Bellator 27 Recap: What The Hell Is a ‘Bantam,’ Anyway?

By DL “Dance Lord” Richardson
(Video courtesy YouTube/BellatorMMA)
When it comes to MMA, everyone has preferences. Some people want nothing but knockouts (these are the people waiting three hours to get Chuck Liddell’s autograph)…

By DL “Dance Lord” Richardson

(Video courtesy YouTube/BellatorMMA)

When it comes to MMA, everyone has preferences. Some people want nothing but knockouts (these are the people waiting three hours to get Chuck Liddell’s autograph), some people love nothing more than a fighter scoring a submission win off their back (if you don’t heart Sakuraba, I don’t want to be your friend). Some people love the heavy leather of the weight classes over 200 pounds (looking at you, Stak40), and some people love the non-stop dynamos that compete below 160 pounds. For those who dig an “I just gave my four year old Starbucks and meth” pace, Bellator hooked it up with a bantamweight showcase at The Majestic Theatre in San Antonio last night, and topped off the card with a much-anticipated matchup between current Featherweight Champion Joe Soto and Joe Warren. If you missed it, you better have a damn good reason or a note from your mom.

Come on in for a recap, but I *highly suggest* you watch Soto – Warren before you read it. These guys both wanted the belt like a thirteen year old girl wants a vampire boyfriend, and they put on a jaw dropper. I’ll talk about it, run down the other fights on the card, and if you’re good boys and girls, I’ll even tell you about bantams.

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Unreal Comeback By Joe Warren

Joe Soto was winning the first round 10-8. However, against Joe Warren, a guy you can’t count out…ever. Warren comes out clips Soto on the ear, Soto falls, but is clearly ok. Warren follows with punches from above, Soto gets up. As they move towards the cage, Warren catches Soto with a knee followed by […]

Joe Soto was winning the first round 10-8. However, against Joe Warren, a guy you can’t count out…ever.

Warren comes out clips Soto on the ear, Soto falls, but is clearly ok. Warren follows with punches from above, Soto gets up. As they move towards the cage, Warren catches Soto with a knee followed by a left hook that folds Soto with a KO ref stoppage and takes the belt.

Amazing come back. Catch it on youtube or wherever.

*I picked Joe Warren to beat Kid Yamamoto, just saying.

Bob Reilly to Appear on Inside MMA Tomorrow Night to Demonstrate His Ignorance About MMA

(Video courtesy HDNet)
Assemblyman Bob Reilly is the man leading the charge against legalizing mixed martial arts in the state of New York, and tomorrow night on "Inside MMA," the sport’s most vocal critic explains his opposition in Part One…


(Video courtesy HDNet)

Assemblyman Bob Reilly is the man leading the charge against legalizing mixed martial arts in the state of New York, and tomorrow night on "Inside MMA," the sport’s most vocal critic explains his opposition in Part One of an exclusive two-part interview.

"What attracts people to Ultimate Fighting unfortunately is the violence and violence is not good for our society," Reilly says. "The difference between mixed martial arts and every other sport is that in mixed martial arts the purpose is to damage your opponent."

On tomorrow night’s episode Kenny Rice and Bas Rutten are joined on the panel this week by Randy and Ryan Couture and Bellator middleweight champion Hector Lombard, all who strongly disagree with Reilly’s statements. 

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Joe Soto, Joe Warren Meet in Bellator’s First True Title Fight

Filed under: Bellator, NewsThe surge in popularity of mixed martial arts in the last five years brought with it plenty of upstart promotions looking for their piece of the pie.

A few major promotions have come along, and a few have gone away, includi…

Filed under: ,

The surge in popularity of mixed martial arts in the last five years brought with it plenty of upstart promotions looking for their piece of the pie.

A few major promotions have come along, and a few have gone away, including EliteXC and Affliction, both rather infamously.

When Bellator Fighting Championships arrived in spring 2009, it launched with a format unique enough to give it a better shot at longevity than some of its predecessors.

Using season-long tournaments, Bellator crowned champions in four weight classes in its first season. The Season 2 tournaments in those classes created opponents for the Season 1 champs to defend their belts against.

Thursday, in Season 3, in its 27th event, Bellator gets to see some of the fruits of its labor when Season 1 featherweight title winner Joe Soto meets Season 2 tournament champ Joe Warren in San Antonio. It will be Bellator’s first true title fight.

Roger Huerta Meets Eddie Alvarez at Bellator 33 in Philadelphia

Filed under: Bellator, NewsBellator Season 2 lightweight tournament winner Pat Curran has pulled out of his Season 3 fight against champion Eddie Alvarez with an injury and will be replaced by Roger Huerta at Bellator 33.

MMA Junkie reported the news …

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Bellator Season 2 lightweight tournament winner Pat Curran has pulled out of his Season 3 fight against champion Eddie Alvarez with an injury and will be replaced by Roger Huerta at Bellator 33.

MMA Junkie reported the news on Thursday and MMA Fighting has confirmed with Curran that he is out and with sources close to Alvarez’s camp that he and Huerta have agreed to the bout, which will not be a title fight.

MMA Fighting has also learned that the fight will take place on Oct. 21 in Philadelphia, not Kansas City as previously reported. Bellator’s official website does not list a city or venue for the show. [Eds. Note: Bellator confirmed the fight during its Thursday night event broadcast.]

Did TMZ Mislead Everyone with the Roger Huerta Streetfight Video and Story?

  (Unless Huerta had plastic surgery recently, this isn’t him, which means he may not be the guy who TMZ says ‘can be seen finishing his attack on the other man … who is sprawled out on the street.’")
MMA journalists are accused all t…

 
(Unless Huerta had plastic surgery recently, this isn’t him, which means he may not be the guy who TMZ says ‘can be seen finishing his attack on the other man … who is sprawled out on the street.’")

MMA journalists are accused all the time of being "TMZ-like" reporters — sensationalistic rumor-mongers who report on stories devoid of any real facts. Calling  a reporter that is just as bad as saying "you have no integrity and have no right to be in your chosen profession."

Rarely does the match that lit the flame of a story we helped fan into a blazing, fast-spreading inferno get traced back to the source of that most detested disparaging monicker, but when it does, although it isn’t surprising considering the source, it makes you look long and hard at your own journalistic practices.

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