Tag: Bellator

Bellator’s Fifth Season is Coming

Above is the decidedly high-def looking promo for Bellator’s fifth season, kicking off on September 10th in Atlantic City, New Jersey. I mention the spiffyness of the visuals because one of the few complaints that I’ve ever leveled at BFC is the standard definition broadcasting. When the trailer was released a few weeks ago, I honestly thought it was just a little accidental irony.

Nope. A couple of days ago, it was announced that Bellator season five tournaments will be broadcast in HD baby! Now go dig out your cable programming guide and try to determine if you have EPIX. I’ve never heard of it, but apparently it’s an actual channel somewhere, so I’m going to call DISH Network and start offering them money until they can confirm that I’ll see Bellator in 1080p.

If you’re not excited about the upcoming season, watch that video again. You may not realize it, but that’s Bruce Lee talking about being like water. It’s some deep philosophical type shit, and it’s pretty much him guaranteeing that he’s going to join a tournament and wreck shop. Seeing the founder of Jeet Kun Do step away from his acting career and FINALLY step into the cage is going to be sick, and I’m looking forward to putting an end to all that speculation about how good he’d be.

(For an actual preview of two of the four planned tournaments this season, come on in past the jump.)

Above is the decidedly high-def looking promo for Bellator’s fifth season, kicking off on September 10th in Atlantic City, New Jersey. I mention the spiffyness of the visuals because one of the few complaints that I’ve ever leveled at BFC is the standard definition broadcasting. When the trailer was released a few weeks ago, I honestly thought it was just a little accidental irony.

Nope. A couple of days ago, it was announced that Bellator season five tournaments will be broadcast in HD baby! Now go dig out your cable programming guide and try to determine if you have EPIX. I’ve never heard of it, but apparently it’s an actual channel somewhere, so I’m going to call DISH Network and start offering them money until they can confirm that I’ll see Bellator in 1080p.

If you’re not excited about the upcoming season, watch that video again. You may not realize it, but that’s Bruce Lee talking about being like water. It’s some deep philosophical type shit, and it’s pretty much him guaranteeing that he’s going to join a tournament and wreck shop.  Seeing the founder of Jeet Kun Do step away from his acting career and FINALLY step into the cage is going to be sick, and I’m looking forward to putting an end to all that speculation about how good he’d be.

(For an actual preview of two of the four planned tournaments this season, come on in past the jump.)

Bantamweight

The 135 pound tournament is packed full of storylines and rivalries.  Current featherweight champ Joe Warren is joining the field in an attempt to earn Bellator gold in two weight classes. Here’s the thing about Joe Warren: before Chael Sonnen, there was Joe Warren: he doesn’t lack confidence and he’s not afraid to tell you what’s on his mind.   The self-proclaimed “Baddest Man on the Planet” missed the 2008 Olympics due to smoking a little reefer, where he would have represented the US at 60kg in wrestling.  (Just my opinion, but if you can smoke grass and stay on weight , you deserve a medal at something.  Damn IOC always trying to bring a man down. )

His opponent will be the Cuban Olympic wrestler Alexis Vila, who won a bronze medal in at the 1996 Games at 48kg. You may remember Vila from his appearance in the Genghis Con web documentary Miami Hustle, in which he was angry a lot and hit people really hard. If anyone wants to bet me that Vila does not beat the absolute piss out Warren in the first round, I will laugh and take your money.

Chase Beebe, who fought Warren in his first pro MMA fight and lost (Beebe was 12-3 at the time), joins the tournament looking for redemption.  To get it, Beebe will have to get through Marcos Galvao, who gave Warren all he could handle at Bellator 41 (and lost a controversial split decision).  Still with me?

Eduardo Dantas out of Brazilian powerhouse Nova Uniao signed on with Bellator, and will face perennial contender Wilson Reis for his North American debut.  Dantas won the Shooto South American title, but failed to win the world title in a bout with Masakatsu Ueda in 2009.

Ed West made it to the finals in season three before losing to current champ Zach Makovsky, and he draws Team Renovacao product Luis Alberto Nogueira in the quarterfinals.  Nogueira has a loss on his record to Dantas, and if the two meet, expect Bellator to fill you in on Luta Livre vs BJJ.

Joe Warren vs Alexis Vila
Chase Beebe vs Marcos Galvao
Wilson Reis vs Eduardo Dantas
Ed West vs Luis Nogueira

Welterweight

Welterweights will kick off the fifth season, with the quarterfinals in the 170 pound tournament taking up the card at Bellator 49 on the 10th.  Welterweight has always been a deep division for Bellator, and new free agents add some spice to the brackets.

MFC’s former welterweight champ Douglas Lima enters the quarterfinals against Steve Carl, who lost to Dan Hornbuckle in the season two tournament, then rebounded with win over Tyler Stinson via CTFO.

Hornbuckle, meanwhile, will run into a welterweight almost as tall as he is —  Luis “Sapo” Santos, a Brazilian wrecking machine that’s every bit as well-rounded as Hornbuckle.  Check your DVR twice, because you are not going to want to miss this fight.

Ben Saunders draws Chris Cisneros, a 13-3 Hawaiian fighter who stepped in for the recently injured Rick Hawn, and Kentucky fighter-philosopher Brent Weedman battles the Cleveland Assassin Chris Lozano.  Weedman went 5-0 in Bellator until he met Jay Hieron in the semifinals a few months ago, and he’s totally worth following on Twitter.  Lozano has earned all eight of his wins via stoppage, with just one loss — a decision to former Bellator champ Lyman Good.

Douglas Lima vs Steve Carl
Dan Hornbuckle vs Luis Santos
Ben Saunders vs Chris Cisneros
Brent Weedman vs Chris Lozano

[RX]

Bellator 52 to Kick-Start Season Five Heavyweight Tournament

Filed under: Bellator, NewsRon Sparks, Mark Holata, Neil Grove, Mike Hayes, Thiago Santos, Blagoi Ivanov, Eric Prindle and Abe Wagner are the eight powerhouses set to compete in Bellator’s season five heavyweight tournament to determine a No. 1 contend…

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Ron Sparks, Mark Holata, Neil Grove, Mike Hayes, Thiago Santos, Blagoi Ivanov, Eric Prindle and Abe Wagner are the eight powerhouses set to compete in Bellator‘s season five heavyweight tournament to determine a No. 1 contender to face champion Cole Konrad.

The tournament starts with the quarterfinals at Bellator 52 on Oct. 1 at the L’Audberge du Lac Casino Resort in Lake Charles, La. An early look at the matchups after the jump.

Neil Grove (11-3-1) vs. Mike Hayes (15-4-1)

As the only returning heavyweight tournament entrant, Grove was the season three runner-up losing in the finals to Konrad. At 40, Grove isn’t going to light the heavyweight world on fire, but he’ll always be a fan favorite for his guns blazing style of fighting, as he displayed in a ridiculous fight against Zak Jensen at Bellator 47 last month. Impressively, all 11 of Grove’s career wins were (T)KOs within the first two rounds. Hayes joins the field this year coming off three straight wins. Because of the lack of depth in the regional heavyweight circuit, Hayes hasn’t been fighting solid competition and Grove should be one of his more competitive fights.

Thiago Santos (8-1) vs. Blagoi Ivanov (4-0)

As the only Brazilian in the tournament, the BJJ black belt Santos will be fighting on American soil for the first time. His opponent Ivanov is most known for beating Fedor Emelianenko en route to winning the World Sambo Championships in 2008. Capitalizing on the notoriety, Ivanov made the full-time jump to MMA and is slowly trying to establish himself through Bellator. If there’s a breakthrough fighter coming out of this tournament, it’ll likely be Santos, but the fight itself carries the most significance of the four tournament bouts, as both Santos and Ivanov are young with untapped potential.

Eric Prindle (7-1) vs. Abe Wagner (10-4)

Though he only has eight fights under his belt, Prindle started fighting MMA back in May 2004 before taking a three-year break after his first two fights. As one of the lesser recognizable names in the field, this Death Clutch member will be looking to catch his big break. Wagner is a former Ultimate Fighter contestant who resuscitated his career earlier this year when he stopped Tim Sylvia in 32 seconds.

Ron Sparks (7-0) vs. Mark Holata (11-2)

Sparks, a two-time Bellator winner, is a heavy-hitter with only one of his fights going the distance. The rest were closed out within halfway through the first round. Holata has done well for himself fighting locally in the Midwest as well as winning his two Bellator fights. Sparks-Holata, along with Grove-Hayes, are almost guarantees to end quickly.

 

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Bellator: Eddie Alvarez vs. Shinya Aoki Rematch Possible in 2012

Two of mixed martial arts’ elite lightweights appear set to face each other once again.According to Sherdog.com, Dream lightweight champion Shinya Aoki and Bellator lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez may face each other in a rematch in the works under …

Two of mixed martial arts’ elite lightweights appear set to face each other once again.

According to Sherdog.com, Dream lightweight champion Shinya Aoki and Bellator lightweight champion Eddie Alvarez may face each other in a rematch in the works under the Bellator banner.

The bout, targeted for early 2012, will be the first time these two champions have faced each other since the Dynamite!! 2008 New Year’s Eve event where Aoki submitted Alvarez with a heel hook less than two minutes into the first round.

Since the loss, Alvarez has won seven straight fights and captured the Bellator lightweight title.  He is currently scheduled to face Michael Chandler at Bellator 54 on October 15th, Alvarez’s second title defense.

Aoki has gone 9-2 since defeating Alvarez, winning the Dream lightweight belt in 2009 by submitting Joachim Hansen.

The rumored bout is planned to take place in the United States in what would be only Aoki’s third fight outside of Japan.

In his first fight in America, Aoki faced Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez in April of 2010, losing a lopsided decision in the five round title affair. Aoki has rebounded from the loss by going 5-0, including a win over Strikeforce lightweight Lyle Beerbohm in his second overseas bout.

The current Dream lightweight champion is set to face Rob McCullough in September at Dream 17.

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Hot Rumor of the Day: Alvarez-Aoki Rematch in the Works for 2012

Bad news for Aoki: he may not be able to use those magic tights.

According to a report by Sherdog, Bellator is trying to wrangle a actual, no-shit SuperFight for Eddie Alvarez — a rematch against the Japanese submission wizard Shinya Aoki. The two met previously at Dynamite!!! 2008 for the DREAM lightweight championship, which Aoki won in just 92 seconds via heel hook.

The loss was Alvarez’s first (and only) loss at 155; he’s since reeled off seven straight wins in Bellator and DREAM, winning the Bellator lightweight strap along the way. Alvarez has seen his stock rise in the intervening years, while Aoki has suffered some humiliating losses, including an epic beatdown from Gilbert Melendez for Strikeforce and a hilarious KO loss to Yuichiro Nagashima at DREAM’s 2010 New Year’s Eve show.

Bad news for Aoki:  he may not be able to use those magic tights.

According to a report by Sherdog, Bellator is trying to wrangle a actual, no-shit SuperFight for Eddie Alvarez — a rematch against the Japanese submission wizard Shinya Aoki. The two met previously at Dynamite!!! 2008 for the DREAM lightweight championship, which Aoki won in just 92 seconds via heel hook.

The loss was Alvarez’s first (and only) loss at 155; he’s since reeled off seven straight wins in Bellator and DREAM, winning the Bellator lightweight strap along the way. Alvarez has seen his stock rise in the intervening years, while Aoki has suffered some humiliating losses, including an epic beatdown from Gilbert Melendez for Strikeforce and a hilarious KO loss to Yuichiro Nagashima at DREAM’s 2010 New Year’s Eve show.

(That Nagashima matchup was conveniently labeled an “exhibition” so it’s like it never happened. Except it did happen, and it’s on YouTube, and it’s still a splendidly humorous illustration that karma will occasionally catch up with you, send flying knees into your face, and then laugh while you weep openly.)

While nothing has been made official at this time, we cannot articulate how much we would like to see this bout. Alvarez has continued to develop his game since New Year’s Eve 2008, and Melendez demonstrated a perfect gameplan to beat Aoki. (** Spoiler alert: it involves hitting him until he cries.) Meanwhile, the only part of Aoki’s game that has improved is his asshole persona.

Reportedly, the fight to determine the best lightweight in the world not fighting for Zuffa is being targetted for early 2012 sometime, to take place somewhere. Bellator has stood by its stance that fighters will only get title shots through winning tournaments, so the BFC big gold belt won’t be on the line. Likewise, don’t expect Aoki to put his DREAM title up for grabs either.

Not that titles are what’s important here. Just keep your fingers crossed that this fight goes down.

[RX]

 

Pat Barry on Cole Konrad’s Potential: ‘That’s Cain Velasquez at 300 Pounds’

Filed under: MMA Fighting Exclusive, BellatorJudging from the sounds of the crowd watching him fight last Saturday night at Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut, Cole Konrad didn’t overly impress most in his win over Paul Buentello at Bellator 48. Konrad e…

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Cole KonradJudging from the sounds of the crowd watching him fight last Saturday night at Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut, Cole Konrad didn’t overly impress most in his win over Paul Buentello at Bellator 48. Konrad earned a unanimous decision largely by out-pointing Buentello with a strong jab, firing off an occasional right cross and kicking from distance. It was not a technical masterpiece, but it did represent a major step forward for a fighter who has been criticized for being overly reliant on his wrestling.

One person who has had a front row seat to watch Konrad’s evolution is Pat Barry, the UFC heavyweight who has joined Team Deathclutch in a mutually beneficial arrangement that sees him lending his striking expertise to the wrestling-heavy camp.

According to Barry, when Konrad’s belief in himself parallels his new standup skills, he may become not just one of the best heavyweights in the world, but the very best.

“He’s like 6-foot-4, 300 pounds, and has cat-like balance,” Barry told MMA Fighting. “He can shift all of his weight and put it anywhere. It’s scary. When he develops the confidence in his striking the way that I know how good it is, that’s the heavyweight champion of the world right there, in any organization.”

That might sound like a bit of a stretch, but he says his words with typical Barry conviction. And the more he talks, the more obvious it is that he is quite sure of what he is saying.

“Oh, yeah,” he said. “I guarantee it. That’s Cain Velasquez at 300 pounds. I know it.”

Given Barry’s history in the fight game as both a kickboxer and mixed martial artist, that’s some serious praise. It’s also pretty bold of him to say that about a non-UFC fighter, even if it is someone in his camp.

For his part, the unbeaten Konrad (8-0) took the negative fan reaction well, even though it was ultimately Buentello’s hesitance to engage that slowed the fight down. Even though he’s already the Bellator heavyweight champion, Konrad took it as another learning experience.

“Obviously the fans like to see knockouts, they like to see submissions, things like that, and I guess I haven’t been putting that out there,” Konrad said. “I am young in my career. I’m learning a lot out there. Knockouts are coming and submissions are are coming.”

During the fight, Buentello’s corner seemed mystified at his performance as he seemed frozen at times, perhaps waiting for a Konrad takedown try that didn’t come until well into the third and final round. Buentello finally let his hands go a bit in the third, but it was too little, too late.

Barry said that given Konrad’s reputation as a wrestler, he could understand Buentello’s indecision, and it’s a trend he expects to continue as Konrad continues to evolve his striking and give his opponents more things to consider. In Barry’s estimation, once Konrad begins to really feel confident and mix things up, it’s a wrap for the rest of the world’s heavyweights.

“Every heavyweight who might face him is now totally confused and doesn’t have a game plan or know what to do next time they step across from Cole Konrad,” he said. “You’ve got a guy who is known for throwing one punch, tackling you to the ground, out-wrestling you, smothering you and killing you on the ground. Whether it’s submission or beating you down. This guy stood for two-and-a-half rounds striking with a striker without making one takedown attempt whatsoever. He won a striking war against a striker. Now they don’t know what to do.

“All he’s got to do is believe in it,” Barry continued. “He hits like a monster. That dude is 300 pounds of fist flying at your face. That dude is going to kill you.”

 

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Monday Headlines with Rachelle Leah in Her “Birthday Suit”

TUF 14 cast revealed. International TUF in the works for Australia vs. United Kingdom. Chael Sonnen wouldn’t fight friend and training partner, Yushin Okami; and still wants Anderson Silva title-shot or not, since he’s “already.

TUF 14 cast revealed.

International TUF in the works for Australia vs. United Kingdom.

Chael Sonnen wouldn’t fight friend and training partner, Yushin Okami; and still wants Anderson Silva title-shot or not, since he’s “already the champion”.

Dana White‘s first video blog for UFC 134.

UFC Heavyweight, Antonio “Minotauro” Nogueira wouldn’t want to grapple with a gay man.

Pat Curran wins Bellator 48 Featherweight tournament via head kick to Marlon Sandro in the 2nd round.

Josh Koscheck may be fighting at Middleweight class for UFC 139 in San Jose.

Rachelle Leah and Brittney Palmer were out on the town last night in Los Angeles, celebrating Leah’s birthday. More pics below of the fun-filled birthday bash, which left Leah tweeting: