Tag: Cro Cop

Rizin 13 Results & Highlights: Nasukawa & Horiguchi Impress In Crossover Bout

Today’s (Sun., September 30, 2018) Rizin 13 featured a rarely-seen spectacle in combat sports. Former UFC title challenger and current Rizin FF champion Kyoji Horiguchi ventured outside of his comfort zone to take on Japan’s biggest kickboxing star Tenshin Nasukawa under kickboxing rules. Horiguchi put on a valiant effort over the course of the three-round […]

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Today’s (Sun., September 30, 2018) Rizin 13 featured a rarely-seen spectacle in combat sports.

Former UFC title challenger and current Rizin FF champion Kyoji Horiguchi ventured outside of his comfort zone to take on Japan’s biggest kickboxing star Tenshin Nasukawa under kickboxing rules. Horiguchi put on a valiant effort over the course of the three-round bout, landing some power shots and holding his own.

Nasukawa rallied late thanks to a final-round cartwheel kick, however. He emerged with a unanimous decision victory. Horiguchi held his own in a ruleset outside of what he’s used to in mixed martial arts. The Japanese champion gave a touching tribute to his mentor Morifumi ‘Kid’ Yamamoto, who passed away earlier this September.

The defeat was Horiguchi’s first since he lost to all-time great former UFC champion Demetrious ‘Mighty Mouse’ Johnson more than three years ago.

An Amazing Crossover Fight

Watch the highlights of Nasukawa’s second-round flurry here:

Check out Nasukawa’s vicious kicks and Horiguchi’s power punches in slow motion here:

Finally, watch the video of Nasukawa’s awe-inspiring third-round cartwheel kick that helped him seal the huge win:

A Star Rises

Also on the card, Jiri Procházka beat Jake Heun with a first-round onslaught. The rising star has won six in a row. Watch his latest stoppage, his 21st in 22 wins:

An Old UFC Veteran Continues To Impress

UFC veteran Daron Cruickshank also scored another impressive finish in Rizin. Cruickshank floored fellow UFC veteran Diego Brandao with a brutal knee. Watch it right here:

All-time great former PRIDE GP champion and UFC vet Mirko Cro Cop picked up at the event. He finished Roque Martinez in the final seconds of the opening round via TKO.

Full Rizin 13 results are as follows:

  • Jiri Prochazka def. Jake Heun via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:29
  • Mikuru Asakura def. Karshyga Dautbek via unanimous decision
  • Daron Cruickshank def. Diego Brandao via knockout (flying knee) – Round 2, 0:17
  • Tenshin Nasukawa def. Kyoji Horiguchi via unanimous decision (kickboxing bout)
  • Miyuu Yamamoto def. Andy Nguyen via unanimous decision
  • Mirko Cro Cop def. Roque Martinez via TKO (doctor stoppage) – Round 1, 4:58
  • Bob Sapp def. Abdelrahman Shalan via unanimous decision
  • Haruo Ochi def. Mitsuhisa Sunabe via knockout (punch, soccer kicks) – Round 3, 2:53
  • Kai Asakura def. Topnoi Tiger Muay Thai via unanimous decision
  • Ayaka Hamasaki def. Mina Kurobe via submission (kimura) – Round 1, 4:45
  • Manel Kape def. Yusaku Nakamura via technical submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 4: 27

 

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Mirko Cro Cop Returns At September’s RIZIN 13

Mirko Crop will be back in action this fall.

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MMA legend Mirko Cro Cop returns to action this September.

Earlier today (Fri., August 24, 2018) Japanese promotion RIZIN held a press conference consequently announcing the bouts for their upcoming RIZIN 13 on September 30, 2018, from the Saitama Super Arena in Tokyo.

The event will be headlined by RIZIN bantamweight champion and former UFC flyweight title challenger Kyoji Horiguchi. He will face off with undefeated kickboxer Tenshin in the main event under RIZIN kickboxing rules. The fight will be Horiguchi’s kickboxing debut, therefore making it a huge occurrence for Japanese combat sports.

The event will also feature the RIZIN debut of kickboxer TAIGA. He’ll meet Kento Haraguchi in another bout under RIZIN kickboxing rules.

RIZIN 13 is gaining recognition due to another reason, however.

Former Pride FC Grand Prix winner and UFC vet Mirko Cro Cop will face RIZIN Megaton champion Roque Martinez. Martinez is coming off a huge win at RIZIN 12. Filipovic will return from a significant knee injury that forced him out of his scheduled Bellator 200 match-up against Roy Nelson because of its severity.

Daron Cruickshank and Diego Brandao will meet in a battle of UFC veterans, providing another exciting fight. The full RIZIN 13 lineup can be viewed right here via MMA Mania:

TAIGA vs Kento Haraguchi (kickboxing)
Kyoji Horiguchi vs Tenshin (kickboxing)
Daron Cruickshank vs Diego Brandao
Jiri Prochazka vs Jake Heun
Andy Nguyen vs Miyuu Yamamoto II
Yusaku Nakamura vs Manel Kape
Mikuru Asakura vs Karshyga Dautbek
Kai Asakura vs Topnoi
Mitsuhisa Sunabe vs Haruo Ochi
Cro Cop vs Roque Martinez

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Photo: Cro Cop Reveals Injury That Forced Him Off Bellator 200

Cro Cop showed fans why he couldn’t fight Roy Nelson this weekend…

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MMA legend Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic was forced out of his Bellator 200 rematch against Roy “Big Country” Nelson with an undisclosed injury just days before the fight.

”Cro Cop” posted a photo on Instagram of him after surgery for the knee injury while laying in a hospital bed, and it certainly looks like a legitimate reason to not fight this weekend:

A post shared by Mirko Filipovi? (@crocop1009) on

The PRIDE FC and UFC heavyweight was set to make his Bellator debut against “Big Country,” who had defeated him by TKO back in 2011. The kickboxer generally has good luck in rematches, having brutally avenged his shocking knockout loss to Gabriel Gonzaga by returning the favor.

The rematch with Nelson could have easily been an alternate bout for the Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix, but alas it was not meant to be.

Instead, Gegard Mousasi’s fight against middleweight champion Rafael Carvalho will headline the card.

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Bellator Signs British Reality TV Star For Bellator 200

A fighter from England’s version of ‘The Jersey Shore’ will make his Bellator debut in the U.K. Bellator signed undefeated prospect Aaron Chalmers (3-0), best known for his role on MTV England’s “The Geordie Shore,” following a provisional release from his previous BAMMA contract. It was soon announced that Chalmers would take on Ash Griffiths […]

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A fighter from England’s version of ‘The Jersey Shore’ will make his Bellator debut in the U.K.

Bellator signed undefeated prospect Aaron Chalmers (3-0), best known for his role on MTV England’s “The Geordie Shore,” following a provisional release from his previous BAMMA contract. It was soon announced that Chalmers would take on Ash Griffiths (4-5) at Bellator 200 on May 25 from The SSE Arena in Wembley, England.

Chalmers was most well-known for his role on ‘The Geordie Shore’ since the show’s eighth season beginning in 2014, and also appeared on a second British reality show titled “Ex on the Beach.” Last year Chalmers made a transition to MMA on the strength of his Muay Thai background, signing with BAMMA and notching three impressive finish wins in one year.

He submitted Greg Jenkins in his professional MMA debut in May, followed it up with a 30-second KO of Alex Thompson in September, and capped off his huge first year as a pro with a first-round TKO over Karl Donaldson last December. Chalmers will meet his most experienced opponent in Griffiths, but it remains a set-up fight for him to flash his skills as Griffiths has dropped three straight fights and four out of his past five.

Bellator 200 will be headlined by a middleweight title match between Rafael Carvalho and longtime contender Gegard Mousasi, while legend Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic will make his Bellator debut against UFC veteran Roy Nelson.

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10 Biggest Mismatches In MMA History

We’ve all watched a mixed martial arts fight where one fighter seemed outclassed from the moment the bout was scheduled. Whether that fighter is facing skill or size obstacles, they still show up and fight, even when faced with insurmountable odds against them. Take a look at the 10 biggest mismatches in MMA history: 10.

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We’ve all watched a mixed martial arts fight where one fighter seemed outclassed from the moment the bout was scheduled.

Whether that fighter is facing skill or size obstacles, they still show up and fight, even when faced with insurmountable odds against them.

Take a look at the 10 biggest mismatches in MMA history:

10. Fedor Emelianenko vs. Zuluzinho

Anytime you have what might be the beast heavyweight mixed martial artist of all time in the ring, it may always seem a little lopsided.

That fact was no better demonstrated in his 36-second destruction of Brazilian behemoth Zuluzinho.

While Zulu was a formidable 6 foot 7 and over 400 pounds of human, his ridiculous size was not enough to overcome Fedor’s unbelievable win streak and skill-set.

A straight left hand planted the big man on his bottom. Fedor attacked with lightning quick instinct, and felled his foe before he was able to get to his feet from the very first punch landed.

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Fedor Emelianenko’s Five Most Amazing Victories Of All-Time

All-time great heavyweight legend Fedor Emelianenko will make his anticipated Bellator debut versus UFC veteran Matt Mitrione in the main event of this tomorrow’s (Sat., February 18, 2017) Bellator 172 from the SAP Center in Sacramento, California. The former PRIDE legend and heavyweight champion may be in the twilight of his illustrious career, having barely

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All-time great heavyweight legend Fedor Emelianenko will make his anticipated Bellator debut versus UFC veteran Matt Mitrione in the main event of this tomorrow’s (Sat., February 18, 2017) Bellator 172 from the SAP Center in Sacramento, California.

The former PRIDE legend and heavyweight champion may be in the twilight of his illustrious career, having barely outlasted UFC castoff Fabio Maldonado with an extremely controversial decision at EFN 50 last June. But ‘The Last Emperor’ is still one of the most popular fighters in MMA, and he brings a five-fight win streak into the Bellator cage this Saturday night.

While his biggest impacts on the sport of MMA may have already been made by Emelianenko, but many fans who have picked up the sport in recent years unfortunately didn’t have a chance to grasp the true greatness and aura of Fedor. That means there’s not a better time to look back on his five biggest wins for hardcore fans and fans new to MMA alike. Here are ‘The Last Emperor’s’ five greatest wins.

5.) Knockout of Andrei Arlovski at Affliction: Day Of Reckoning:

Fedor came into this fight with former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski on an incredible 26-fight unbeaten streak, and his only loss was an incredibly controversial TKO stoppage against Tsuyoshi Kohsaka due to a cut, a loss which he later avenged in Pride.

He was also riding high on the momentum of a finish win over another former UFC champ in Tim Sylvia, who he submitted at Affliction: Banned only six months earlier, but ‘The Pitbull’ was actually taking it to Emelianenko early on in their match, landing crisp punches and inside leg kicks and even rocking Emelianenko with a body kick that bounced him off the ropes.

However, he made the fatal mistake of launching for an ill-advised flying knee on ‘The Last Emperor,’ who was waiting with a picture-perfect right hand that floored Arlovski in what ranks as his cleanest finish of all-time. The victory even earned him ‘Knockout of the Year’ in 2009.

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