Tag: Bellator

Cory MacDonald vs. Brendan Seguin, Ryan Ford vs. Luis Santos Added to May 4 Bellator 67 Card in Ontario

A middleweight bout between Canadian standout Cory MacDonald (12-2) and well-travelled veteran Brendan Seguin (23-17-1) and a welterweight scrap between former TFC champion Ryan Ford (17-4) and WEC veteran Luis Santos (50-7-1) have been added to Bellator’s May 4 Bellator 67 card, set for Casino Rama in Rama, Ontario. CagePotato.com learned of the MacDonald-Seguin pairing and confirmed the rumored Ford-Santos bout today from sources close to both bouts.

A middleweight bout between Canadian standout Cory MacDonald (12-2) and well-travelled veteran Brendan Seguin (23-17-1) and a welterweight scrap between former TFC champion Ryan Ford (17-4) and WEC veteran Luis Santos (50-7-1) have been added to Bellator’s May 4 Bellator 67 card, set for Casino Rama in Rama, Ontario. CagePotato.com learned of the MacDonald-Seguin pairing and confirmed the rumored Ford-Santos bout today from sources close to both bouts.

MacDonald has been relatively inactive the past two years, having only fought (and won) twice, but sources say the reason for his lack of action was a shortage of opponents willing to face him in Canada. The Kingston, Ontario native, who holds a win over UFC vet Edwin Dewees and seemed en route to a win over fellow Canuck Jonathan Goulet until a freak injury forced his corner to throw in the towel after the first round, will log time training for the bout at Tristar in Montreal. He decided to move to middleweight in the hopes of attracting more opposition and he’ll get a formidable opponent in Seguin who has fought a lion’s share of the sport’s toughest fighters.

“The Caucasian Devastation” holds wins over UFC vets Jake Ellenberger, Kyacey Uscola, Rob Kimmons and Goulet. During his 12-year career he also fought Denis Kang, Joe Doerksen, Dean Lister, Joey Villasenor and Martin Kampmann. Seguin hasn’t lost since dropping a decision to Forrest Petz in 2009.

Ford will finally make his Bellator debut on the card after legal and contract issues with his former manager, Mark Pavelich who owns the Maximum Fighting Championship put him at odds with the Chicago-based promotion after the Canadian promoter sent BFC a cease and desist letter claiming that “The Real Deal” was still an MFC fighter. It seems that both sides have settled their differences and are moving forward.

Arguably the biggest win of Ford’s career came against Karo Parisyan last May. Since then he has gone 2-1, including a surprise loss to David Hulett for the Aggression MMA welterweight strap in September.

Santos has the edge in experience over “The Real Deal” in the experience department, however, with 36 more fights. The husband of fellow fighter Carina Damm, “Sapo” won a hard-fought decision over Dan Hornbuckle in the opening round of Bellator’s season 5 tournament, only to be submitted via highlight-reel keylock by Ben Saunders in the second round.

No other bouts have been announced for the card.

Report: Blagoi Ivanov on Life Support After Being Stabbed in Chest

2008 Combat Sambo world champion and Bellator Fighting Championships rising star Blagoi Ivanov is reportedly on life support after being stabbed in the chest. The MMA fighter was rushed to a local Bulgarian hospital where doctors performed over six hou…

2008 Combat Sambo world champion and Bellator Fighting Championships rising star Blagoi Ivanov is reportedly on life support after being stabbed in the chest.

The MMA fighter was rushed to a local Bulgarian hospital where doctors performed over six hours of surgery. Doctors are reportedly still concerned about the fighter’s chances at survival.

The incident took place in a bar in Sofia, Bulgaria early in the morning of February 26. Reports say that the 25-year-old Ivanov was with two friends when eight men approached with bats and knives. The Bellator fighter was stabbed below the armpit and the blade actually pierced his heart.

Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney said in a statement released today to MMAjunkie.com:

Right now, we do not have all of the details, but our thoughts and prayers are with Blagoi and his family.

Ivanov became well known when he defeated former Pride heavyweight champion Fedor Emelianenko in a bout at the 2008 World Sambo Championships. While Blagoi went on to win the tournament, it would be the victory over Emelianko that he would be remembered for.

In the first six MMA fights of his life, the bruiser was 6-0 with enough power to be a serious threat with refinement.

As doctors work to save the young man’s life, the entire MMA community sends its wishes to those affected by this tragedy.

 

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Marius Zaromskis Signs With Bellator; Won’t Be a Part of Season 6 Tournament

(Ben Askren is the disease. And the Whitemare is the cure.)

From somersault knockout kicks to ill-advised backflipping guard-pass attempts, Marius Zaromskis has developed a high-risk, high-insanity MMA style that’s all his own. And though a 2010 stint in Strikeforce went terribly — with TKO losses against Nick Diaz and Evangelista Santos, and a depressing 6-second no-contest against Waachim Spiritwolf — the Lithuanian striker is preparing to give it another go for a rival American promotion.

MMAFighting.com breaks the news that Zaromskis has signed with Bellator, and will make his debut this year in the later part of their sixth season. Though he would have made an excellent replacement for War Machine, Zaromskis will not be a part of the welterweight tournament. We’ll update you when we know more about his promotional debut date and first opponent.


(Ben Askren is the disease. And the Whitemare is the cure.)

From somersault knockout kicks to ill-advised backflipping guard-pass attempts, Marius Zaromskis has developed a high-risk, high-insanity MMA style that’s all his own. And though a 2010 stint in Strikeforce went terribly — with TKO losses against Nick Diaz and Evangelista Santos, and a depressing 6-second no-contest against Waachim Spiritwolf — the Lithuanian striker is preparing to give it another go for a rival American promotion.

MMAFighting.com breaks the news that Zaromskis has signed with Bellator, and will make his debut this year in the later part of their sixth season. Though he would have made an excellent replacement for War Machine, Zaromskis will not be a part of the welterweight tournament. We’ll update you when we know more about his promotional debut date and first opponent.

Bellator: Exclusive Interview with Light Heavyweight Matt "Gutter" Van Buren

VIRGINIA BEACH, VA.—Last week, Bleacher Report was able to catch up with Bellator Light Heavyweight Matt “Gutter” Van Buren (MMA: 5-0; Bellator: 2-0) to talk about his next fight, training camp and effective style of fighting.Van Buren will face …

VIRGINIA BEACH, VA.—Last week, Bleacher Report was able to catch up with Bellator Light Heavyweight Matt “Gutter” Van Buren (MMA: 5-0; Bellator: 2-0) to talk about his next fight, training camp and effective style of fighting.

Van Buren will face off against Chris “The Professional” Davis (MMA: 10-3; Bellator: 0-1) on May 18th, 2012. On the line is a spot in next Light Heavyweight Tournament for a chance to face the current Bellator Light Heavyweight Champion Chrisitan M’Pumbu (MMA: 18-4; Bellator: 3-1).

The venue will be the L’Auberge du Lac Hotel Casino Resort in Lake Charles, LA. This information was revealed after the interview.

Gutter also discussed moving his training camp to Alliance MMA in San Diego, where he will be training with UFC Light Heavyweight standouts Phil Davis, Brandon Vera and Alexander Gustafsson, among others.

Something that was also revealed after the interview was that Alliance MMA would be moving their whole team to help current UFC Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz coach the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter in Las Vegas, NV. Gutter will be joining the crew in Las Vegas for his whole eight-week training camp.

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Follow Justin Fuller on Twitter @JustinFullerMMA or like him on Facebook for the latest and greatest in…well…whatever, that’s what. Just do it, he’s hilarious.

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Bellator 64: Minnesota’s Mike Richman Signs to Fight WEC Veteran Chris Horodecki

The Bellator 64 card is beginning to take shape, as the promotion recently signed former UFC The Ultimate Fighter cast member Mike “The Marine” Richman for the upcoming event at the Caesars Windsor Hotel & Casino in Ontario, Canada on Apr…

The Bellator 64 card is beginning to take shape, as the promotion recently signed former UFC The Ultimate Fighter cast member Mike “The Marine” Richman for the upcoming event at the Caesars Windsor Hotel & Casino in Ontario, Canada on April 7.

According to Richman’s manager Jeremy Bjornberg, who broke the news on Facebook, Richman will help bolster an already interesting looking fight card, as he steps in the cage across from former WEC veteran Chris Horodecki. The event will be headlined by the main event between welterweight champion Ben Askren and challenger Douglas Lima, which was announced just over a week ago. 

Horodecki is just 24 years old, but he brings a world of experience into the cage, having already fought all over North America for the IFL, WEC and now Bellator Fighting Championships. He took advantage of his first fight for the promotion back in July 2011, when he defeated Chris Saunders, only to fight to a majority draw this past November in his second Bellator bout, against Mike Corey.

Victories over the likes of UFC talents, including Danny Downes and Bart Palaszewski, make Horodecki likely the toughest opponent that Richman has ever competed against as a professional. The 26-year-old former Marine has only been fighting since 2008, but what he lacks in big fight experience, he makes up for in confidence.

“I’m training with the best of the best, which has totally elevated my game,” Richman told Bleacher Report this past November regarding his team at The Academy in Minnesota. “I feel if I would’ve started my career training here, I would be 11-0, not 10-1.” 

Richman also guaranteed back then that he would be fighting for a major promotion, whether it be the UFC or Bellator, in 2012. It didn’t take long before he, and his managers at Sterling Entertainment Group, turned that promise into a reality. 

Now it’s time to prove that he deserves to stay.

“This has the potential to be a fight of the year,” Bjornberg said via Facebook. “Mike’s gonna make his presence known!”

Thanks to Sandy Hackenmuller of Fight to Finish Photography for the photo. 

For more MMA news, fighter interviews and opinions, follow Nick Caron:

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The 8 Best Finishes in Bellator History

Though it may not receive the same level of recognition as the UFC, Bellator has provided MMA fans with some of the most spectacular finishes in the sport since its inception in April 2009. As a result of some incredible performances by its fighters, B…

Though it may not receive the same level of recognition as the UFC, Bellator has provided MMA fans with some of the most spectacular finishes in the sport since its inception in April 2009. As a result of some incredible performances by its fighters, Bellator has risen to become one of the premier MMA organizations […]