Tag: Ivan+Menjivar

Lavar Johnson Moves From Strikeforce to UFC for Chicago FOX Event

Filed under: UFC, Strikeforce, NewsAs Zuffa moves forward on its plans to fold Strikeforce’s heavyweight division into the UFC, the company announced Tuesday that Lavar Johnson will be the next Strikeforce heavyweight to set foot in the Octagon.

John…

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As Zuffa moves forward on its plans to fold Strikeforce‘s heavyweight division into the UFC, the company announced Tuesday that Lavar Johnson will be the next Strikeforce heavyweight to set foot in the Octagon.

Johnson will fight Joey Beltran at UFC on Fox 2 on January 28 in Chicago.

The hard-punching Johnson won three straight fights on Strikeforce Challengers cards in 2009 and 2010, but this year he lost to Shane Del Rosario in an alternate bout in the Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix, then bounced back down to Challengers and lost to Shawn Jordan. He’s in a must-win situation at UFC on Fox 2, and so is Beltran, who has lost three of his last four.

The UFC also made a few other fight announcements on Tuesday afternoon:
— Featherweight Erik Koch has suffered an injury and is out of his planned UFC 143 fight against Dustin Poirier. Koch and Poirier are two of the best young featherweights in the sport, and that fight should have been a big one. The UFC will seek a replacement to fight Poirier.

— The 5-0 Brazilian prospect Caio Magalhaes has been signed and will make his Octagon debut in his home country against Fabio Maldonado at UFC 142. Maldonado had previously been scheduled to face Stansislav Nedkov, but he was forced to withdraw from the fight.

— John Albert, a bantamweight who competed on the most recent season of The Ultimate Fighter and beat Dustin Pague in the Finale, will return and take a step up in quality of competition when he takes on Ivan Menjivar at the February 15 UFC on Fuel TV card in Omaha.

 

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The Cut List: Who Desperately Needs a Win at UFC 129?

Filed under: UFCUFC 129 is as stacked a card as we were expecting for Zuffa’s foray into Toronto. Two title fights. One (alleged) swan song. And more than a few fighters just trying to prove that they deserve a place at the table.

Randy Couture might…

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UFC 129 is as stacked a card as we were expecting for Zuffa’s foray into Toronto. Two title fights. One (alleged) swan song. And more than a few fighters just trying to prove that they deserve a place at the table.

Randy Couture might be ready to walk away of his own accord (or, depending on who you ask, maybe not), but how about the fighters who are competing for their jobs on Saturday night?

Fortunately, the Cut List is here to tell you who needs a win like a thirsty Canadian needs a Molson.

UFC 129 Expected to Again Utilize Facebook for Prelims

Filed under: UFC, NewsFor the seventh straight event, the UFC will once again utilize Facebook to bring free fights to fans.

Though not yet announced by the promotion, sources close to the UFC told MMA Fighting on Tuesday the company plans to stream …

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Claude Patrick.For the seventh straight event, the UFC will once again utilize Facebook to bring free fights to fans.

Though not yet announced by the promotion, sources close to the UFC told MMA Fighting on Tuesday the company plans to stream at least two preliminary card fights live on its Facebook fan page during the historic UFC 129 card in Toronto on April 30.

The current plan is for the bantamweight fight between Ivan Menjivar and Charlie Valencia and the welterweight bout between Claude Patrick and Daniel Roberts to be streamed on the UFC’s Facebook page, though the precise fights – and number of fights – could change.

WEC 53 Provides a Fitting End to an Underappreciated Brand

Filed under: WECGLENDALE, Ariz. – There must have been some misunderstanding. When the fighters on the WEC 53 fight card were told that Thursday night’s event was the last WEC show, perhaps what they heard was that it was the last MMA event ever.

If …

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GLENDALE, Ariz. – There must have been some misunderstanding. When the fighters on the WEC 53 fight card were told that Thursday night’s event was the last WEC show, perhaps what they heard was that it was the last MMA event ever.

If that were the case it might – just might – explain how the WEC managed to pull off such an unforgettable event.

How unforgettable was it? For one thing, it wasn’t until the fifth fight of the night that a bout finally made it out of the first round. Even then, it was a three-round war between Brad Pickett and Ivan Menjivar that drew a standing ovation from the crowd – and that wasn’t even the best fight of the night.