Bellator 113 to unify the light heavyweight strap. The first round of Bellator’s season 10 lightweight tournament took place at Bellator 113 too.

But the first notable event of the night happened on the prelims. A bout between journeymen Daniel Gallemore and Fredrick Brown ended with one of the worst stoppages in MMA history. Gallemore elbowed Brown, putting him out on his feet. After a few punches from Gallemore, Brown faceplanted. At this point, Brown was clearly “done” but referee Chuck Wolfe allowed about a dozen more blows to land before he had seen enough. It was despicable, to say the least. See for yourself (GIF via @ZProphet_MMA)

Other preliminary card events of importance: Derek Anderson kneed Brandon Girtz’s head into the rafters in the night’s first lightweight tournament quarterfinal. Former WEC standout LC Davis was scheduled to fight on the prelims, but his fight was moved to after the main card. At the time of writing, the results of this fight aren’t available. We’ll update the article when they are.

Much to Bellator’s dismay, their light heavyweight title belongs to someone not named Muhammad “King Mo” Lawal; Emanuel Newton bested Attila Vegh in a lackluster decision at Bellator 113 to unify the light heavyweight strap. The first round of Bellator’s season 10 lightweight tournament took place at Bellator 113 too.

But the first notable event of the night happened on the prelims. A bout between journeymen Daniel Gallemore and Fredrick Brown ended with one of the worst stoppages in MMA history. Gallemore elbowed Brown, putting him out on his feet. After a few punches from Gallemore, Brown faceplanted. At this point, Brown was clearly “done” but referee Chuck Wolfe allowed about a dozen more blows to land before he had seen enough. It was despicable, to say the least. See for yourself (GIF via @ZProphet_MMA)

Other preliminary card events of importance: Derek Anderson kneed Brandon Girtz’s head into the rafters in the night’s first lightweight tournament quarterfinal. Former WEC standout LC Davis was scheduled to fight on the prelims, but his fight was moved to after the main card; it wasn’t televised or streamed. Davis won via guillotine with only two seconds left in the first round.

In the first televised fight, Tim Welch fought Derek Campos in another lightweight tournament quarterfinal bout. The first round was evenly matched, but Campos was more aggressive, consistently pushing Welch back with his striking. He also landed more strikes. Campos almost finished Welch in the second, wobbling him with a right hand. He neglected to swarm a battered Welch, however. Instead, he opted for a takedown, which allowed Welch to recover and eventually rise to his feet. The third round didn’t feature much action. Campos took Welch to the ground and held him there. Unsurprisingly, Campos got the nod from the judges.

It didn’t take long for Polish prospect Marcin Held to defeat Rodrigo Cavalheiro. After a very brief striking scuffle, Held took Cavalheiro to the mat and submitted the Brazilian with a toehold.

In the night’s co-main event, David Rickels fought Patricky “Pitbull” Freire. This was also the last lightweight tournament quarterfinal of the night. The first round was, essentially, five minutes of brawling with some grappling interspersed. Rickels got the better of nearly every exchange in the first round, but that changed in the second. Freire hurt Rickels with a right hook, swarmed in, and then dropped him cold with a left hook. After one follow-up strike, it was called off.

The lightweight tournament semifinals will be as follows:

Patricky “Pitbull” Freire vs. Derek Campos.
Marcin Held vs. Derek Anderson

Bellator 113′s main event was to unify Bellator’s light heavyweight title. Interim champ Emanuel Newton faced non-interim champion Attila Vegh. It was a long, boring 25 minutes, that featured ineffective striking and lots of missed “spinning shit.” There really isn’t much to tell other than that both guys threw lots of strikes that amounted to nothing. If you DVR’d the event, watch this on fast forward if you feel the need to watch at all. Twitter pundits scored it every way imaginable, but the only people that mattered (the judges) gave it to Newton.

Complete Results:

Main Card

Emanuel Newton def. Attila Vegh via split decision (48-47, 47-48, 49-46)
Patricky Freire def. David Rickels via KO (punches), 0:54 of round 2
Marcin Held def. Rodrigo Cavalheiro via submission (toe hold), 1:56 of round 1
Derek Campos def. Tim Welch via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Preliminary Card

LC Davis def. Tory Bogguess via submission (guillotine), 4:58 of round 1
Derek Anderson def. Brandon Girtz via KO (knee), 0:23 of round 2
Israel Giron def. Cody Carrillo via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Eric Wisely def. Donnie Bell via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)
Daniel Gallemore def. Fredrick Brown via TKO (punches), 3:34 of round 1
Bobby Cooper def. Marcio Navarro via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Bellator: Brandon Girtz Irritated with Tournament Shake-Up, Expects to Dominate

The life of an MMA fighter means that you always have to be on your toes, always prepared to dodge the roadblocks and unexpected detours that will assuredly come your way. For Bellator’s Brandon Girtz, the past few years have been full of emotion…

The life of an MMA fighter means that you always have to be on your toes, always prepared to dodge the roadblocks and unexpected detours that will assuredly come your way. For Bellator’s Brandon Girtz, the past few years have been full of emotional highs and lows, including tremendous opportunities on the national stage and frustrating injuries that have kept him on the sidelines.

Friday night may be the biggest opportunity of his career, though, as Girtz is set to compete in Bellator’s Season 10 lightweight tournament.

After spending the past few months preparing to take back a win against an opponent who defeated him in June of 2013, however, a short-notice shake-up in the tournament now pits Girtz against Derek Anderson.

“I never really looked at anybody else in the tournament,” Girtz told Bleacher Report MMA. “I was concentrating on Derek Campos. Then another guy in the tournament got injured, so they kind of switched things up and ended up giving me Derek Anderson. Campos and I are still on the same side of the bracket, though, so I pray he wins so I can get him in the next fight.”

Disappointed, but not distracted, Girtz now shifts his attention to his new opponent.

“I thought Campos was one of the toughest guys in the tournament, so personally I see this as kind of an easier fight for me,” he said. “Campos has heavy hands, so he’s always got the opportunity to get those knockouts. I’ve seen a couple fights from Anderson now and I just don’t see that. I don’t see anything scary from this guy. I thought I was going to dominate Campos, and I’m still feeling like I’m going to dominate Anderson.”

A new opponent presents new challenges for Girtz, however, as Anderson stands 6’0” tall, making him one of the lengthiest fighters in the division.

“I’m not going to try and test out his range too much,” Girtz said. “But to tell you the truth, I think I can stand with this guy more than I could have with Campos, just because I don’t see him having the same kind of power. But regardless, I guarantee you that his back is going to be on the mat.”

A fight camp with coach Trevor Wittman and the team at the Grudge Training Center in Denver, Colo., has been a dramatic change of scenery for Girtz, who has spent most of his career training in the Twin Cities area.

“The elevation out here was a killer at first,” Girtz said. “I didn’t come here in terrible shape, but it sure felt like I did. Trevor Whitman is an amazing coach. I love the guy. He’s a good friend. He’s a very motivational guy. The teammates here are great, too.”

Confident in his endurance, skills and the potential matchups as the tournament goes on, Girtz expects to remain training out of Team Grudge through May, when the tournament will crown a champion.

“The bigger the fight is, the more comfortable I am,” Girtz said. “I expect to win this tournament.”

Friday night’s bout with Derek Anderson will be the first step in that process for Girtz. The opportunity is there. He just needs to reach out and grab it.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Bellator Interim Champion Emanuel Newton Talks Vegh Rematch, King Mo, Rampage

Emanuel Newton holds the Bellator interim light heavyweight championship belt, but he feels he is already the true king heading in to his March 21 Bellator 113 title-unifaction bout with Attila Vegh. 
His reasoning is simple. Facing the Bellator l…

Emanuel Newton holds the Bellator interim light heavyweight championship belt, but he feels he is already the true king heading in to his March 21 Bellator 113 title-unifaction bout with Attila Vegh. 

His reasoning is simple. Facing the Bellator light heavyweight champion Vegh at Bellator 72 in June 2012, Newton dropped a split decision, but he feels certain that he won. 

He’s also certain that Vegh knows the win went to the wrong man. 

“Even after the fight, he [Vegh] came up to me—and he doesn’t really speak English—but he came up to me and he put his hand on my shoulder and he looked at me like, ‘Man, the judges were wrong,'” Newton told Bleacher Report. “He kind of gave me that look, and I just said, ‘It’s fine, man.'” 

While the loss stung initially for Newton, he feels confident that he has made the necessary adjustments heading in to the rematch. Vegh, meanwhile, remains the same fighter in Newton’s eyes.

“I was a different fighter then, night and day. I was at a different camp, I was training a different way, I didn’t evolve my style yet, and I still beat Attila,” Newton said. “I think he still has the same camp, I think he’s still doing the same stuff. I’m sure he’s grown, too, but I don’t think he’s grown half as much as I have.” 

Since the controversial loss to Vegh, Newton is 4-0 inside the Bellator cage, a streak which includes two dominant wins over Bellator standout Muhammad “King Mo” Lawal. 

A prolific trash talker who commands the audience’s attention—for better or for worse—King Mo represents one of Bellator’s most recognizable stars  and the brash fighter is currently booked for a showdown against Quinton “Rampage” Jackson in the Bellator light heavyweight tournament finals May 17 in Memphis. 

If Newton takes care of business against Vegh and Lawal does the same against Rampage, a trilogy will be born, and Newton said that fans can expect the same outcome as the first two fights should that take place. 

“I think that if me and Mo were to fight again I would definitely have a huge advantage over him, mentally and physically,” Newton said. “I think Mo is always going to be a top-tier fighter, but I don’t see him being the champion again. I don’t think he’s got it in him anymore. I think I took that away from him.”

Meanwhile, a fight with Rampage pleases Newton. Despite sharing a close bond with the former UFC light heavyweight champion, Newton said that he looks forward to this potential bout for himself and for Bellator. 

“I think it [a fight with Rampage] is a better fight, a fight the fans want to see,” Newton said. “I think it’d be better for both of our careers, and I think it’d be better for Bellator.” 

When he thinks about the tournament final between King Mo and Rampage, Newton sees a clear winner. There is no King Mo trilogy in the future he sees. 

“I definitely favor Rampage in the fight against Mo because Rampage’s takedown defense is really good,” Newton said. “I just see Mo not being able to take him down and trying to get into a brawling war with Rampage, and that’s the last thing you want to do with ‘Page.” 

Despite the attention on both King Mo and Rampage, Newton’s first order of business involves a rematch with Vegh Friday evening at the Kansas Star Arena. 

He’s ready to rise to the occasion. He’s ready to become a star and steal some of the spotlight from his fellow light heavyweights. 

“It’s my time to shine, and it’s my time to be the best in the world,” Newton said. “I’m going to show that Friday night.” 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Bellator 112: Results and Recaps from Daniel Straus vs. Pat Curran 3

At Bellator 112 Friday from Horseshoe Hammond Casino in Hammond, Ind., Pat Curran retook his Bellator featherweight belt from Daniel Straus in dramatic fashion. The early goings of the fight saw either man excel outside their comfort zone. Straus, a plodding grappler, showed some solid and stifling hands and solid flurries. Curran, a lethal striker, […]

At Bellator 112 Friday from Horseshoe Hammond Casino in Hammond, Ind., Pat Curran retook his Bellator featherweight belt from Daniel Straus in dramatic fashion. The early goings of the fight saw either man excel outside their comfort zone. Straus, a plodding grappler, showed some solid and stifling hands and solid flurries. Curran, a lethal striker, […]

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Bellator 112 Results: Curran Submits Straus With Clutch Rear Naked Choke, Koreshkov Blasts Burrell

Injury considerably dimmed Bellator 112’s star power, with War Machine and Joe Riggs withdrawing from the season 10 welterweight tournament due to injury (as well as Mark Scanlon but he’s not as high profile). We received unheralded fighters Nathan Coy, Cristiano Souza, and Paul Bradley.

Still, the card’s main event featured a featherweight title rematch between champion Daniel Straus and challenger Pat Curran, making it worth the investment of time.

But was the rest of the card worthwhile? Read our main card recap and decide for yourself.

Injury considerably dimmed Bellator 112′s star power, with War Machine and Joe Riggs withdrawing from the season 10 welterweight tournament due to injury (as well as Mark Scanlon but he’s not as high profile). We received unheralded fighters Nathan Coy, Cristiano Souza, and Paul Bradley.

Still, the card’s main event featured a featherweight title rematch between champion Daniel Straus and challenger Pat Curran, making it worth the investment of time.

But was the rest of the card worthwhile? Read our main card recap and decide for yourself.

Jesse Juarez vs. Adam McDonough

In the first round, McDonough landed a stiff knee to Juarez’s head after a brief feeling out period. Juarez, however, had presence of mind enough to take McDonough down off the knee strike. After a few minutes, Juarez advanced to mount and nearly secured an arm triangle choke. McDonough defended. The two fighters briefly rose to their feet. McDonough reversed a Juarez takedown and mounted him before transitioning to the back. The round ended with McDonough attempting to lock in a rear naked choke.

The pace was slower in the second round. McDonough again reversed a Juarez takedown and wound up on top, this time in side control. Juarez eventually escaped, and both men resorted to flashy but ineffective striking exchanges. The round ended with McDonough in a sprawl, defending a tepid takedown attempt from a tired Juarez.

The third round was much closer. McDonough landed a takedown early and controlled Juarez on the mat for the first half of the round. Juarez managed to change things though, rising to his feet and then landing two of his own takedowns, after which he nearly took McDonough’s back. He then opted for a guillotine choke, which failed.

Adam McDonough got the nod from the judges in a unanimous decision. He’ll be fighting Nathan Coy (who defeated Paul Bradley in the Bellator 112 prelims) in the next round of the welterweight tournament.

The winner will fight Nathan Coy in the next round of the welterweight tournament semifinals.

Cristiano Souza vs. Sam Oropeza

The fight ended in the first round with KO. Souza botched a lateral drop, bringing Oropeza down on top of him. However, the Brazilian managed to stay calm and rise to his feet…only to be sent to the canvas moments later by a devastating right hook from Oropeza.

Andrey Koreshkov vs. Nah-Shon Burrell

Last we saw Andrey Koreshkov, he was being ridden like a racehorse and mocked (GIF via @ZProphet_MMA) by former Bellator welterweight champ Ben Askren. At Bellator 112, he fought Nah-Shon Burrell, and looked like a different fighter.

He landed a body kick at the start of the fight that floored Burrell. The referee waved it off after a handful of follow-up punches. It was over in under a minute. He’ll be meeting Sam Oropeza in the semifinals.

Daniel Straus (c) vs. Pat Curran

Incredible fight with an incredible finish. After four and a half rounds of back and forth striking exchanges and scrambles on the mat, Pat Curran sunk in a rear naked choke with only seconds remaining in the fight to become the Bellator featherweight champion once again. If you DVR’d the event, you owe it to yourself to watch this fight.

Complete results:

Main Card

Adam McDonough def. Jesse Juarez via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Sam Oropeza def. Cristiano Souza via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 3:07
Andrey Koreshkov def. Nah-Shon Burrell via TKO (knee, punches) – Round 1, 0:41
Pat Curran def. Daniel Straus via submission (rear naked choke) – Round 5, 4:46

Preliminary Card

Daniel James def. Erick Correa via submission (strikes) – Round 2, 4:30
Anthony Gomez def. Jason Guida via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
Derek Loffer def. Bobby Reradanz via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Darrion Caldwell def. Lance Surma via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 0:50
Belal Muhammad def. A.J. Matthews via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Nathan Coy def. Paul Bradley via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)