Tag: Mike Rhodes

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. […]

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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.

Paulo Thiago vs. Joe Riggs Booked for UFC Fight Night 51 — Yes, *That* Joe Riggs. Seriously.


(Photo via Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com)

Brazilian welterweight Paulo Thiago was slated to face Mike “Biggie” Rhodes in a “win or get fired” fight at UFC Fight Night 51: Bigfoot vs. Arlovski (September 13th; Brasilia, Brazil), but Rhodes has withdrawn from the fight due to injury. Coming in to replace Rhodes against Thiago is…Joe Riggs? Really?

UFC officials confirmed the unexpected booking after an initial report from Combate. Riggs is on a six-fight win streak, most recently out-pointing Mike Bronzoulis at Bellator 106 in November to win the first (and last) season of Fight Master. Riggs hasn’t competed in the Octagon since a 4-4 UFC stint way back in 2004-2006, which ended with a quick ‘n’ gnarly knockout loss to Diego Sanchez at UFC Fight Night 7.


(This is the only theory that makes sense.)


(Photo via Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com)

Brazilian welterweight Paulo Thiago was slated to face Mike “Biggie” Rhodes in a “win or get fired” fight at UFC Fight Night 51: Bigfoot vs. Arlovski (September 13th; Brasilia, Brazil), but Rhodes has withdrawn from the fight due to injury. Coming in to replace Rhodes against Thiago is…Joe Riggs? Really?

UFC officials confirmed the unexpected booking after an initial report from Combate. Riggs is on a six-fight win streak, most recently out-pointing Mike Bronzoulis at Bellator 106 in November to win the first (and last) season of Fight Master. Riggs hasn’t competed in the Octagon since a 4-4 UFC stint way back in 2004-2006, which ended with a quick ‘n’ gnarly knockout loss to Diego Sanchez at UFC Fight Night 7.


(This is the only theory that makes sense.)

Still just 31 years old — he made his pro debut in September 2001, just days after his 19th birthday — Riggs is already a veteran of 55 MMA fights. It’s hard to say how much gas “Diesel” has left in the tank, although it’s good to see him potentially earning some paychecks again, considering that he recently got his ass dug out by the IRS.

Paulo Thiago is desperate for a win these days, having just lost to a non-wiki fighter named Gasan Umalatov at the TUF Brazil 3 Finale, which represented his sixth defeat in his last eight fights. This summer, Thiago helped maintain order at the World Cup in Brazil, and now he has to fight Joe Riggs to save his UFC contract.

It’s a crazy world.