Former Bellator bantamweight and featherweight champion Joe Warren will attempt to get back on track this September when he meets Sirwan Kakai at Bellator 161 in the co-main event. The bout was first reported by FloCombat.
Warren (13-5) has gone 1-2…
Former Bellator bantamweight and featherweight champion Joe Warren will attempt to get back on track this September when he meets Sirwan Kakai at Bellator 161 in the co-main event. The bout was first reported by FloCombat.
Warren (13-5) has gone 1-2 over his last three, dropping his Bellator record to 12-4 overall. He was bested by Marcos Galvao and Darrion Caldwell, scoring a win over L.C. Davis in between.
Kakai (12-4) dropped his first Bellator fight to Joe Taimanglo via decision. He signed with the promotion following a 1-1 run with the UFC.
Bellator 161 takes place September 16 from the H-E-B Center in Cedar Park, Texas with the main card airing live on Spike TV. Cheick Kongo-Tony Johnson is the scheduled main event.
Whether it’s the UFC, Bellator, World Series of Fighting, Invicta FC, or old school Pride, mixed martial arts (MMA) referees dictate the ensuing action. Paid to do their jobs, many of them do not. From early stoppages to late stoppages, from not deducting a point to not issuing a warning, their blunders have helped create some
Whether it’s the UFC, Bellator, World Series of Fighting, Invicta FC, or old school Pride, mixed martial arts (MMA) referees dictate the ensuing action.
Paid to do their jobs, many of them do not. From early stoppages to late stoppages, from not deducting a point to not issuing a warning, their blunders have helped create some of the worst endings in MMA history.
While a few good ones like Herb Dean and “Big” John McCarthy stand out from the Kim Winslows and Steve Mazzagattis of the world, all in-cage zebras make wrong calls at one time or another.
In accordance with their failures, and with undying condolences to those fighters involved in the chaos, here are the top 10 worst referee mistakes in MMA history.
Darrion Caldwell began his quest to become a champion with a bang Friday night, scoring a submission victory over Joe Warren in the main event of Bellator 151.
What was billed as a wrestler vs. wrestler main event from Thackerville, Oklahoma, quickl…
Darrion Caldwell began his quest to become a champion with a bang Friday night, scoring a submission victory over Joe Warren in the main event of Bellator 151.
What was billed as a wrestler vs. wrestler main event from Thackerville, Oklahoma, quickly turned into the young prospect taking out the old guard.
Caldwell, who won an NCAA wrestling title while competing at N.C. State, delivered a breath-taking suplex on Warren that stunned the former two-division Bellator champion. He quickly transitioned to the back, securing a rear-naked choke to improve to 9-0 overall in his career.
The co-main event featured Fernando Gonzalez picking up a decision victory over ex-Resurrection Fighting Alliance champion and one-time Ultimate Fighter competitor Gilbert Smith, while Bubba Jenkins did the same vs. Goiti Yamauchi and Joe Taimanglo vs. Sirwan Kakai as part of the Spike TV main card.
On the early prelims, Treston Thomison, Jermayne Barnes, Neiman Gracie, Ricky Turcios, Justin Patterson and Ray Wood all claimed wins.
Complete results can be found below:
Darrion Caldwell def. Joe Warren via technical submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:23 of Round 1
Fernando Gonzalez def. Gilbert Smith via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
On Friday night, the “Loro” is looking to have the last word. Marcos “Loro” Galvao will attempt to dethrone the self-proclaimed “Baddest Man on the Planet,” Joe Warren, in the main event of Bellator 135. The event takes place at the WinStar World Casin…
On Friday night, the “Loro” is looking to have the last word. Marcos “Loro” Galvao will attempt to dethrone the self-proclaimed “Baddest Man on the Planet,” Joe Warren, in the main event of Bellator 135. The event takes place at the WinStar World Casino in Thackerville, Oklahoma. Warren’s Bellator bantamweight title will be on the line in an intriguing rematch.
In the co-main event, 135-pound contender and veteran LC Davis faces HideoTokoro in a fight that could position Davis to challenge the winner of the main event in the future. Davis has won both of his fights with Bellator and has the look of a fighter capable of competing with the best in his weight class within the promotion.
The viewing information, card and predictions are below.
Why Galvao Will Win
The Spanish-to-English translation for “loro“ is “parrot.” Continuing that theme, we’d have to describe the decision rendered in the fighters’ first meeting as a “robo.” That’s “robbery” in English.
Despite Galvao clearly outstriking his opponent and keeping the fight off the mat for most of the bout, the unanimous decision went to Warren. Spike TV and Bellator analyst Jimmy Smith called it “the worst decision” he’d seen with the promotion in the hype video below.
It was actually one of the worst MMA decisions I’ve seen with any promotion. Not only was the wrong guy awarded the victory, one judge proved he completely ignored the action by scoring it 30-27 in favor of Warren on one card.
As far as Friday’s rematch is concerned, Warren is a much better fighter now than he was then. He seems to have found the fountain of youth, as the 38-year-old champion is proving to be a legitimate title holder. He’s riding a five-fight win streak heading into Friday’s bout.
Galvao has been on a roll himself. He’s won three fights in a row, and he has to have some confidence he can get the best of the champion again. No matter how much Warren ignores what happened in the first fight and proclaims himself the superior fighter, he has to have real doubts that he can beat Galvao.
The key to this fight will be Galvao‘s takedown defense. If Warren can’t control the identity of the fight by making it a ground scrap, he’s going to find himself in peril again. I believe Galvao will effectively counter Warren’s attempts to wrestle and look to be more aggressive in stand-up when he sees the champion’s frustration.
With more effective and diverse striking, Galvao will win a split decision to become the Bellator bantamweight champion.
Why Davis Will Beat Tokoro
HideoTokoro has a wealth of experience, but he’s also tasted defeat 27 times in his career. At 32-27, he’s dangerously close to a .500 career winning percentage. In MMA or any combat sport, that’s not a good look.
Tokoro is primarily a submissions artist, but Davis’ physical strength and wrestling technique should be enough to ward off his opponent’s attempts to gain the advantage on the ground. Much of Davis’ career was fought at featherweight. He came down to bantamweight, and his record is 6-1 since making the switch.
Tokoro fought at 125 pounds previously, and the 37-year-old will be in the cage with a bigger, stronger athlete who is going to control the bout with his physicality. Davis will win via TKO.
Why Carmont Will Beat Viana
Francis “Limitless” Carmont reached his limit in the UFC. After three straight losses, he was released from the promotion and has landed with Bellator. He’s a dominant wrestler and a physical specimen. However, at times he lacks the aggressiveness and stand-up prowess to be effective.
Luckily for him, he’ll be in the cage with an opponent who isn’t on his level as a fighter.
GuilhermeViana has had just seven professional fights, but none in a major promotion. He’ll be mystified by Carmont‘s advanced grappling, and that should lead to a one-sided decision victory for Limitless.
On Friday night, the “Loro” is looking to have the last word. Marcos “Loro” 