MMA News | UFC Betting Sites - The Best MMA Online Bookies

Bellator August 12 Show Opens With Eddie Sanchez Vs. Neil Grove.

CHICAGO, Ill. (July 19, 2010) — Bellator Fighting Championships’ much-anticipated Season 3 Heavyweight Tournament will kick off on Thursday, Aug. 12th with an intriguing opening-round fight between heavy-handed UFC veteran Eddie Sanchez and massive British knockout artist Neil “Goliath” Grove at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla.
Sanchez and Grove join a […]

Sanchez and Grove join a stacked Bellator 24 card that also features:

– A special non-title “Super Fight” between reigning Bellator Middleweight Champion Hector Lombard (26-2-1) and former NFL standoutHerbert “Whisper” Goodman (15-8);

-An opening-round fight in Bellator’s Women’s World Championship Tournament featuring the world’s No. 1 pound-for-pound female fighter,Megumi Fujii, and veteran submission grappler Angela Magana, the world’s No. 8-ranked female fighter at 115 lbs.;

– Another opening-round Women’s Tournament fight between the world’s No. 6-ranked 125-pounder, Lynn “Lights Out” Alvarez, andJessica Aguilar, the world’s No.7-ranked 115-pounder.

Tickets for the event — which will also be broadcast LIVE nationwide on FOX Sports Net — are on sale now at ticketmaster.com.

The Sanchez-Grove fight is one of four opening-round fights in the Heavyweight Tournament that will take place during Bellator’s first four Season 3 events in South Florida, Chicago, Kansas City and San Antonio. Also competing in the tournament are undefeated European finisher Damian “The Polish Pitbull” Grabowski, Seattle-area knockout artist Mike “300” Hayes, Spanish submission ace Rogent Lloret, Georgia-based ground-and-pound specialistScott Barrett and two yet-to-be named fighters.

Sanchez (12-3) has finished eight of his fights via KO or TKO. The San Diego native is now in the midst of a four-fight win streak that includes a devastating 10-second KO of Jay White during Bellator 7 in 2009 and a miraculous come-from-behind TKO victory over Marcus Sursa at Bellator 20 in San Antonio on May 27th.

Grove (8-2-1) has notched all eight of his wins via KO or TKO. The South African-born former semipro rugby player earned widespread recognition with a highlight-reel 10-second KO of former EliteXC, Pride and Sengoku headliner James Thompson and followed that up with an impressive TKO of UFC veteran James McSweeney.

“Both Eddie and Neil are known for their finishes so this should be an exciting fight,” said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “In addition, fans watching Bellator 24 at the Hard Rock and on our national TV broadcasts will also get a chance to see some outstanding fights featuring stars like Hector Lombard and Megumi Fujii. It’s going to be a great night in South Florida on August 12th.”

For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bellator.

About Bellator Fighting Championships

Bellator Fighting Championships is a Mixed Martial Arts promotional company headquartered in Chicago. Bellator’s founder/CEO, Bjorn Rebney, is an experienced fighting sports and entertainment professional with a deep commitment to the purity and integrity of the sport of MMA and its athletes. Bellator Fighting Championships’ executive team is comprised of top industry professionals in the areas of live event production, television production, fighter relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity and commission relations.

Jake Shields Signs With UFC, Will Face Martin Kampmann.

Everyone knew it was just a matter of time before former Strikeforce champion Jake Shields joined the ranks of the UFC, and now it’s official. Shields, according to Twitter, will be facing Martin Kampmann for his bid at a future title shot in the welterweight division, currently ruled by champion Georges St. Pierre. The two will lock horns at UFC 121 on October 23 which should have UFC heavyweight champion Brock Lesnar taking on number one contender Cain Velasquez. Here is Shield’s own words on the matter:

UFC contract officially signed. Fighting Kampmann in CA in a few months. Thanks to @danawhite and everyone for their support.

Vitor Belfort Back To Training, Works Pads With Shawn Tompkins.

Vitor Belfort fans are hoping the “Phenom” can return to form in time for a solid 2011 run at Anderson Silva, and from this video it looks like Belfort’s hand speed and power are returning quickly. Belfort must be interested in seeing if Chael Sonnen can do more than talk circles around Anderson Silva […]

Click here to view the embedded video.

Frank Mir vs. “Minotauro” Nogueira II Confirmed for Sept. 25th

The UFC has announced today that the promotion is moving forward with the expected rematch between former champs Frank Mir and “Minotauro” Nogueira, for September 25th in Indianapolis. Why not right? Both dudes got bombed out in their last bouts (Nog by Cain Velasquez / Mir by Shane Carwin); both guys continue to be threats […]

The UFC has announced today that the promotion is moving forward with the expected rematch between former champs Frank Mir and “Minotauro” Nogueira, for September 25^th in Indianapolis. Why not right? Both dudes got bombed out in their last bouts (Nog by Cain Velasquez / Mir by Shane Carwin); both guys continue to be threats in the heavyweight division, and of course, there’s a little bit of drama in the background to make things that much more interesting. You may recall that after Nogueira was throttled by Mir at UFC 92 in December, 2008, the legendary fighter announced afterwards that he had been suffering from a knee injury, as well as a staph infection, heading into their bout. You may also recall that Mir wasn’t really down with the whole ‘excuse’ thing…

In the press release announcing the rematch today, Dana White was quoted saying:

“Ever since Frank Mir beat Nogueira for the heavyweight title in 2008, Minotauro has asked me for this rematch because he wants to prove that the first fight was a fluke,” said UFC President Dana White. “On September 25th, he gets his wish, and I don’t think there’s any fighter more motivated than he is to even the score. As for Frank Mir, he wants to get back in the title picture, and if I know him, he was the first man to knock Nogueira out at UFC 92, and now he’ll want to be the first man to make him tap out.”

So, just a thought, but if you’re Nogueira, maybe this time it might be wise to drop out of the fight if you get seriously injured or sick again no?

Anthony Johnson to Return in Fall- Possibly at Middleweight

If you’re new to the sport of MMA you may be thinking right now ‘Anthony Johnson…why does that name sound so familiar?’ Well, although Johnson hasn’t fought since last November due to a knee injury, if you tune into Spike regularly you’ve probably seen more than a few highlights of him leaving dudes in an […]

If you’re new to the sport of MMA you may be thinking right now ‘Anthony Johnson…why does that name sound so familiar?’ Well, although Johnson hasn’t fought since last November due to a knee injury, if you tune into Spike regularly you’ve probably seen more than a few highlights of him leaving dudes in an unconscious heap. Well, according to a report from MMA Weekly, due to Johnson’s aforementioned knee injury and subsequent surgery, the already massive welterweight has just a wee bit of weight to lose before returning to action this fall. Source? Johnson’s agent Ken Pavia recently said this on MMA Weekly Radio:

“Anthony Johnson at one point weighed the same as Ricco Rodriguez, which is kind of scary. He weighed the same as Ricco Rodriguez, except he had abs,” …”He had a knee injury. He had surgery, took some time off to let it heal, it was giving him some problems, but now he’s in rehab and doing rehab for his knee.”

Now, if you’re a long time observer of the sport you may be thinking ‘dear God, which Ricco are we talking about?’ As let’s face it, the former UFC champ’s weight hasn’t exactly been static over the last few years…Well, the report clarified that Johnson got up to 230 at one point… So, due to being on the DL for quite some time and the need to shed a lil weight, Pavia also told MMA Weekly that they are looking at October / November for Johnson’s return. And yes, middleweight is an option.

Things are always more violent when Johnson’s around- it will be good to see him back.

Impact FC: Ken Shamrock Vs. Pedro Rizzo July 18.

Impact FC brought us some very memorable fights, but this certainly wasn’t one of them. Shamrock was a pioneer for the sport, but you got to wonder who’s giving this guy licensing these days. Also he’s fighting at heavyweight but came in an uber lean 212, that’s not gonna help him any. […]

Click here to view the embedded video.