Tag: Justin Gaethje

WSOF 11 Results: Gaethje Knocks Out Newell, Fitch Blankets Hallman

WSOF 11 completed the first leg of this weekend’s MMA triple crown–WSOF 11, UFC 175, and then the TUF 19 Finale. By all accounts (including our own), WSOF 11 was a solid MMA event. The pacing was perfect, and (almost) the fights all delivered.

We were lucky enough to watch the card at a postponed 4th of July BBQ (it rained at Castle CagePotato yesterday). Here’s a brief recap of the night’s events:

In the first fight of the night, Cody Bollinger steamrolled over Pablo Alfonso. He submitted him with a rear-naked choke in under three minutes. Not much else to tell.

In the next bout, Melvin Guillard made his triumphant return to MMA. This was Guillard’s first fight since the UFC cut him after his loss to Michael Johnson. He squared off against Gesias Cavalcante and picked him apart. Guillard looked crisp, fast, and accurate. He seemingly had his shit together, which allowed him to put Cavalcante away in the second round via TKO.

The recap for Jon Fitch vs. Dennis Hallman and Nick Newell vs. Justin Gaethje are after the jump.

WSOF 11 completed the first leg of this weekend’s MMA triple crown–WSOF 11, UFC 175, and then the TUF 19 Finale. By all accounts (including our own), WSOF 11 was a solid MMA event. The pacing was perfect, and (almost) the fights all delivered.

We were lucky enough to watch the card at a postponed 4th of July BBQ (it rained at Castle CagePotato yesterday). Here’s a brief recap of the night’s events:

In the first fight of the night, Cody Bollinger steamrolled over Pablo Alfonso. He submitted him with a rear-naked choke in under three minutes. Not much else to tell.

In the next bout, Melvin Guillard made his triumphant return to MMA. This was Guillard’s first fight since the UFC cut him after his loss to Michael Johnson. He squared off against Gesias Cavalcante and picked him apart. Guillard looked crisp, fast, and accurate. He seemingly had his shit together, which allowed him to put Cavalcante away in the second round via TKO.

The co-main event featured Jon Fitch vs. Dennis Hallman. Originally, Rousimar Palhares Jake Shields, Josh Burkman was supposed to take on Fitch but they all pulled out for varying reasons. This fight was a vintage Jon Fitch performance, which meant it put the crowd to sleep. If “Broke Jon Fitch” was super-exciting and aggressive, then this was a return to “Real Estate Boom” Jon Fitch–the kind of fighter who grinds without ever coming close to even attempting to finish the fight. Fitch won a unanimous decision win without much surprise or fanfare.

Nick Newell and Justin Gaethje met in the WSOF 11 main event. We hate to break out the “it was a WAR, BRO” cliche, but the first round was a war. Newell did a tremendous job of taking it to Gaethje, and Gaethje reciprocated. In the second frame, Gaethje started to pull away. Newell was unable to block Gaethje’s right hands properly, and got tagged numerous times as a result. Gaethje eventually nailed him one time too many, and Newell crashed to the mat. The referee called it at 3:09 of the second round. Here’s a GIF.

Overall, the event was a breeze to watch. The four-fight main card was incredibly refreshing in the age of 6-hour UFC shows full of jobbers and the incessant broadcasting of the same four commercials. We also gave WSOF a huge thumbs up for their pristine white canvas. The white canvas helps make things a bit brighter and less drab. It also highlights any blood that spills from the fighters better than the UFC’s grey canvas, upping the violence factor.

If you DVR’d this, watch it when you get time. It’s worth it.

Here are the complete results:

Main Card

Justin Gaethje def. Nick Newell via TKO (strikes) at 3:09 of R2
Jon Fitch def. Dennis Hallman via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Melvin Guillard def. Gesias Cavalcante via TKO (strikes) at 2:36 of R2
Cody Bollinger def. Pablo Alfonso via submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:37 of R1

Preliminary Card

Jake Heun def. Kendrick Miree via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Neiman Gracie def. Dustin Holyko via submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:21 of R2
Jose Caceres def. Walber Brito de Barros via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Muhamed Dereese def. Rashaun Spencer via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

‘WSOF 11: Gaethje vs. Newell’ Set for Ocean Center in Daytona Beach; NBC Broadcast Begins at 4 p.m. ET

(Justin Gaethje’s 69-second smash-up of Richard Patishnock, at WSOF 8 back in January.)

According to World Series of Fighting Executive Vice President Ali Abdel-Aziz, WSOF 11: Gaethje vs. Newell — the promotion’s big NBC debut on July 5th — will take place at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, Florida. BleacherReport confirmed the news with Abdel-Aziz last night.

More importantly, the card will kick off at 4 p.m. ET, which means that it’ll finish right around the time that the UFC 175: Weidman vs. Machida prelims get underway. Considering that the TUF 19 Finale is scheduled for the next day, there’s no reason for you to not be watching MMA at any point that weekend. Hope you didn’t have plans with family or anything.

Aside from the WSOF lightweight title fight between Justin Gaethje and Nick Newell (both 11-0), the card will feature the rubber match between Jon Fitch and Josh Burkman, and Melvin Guillard vs. Gesias Cavalcante. No other matches have been confirmed.


(Justin Gaethje’s 69-second smash-up of Richard Patishnock, at WSOF 8 back in January.)

According to World Series of Fighting Executive Vice President Ali Abdel-Aziz, WSOF 11: Gaethje vs. Newell — the promotion’s big NBC debut on July 5th — will take place at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, Florida. BleacherReport confirmed the news with Abdel-Aziz last night.

More importantly, the card will kick off at 4 p.m. ET, which means that it’ll finish right around the time that the UFC 175: Weidman vs. Machida prelims get underway. Considering that the TUF 19 Finale is scheduled for the next day, there’s no reason for you to not be watching MMA at any point that weekend. Hope you didn’t have plans with family or anything.

Aside from the WSOF lightweight title fight between Justin Gaethje and Nick Newell (both 11-0), the card will feature the rubber match between Jon Fitch and Josh Burkman, and Melvin Guillard vs. Gesias Cavalcante. No other matches have been confirmed.

Nick Newell to Challenge Justin Gaethje for WSOF Lightweight Title in July


(Well that’s pretty much the greatest photo I’ve ever seen. / Props: Nick’s Facebook page.)

World Series of Fighting executive vice president Ali Abdel-Aziz confirmed with Yahoo! Sports yesterday that undefeated lightweight Nick Newell will finally get his shot at the WSOF lightweight title this July, when he faces incumbent champion Justin Gaethje. The exact date and venue for the match are still TBA. MMAFighting adds that “The promotion is expected to make its NBC debut this summer, but Abdel-Aziz wouldn’t disclose whether the title fight would air on the broadcast network.”

On paper, Newell and Gaethje have identical records of 11-0 with 10 wins by stoppage. Arguably, Gaethje’s level of competition during his WSOF stint has been higher than Newell’s, as the champ’s list of TKO-victims has included Gesias Cavacante, Brian Cobb, and Dan Lauzon (i.e., guys you’ve actually heard of). Of course, finding decent opponents has always been a challenge for Newell, who left the XFC and signed with WSOF last May specifically to fight world-class opponents — but has only been able to squash journeymen so far.

Still, it’s better late than never. Newell’s fight against Gaethje is the big opportunity that the one-handed fighter has been begging for, and could lift his already-expanding profile in a major way, especially if the event is indeed aired on NBC. It’s also simply one of the greatest lightweight matchups you’ll see outside the UFC, and we’re psyched for it. Your predictions, please.

Semi-related: In case you forgot, Rousimar Palhares is fighting Steve Carl for the WSOF welterweight title this Saturday at WSOF 9. Ray Sefo says people are underestimating Steve Carl, which is surprising, because I had no idea that people had any opinions about Steve Carl whatsoever. Anyway, RIP that guy’s ankles.


(Well that’s pretty much the greatest photo I’ve ever seen. / Props: Nick’s Facebook page.)

World Series of Fighting executive vice president Ali Abdel-Aziz confirmed with Yahoo! Sports yesterday that undefeated lightweight Nick Newell will finally get his shot at the WSOF lightweight title this July, when he faces incumbent champion Justin Gaethje. The exact date and venue for the match are still TBA. MMAFighting adds that ”The promotion is expected to make its NBC debut this summer, but Abdel-Aziz wouldn’t disclose whether the title fight would air on the broadcast network.”

On paper, Newell and Gaethje have identical records of 11-0 with 10 wins by stoppage. Arguably, Gaethje’s level of competition during his WSOF stint has been higher than Newell’s, as the champ’s list of TKO-victims has included Gesias Cavacante, Brian Cobb, and Dan Lauzon (i.e., guys you’ve actually heard of). Of course, finding decent opponents has always been a challenge for Newell, who left the XFC and signed with WSOF last May specifically to fight world-class opponents — but has only been able to squash journeymen so far.

Still, it’s better late than never. Newell’s fight against Gaethje is the big opportunity that the one-handed fighter has been begging for, and could lift his already-expanding profile in a major way, especially if the event is indeed aired on NBC. It’s also simply one of the greatest lightweight matchups you’ll see outside the UFC, and we’re psyched for it. Your predictions, please.

Semi-related: In case you forgot, Rousimar Palhares is fighting Steve Carl for the WSOF welterweight title this Saturday at WSOF 9. Ray Sefo says people are underestimating Steve Carl, which is surprising, because I had no idea that people had any opinions about Steve Carl whatsoever. Anyway, RIP that guy’s ankles.

Jessica Aguilar vs. Alida Gray Might Be the Best Reason to Watch WSOF 8 This Saturday


(Jessica Aguilar photo via Jeff Lopes/Kimurawear)

Believe it or not, there’s a World Series of Fighting event happening this weekend. WSOF 8 goes down this Saturday at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida, featuring the twice-delayed fight between Anthony Johnson and Mike Kyle, and the promotion’s inaugural lightweight title fight between undefeated banger Justin Gaethje and Richard “Who Da Fuq?” Patishnock. [Ed. note: Not his real nickname. But seriously, have any of you heard of this guy?]

Look, I’d happily tune in to watch Rumble Johnson beat up any unretired jobber they throw at him. But it’s worth mentioning that WSOF 8 features a second title fight, which might turn out to be the most competitive, meaningful fight on the entire card. I’m speaking, of course, of the inaugural women’s strawweight championship match between Jessica Aguilar and Alida Gray.

For devoted fans of WMMA, Jessica Aguilar should need no introduction, but here it is anyway: Aguilar is an eight-year veteran of the sport who’s best known for her 5-1 stint in Bellator, where she won decisions against Carla Esparza, Lisa Ellis, and Megumi Fujii. Then, last October, Aguilar traveled to Fujii’s home-turf and beat her again (although not without controversy).

When Bellator shut down its women’s division last August, Aguilar signed with the World Series of Fighting — perhaps prematurely. In short order, other female Bellator refugees found themselves snatched up by the UFC (like Jessica Eye) or signed to Invicta and then snatched up by the UFC (like Felice Herrig). In other words, Jessica Aguilar is probably the best female 115-pounder not in the UFC, for better or worse.

As for Alida Gray, well, even if you don’t recognize her name, you may have seen her around here before…


(Jessica Aguilar photo via Jeff Lopes/Kimurawear)

Believe it or not, there’s a World Series of Fighting event happening this weekend. WSOF 8 goes down this Saturday at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida, featuring the twice-delayed fight between Anthony Johnson and Mike Kyle, and the promotion’s inaugural lightweight title fight between undefeated banger Justin Gaethje and Richard “Who Da Fuq?” Patishnock. [Ed. note: Not his real nickname. But seriously, have any of you heard of this guy?]

Look, I’d happily tune in to watch Rumble Johnson beat up any unretired jobber they throw at him. But it’s worth mentioning that WSOF 8 features a second title fight, which might turn out to be the most competitive, meaningful fight on the entire card. I’m speaking, of course, of the inaugural women’s strawweight championship match between Jessica Aguilar and Alida Gray.

For devoted fans of WMMA, Jessica Aguilar should need no introduction, but here it is anyway: Aguilar is an eight-year veteran of the sport who’s best known for her 5-1 stint in Bellator, where she won decisions against Carla Esparza, Lisa Ellis, and Megumi Fujii. Then, last October, Aguilar traveled to Fujii’s home-turf and beat her again (although not without controversy).

When Bellator shut down its women’s division last August, Aguilar signed with the World Series of Fighting — perhaps prematurely. In short order, other female Bellator refugees found themselves snatched up by the UFC (like Jessica Eye) or signed to Invicta and then snatched up by the UFC (like Felice Herrig). In other words, Jessica Aguilar is probably the best female 115-pounder not in the UFC, for better or worse.

As for Alida Gray, well, even if you don’t recognize her name, you may have seen her around here before…

Here we have Gray’s crushing third-round knockout of Soannia Tiem back in October, which we called “the Most Vicious (Strawweight) One-Punch KO of All Time” — and we still stand by that. With a pro record of just 4-0 (all wins by stoppage), Gray is significantly under-seasoned compared to the 16-4 Aguilar. But when you can slug like that, does experience even matter? What’s crazy is that Gray doesn’t even come from a striking background — she’s a former competitive judoka (and 1996 Olympic alternate) who became a high school wrestling coach and began studying MMA in 2010. She has won three amateur fights and one pro fight by armbar. Gray is green, so to speak, but she’s no pushover.

Can you blame us if we’re more excited about Aguilar vs. Gray than the latest Rumble Johnson squash-match or a “Lightweight World Title Fight” featuring a virtual unknown? If you’re interested, you can watch the action this Saturday at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT on NBC Sports Network.

Sad Knockout of the Day: Justin Gaethje Only Needs Twelve Seconds to Destroy Drew Fickett


Yep.

When we last checked in on Drew Fickett, he had moved from Arizona to Florida to enter a rehabilitation facility, and celebrated his forty-two days of sobriety with a knockout loss to Jonatas Novaes at ShoFIGHT 20. Not to add insult to injury, but Fickett said before the fight that he was in very real danger danger of becoming homeless if he didn’t receive his win bonus as well. I wish I was here today to tell you that things have gotten better for him, but that’s not exactly the case.

Fickett met up with undefeated Grudge Training Center prospect Justin Gaethje at last weekend’s Rage in the Cage 163. I’d describe the fight for you, but that’d be a waste of time. Let’s just say that Gaethje is still undefeated, Fickett is now 1-6 in his last seven fights and I’m only writing about this fight because I have lost control of my life.

Video is after the jump.


Yep.

When we last checked in on Drew Fickett, he had moved from Arizona to Florida to enter a rehabilitation facility, and celebrated his forty-two days of sobriety with a knockout loss to Jonatas Novaes at ShoFIGHT 20. Not to add insult to injury, but Fickett said before the fight that he was in very real danger danger of becoming homeless if he didn’t receive his win bonus as well. I wish I was here today to tell you that things have gotten better for him, but that’s not exactly the case.

Fickett met up with undefeated Grudge Training Center prospect Justin Gaethje at last weekend’s Rage in the Cage 163. I’d describe the fight for you, but that’d be a waste of time. Let’s just say that Gaethje is still undefeated, Fickett is now 1-6 in his last seven fights – with his last four losses all coming in under one minute – and I’m only writing about this fight because I have lost control of my life.


Fight starts at the 4:30 mark.

In less depressing news, Gaethje wants to fight two more times before the end of the year. After such a quick knockout, I can’t say I blame him for being so optimistic. So at least we’re ending on a high note…right?

@SethFalvo