Every fan of the sport of mixed martial arts has heard of gyms like Jackson’s MMA, Xtreme Couture and American Top Team.And while those gyms have produced numerous title contenders and top-notch fighters, there are thousands of gyms throughout the the …
Every fan of the sport of mixed martial arts has heard of gyms like Jackson’s MMA, Xtreme Couture and American Top Team.
And while those gyms have produced numerous title contenders and top-notch fighters, there are thousands of gyms throughout the the world that are looking to do the same thing.
Each of the following gyms are producing world class talent and have had or currently have fighters in the UFC, Strikeforce and/or Bellator. So take note and keep track of each of these camps if you’re not doing so already.
Or no longer feels anything, for that matter. Props to MiddleEasy for the video.
It’s Sunday afternoon. Most of you were too busy with UFC 135 to even bother watching Bellator 51 last night. Today, you’re probably too busy with your religious practices to spend time reading a full recap, so I’ll make this quick for you.
For those of you who don’t even have the time to watch that video, damn. Let me first ask you what it’s like to have responsibilities. Let’s also say that Joe Warren will not become Bellator’s first multiple weight class title holder any time soon. Forty year old Bellator newcomer Alexis Vila delivered a left hook that zombified Warren just over one minute into the fight. Look on the bright side, Joe: After getting knocked out like that, you have that featherweight title defense against Patricio Freire to look forward to.
Full results, courtesy of MMAJunkie, after the jump.
Or no longer feels anything, for that matter. Props to MiddleEasy for the video.
It’s Sunday afternoon. Most of you were too busy with UFC 135 to even bother watching Bellator 51 last night. Today, you’re probably too busy with your religious practices to spend time reading a full recap, so I’ll make this quick for you.
For those of you who don’t even have the time to watch that video, damn. Let me first ask you what it’s like to have responsibilities. Let’s also say that Joe Warren will not become Bellator’s first multiple weight class title holder any time soon. Forty year old Bellator newcomer Alexis Vila delivered a left hook that zombified Warren just over one minute into the fight. Look on the bright side, Joe: After getting knocked out like that, you have that featherweight title defense against Patricio Freire to look forward to.
Full results, courtesy of MMAJunkie, after the jump.
MAIN CARD
Bantamweight-Tournament Opening Round:
Alexis Vila def. Joe Warren via KO (punch) – Round 1, 1:04
Eduardo Dantas def. Wilson Reis via KO (flying knee) – Round 2, 1:02
Marcos Galvao def. Chase Beebe via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Ed West def. Luiz Nogueira via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28)
PRELIMINARY CARD
Frank Caraballo def. Dustin Kempf via TKO (knee Injury) – Round 1, 1:19
Jessica Eye def. Casey Noland via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Jesse Riggleman def. Farkhad Sharipo via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
Dan Spohn def. Dan Bonnigson via KO (knee) – Round 1, 0:09
John Hawk def. Allan Weickert via TKO (retirement) – Round 2, 5:00
Joey Holt def. Clint Musser via KO (flying knee) – Round 1, 4:07
Filed under: Bellator, NewsJoe Warren’s pursuit of a second Bellator title didn’t get very far.
Warren, Bellator’s featherweight champion, dropped to bantamweight to enter the promotion’s Season 5 tournament, hoping to win the tourney and get a shot …
Joe Warren’s pursuit of a second Bellator title didn’t get very far.
Warren, Bellator’s featherweight champion, dropped to bantamweight to enter the promotion’s Season 5 tournament, hoping to win the tourney and get a shot at bantamweight champ Zack Makovsky. But Alexis Vila had plenty to say about that Saturday at Bellator 51, and he said it with his left hand.
Vila dropped Warren with a big left in the main event, knocking him out before he hit the ground. The knockout came at just 1:04 of the first round. Vila advanced to the semifinals of the Bellator bantamweight tourney, as did Eduardo Dantas, Marcos Galvao and Ed West with their wins on Saturday in Canton, Ohio.
“This is what MMA is about,” Vila said after the fight. “I think everyone’s happy with my performance, so let’s roll. I’m looking for the title. It’s why I came here – to get a title.”
Warren’s loss snapped a five-fight winning streak, all in Bellator, since his last loss at Dream 11, a submission setback to Bibiano Fernandes in October 2009. Warren’s featherweight title was not on the line. Vila, from Cuba, remained unbeaten at 10-0. It was his Bellator debut.
In the co-main event, Dantas, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, upset Wilson Reis with a first-round knockout. Dantas landed a big flying right knee to Reis’ chin. Six shots on the ground later, Reis was in his second straight Bellator semifinals. He lost in the featherweight tournament’s semis in the spring.
And in a pair of unanimous decisions to open the quarterfinals, Marcos Galvao beat former WEC bantamweight champion Chase Beebe with a close split decision. Galvao, a BJJ black belt, survived several first-round submission attempts from Beebe. And West beat Luis Nogueira, a Brazilian national wrestling champion, by unanimous decision.
The semifinal fights of the bantamweight tournament are expected to take place in a Bellator event next month.
In the game of mixed martial arts, there are veterans and then there are veterans. Not many fighters are as young in life and as well seasoned as the man known as Ed “Wild” West.At 27 years old, West carries a pro record of 16-5 over a career spent fi…
In the game of mixed martial arts, there are veterans and then there are veterans. Not many fighters are as young in life and as well seasoned as the man known as Ed “Wild” West.
At 27 years old, West carries a pro record of 16-5 over a career spent fighting for seven various organizations. Those organizations include Rage In The Cage, Desert Rage, Cage Fury, The IFL and Bellator.
West was recently the runner-up in the inaugural Bellator Bantamweight tournament, falling to current champ Zack Makovsky. This was West’s only loss in over three years, with the previous loss coming twenty pounds heavier than his natural fighting weight.
He has trained under legends like Don “The Predator” Frye, and currently calls Apex MMA home in Tucson Arizona where he trains under rising star Joey Rivera and with his close friend UFC fighter George Roop, among many others.
The man has been around the block more than a few times and continues to grow as an athlete and as a staple in the Bellator bantamweight division. His first run down a Bellator bracket showed fight fans what a dynamic and capable fighter he truly is.
Those performances no doubt were very much the reason Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney invited West back for a second helping of tournament action for their fifth season to be showcased on MTV 2. Ed West was kind enough to share his take on his ambitions of becoming a Bellator champion.
The rise of a Bellator star is incredibly unique, given the tournament aspect of the competition. Whereas many top names in the sport are given anywhere from three to four months to prepare for one opponent, a Bellator champion may fight as many as four unknown opponents in a shorter frame of time.
Ed is no stranger to this challenge and discussed that angle in depth. West stated, “I’m going to have one month between my first fight and my second fight. I have already been told that round two of the bantamweight tournament is going to be on October 22nd. So that gives me about a month in between the fights.”
He went on to explain, “That is much better than the previous tournament in which they only gave me three weeks. I fought three times in six weeks for the last tournament and that was a lot of stress on my body. It was very difficult to maintain my peak without getting hurt.”
West added, “I found it more difficult to continue to make the weight every time. The first time I made weight to fight Bryan Goldsby, it was one of the easiest cuts I’ve ever had. I felt great, I felt healthy, I put on good weight afterward. Then three weeks later, I had to do it all again. It seemed like my body held on to the weight more that time.”
By the final bout in the tournament, the cuts were weighing on him. “Then when I got to Kansas City to fight Makovsky, I found it very difficult to make the weight. It was like my body was put on a roller coaster, and it was rather upset with me for putting it through that. So making the weight back to back like that was a little more difficult.”
That previous experience has become a weapon for West as he knows what to expect and plans on taking advantage of prior lessons. “This time around, I have a much better idea of how I need to do things. I know how to maintain my body, and how to stay healthy for the tournament. I plan on doing things a little better this time around.”
Having fought for so many organizations, it appears West has found a home under the Bellator flag. He spoke of the appeal regardless of one minor critique he has of the organization. “I really like Bellator. The only thing I don’t like about Bellator is the fact that I got shelved for a whole year. I fought Zack Makovsky at the end of October and that was my last Bellator.”
He went on to say, “But Bellator has always treated me real good. They have always told me how much they liked me, and that they wanted me back. That shows in the fact that I’m the only one from the 135 pound tournament that they did bring back. All the other guys are not in this tournament.”
West’s return to the second season speaks volumes about the credibility he has developed among the brass in the Bellator front office.
West added, “The owner Bjorn Rebney has always been so super cool with me. He’s like the nicest dude on the planet. He has always told me how much he enjoys watching me fight.”
Well, Rebney will get his next chance to watch “Wild” West do his thing at Bellator 51 when he takes his first steps in the tournament against Luis Nogueira, a touted Brazilian wrestling champion. But don’t ask West if he is concerned with the wrestling prowess of his first opponent of the tournament.
West stated, “Well yeah, but that’s Brazilian wrestling. Everyone has been telling me about that, Brazilian national wrestling champion. Come on dude, if I told you I was the best Jiu Jitsu guy in France would you be impressed? Or what if I was the best Capoeira guy in Sweden?”
He went on to explain his position. “The Brazilians are not necessarily known for their wrestling. I just know his wrestling is not going to be on the level of a Makovsky, or a Joe Warren, that’s just a given. I think every single dude I have ever fought has probably been a better wrestler than me.”
West added, “Luis Nogueira, everybody that knows me knows I’m a very cerebral type of guy. I’m really big on watching video tape, I study my opponents a lot. I really believe that styles dictate fights and the way you fight any given opponent can dictate outcomes. I’m real big on watching a guy, seeing what his habits are, how he responds to pressure. I have watched this guy’s fights so many times that I almost fall asleep watching them now.”
As always his confidence is high. “I have a pretty good idea of how I want to play this fight, and the things that I want to do that I think are going to be really effective.”
Other than the Brazilian wrestler, West has his eye on a few other threats in the field. “Obviously you never can count out Joe Warren. Even when the guy goes in there and just gets murdered he always finds a way to win. He is a very physically strong individual, and has got that mental attitude where he doesn’t believe he can be beat.”
He also added, “It shows in his fights, how many times have you seen that guy fight and the first round is a 10-8 or a 10-7 and he still manages to get the guy down and grind him out and somehow he gets the win. He did it to Pitbull, he did it with Soto, he did it with Marcos Galvao. So you never can really count out Joe Warren.”
Another fighter he hold highly is Chase Beebe. “Obviously Chase Beebe is a very skilled competitor, with really good submission skills, and a good wrestling background. He has fought a lot of top guys with real good experience.” West also included one final note, “The other guy I’m looking at, although I think he might be slightly overrated, is Eduardo Dantes.”
With all that being said, the ultimate goal is current Bellator bantamweight champion Zack Makovsky, a man who has defeated West before.
When asked what he might like to see differently if he reaches that goal, West offered a very humble answer.
There was a multitude of things that happened leading up to that fight that just resulted in my poor performance. For one I just had a really bad game plan. I figured there was no way he could spend a half hour in my guard and not get submitted, and I turned out to be wrong. So I just gave up more takedowns than I should.
He closed out the humble statement with one final claim of confidence that reflects the drive and desire that has followed West throughout his impressive MMA career. “If I fought him again, I just think there are some things I would do differently, or rather I should say when I fight him again.”
If his previous run in the Bellator tournament is any indication of the platform he has used to improve over the course of the last year, there is no reason whatsoever to believe it will be anything other than “when” he faces Makovsky again.
Tune in to MTV 2 every Saturday night to see how this and other Bellator tournaments will play out.
Above is the decidedly high-def looking promo for Bellator’s fifth season, kicking off on September 10th in Atlantic City, New Jersey. I mention the spiffyness of the visuals because one of the few complaints that I’ve ever leveled at BFC is the standard definition broadcasting. When the trailer was released a few weeks ago, I honestly thought it was just a little accidental irony.
Nope. A couple of days ago, it was announced that Bellator season five tournaments will be broadcast in HD baby! Now go dig out your cable programming guide and try to determine if you have EPIX. I’ve never heard of it, but apparently it’s an actual channel somewhere, so I’m going to call DISH Network and start offering them money until they can confirm that I’ll see Bellator in 1080p.
If you’re not excited about the upcoming season, watch that video again. You may not realize it, but that’s Bruce Lee talking about being like water. It’s some deep philosophical type shit, and it’s pretty much him guaranteeing that he’s going to join a tournament and wreck shop. Seeing the founder of Jeet Kun Do step away from his acting career and FINALLY step into the cage is going to be sick, and I’m looking forward to putting an end to all that speculation about how good he’d be.
(For an actual preview of two of the four planned tournaments this season, come on in past the jump.)
Above is the decidedly high-def looking promo for Bellator’s fifth season, kicking off on September 10th in Atlantic City, New Jersey. I mention the spiffyness of the visuals because one of the few complaints that I’ve ever leveled at BFC is the standard definition broadcasting. When the trailer was released a few weeks ago, I honestly thought it was just a little accidental irony.
Nope. A couple of days ago, it was announced that Bellator season five tournaments will be broadcast in HD baby! Now go dig out your cable programming guide and try to determine if you have EPIX. I’ve never heard of it, but apparently it’s an actual channel somewhere, so I’m going to call DISH Network and start offering them money until they can confirm that I’ll see Bellator in 1080p.
If you’re not excited about the upcoming season, watch that video again. You may not realize it, but that’s Bruce Lee talking about being like water. It’s some deep philosophical type shit, and it’s pretty much him guaranteeing that he’s going to join a tournament and wreck shop. Seeing the founder of Jeet Kun Do step away from his acting career and FINALLY step into the cage is going to be sick, and I’m looking forward to putting an end to all that speculation about how good he’d be.
(For an actual preview of two of the four planned tournaments this season, come on in past the jump.)
Bantamweight
The 135 pound tournament is packed full of storylines and rivalries. Current featherweight champ Joe Warren is joining the field in an attempt to earn Bellator gold in two weight classes. Here’s the thing about Joe Warren: before Chael Sonnen, there was Joe Warren: he doesn’t lack confidence and he’s not afraid to tell you what’s on his mind. The self-proclaimed “Baddest Man on the Planet” missed the 2008 Olympics due to smoking a little reefer, where he would have represented the US at 60kg in wrestling. (Just my opinion, but if you can smoke grass and stay on weight , you deserve a medal at something. Damn IOC always trying to bring a man down. )
His opponent will be the Cuban Olympic wrestler Alexis Vila, who won a bronze medal in at the 1996 Games at 48kg. You may remember Vila from his appearance in the Genghis Con web documentary Miami Hustle, in which he was angry a lot and hit people really hard. If anyone wants to bet me that Vila does not beat the absolute piss out Warren in the first round, I will laugh and take your money.
Chase Beebe, who fought Warren in his first pro MMA fight and lost (Beebe was 12-3 at the time), joins the tournament looking for redemption. To get it, Beebe will have to get through Marcos Galvao, who gave Warren all he could handle at Bellator 41 (and lost a controversial split decision). Still with me?
Eduardo Dantas out of Brazilian powerhouse Nova Uniao signed on with Bellator, and will face perennial contender Wilson Reis for his North American debut. Dantas won the Shooto South American title, but failed to win the world title in a bout with Masakatsu Ueda in 2009.
Ed West made it to the finals in season three before losing to current champ Zach Makovsky, and he draws Team Renovacao product Luis Alberto Nogueira in the quarterfinals. Nogueira has a loss on his record to Dantas, and if the two meet, expect Bellator to fill you in on Luta Livre vs BJJ.
Welterweights will kick off the fifth season, with the quarterfinals in the 170 pound tournament taking up the card at Bellator 49 on the 10th. Welterweight has always been a deep division for Bellator, and new free agents add some spice to the brackets.
MFC’s former welterweight champ Douglas Lima enters the quarterfinals against Steve Carl, who lost to Dan Hornbuckle in the season two tournament, then rebounded with win over Tyler Stinson via CTFO.
Hornbuckle, meanwhile, will run into a welterweight almost as tall as he is — Luis “Sapo” Santos, a Brazilian wrecking machine that’s every bit as well-rounded as Hornbuckle. Check your DVR twice, because you are not going to want to miss this fight.
Ben Saunders draws Chris Cisneros, a 13-3 Hawaiian fighter who stepped in for the recently injured Rick Hawn, and Kentucky fighter-philosopher Brent Weedman battles the Cleveland Assassin Chris Lozano. Weedman went 5-0 in Bellator until he met Jay Hieron in the semifinals a few months ago, and he’s totally worth following on Twitter. Lozano has earned all eight of his wins via stoppage, with just one loss — a decision to former Bellator champ Lyman Good.
Filed under: Bellator, NewsUNCASVILLE, Conn. — If everything goes according to Joe Warren’s plans, he might find himself to be the busiest fighter in MMA. Warren, who is Bellator’s reigning featherweight champion, is moving forward with plans to enter…
UNCASVILLE, Conn. — If everything goes according to Joe Warren‘s plans, he might find himself to be the busiest fighter in MMA. Warren, who is Bellator‘s reigning featherweight champion, is moving forward with plans to enter the promotion’s upcoming bantamweight tournament field. But he also has two other fighters waiting for dates against him with hopes of wresting that featherweight belt from his grasp.
So in what order will he tackle his many tasks? According to Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney, Warren is locked and loaded for the bantamweight tournament, where he’ll take on former Cuban Olympic wrestler Alexis Vila in September.
But after that, things get tricky.
Of course, if Warren beats Vila, he’ll advance, and if he makes it through to the tournament finale, he’ll be booked up until November. That will leave current No. 1 contender Patricio “Pitbull” Freire waiting … or not. Pitbull is currently recovering from a broken hand and his return date is yet undetermined.
If he’s healthy, he’d get the first featherweight title shot at Warren, but there’s another guy in line right behind him, and that’s Pat Curran, who punched his ticket to face-off for gold by knocking out Marlon Sandro at Saturday night’s Bellator 48.
Curran could potentially face either Warren or Pitbull, depending on who emerges from their bout with the belt. But it may be a while for that to happen. That may not be the worst thing for Curran, who has fought four times in the last four months and could probably use a break.
Rebney said Pitbull should get back into training in the next three to four weeks, and would likely need at least two months of camp before facing Warren.
So things will depend mainly on how far Warren advances and how quickly Sandro’s hand heals.
“If Joe … wins the bantamweight tournament and earns the right to fight [champion] Zach [Makovsky], then he could conceptually have three world title fights in a row,” Rebney said.
Here’s one more wrinkle for fun: Warren has brought up the possibility of trying to qualify for the 2012 Olympics in wrestling. Think there’s a back log of fighters waiting to get at him now? It might only get worse.
“It’ll play itself out, but it’ll be interesting theater to watch it play itself out,” Rebney said.
Joe Warren’s pursuit of a second 
In the game of mixed martial arts, there are veterans and then there are veterans. Not many fighters are as young in life and as well seasoned as the man known as Ed “Wild” West.
UNCASVILLE, Conn. — If everything goes according to