Tag: Kendall Grove

Where Are They Now? The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) Winners

Find out where your favorite The Ultimate Fighter winners are now:

The post Where Are They Now? The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) Winners appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

With the UFC having now secured a new broadcasting deal with ESPN from 2019 onwards, Dana White recently admitted that ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ show may finally be on its way out after a 27season series run.

As such, now seems like a good time to take a look back at what has become of every single one of the long-running show’s 35 ‘Ultimate Fighter’ winners to date.

Find out what your favorite past winners of TUF are up to now:

SEASON 1

Diego Sanchez

It’s a testament to Diego Sanchez’s durability that 13 years after winning TUF season 1 he remains the only fighter from that historic series to still be actively competing in the UFC, having amassed 27 fights (16-11) to date.

However, after suffering back-to-back first-round knockouts in his last two fights, it’s possible that the 36-year-old’s memorable career is now entering its final stages, though Sanchez has assured his fans that, “I’m not done yet.”


Forrest Griffin

Arguably TUF’s most iconic winner, Griffin’s fight with Stephan Bonner in the Season 1 finale was declared as the most important fight in UFC history by Dana White, while he’d also go on to win the light-heavyweight title too.

Griffin retired in 2013 at the age of 33 due to chronic injuries, but he’s since been inducted into the UFC’s Hall of Fame and now works for the UFC as their Vice President of Athletic Development.

The post Where Are They Now? The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) Winners appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Bellator Releases Several Fighters Including Former WSOF Champ

Bellator is trimming over a dozen fighters from its roster, a representative for the promotion confirmed to MMA Fighting on Tuesday. 13 fighters to be exact, some coming as more of a surprise than others. Welterweight Fernando Gonzalez defeated the likes of Brennan Ward and current UFC fighter Curtis Millender but was still amongst those cut. […]

The post Bellator Releases Several Fighters Including Former WSOF Champ appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Bellator is trimming over a dozen fighters from its roster, a representative for the promotion confirmed to MMA Fighting on Tuesday.

13 fighters to be exact, some coming as more of a surprise than others. Welterweight Fernando Gonzalez defeated the likes of Brennan Ward and current UFC fighter Curtis Millender but was still amongst those cut.

Bellator staple Georgi Karakhanyan was also among the 13 fighters cut by Bellator, despite two blistering and quick knockouts over Bubba Jenkins.

Francisco France went 1-2 in the promotion, losing two of those in a row. Others given their walking papers were Alexis Dufresne, Francis Carmont, who was most recently defeated by Linton Vassell, Ben Reiter, former notable UFC and Ultimate Fighter alum Kendall Grove, Strikeforce and UFC veteran Kevin Casey, L.C Davis, Mike Rhodes, Philipe Lins, Steve Garcia, as well as Steve Kozola.

Of the 13 cut, their combined records were 39-31-1; many were already free agents while others were terminated mid-contract.

How do you feel about Bellator’s most recent round of cuts?

The post Bellator Releases Several Fighters Including Former WSOF Champ appeared first on LowKickMMA.com.

Bellator 181 Results: Derek Campos Beats Brandon Girtz Via TKO in Main Event

Bellator 181 was held on Friday night and headlined by Derek Campos knocking off Brandon Girtz in a bloody main event that was stopped after the second round due to a cut on Girtz’s forehead.
Campos was seeking revenge for his 37-second knockout loss a…

Bellator 181 was held on Friday night and headlined by Derek Campos knocking off Brandon Girtz in a bloody main event that was stopped after the second round due to a cut on Girtz’s forehead.

Campos was seeking revenge for his 37-second knockout loss against Girtz at Bellator 146 in November 2015. That fight did represent a turning point in his career as it was his third defeat in four fights, and he’s since gone on to win four straight matches. 

This marked the third fight between Campos and Girtz in their respective careers. Campos now holds a 2-1 advantage, also winning their first matchup at Bellator 96 in June 2013. 

 

Here are the full results from Friday’s Bellator 181 main card:

Lightweight: Derek Campos def. Brandon Girtz via TKO (second round)

Middleweight: John Salter def. Kendall Grove via choke submission (first round)

Bantamweight: Joe Warren def. Steve Garcia via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)

Women’s Flyweight: Emily Ducote def. Jessica Middleton, via unanimous decision (29-28 x 2, 29-27)

 

Even though the finish to Campos-Girtz was underwhelming since the doctor stopped it between rounds, the two men more than delivered during their 10 minutes inside the cage. 

Both fighters were trading heavy blows back and forth. The big shot was a knee delivered from Campos that caught Girtz square in the head and left a huge cut running down the middle of his forehead that would not stop bleeding. 

In the middle of the second round, the referee briefly halted things between the two fighters so the doctor could examine the cut on Girtz’s forehead. The doctor allowed the fight to continue at that point since the cut wasn’t near his eye. 

After the fight was called, Campos and Girtz earned high praise from fellow fighters on social media:

The semi-main event was a middleweight showdown in which John Salter submitted Kendall Grove with a rear-naked choke with 23 seconds remaining in the first round. 

Salter has been unstoppable since making his Bellator debut in January 2015. The 32-year-old is 4-0 with the promotion, and all four of his victories have come via stoppage, including three straight in the first round. 

The MMA Report’s Jason Floyd thinks Salter has done enough to put himself in title contention:

Rafael Carvalho is currently Bellator’s middleweight champion and will reportedly defend the crown against Alessio Sakara in December, per MMA Today’s Nolan King. 

Because of Carvalho’s schedule, Salter may be forced to win one more fight if he wants a title shot. Based on his current run of success, it shouldn’t be a problem too great for him to overcome. 

 

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Kendall Grove-John Salter Scheduled for Bellator 181 This July

Kendall Grove will make his eighth appearance inside the Bellator cage this summer, taking on John Salter at Bellator 181. Grove (23-16) had won two straight before falling to former champion Alexander Shlemenko last October. Overall, he is 4-3 since signing with Bellator in 2013. Salter (13-3) has won all three of his fights with […]

Kendall Grove will make his eighth appearance inside the Bellator cage this summer, taking on John Salter at Bellator 181. Grove (23-16) had won two straight before falling to former champion Alexander Shlemenko last October. Overall, he is 4-3 since signing with Bellator in 2013. Salter (13-3) has won all three of his fights with […]

Bellator 174: Koreshkov vs. Gonzalez, Honeycutt vs. Grove Added to Thackerville Card

Bellator has added two main card bouts to their March 3 card in Thackerville, OK. Former Bellator welterweight champion Andrey Koreshkov (19-2) will get back on the horse when he battles Fernando Gonzalez (25-14) in the co-main event of Bellator 174. Koreshkov lost his title to Douglas Lima back in Nov. 2016 via knockout. Meanwhile, […]

Bellator has added two main card bouts to their March 3 card in Thackerville, OK. Former Bellator welterweight champion Andrey Koreshkov (19-2) will get back on the horse when he battles Fernando Gonzalez (25-14) in the co-main event of Bellator 174. Koreshkov lost his title to Douglas Lima back in Nov. 2016 via knockout. Meanwhile, […]

Bellator 162 Results – Shlemenko TKOs Grove, Lashley Submits Appelt

On Friday evening, Bellator MMA held their Bellator 162: Shlemenko vs. Grove event at the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tennessee.

Featured below are quick-match results of the evening, which included the MMA fighting return of popular pro wrestler Bo…

bellator-162-shlemenko-grov

On Friday evening, Bellator MMA held their Bellator 162: Shlemenko vs. Grove event at the FedEx Forum in Memphis, Tennessee.

Featured below are quick-match results of the evening, which included the MMA fighting return of popular pro wrestler Bobby Lashley against Josh Appelt, as well as a main event of Alexander Shlemenko vs. Kendall Grove.

Bellator 162 Main Card Results

– Alexander Shlemenko def. Kendall Grove via second-round TKO (1:43)
– Bobby Lashley def. Josh Appelt via submission (RNC) (Round 2, 1:43)
– Goiti Yamauchi def. Ryan Couture via submission (arm bar) (Round 1, 1:01)
– Hisaki Kato def. A.J. Matthews via technical knockout (Round 1, 4:58)

Bellator 162 Preliminary Card Results

– Julia Budd def. Arlene Blencowe via majority decision (29-29, 30-27, 29-27)
– Ricky Rainey def. Gilbert Smith def via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
– Steve Garcia def. Ronnie Lawrence via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
– Chase Gormley def. Bobby Brents via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
– Virgil Zwicker def. Dan Charles via technical knockout (Round 2, 4:31)