Tag: Gian Villante

Ovince St. Preux vs. Gian Villante Added to UFC 159 [STRIKEFORCE NEVA DIE!]


Look, Ovince, all I’m saying is that maybe Lane Kiffin is slightly underrated and doesn’t deserve so much hatred. Props: fightinginsider.com

You could make the argument that Strikeforce has been more relevant since its demise in January than it was during its final year of existence. With Gilbert Melendez earning an immediate title shot against Ben Henderson and Strikeforce veterans pulling off massive upsets at UFC 156, it seems like we’re spending more time talking about it now than we were when it was still in business.

It is now being reported by Long Island Newsday that two of Strikeforce’s best light heavyweights, Ovince St. Preux and Gian Villante, will fight each other at UFC 159 in Newark, New Jersey.

A former college football player for the University of Tennessee, Ovince St. Preux went 4-4 before being signed to fight on the undercard of Strikeforce: Nashville in 2010. St. Preux provided more than just a cheap pop for the organization, as he would defeat Chris Hawk in only forty-seven seconds. OSP would win his next six fights before dropping a unanimous decision to Gegard Mousasi at Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal in December of 2011. St. Preux’s most recent fight was a knockout over TJ Cook at Strikeforce: Rousey vs. Kaufman in August.


Look, Ovince, all I’m saying is that maybe Lane Kiffin is slightly underrated and doesn’t deserve so much hatred. Props: fightinginsider.com

You could make the argument that Strikeforce has been more relevant since its demise in January than it was during its final year of existence. With Gilbert Melendez earning an immediate title shot against Ben Henderson and Strikeforce veterans pulling off massive upsets at UFC 156, it seems like we’re spending more time talking about it now than we were when it was still in business.

It is now being reported by Long Island Newsday that two of Strikeforce’s best light heavyweights, Ovince St. Preux and Gian Villante, will fight each other at UFC 159 in Newark, New Jersey.

A former college football player for the University of Tennessee, Ovince St. Preux went 4-4 before being signed to fight on the undercard of Strikeforce: Nashville in 2010. St. Preux provided more than just a cheap pop for the organization, as he would defeat Chris Hawk in only forty-seven seconds. OSP would win his next six fights before dropping a unanimous decision to Gegard Mousasi at Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal in December of 2011. St. Preux’s most recent fight was a knockout over TJ Cook at Strikeforce: Rousey vs. Kaufman in August.

Meanwhile, Gian Villante made his Strikeforce debut as part of the promotion’s Heavyweight Grand Prix, losing to Chad Griggs in the first round. Villante then dropped down to light heavyweight, and despite losing a unanimous decision to Lorenz Larkin in his first effort as a Strikeforce light heavyweight, Villante quickly turned things around. He has won three fights in a row since losing to Larkin, but has remained inactive since May due to Strikeforce cancelling events once everyone stopped caring.

With two of Strikeforce’s most promising light heavyweight prospects looking to make a statement in their UFC debuts, this should be an entertaining scrap. Don’t expect this fight to go the distance – both fighters have heavy hands and like to bang, bro.

UFC 159 will take place on April 27 from the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. It will be headlined by the TUF 17 coaches clash between light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and Chael Sonnen. We’ll keep you up to date as this card continues to fill out.

@SethFalvo

Chad Griggs and His Awesome Mutton Chops Return at UFC 154 Against Cyrille Diabate


(Mutton chops: Giving white people the confidence to shake their rump since the 1800’s.) 

It could just be our queasy stomachs, but we’ve begun to feel more and more trepidation when it comes to announcing a scheduled UFC contest these days, because the likelihood of said contest actually coming to fruition seems borderline impossible.

That being said, it will please all of the lumberjacks who happen to read CagePotato to learn that the man with the coolest facial hair in the biz this side of Casey “fagtastic flameathon of facial distortion” Oxendine, Chad Griggs, will be returning to UFC action on November 17th at UFC 154 in Montreal, Canada to face PRIDE veteran Cyrille Diabate. Griggs, who gained notoriety over the past couple years with his decimations of Bobby Lashley, Valentijn Overeem, and Gian Villante, is coming off a first round submission via arm-triangle loss to Travis “Don’t ask, don’t tell” Browne in his UFC debut at UFC 145. Shortly after the loss, Griggs announced that he would in fact be dropping to 205 lbs to face Phil Davis at UFC on FOX 4, but go figure, suffered an injury and was forced to pull out.

Diabate, on the other hand, is coming off a majority decision victory over late replacement Tom DeBlass at UFC on FUEL 2. “The Snake” has gone win-loss in his five fight UFC career and was originally set to face Fabio Maldonado at UFC 153, but again, an injury blah blah blah things are different now.

Diabate has shown a susceptibility to submissions in the past (as well as an inability to last three rounds), so a matchup with a stand-and-bang aficionado like Griggs should be tailor-made for an exciting, if not winnable opportunity for everyone involved.

Who you got for this one, Potato Nation?

After the jump: A video of Griggs’ slugfest with Villante, because it’s arguably the greatest two and a half minute fight you will ever see.


(Mutton chops: Giving white people the confidence to shake their rump since the 1800′s.) 

It could just be our queasy stomachs, but we’ve begun to feel more and more trepidation when it comes to announcing a scheduled UFC contest these days, because the likelihood of said contest actually coming to fruition seems borderline impossible.

That being said, it will please all of the lumberjacks who happen to read CagePotato to learn that the man with the coolest facial hair in the biz this side of Casey “fagtastic flameathon of facial distortion” Oxendine, Chad Griggs, will be returning to UFC action on November 17th at UFC 154 in Montreal, Canada to face PRIDE veteran Cyrille Diabate. Griggs, who gained notoriety over the past couple years with his decimations of Bobby Lashley, Valentijn Overeem, and Gian Villante, is coming off a first round submission via arm-triangle loss to Travis “Don’t ask, don’t tell” Browne in his UFC debut at UFC 145. Shortly after the loss, Griggs announced that he would in fact be dropping to 205 lbs to face Phil Davis at UFC on FOX 4, but go figure, suffered an injury and was forced to pull out.

Diabate, on the other hand, is coming off a majority decision victory over late replacement Tom DeBlass at UFC on FUEL 2. “The Snake” has gone win-loss in his five fight UFC career and was originally set to face Fabio Maldonado at UFC 153, but again, an injury blah blah blah things are different now.

Diabate has shown a susceptibility to submissions in the past (as well as an inability to last three rounds), so a matchup with a stand-and-bang aficionado like Griggs should be tailor-made for an exciting, if not winnable opportunity for everyone involved.

Who you got for this one, Potato Nation?

After the jump: A video of Griggs’ slugfest with Villante, because it’s arguably the greatest two and a half minute fight you will ever see.

–J. Jones

Chris Weidman’s BJJ Coach Wouldn’t Be Shocked if Weidman Submits Maia

Filed under: UFC, NewsConsidering Chris Weidman’s wrestling prowess and Demian Maia’s jiu-jitsu mastery, there’s a strong chance their middleweight bout at UFC on FOX 2 will be decided on the ground.

Now Maia has already shown he’s one of the most da…

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Considering Chris Weidman‘s wrestling prowess and Demian Maia‘s jiu-jitsu mastery, there’s a strong chance their middleweight bout at UFC on FOX 2 will be decided on the ground.

Now Maia has already shown he’s one of the most dangerous submission artists at 185. But what about Weidman? Coming off back-to-back submission wins, can the prospect make it three-in-a-row against one of the best jiu-jitsu artists in MMA?

John Danaher, one of Weidman’s jiu-jitsu trainers, says he “wouldn’t be completely shocked.”

“[Weidman]’s a formidable opponent on the floor,” Danaher tells MMAFighting.com. “Trust me, you cannot fall asleep on him for a second. If you do, don’t be surprised if you see an unexpected result.”

Danaher agrees there will likely be many exchanges on the floor. And when asked if Weidman as the superior wrestler can dictate where the fight goes, Danaher argues Maia is tricky enough that he can pull guard.

“He’s very effective from bottom position,” Danaher said of Maia. “I do think there will be a lot of groundplay even if Demian can’t get the conventional takedown on Chris, I still think he could bring the fight to the ground.”

Joining Danaher in Weidman’s corner on Saturday night will be head trainer Ray Longo and training partner Gian Villante. They’ve all had only about just over a week to help Weidman prepare for Maia.

For Villante’s part, he’s been channeling his inner-Demian Maia to assist in Weidman’s preparations. As someone who has trained with Weidman day in and day out, Villante also thinks Weidman’s workman-style could open up the possibility of recording a submission over the former BJJ world champion.

“I’m no Demian Maia in jiu-jitsu-wise, not even close,” the Strikeforce light heavyweight Villante said with a laugh. “But I’ve seen him do some crazy, incredible tapouts to some high-level jiu-jitsu guys. You add in striking and a 15-minute fight, the relentless of it … I’m not saying his jiu-jitsu is better than Demian Maia’s but his jiu-jitsu is relentless. He’s going to keep coming after him, move to move to move to move until he finally gets something.”

On Thursday, Weidman spoke about his willingness to accept the risk of battling Maia for the submission.

“I have a lot of respect for Demian Maia’s jiu-jitsu,” Weidman said at the pre-fight press conference. “I think he’s amazing. But ever since I got into MMA, my jiu-jitsu has been one of my main focal points. I’m competed in Abu Dhabi against the top-level grapplers in the world and I’ve done pretty well. I also train with some of the top guys in the world and I do pretty well. Based on that is what leads me to have the confidence to go on the ground and be confident there.”

 

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Strikeforce Undercard Live Blog: Terry vs. Burrell, Villante vs. Smith, More

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This is the Strikeforce live blog for tonight’s four Showtime Extreme preliminary bouts at the Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

The undercard bouts are Nah-Shon Burrell vs. James Terry, Trevor Smith vs. Gian Villante, Ricky Legere vs. Chris Spang and Alonzo Martinez vs. Estevan Payan.

The live blog is below.


James Terry vs. Nah-Shon Burrell

Round 1: Herb Dean is the referee. The wrestler Terry pumps out jabs to gauge the distance. Terry lands a clean right overhand. A nice Burrell jab pushes Terry back. Burrell follows with a leg kick. Terry pushes forward with a takedown attempt, driving Burrell against the cage and eventually to the floor. Burrell gets to his feet, but Terry quickly returns Burrell to the floor. Burrell explodes back to his feet but Terry quickly reclaims control. This time Terry works to take Burrell’s back. Burrell stands and Terry switches to a single-leg. Terry scores one more takedown with a little over 30 seconds remaining. Burrell escapes to his feet. MMA Fighting scores the first round 10-9 for Terry.

Round 2: Burrell does a nice job finding angles to land punches. Terry scores on a right hand and closes the distance for a takedown. Terry takes Burrell’s back. Burrell stands up and frees himself from Terry. Terry lands a nice right uppercut followed by a left. Burrell lands a right and Terry answers back with a clean right of his own. Terry ties up with Burrell and Burrell launches a high knee to break the clinch. Terry shoots and Burrell sprawls. Terry holds onto the double-leg with Burrell against the fence. Terry finishes the takedown and controls Burrell for the remainder of the round. MMA Fighting scores the second round 10-9 Terry.

Round 3: Burrell plays headhunter as Terry circles to avoid Burrell’s punches. Burrell traps Terry against the cage and lands several shots. Burrell confidently scores with a knee. Burrell lands an uppercut. Terry is slowing down here and giving Burrell a chance to get back into the fight. Burrell goes wild, charging in with hooks and flying knees. Meanwhile, Terry seems content trying to block Burrell’s shots. An overhand by Burrell pushes Terry back. With around a minute left, Burrell rocks Terry with the best shot of the fight, a launching right uppercut. Terry attempts the takedown and scores it with 21 seconds remaining. MMA Fighting scores the final round for Burrell but the overall fight 29-28 for Terry.

Whoa …

Nah-Shon Burrell wins via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

Terry appeared to have cruised in the third and paid for it. Still, Terry should have won the fight on the first two rounds.

Gian Villante vs. Trevor Smith

Round 1: The light heavyweights collide early with Villante stuffing a shot and punishing Smith with a knee. Villante lands with rights. Villante catches a leg kick and sends Smith to the floor with a straight right punch. Villante pours down hammerfists (to the back of the head!) and referee Kim Winslow stops the fight. Stoppage was a little on the early side, but fight didn’t look at all competitive.

Gian Villante wins via TKO – Round 1, 1:05

Ricky Legere vs. Chris Spang

Round 1: Here we have a wrestler (Legere) vs. striker (Sprang) matchup and Legere shoots early. Legere scores a takedown early, lifting Sprang high and then driving him down towards the mat. Sprang throws up an armbar attempt, but Legere postures to escape. Legere goes to work with short punches and elbows. Legere stands to push Sprang’s legs away and passes to side mount in the midway point of the round. Sprang escapes to halfguard and then full guard. Eventually, Sprang kicks Legere off to bring the fight back to standing. Sprang drops down for a guillotine choke attempt in the closing moments. 10-9 Legere.

Round 2: Sprang throws a beautiful flying knee that connects, but under the chin of Legere. The knee also allows Legere to catch Sprang and put him on the ground. Legere goes back to work to score points with ground and pound punches. The referee stands them up at 1:50. Legere quickly attempts another takedown and eventually lifts Sprang up for the big slam. Legere finishes the round trying to pass from Sprang’s halfguard. Another 10-9 for Legere.

Round 3: Sprang keeps the fight standing early, but Sprang eventually finds an opening to take Prang down. Legere isn’t able to stay active enough and the fight is stood up. Legere shoots and lifts Prang up for the easy takedown. Prang kicks Legere off. Legere shoots but he misses. Sprang quickly takes the back of Legere and tries for a choke hold. Sprang doesn’t have the hooks and Legere manages to escape. Legere claims full mount and finishes the round strong. Best round for Sprang in the fight, but it’s still 10-9 in round three and the fight 30-27 for Legere, according to our score cards.

Ricky Legere wins via unanimous decision (29-28 3x)

Alonzo Martinez vs. Estevan Payan

Round 1: Kim Winslow is the referee. They are quick to trade hands and the wrestler Martinez connects on a nice knee early. Each are throwing and landing big shots. Martinez attempts an ankle-pick takedown at 3:17, but the Arizona Combat Sports fighter Payan frees his leg. Back to their feet, Payan muscles Martinez near the cage and unleashes a punch combo. Martinez shoots for the double-leg with a little over a minute remaining and Payan again successfully defends. Martinez held his own, but it’s Payan who controlled the first round on the feet, landing more significant strikes with higher accuracy. MMA Fighting scores the first round 10-9 for Payan.

Round 2: Payan continues to effectively implement his game plan, working his stiff jab while finding openings to follow up with right hooks, and also right uppercuts. Martinez throws a head kick that makes contact with Payan. Payan greets Martinez’s takedown attempt with a kick and Martinez is a little stunned. Payan continues to effectively utilize the jab. Payan defends another takedown. Once again, Payan controls the striking game and has stuffed all over Martinez’s takedown attempts. MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9 for Payan.

Round 3: Martinez opens actively with kicks. He lands a good kick to the body and then a leg kick. Payan’s jabs continue to present problems for Martinez. Payan lands a nice straight right hand. To his credit, Martinez is taking these shots and not going down. Martinez makes desperate attempts at bringing the fight to the floor, but Payan easily defends. Martinez missed all six of his takedown attempts. Payan’s superior boxing was the difference in this fight. MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9 and the fight 30-27 in favor of Payan.

Estevan Payan wins via unanimous decision (30-27 3x)

 

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This is the Strikeforce live blog for tonight’s four Showtime Extreme preliminary bouts at the Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

The undercard bouts are Nah-Shon Burrell vs. James Terry, Trevor Smith vs. Gian Villante, Ricky Legere vs. Chris Spang and Alonzo Martinez vs. Estevan Payan.

The live blog is below.


James Terry vs. Nah-Shon Burrell

Round 1: Herb Dean is the referee. The wrestler Terry pumps out jabs to gauge the distance. Terry lands a clean right overhand. A nice Burrell jab pushes Terry back. Burrell follows with a leg kick. Terry pushes forward with a takedown attempt, driving Burrell against the cage and eventually to the floor. Burrell gets to his feet, but Terry quickly returns Burrell to the floor. Burrell explodes back to his feet but Terry quickly reclaims control. This time Terry works to take Burrell’s back. Burrell stands and Terry switches to a single-leg. Terry scores one more takedown with a little over 30 seconds remaining. Burrell escapes to his feet. MMA Fighting scores the first round 10-9 for Terry.

Round 2: Burrell does a nice job finding angles to land punches. Terry scores on a right hand and closes the distance for a takedown. Terry takes Burrell’s back. Burrell stands up and frees himself from Terry. Terry lands a nice right uppercut followed by a left. Burrell lands a right and Terry answers back with a clean right of his own. Terry ties up with Burrell and Burrell launches a high knee to break the clinch. Terry shoots and Burrell sprawls. Terry holds onto the double-leg with Burrell against the fence. Terry finishes the takedown and controls Burrell for the remainder of the round. MMA Fighting scores the second round 10-9 Terry.

Round 3: Burrell plays headhunter as Terry circles to avoid Burrell’s punches. Burrell traps Terry against the cage and lands several shots. Burrell confidently scores with a knee. Burrell lands an uppercut. Terry is slowing down here and giving Burrell a chance to get back into the fight. Burrell goes wild, charging in with hooks and flying knees. Meanwhile, Terry seems content trying to block Burrell’s shots. An overhand by Burrell pushes Terry back. With around a minute left, Burrell rocks Terry with the best shot of the fight, a launching right uppercut. Terry attempts the takedown and scores it with 21 seconds remaining. MMA Fighting scores the final round for Burrell but the overall fight 29-28 for Terry.

Whoa …

Nah-Shon Burrell wins via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

Terry appeared to have cruised in the third and paid for it. Still, Terry should have won the fight on the first two rounds.

Gian Villante vs. Trevor Smith

Round 1: The light heavyweights collide early with Villante stuffing a shot and punishing Smith with a knee. Villante lands with rights. Villante catches a leg kick and sends Smith to the floor with a straight right punch. Villante pours down hammerfists (to the back of the head!) and referee Kim Winslow stops the fight. Stoppage was a little on the early side, but fight didn’t look at all competitive.

Gian Villante wins via TKO – Round 1, 1:05

Ricky Legere vs. Chris Spang

Round 1: Here we have a wrestler (Legere) vs. striker (Sprang) matchup and Legere shoots early. Legere scores a takedown early, lifting Sprang high and then driving him down towards the mat. Sprang throws up an armbar attempt, but Legere postures to escape. Legere goes to work with short punches and elbows. Legere stands to push Sprang’s legs away and passes to side mount in the midway point of the round. Sprang escapes to halfguard and then full guard. Eventually, Sprang kicks Legere off to bring the fight back to standing. Sprang drops down for a guillotine choke attempt in the closing moments. 10-9 Legere.

Round 2: Sprang throws a beautiful flying knee that connects, but under the chin of Legere. The knee also allows Legere to catch Sprang and put him on the ground. Legere goes back to work to score points with ground and pound punches. The referee stands them up at 1:50. Legere quickly attempts another takedown and eventually lifts Sprang up for the big slam. Legere finishes the round trying to pass from Sprang’s halfguard. Another 10-9 for Legere.

Round 3: Sprang keeps the fight standing early, but Sprang eventually finds an opening to take Prang down. Legere isn’t able to stay active enough and the fight is stood up. Legere shoots and lifts Prang up for the easy takedown. Prang kicks Legere off. Legere shoots but he misses. Sprang quickly takes the back of Legere and tries for a choke hold. Sprang doesn’t have the hooks and Legere manages to escape. Legere claims full mount and finishes the round strong. Best round for Sprang in the fight, but it’s still 10-9 in round three and the fight 30-27 for Legere, according to our score cards.

Ricky Legere wins via unanimous decision (29-28 3x)

Alonzo Martinez vs. Estevan Payan

Round 1: Kim Winslow is the referee. They are quick to trade hands and the wrestler Martinez connects on a nice knee early. Each are throwing and landing big shots. Martinez attempts an ankle-pick takedown at 3:17, but the Arizona Combat Sports fighter Payan frees his leg. Back to their feet, Payan muscles Martinez near the cage and unleashes a punch combo. Martinez shoots for the double-leg with a little over a minute remaining and Payan again successfully defends. Martinez held his own, but it’s Payan who controlled the first round on the feet, landing more significant strikes with higher accuracy. MMA Fighting scores the first round 10-9 for Payan.

Round 2: Payan continues to effectively implement his game plan, working his stiff jab while finding openings to follow up with right hooks, and also right uppercuts. Martinez throws a head kick that makes contact with Payan. Payan greets Martinez’s takedown attempt with a kick and Martinez is a little stunned. Payan continues to effectively utilize the jab. Payan defends another takedown. Once again, Payan controls the striking game and has stuffed all over Martinez’s takedown attempts. MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9 for Payan.

Round 3: Martinez opens actively with kicks. He lands a good kick to the body and then a leg kick. Payan’s jabs continue to present problems for Martinez. Payan lands a nice straight right hand. To his credit, Martinez is taking these shots and not going down. Martinez makes desperate attempts at bringing the fight to the floor, but Payan easily defends. Martinez missed all six of his takedown attempts. Payan’s superior boxing was the difference in this fight. MMA Fighting scores the round 10-9 and the fight 30-27 in favor of Payan.

Estevan Payan wins via unanimous decision (30-27 3x)

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Chad Griggs Talks UFC Signing: I’ve Got to Prove I Deserve to Be There

Filed under: UFC, StrikeforceChad Griggs was just starting to get comfortable in Strikeforce when the UFC came calling. Or rather, maybe it was Strikeforce that was finally getting comfortable with Griggs.

“I think after the last fight I started to f…

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Chad GriggsChad Griggs was just starting to get comfortable in Strikeforce when the UFC came calling. Or rather, maybe it was Strikeforce that was finally getting comfortable with Griggs.

“I think after the last fight I started to feel good there,” Griggs told MMA Fighting on Thursday. “They were kind of like, okay, fine. You’re here. We’re giving you some credit now.”

But with Strikeforce’s heavyweight division now going the way of the WEC — and with Griggs’ contract expiring not long after his third consecutive victory in the organization — Griggs and his management were ecstatic about the chance to sign a new deal with the UFC, especially now that his stock is higher than ever.

“We’ve been talking for a while,” said Griggs. “We’ve been throwing numbers back and forth for a little while because my contract was coming close to an end, so we were trying to figure out where I was going from here. I knew they were interested, and it was just a matter of if we could get the numbers right. I think we’re both going to be happy. …I’m excited about it, but now I’ve got to get in there and prove that I deserve to be there. It’s time to put the work in and hopefully it pays off here in a few months.”

Before getting the call to face Bobby Lashley in his Strikeforce debut in August of 2010, Griggs had been toying with the idea of dropping to light heavyweight. He was a bit on the small side for the heavyweight division, he figured, but the chance to face a big name like Lashley was too great an opportunity to turn down, even if he knew what Strikeforce was expecting out of the bout.

“Obviously Strikeforce doesn’t want me to win,” he told us before that fight. “But hey, they gave me the chance and now they’ve got to pay the consequences.”

Griggs not only won that bout, but also notched first-round stoppages in two subsequent fights, including a TKO win in a thrilling brawl with Gian Villante in a Grand Prix reserve bout in February of this year, followed by another quick win over Valentijn Overeem in June. Now that he’s signed a new contract with the UFC, he’s planning to stay at heavyweight for the foreseeable future, he said.

“I’m not going to try and fix anything that’s not broke. If I don’t do well we may try something else…but for now I’ll stay with what I know, and that’s fighting the big boys.”

He has no official date or opponent for his UFC debut, Griggs said, but there have been discussions about slotting him in for an event in March of 2012. Most importantly, he finally feels like he’s in an organization that is interested in him as a fighter rather than as a sacrificial lamb, he said.

“But it’s a plus and a minus. I’m going to a new league, so you’ve got to reestablish yourself and prove that you deserve to be there. It’s like going to a new school, I guess. You want to fit in and do well, but at the same time I think they want to see me do well and they know I put on some good shows, so they’re not sending me into the slaughter. They’re giving me some respect.”

Griggs said he hopes to be able to announce an opponent and date for his first UFC fight in the next couple weeks, and urged fans to “keep an eye out for me.”

“I’m going to try and make some waves,” he added. “Just put my head down and swing.”

And why not? It’s worked out well so far, even if the people signing his checks didn’t always expect it to.

 

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Strikeforce Challengers 18 Fighter Salaries

Filed under: Strikeforce, NewsWith $10,000 paydays, Pat Healy and Gian Villante were the highest earners at this past Friday’s Strikeforce Challengers 18 in Las Vegas.

According to salaries released Monday by the Nevada athletic commission, Healy and …

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With $10,000 paydays, Pat Healy and Gian Villante were the highest earners at this past Friday’s Strikeforce Challengers 18 in Las Vegas.

According to salaries released Monday by the Nevada athletic commission, Healy and Villante each received $5,000 to fight and another $5,000 as a win bonus. Jorge Gurgel, Danillo Villefort and Sarah D’Alelio could have also earned $10,000, but failed to pick up the additional win bonus. For his main event win over Gurgel, Joe Duarte made $6,000.

Salaries for all 16 fighters are after the jump.

Please note: The numbers below are the salaries Strikeforce reported to the commission and may not accurately reflect a fighter’s final earnings. Fighters earn additionally through sponsorships and perhaps, other bonuses handed out by the promotion.

Showtime Bouts
Joe Duarte: $3,000 + $3,000 (win) = $6,000 def. Jorge Gurgel: $5,000
Nate James: $3,000 + $3,000 (win) = $6,000 def. Danillo Villefort: $5,000
Pat Healy: $5,000 + $5,000 (win) = $10,000 def. Eric Wisely: $3,000
Ronda Rousey: $4,000 + $4,000 (win) = $8,000 def. Sarah D’Alelio: $5,000
Derrick Mehmen: $2,000 + $2,000 (win) = $4,000 def. Roy Jones: $2,000

Preliminary Bouts
Gian Villante: $5,000 + $5,000 (win) = $10,000 def. Keith Berry: $2,000
Nah-Shon Burrell: $3,000 + $3,000 (win) = $6,000 def. Lukasz Les: $2,500
Mike Bronzoulis: $3,000 + $3,000 (win) = $6,000 def. Chad Leonhardt: $2,500
Milton Vieira: $2,500 + $2,500 (win) = $5,000 def. Sterling Ford: $4,000

 

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