Bellator Fighting Championships prides itself on being an organization where title shots are earned and not handed out. This Saturday’s Bellator 54 card is no different.Alexander Shlemenko hopes to earn his rematch with Hector Lombard, current Bellator…
Bellator Fighting Championships prides itself on being an organization where title shots are earned and not handed out. This Saturday’s Bellator 54 card is no different.
Alexander Shlemenko hopes to earn his rematch with Hector Lombard, current Bellator middleweight “Iron Fist,” for lack of a sugar coated label like “champion.” But his road runs through Brian Rogers, who is looking to make his own waves in the 185-pound division.
Vitor Vianna hopes to make his own waves as well, but like Rogers, the Wand Fight Team warrior is staring down a Season Two finalist also, and former WEC middleweight Bryan “The Beast” Baker has no plans on laying down for one of UFC 139 co-headliner Wanderlei Silva’s young proteges.
In addition to the Bellator Season Five Middleweight Semifinals, Bellator bantamweight kingpin Zack Makovsky will rest easy knowing Bellator featherweight champion Joe Warren will be nowhere near his peripheral vision in the title picture.
But his own status as top bantamweight material is on the line as veteran Ryan Roberts looks to break through at the expense of a current Bellator World Champion.
Live on MTV2 and Epix in HD, Bellator 54 comes at you this Saturday. For anyone who needs their void filled until UFC 137 in two weeks, here’s what you all need to know about Saturday’s card.
Filed under: DREAM, UFC, Bellator, Rankings, FeatherweightsJose Aldo is continuing to run roughshod over the rest of the featherweight division, improving his professional MMA record to 20-1 with a unanimous decision victory over Kenny Florian at UFC 1…
Jose Aldo is continuing to run roughshod over the rest of the featherweight division, improving his professional MMA record to 20-1 with a unanimous decision victory over Kenny Florian at UFC 136. So does anyone at 145 have a chance against Aldo?
So far it hasn’t looked like it. It’s not just that Aldo has won every single one of his fights since coming to North America at WEC 34 in 2008. It’s that none of his fights have been close. He’s shifted from being a knockout artist to usually winning one-sided decisions, but he really hasn’t been tested by anyone.
Is Chad Mendes the man to change that? He’s certainly the most worthy challenger to Aldo’s title. We’ll run down the top of the featherweight division below.
Top 10 featherweights in MMA (Number in parentheses is the fighter’s previous ranking.)
1. Jose Aldo (1): After struggling to cut down to 145 pounds, Aldo has talked about moving up to lightweight, but I think that would be a mistake. I don’t think he has the frame for 155, and I think he’d really struggle against big lightweight wrestlers. In fact, I think he might struggle against a good featherweight wrestler like …
2. Chad Mendes (2): The undefeated Mendes was a good college wrestler and may be the opponent to put Aldo on his back and keep him there. If there’s anyone in the featherweight division who represents a threat to Aldo, it’s Mendes.
3. Hatsu Hioki (3): Hioki is the big question mark in the UFC‘s featherweight division. He’s about to make his UFC debut after going on a great run in Japan, and if he can make the adjustment to the cage and the North American unified rules, he could be a title contender: Hioki’s reach, high-volume striking and active guard make him a tough puzzle to solve. Unfortunately, the recent track record of Japanese fighters coming to the U.S. has not been good. Hioki makes his debut against George Roop at UFC 137.
4. Pat Curran (NR): Curran has looked sensational since dropping from lightweight to featherweight, and after seeing him knock out Marlon Sandro, I think he’s the best featherweight outside the UFC. Bellator has a strong featherweight division, and fights with Joe Warren or Patricio “Pitbull” Freire would be great matchups for Curran.
5. Erik Koch (8): Koch looked good in his September victory over Jonathan Brookins, which improved his record to 13-1, with the only loss coming against Mendes. At age 23, Koch has a very bright future ahead of him.
6. Mark Hominick (7): After taking several months off following his loss to Aldo, Hominick will return at UFC 140 against Chan Sung Jung in what should be an outstanding battle.
7. Kenny Florian (4): It’s tough to see where Florian goes from here. He’s good enough that he’s earned three title shots in his career, but not good enough to win any of them, or even be competitive in any of them. And at age 35, with 20 pro fights under his belt, it’s not like he’s suddenly going to get a lot better. Still, I hope we haven’t seen the last of Florian. He can have a gatekeeper role at either featherweight or lightweight, even if he’s done fighting for belts.
8. Tyson Griffin (NR): Featherweight — not lightweight — has always been the right weight class for Griffin. It was the right weight class for him when he beat Urijah Faber in 2005, and it’s the right weight class for him now, after he’s moved back down from lightweight and beaten Manny Gamburyan. Up next for Griffin is a featherweight fight with another former lightweight, Bart Palaszewski, at UFC 137.
9. Tatsuya Kawajiri (NR): Another former lightweight dropping down, Kawajiri put on a good show in submitting Joachim Hansen at Dream.17. I’d like to see the UFC add Kawajiri to its featherweight roster.
10. Dustin Poirier (9): The 22-year-old Poirier is a rising star at featherweight. He gets Pablo Garza on the undercard of the November 12 UFC on Fox event.
Filed under: Bellator, NewsThe injury that knocked Eddie Alvarez out of his scheduled October lightweight championship defense against Michael Chandler won’t keep him sidelined for long.
The Bellator star is back healthy, and has agreed to face Chandl…
The injury that knocked Eddie Alvarez out of his scheduled October lightweight championship defense against Michael Chandler won’t keep him sidelined for long.
The Bellator star is back healthy, and has agreed to face Chandler at Bellator 58 on November 19, the promotion confirmed late on Wednesday night.
The 27-year-old Alvarez has never lost under the Bellator banner, winning seven in a row since signing with the promotion. He won the lightweight championship in the promotion’s first season, and has successfully defended it on one occasion with a unanimous decision over Pat Curran. He also has non-title wins over Josh Neer and Roger Huerta during that time.
Alvarez is 22-2 overall.
Chandler was a collegiate wrestler at the University of Missouri who burst upon the national fight scene this year, romping through the season four lightweight tournament with wins over Marcin Weld, Lloyd Woodard and the highly regarded Patricky “Pitbull” Freire.
Chandler is 8-0 in his young career, which only began two years ago.
Bellator 58 will emanate from Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida, and will also feature middleweight champion Hector Lombard in a non-title fight against veteran Trevor Prangley.
Zack Makovsky‘s nickname seems to apply to more than just his size.
Makovsky’s “Fun Size” nickname is mostly a playful jab at his physical stature. But the Bellator bantamweight champion is making the size of the fun he has carry over elsewhere, too.
Makovsky said spending his time just trying to improve as a fighter and compete to the highest of his ability is what keeps mixed martial arts fun for him.
“I think I definitely am understanding how to compete in MMA more,” Makovsky told host Ariel Helwani on Monday’s edition of “The MMA Hour.” “I really think I’m trying to put everything together. My mentality is probably the biggest part of it. I revamped my whole mentality, especially from when I was (wrestling) in college. I try not to care if I win or lose. I just try to have fun with it and do the best I can.”
So far, that philosophy has translated quite well for Makovsky (13-2, 5-0 Bellator). On Saturday, at Bellator 54, Makovsky has what amounts to a stay-busy fight against Ryan Roberts. His 135-pound title will not be on the line. He won’t put his belt up for grabs until next year, when he fights the winner of the ongoing Bellator bantamweight tournament.
Makovsky said he likes Bellator’s tournament format – after all, winning the inaugural bantamweight tourney is what put him on the major MMA map. But at the same time, he said it has some drawbacks.
“Going into the tournament, I was unknown to the majority of the MMA community,” Makovsky said. “I like that about Bellator – it’s a tournament and you control where you go yourself. I like how they let you get there on your own.
“(But) there’s a downside as far as once I won the tournament, I’ve had a lot of downtime. I fought six times in 2010, and I’ll only fight twice in 2011 with no title fights. There’s ups and downs.”
Makovsky even joked that because of the downtime this calendar year, he may have been better off not winning the first bantamweight tournament – just making the finals. That way, he could compete in this year’s bantamweight tourney and make more money.
Still, the product of the Fight Factory, in Philadelphia, where he trains alongside Bellator lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez, said winning the $100,000 tournament a year ago put him in the position, financially, where he can just concentrate on becoming a better fighter. He no longer has to pay the bills by being an assistant wrestling coach at Drexel University, where he competed collegiately.
“I wasn’t making a living (fighting) by any means until I got into Bellator,” Makovsky said. “My first fight, I fought for $300 to show and $200 to win. I saved a little bit from winning the tournament, but it’s definitely different (not having a job). I’m very happy doing what I love for a living. I get to sleep in when I want and set my training schedule – so I’m living the dream.”
Though he’s on a seven-fight winning streak and holds a title for one of the most prominent MMA promotions in the world, Makovsky said he’s not prepared to say he’s a Top 10 bantamweight in the world. Not that he isn’t confident in his skills, but it’s just not his style.
“I think my skills are up there with those guys, (but) I don’t like to say where I should be ranked,” Makovsky said. “That’s up to the media. I want to continue to grow and be the best I can be, and something like that would put extra pressure on myself. That’s not where I’ll have the most success. I’ll have the most success when I’m focusing on me and getting better. Everything else will take care of itself.”
Zack Makovsky‘s nickname seems to apply to more than just his size.
Makovsky’s “Fun Size” nickname is mostly a playful jab at his physical stature. But the Bellator bantamweight champion is making the size of the fun he has carry over elsewhere, too.
Makovsky said spending his time just trying to improve as a fighter and compete to the highest of his ability is what keeps mixed martial arts fun for him.
“I think I definitely am understanding how to compete in MMA more,” Makovsky told host Ariel Helwani on Monday’s edition of “The MMA Hour.” “I really think I’m trying to put everything together. My mentality is probably the biggest part of it. I revamped my whole mentality, especially from when I was (wrestling) in college. I try not to care if I win or lose. I just try to have fun with it and do the best I can.”
So far, that philosophy has translated quite well for Makovsky (13-2, 5-0 Bellator). On Saturday, at Bellator 54, Makovsky has what amounts to a stay-busy fight against Ryan Roberts. His 135-pound title will not be on the line. He won’t put his belt up for grabs until next year, when he fights the winner of the ongoing Bellator bantamweight tournament.
Makovsky said he likes Bellator’s tournament format – after all, winning the inaugural bantamweight tourney is what put him on the major MMA map. But at the same time, he said it has some drawbacks.
“Going into the tournament, I was unknown to the majority of the MMA community,” Makovsky said. “I like that about Bellator – it’s a tournament and you control where you go yourself. I like how they let you get there on your own.
“(But) there’s a downside as far as once I won the tournament, I’ve had a lot of downtime. I fought six times in 2010, and I’ll only fight twice in 2011 with no title fights. There’s ups and downs.”
Makovsky even joked that because of the downtime this calendar year, he may have been better off not winning the first bantamweight tournament – just making the finals. That way, he could compete in this year’s bantamweight tourney and make more money.
Still, the product of the Fight Factory, in Philadelphia, where he trains alongside Bellator lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez, said winning the $100,000 tournament a year ago put him in the position, financially, where he can just concentrate on becoming a better fighter. He no longer has to pay the bills by being an assistant wrestling coach at Drexel University, where he competed collegiately.
“I wasn’t making a living (fighting) by any means until I got into Bellator,” Makovsky said. “My first fight, I fought for $300 to show and $200 to win. I saved a little bit from winning the tournament, but it’s definitely different (not having a job). I’m very happy doing what I love for a living. I get to sleep in when I want and set my training schedule – so I’m living the dream.”
Though he’s on a seven-fight winning streak and holds a title for one of the most prominent MMA promotions in the world, Makovsky said he’s not prepared to say he’s a Top 10 bantamweight in the world. Not that he isn’t confident in his skills, but it’s just not his style.
“I think my skills are up there with those guys, (but) I don’t like to say where I should be ranked,” Makovsky said. “That’s up to the media. I want to continue to grow and be the best I can be, and something like that would put extra pressure on myself. That’s not where I’ll have the most success. I’ll have the most success when I’m focusing on me and getting better. Everything else will take care of itself.”
This Saturday, October 15th, Bellator Fighting Championship returns to Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. One of the most highly anticipated fights on the card features rising lightweight prospect Rene Nazare, who will meet Jacob Kirwan in a …
This Saturday, October 15th, Bellator Fighting Championship returns to Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. One of the most highly anticipated fights on the card features rising lightweight prospect Rene Nazare, who will meet Jacob Kirwan in a televised feature fight.
With a perfect 10-0 record, the 29-year-old Nazare has to be regarded as a fighter to watch.
A native of Brazil, Nazare now fights out of Ithaca, New York. Only two of his 10 victories have reached decision. He has four finishes each by submission and TKO.
I recently spoke with him at his training facility, Ultimate Athletics Gym, home of the BombSquad Mixed Martial Arts Team.
Jose Aldo
The injury that knocked 