In a move likely to clean up the roster and free some money for free agents like Rory MacDonald, Bellator MMA has parted ways with seven fighters, including former title challenger Dave Jansen.
According to a report by MMAjunkie, Jansen, Mike Richma…
In a move likely to clean up the roster and free some money for free agents like Rory MacDonald, Bellator MMA has parted ways with seven fighters, including former title challenger Dave Jansen.
According to a report by MMAjunkie, Jansen, Mike Richman, Mikkel Parlo, Raphael Butler, Houston Alexander, Isao Kobayashi and Thiago Goncalves Jambo have all been released.
Jansen (20-4) fought for the Bellator title against then-champion Will Brooks, suffering his first loss in seven fights at that time. He also was bested by top contender Marcin Held after the Brooks loss.
Richman is currently serving a two-year suspension after failing a drug test, while Jambo announced his retirement recently after dropping his promotional debut.
Alexander is a former UFC fighter who has gone 16-14-1 over his career, but just 1-3-1 with Bellator. Parlo and Butler each won four of their bouts with Bellator.
Dave “The Fugitive” Jansen has been waiting a long time for his chance to fight for the Bellator MMA lightweight title. After winning the season 7 lightweight tournament back in March of 2013 Jansen was set for a clash with then champion, Michael Chandler. However, that fight would never take place. Chandler fell victim to injury, as did Jansen. Two years later, fully recovered from a knee injury that had him sidelined eighteen months, Jansen is ready to return to the cage with the hopes of bringing gold back to Portland, Oregon.
The state of Oregon has long been a hotbed for top-level talent in the world of mixed martial arts, but championships have been relatively scarce as of late. The last person fighting out an Oregon based camp to hold a title with a major promotion was Evan Tanner back in 2005. This decade long drought is likely just feeding the fire that is Dave “The Fugitive” Jansen.
I recently had the opportunity to speak with Jansen and get his thoughts on the upcoming title shot against “Ill” Will Brooks at Bellator 136 on April 10. During our discussion Jansen exuded a calm but confident attitude. Jansen seemed excited about the opportunity to fight Brooks he made it clear to me that he knew this day would come, it was inevitable.
Dave “The Fugitive” Jansen has been waiting a long time for his chance to fight for the Bellator MMA lightweight title. After winning the season 7 lightweight tournament back in March of 2013 Jansen was set for a clash with then champion, Michael Chandler. However, that fight would never take place. Chandler fell victim to injury, as did Jansen. Two years later, fully recovered from a knee injury that had him sidelined eighteen months, Jansen is ready to return to the cage with the hopes of bringing gold back to Portland, Oregon.
The state of Oregon has long been a hotbed for top-level talent in the world of mixed martial arts, but championships have been relatively scarce as of late. The last person fighting out an Oregon based camp to hold a title with a major promotion was Evan Tanner back in 2005. This decade long drought is likely just feeding the fire that is Dave “The Fugitive” Jansen.
I recently had the opportunity to speak with Jansen and get his thoughts on the upcoming title shot against “Ill” Will Brooks at Bellator 136 on April 10. During our discussion Jansen exuded a calm but confident attitude. Jansen seemed excited about the opportunity to fight Brooks he made it clear to me that he knew this day would come, it was inevitable.
I asked Jansen, considering the injury and the long wait for this title fight how does it feel to know that a shot at the belt is just 2 months away?
“This is the opportunity of a lifetime and I’m really looking to make the most of it. I knew it was just a matter of time before I got the title shot since I had already won a past tournament. But then they offered me the Rick Hawn fight as a bit of a test coming off my ACL injury to see what I had done since the surgery. I jumped on that opportunity to help speed things along.”
Being put in a comeback fight with a top contender like Rick Hawn (a former Olympian in judo) when you are widely considered next in line for a title shot wouldn’t be an easy thing to deal with for most people. Jansen however, took the challenge by the horn. Jansen showcased his striking in the bout earning a unanimous decision victory. Not known for his striking Jansen’s standup looked much improved against Hawn. I asked Jansen what has changed in his camp that has helped create this newfound success on the feet?
“Since the injury I started training my kickboxing with Robert Villardi and he has changed everything for me as far as my confidence in both my hands and my kicking game [is concerned]. I feel more comfortable than I ever have before and I have so many more weapons on my feet as a result. My flexibility has gotten a lot better, coach Villardi has me on a good stretching routine and it has been a huge help. I want to be able to take the fight anywhere it goes and every fight starts standing up. Early on in my career I was lacking in that part of my game but now things have really improved.”
Jansen has improved his game in more ways than just his striking. Jansen mentioned to me that not only has his striking improved greatly but his Jiu Jitsu has also seen improvement. Jansen credited this to the addition of the 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu program to the Rose City FC family. Head instructor Nathan Orchard is a black belt under Eddie Bravo and Jansen had only positive things to say about Orchard and his team. Even with these improvements to his game Jansen will likely have his hands full when he takes on Will Brooks in April. Brooks is a good wrestler with serious knock out power and excellent speed. I asked Jansen what about Will Brooks impressed him?
“He’s fast, that’s for sure, but I’m not really impressed with his power. I guess I’m just really impressed with his speed but he’s kind of a runner. He goes in and out, in and out. I’m not looking to chase him. I want to make him fight, that’s what I do, I force people to fight and I bully them. I’m really looking to dominate and everything I throw is going to be with bad intentions.”
With speed being the obvious concern I asked Jansen what he was doing in camp to prepare for the speed of a guy like Brooks?
“The trick to beating Will Brooks is training with guys that are faster than Will Brooks and Carson [Frei] and Ian [Loveland] are definitely faster than he is. It won’t be a huge shock to my system when I get in there with Brooks because the guys I’m training with are so fast and talented.”
Jansen went on to praise his teammates in preparing him for this fight. He is proud of the guys around him and made it clear that he thinks the world of them. He specifically mentioned the young upstart, Carson Frei. Jansen praised the work ethic and determination of the young fighter from Idaho and believes that Frei has helped put him in position to defeat Will Brooks at Bellator 136.
Since suffering the ACL injury Jansen has taken the time to get himself healthy and he is trying to stay on a path that will keep him healthy. Jansen mentioned multiple times that his health, both mentally and physically, are very important to him. He wants to be sure he can maintain a high level of performance in and out of the cage. Jansen mentioned specifically that he is working with a sports massage therapist, Bill Proppe, who Jansen is very thankful for. That, in combination with an intense yoga program and two separate stretching programs has been instrumental in keeping Jansen healthy.
From two years to now just two months the wait is nearly over for Dave “The Fugitive” Jansen. Between now and fight night you can find Jansen grinding away at the gym, holding a pose at a yoga class or stretching out with coach Villardi. What you won’t find is Jansen taking time off. Jansen is eager to show the world just what he brings to the table and whether it be a one round lopsided victory or a five round war Jansen will be ready to bring a title back to Oregon.
(“Don’t worry, Mo, we’re pretty sure your belt just got lost in the mail.”)
On the heels of his first successful title defense over Rick Hawn at Bellator 85, Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler has officially been booked to take on his next challenger at Bellator 96, which goes down from the WinStar World Casino in Thackerville, Oklahoma on June 19th.
Undefeated in his mixed martial arts career, Chandler has won eight straight fights under the Bellator banner, including victories over Akihiro Gono, Patricky Freire, and a 4th round submission over Eddie Alvarez in an absolute war back in November of 2011 that secured him the title.
Also set for the June 19th card will be a clash between former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal and UFC/EliteXC veteran Seth Petruzelli that will in no way draw comparisons to Petruzelli’s infamous knockout of Kimbo Slice, we assure you (ROCKY! ROCKY IS HERE!! THE MOST INCREDIBLE…VICTORY…IN THE HISTORY OF MIXED MARTIAL ARTS!).
(“Don’t worry, Mo, we’re pretty sure your belt just got lost in the mail.”)
On the heels of his first successful title defense over Rick Hawn at Bellator 85, Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler has officially been booked to take on his next challenger at Bellator 96, which goes down from the WinStar World Casino in Thackerville, Oklahoma on June 19th.
Undefeated in his mixed martial arts career, Chandler has won eight straight fights under the Bellator banner, including victories over Akihiro Gono, Patricky Freire, and a 4th round submission over Eddie Alvarez in an absolute war back in November of 2011 that secured him the title.
Also set for the June 19th card will be a clash between former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal and UFC/EliteXC veteran Seth Petruzelli that will in no way draw comparisons to Petruzelli’s infamous knockout of Kimbo Slice, we assure you (ROCKY! ROCKY IS HERE!! THE MOST INCREDIBLE…VICTORY…IN THE HISTORY OF MIXED MARTIAL ARTS!).
(Michael Page vs. Ryan Sanders — strong front-runner for Phantom Punch of 2013. Props: videosei.)
Despite losing some of its star power due toinjuries, last night’s Bellator 93 event in Lewiston, Maine, turned out to be a mostly-satisfying affair, with eight of the ten scheduled matches ending within the first-round, and three ending within the first 20 seconds. But two unfortunate moments cast a shadow on the event.
First off, Michael Page‘s hotly-anticipated Bellator debut ended with a 10-second KO victory over Ryan Sanders, as the flashy British striker caught Sanders with a straight right as his victim was charging in…or so it seemed. Upon closer inspection, there was something a little fishy about the stoppage. Watch the replays in the video above, and you’ll see that Page either barely touched Sanders, or didn’t touch him at all. At any rate, the strike didn’t seem to justify the reaction of Sanders, who immediately flopped to the mat, clutching his head in agony. He was back on his feet moments later, looking somewhat disappointed. We’re not going to accuse Bellator of some vast conspiracy; it’s more likely that Sanders simply didn’t want to be there. And unfortunately, he may have robbed us of the opportunity to see Page produce another classic no-walk-off knockout.
Speaking of let-downs, the guaranteed barnburner between Marcus Davis vs. Waachiim Spiritwolf ended in a no-contest in the first round, after Davis nailed Spiritwolf with a knee to the groin; Spiritwolf couldn’t continue after the foul. (Sound familiar?) Though the Lewiston crowd chanted “Bullshit!” and booed Spiritwolf in an apparent indictment of his bitchassness, there was nothing fake about that low-blow. Check out the GIF below, via BloodyElbow…
(Michael Page vs. Ryan Sanders — strong front-runner for Phantom Punch of 2013. Props: videosei.)
Despite losing some of its star power due toinjuries, last night’s Bellator 93 event in Lewiston, Maine, turned out to be a mostly-satisfying affair, with eight of the ten scheduled matches ending within the first-round, and three ending within the first 20 seconds. But two unfortunate moments cast a shadow on the event.
First off, Michael Page‘s hotly-anticipated Bellator debut ended with a 10-second KO victory over Ryan Sanders, as the flashy British striker caught Sanders with a straight right as his victim was charging in…or so it seemed. Upon closer inspection, there was something a little fishy about the stoppage. Watch the replays in the video above, and you’ll see that Page either barely touched Sanders, or didn’t touch him at all. At any rate, the strike didn’t seem to justify the reaction of Sanders, who immediately flopped to the mat, clutching his head in agony. He was back on his feet moments later, looking somewhat disappointed. We’re not going to accuse Bellator of some vast conspiracy; it’s more likely that Sanders simply didn’t want to be there. And unfortunately, he may have robbed us of the opportunity to see Page produce another classic no-walk-off knockout.
Speaking of let-downs, the guaranteed barnburner between Marcus Davis vs. Waachiim Spiritwolf ended in a no-contest in the first round, after Davis nailed Spiritwolf with a knee to the groin; Spiritwolf couldn’t continue after the foul. (Sound familiar?) Though the Lewiston crowd chanted “Bullshit!” and booed Spiritwolf in an apparent indictment of his bitchassness, there was nothing fake about that low-blow. Check out the GIF below, via BloodyElbow…
In other main card action, can-crusher extraordinaire Travis Wiuff‘s return to the heavyweight division ended up with him getting crushed in just 18 seconds. The GIF below tells the entire story of the fight, pretty much — southpaw Ryan Martinez landed a heavy straight left early, and didn’t stop swinging until Big Dan was pulling him off. It was the third consecutive loss for Wiuff.
Finally, in the main event, Dave Jansen and Marcin Held battled for three rounds to determine Bellator’s Season 7 Lightweight Tournament winner. Though he’s primarily known as a submission ace with a taste for leg-locks, Held looked very comfortable keeping the fight standing in the first round, getting the better of Jansen in most of their striking exchanges. Ironically, Held was much less effective on the mat, as his attempts to tie Jansen up in the second round were consistently met with escapes and ground-and-pound. As the Polish prodigy began to fade in the third, Jansen turned up the heat, beating him up in the standup exchanges and keeping his knees/ankles well out of danger. Jansen took the fight by unanimous decision, upping his Bellator record to a perfect 6-0, and earning a future title shot against Michael Chandler.
Full results from Bellator 93 are below…
MAIN CARD
– Dave Jansen def. Marcin Held via unanimous decision (29-28 x 3)
– Ryan Martinez def. Travis Wiuff via KO, 0:18 of round 1
– Marcus Davis vs. Waachiim Spiritwolf declared a no contest (unintentional low blow), 3:05 of round 1
PRELIMINARY CARD
– Dave Vitkay def. Jesse Peterson via technical submission (guillotine choke), 0:18 of round 1
– Michael Page def. Ryan Sanders via KO, 0:10 of round 1
– Jason Butcher def. Jack Hermansson via submission (triangle choke), 2:24 of round 1
– Mike Mucitelli def. Brett Dillingham via submission (armbar), 2:48 of round 1
– Joe Pacheco def. Pierry Pierre via submission (Americana), 1:54 of round 1
– Vince Murdock def. John Raio via TKO, 4:01 of round 3
– Jon Lemke def. Jesse Erickson via TKO, 2:50 of round 1
With no competition from the UFC last night (well, no real competition, at least), Bellator took to the Sovereign Center in Reading, Pennsylvania to make a statement with Bellator 77. The main card played host to the quarterfinals of this season’s lightweight tournament.
In the evening’s main event, 20-0 Russian lightweight Alexander Sarnavskiy made his Bellator debut against UFC veteran Rich Clementi. Despite his creative, diverse offense, Sarnavskiy struggled early against Clementi, almost succumbing to a rear-naked choke at the end of the first round. Although he would adjust to end up making the fight very close, in the end Clementi won by split-decision. With the victory, Rich Clementi improves to 45-21-1.
In the co-main event, WEC veteran Dave Jansen finished a very game Magomed Saadulaev with a standing arm-in guillotine forty-one seconds into the third round. After a close first round, Jansen spent the second round breaking down Saadulaev with his ground and pound. Video of the entire fight is available after the jump.
Highlights from Clementi vs. Sarnavskiy
With no competition from the UFC last night (well, no real competition, at least), Bellator took to the Sovereign Center in Reading, Pennsylvania to make a statement with Bellator 77. The main card played host to the quarterfinals of this season’s lightweight tournament.
In the evening’s main event, 20-0 Russian lightweight Alexander Sarnavskiy made his Bellator debut against UFC veteran Rich Clementi. Despite his creative, diverse offense, Sarnavskiy struggled early against Clementi, almost succumbing to a rear-naked choke at the end of the first round. Although he would adjust to end up making the fight very close, in the end Clementi won by split-decision. With the victory, Rich Clementi improves to 45-21-1.
In the co-main event, WEC veteran Dave Jansen finished a very game Magomed Saadulaev with a standing arm-in guillotine forty-one seconds into the third round. After a close first round, Jansen spent the second round breaking down Saadulaev with his ground and pound. Video of the entire fight is available after the jump.
Dave Jansen vs. Magomed Saadulaev
In other tournament action, Marcin Held took home a unanimous decision victory over Murad Machaev, marking his fourth-straight victory. Also of note, Ricardo Tirloni finished off Rene Nazare with a D’Arce choke in the second round. The entire fight was a back-and-forth slugfest, with each fighter rocking his opponent. With the crowd expecting a huge knockout, Tirloni landed a hard right hand early in the second round leading to the fight-ending D’Arce choke one minute and fourteen seconds into the second round.
Ricardo Tirloni vs. Rene Nazare
Full results:
Main Card:
Rich Clementi def. Alexander Sarnavskiy by Split Decision
Dave Jansen def. Magomeda Saadulaev by Submission (guillotine choke), 0:41 of Round Three
Marcin Held def. Murad Machaev by Unanimous Decision
Ricardo Tirloni def. Rene Nazare by Submission (D’Arce choke), 1:14 of Round Two
Preliminary Card:
Matthew Lozano def. Dave Morgan by Submission (Inverted Triangle Choke), 2:28 of Round Two
Lew Polley def. Carmelo Marrero by Unanimous Decision
Darrell Horcher def. E.J. Brooks by KO, 0:21 of Round One
Cosmo Alexander def. Mike Bannon by TKO (Doctor’s Stoppage), 5:00 of Round Two
Duane Bastress def. Ariel Sepulveda by Split Decision
Brett Martinez def. Eric Albright by Submission (Guillotine Choke), 3:28 of Round Two
Filed under: Fighting, FanHouse Exclusive, NewsAs Hermes Franca waited for the decision of his fight against Ferrid Kheder to be read inside the cage in a Cartago, Costa Rica high school gym, the UFC veteran thought his losing streak was history. Inste…
As Hermes Franca waited for the decision of his fight against Ferrid Kheder to be read inside the cage in a Cartago, Costa Rica high school gym, the UFC veteran thought his losing streak was history. Instead, to him, it was the beginning of something even worse than defeat.
If it was a simple loss, Franca could have handled it, but what happened next could not be so easily settled in his mind. According to some, Franca was simply the victim of a bad decision. But according to others, he was robbed, the victim of a fix.
“This is like a bad joke,” Franca told MMA Fighting. “It’s unbelievable. I won the fight. The judges gave it to me. I got my hand raised. And then they said I didn’t win.”
“What happened was confusion,” said Jean-Francois Billon, who helped organize the show. “It’s a big story for a little thing. Nobody had bad intentions. Nobody was cheating.”
What started out as a fight in the cage became a fight for the truth.
As