Bellator 89 went down Thursday night from Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, N.C. Come for the combat sports. Stay for the biscuits. Seriously. They are delightful.But if it’s possible, things even more delightful than biscuits distinguished Bellator 89….
Bellator 89 went down Thursday night from Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte, N.C. Come for the combat sports. Stay for the biscuits. Seriously. They are delightful.
But if it’s possible, things even more delightful than biscuits distinguished Bellator 89. The rollicking event gave fight fans everywhere a chance to escape from the hideous clutches of Valentine’s Day, the IOC news cycle, and the dead-ass middle of February in general.
Every fight was good, but the main event was the main event, an emotional and meaningful bantamweight title fight between two friends and teammates.
Soon we return to winter’s midnight dreary. But for this moment, let us glimpse back at the main-card winners and losers, and map out the next steps in their respective paths toward (or away from) glory.
Most training partners want no part of fighting the same men they work with day in and day out. How can you trust someone to give you their all in the gym if the specter of competition hung over you all the time? It’s one major reason why getting MMA f…
Most training partners want no part of fighting the same men they work with day in and day out. How can you trust someone to give you their all in the gym if the specter of competition hung over you all the time? It’s one major reason why getting MMA fighters to compete with their teammates is the worst part of any promoter’s job. Guys, simply put, just don’t want to fight their friends.
Eduardo Dantas and Marcos Galvao, I assume, understand this. They also reject it outright.
The Bellator bantamweights did battle for the world title tonight and you’d have never guessed that they trained together at Andre Pederneiras’s world renowned Nova Uniao gym in Rio deJaneiro. Or that Galvoa was not just a mere training partner, but actually Dantas‘s mentor.
Dantas won the fight, but he was not the only winner on this night. MMA is funny—sometimes you can lose a fight on the scorecards and win the hearts and minds of the fans. Others can win a boring decision and lose the confidence of promoters and matchmakers. It’s never as simple as the official results.
So who were the real winners and losers? Click on to find out. Disagree? Let’s discuss in the comments.
The UFC is in London, England for this weekend’s UFC on Fuel TV 7 fight card. Fans at Wembley Arena will get to see a total of 12 fights with the main event being an interim title bout as Renan Barao puts his interim bantamweight title on the lin…
The UFC is in London, England for this weekend’s UFC on Fuel TV 7 fight card. Fans at Wembley Arena will get to see a total of 12 fights with the main event being an interim title bout as RenanBarao puts his interim bantamweight title on the line when he faces Michael McDonald.
The interim title defense was not fully expected, but when bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz had to undergo a second knee surgery, Barao had no choice but to defend that title and the UFC matched him up with the highly ranked Michael McDonald.
The co-main event between Dustin Poirier and Cub Swanson could launch the winner to the top of the crowded featherweight pecking order.
Also featured on the Fuel portion of the card will be highly thought of prospects JimiManuwa, Gunnar Nelson and Ryan Jimmo. All three earned stoppage wins in their UFC debuts and will have many watching how they perform in their second UFC bouts.
The fighters competing in England on Saturday will weigh-in on Friday and Bleacher Report will have the results of the weigh-in as they take place. Please sure to check back at 11 a.m. ET on Friday.
It is time to step into the world of British MMA once again for a kind of déjà vu review as we take a look at another DVD release from the good people at Ultimate Challenge MMA. The DVD in question is UCMMA 27. We begin with the prelimina…
It is time to step into the world of British MMA once again for a kind of déjà vu review as we take a look at another DVD release from the good people at Ultimate Challenge MMA. The DVD in question is UCMMA 27.
We begin with the preliminaries and the middleweight encounter between KesterMumba and Mark Armstrong.
This certainly was a very interesting encounter. Both fighters began by testing the waters a little before the action went to the ground.
Once they arrived, Armstrong took control after reversing the positions and taking the mount. Kester did a good job of gutting it out as Armstrong looked for a submission.
It was the same story in the second round. Kester scored with the early trip before Armstrong reversed into the mount. Once again he went for a couple of submissions before deciding that ground and pound was the way to go.
However, although he rained down a torrent of blows, most of the shots looked quite sloppy, and it was only when he upped his game in the final minute of the round that the referee stepped in to give him the TKO win.
It was down to lightweight for the next fight as Peter Waterhouse took on Dominic Clarke.
This blink-and-you’ll-miss-it affair saw Waterhouse begin with a big right and Clarke coming back straight away.
Clarke was all over him like a cheap suit. He took the mount as the fight went to the ground and unleashed with the heavy leather as the referee stepped in after just 22 seconds to as he took the TKO win.
Welterweight action followed as KesKpokogri took on EsiMoradi.
This was another encounter where they didn’t wait long before taking it to the ground. Once they got there, Moradi took immediate control.
He transitioned with ease as he looked for the ground and pound. Kpokogri looked powerless against Moradi’s onslaught as the referee stepped in to give Moradi the TKO win.
UK1 kickboxing action followed as Jimmy Miller took on Tom King in the welterweight division.
The stand-up fighters were clearly following the examples set by their MMA counterparts here. These two clearly weren’t being paid by the house as they began to swing with King getting the first knockdown with a left jab.
After a few seconds of dirty boxing, King had his man on his backside again, this time with a right hand that caught Miller flush on the chin.
When a second left jab sent Miller crashing again, the referee waived off the action as King took the TKO win.
It was back to regular MMA action next and the heavyweight encounter between Matthew Manners and Scott Saward.
We had two fighters making their professional debuts in this one, a definite blink-and-you’ll-miss-it affair if ever there was one.
Saward came forward as soon as the fight started, and as he connected with a barrage of blows. Manners slumped to the canvas. The referee stepped in after just eight seconds to give Saward the TKO win.
Then it was back to middleweight as Sam Boo faced TollyPlested.
No feeling-out period in this one. Plested took the action to the ground early, lifting Boo up and walking over to his own corner before slamming him to the mat.
Plested’s game was both patient and effective. Although Book tried to lock him down at one point Plested soon worked into a position where he could take the mount and unleash with the ground and pound. Boo then game him his back as Plestedsynched in a rear naked choke for the submission win.
More heavyweight action followed as Paul Taylor went up against Marian Rusu.
This was another one of those fights that fits firmly into the interesting category. It was developing quite nicely, with Rusu looking the better of the two, especially with his combinations. But when he connected with a right kick to Taylor’s thigh he began to complain about a foot injury.
After a brief chat with the referee he decided to fight on, but by then he was the proverbial one legged man in an a*** kicking contest, and when Taylor deliver a series of blows Rusu slumped to the mat as the referee stopped the action to give Taylor the stoppage win.
Then it was on to the main show, beginning with the UK1 middleweight encounter between Peter Nemeth and Tony Giles.
The third blink-and-you’ll-miss-it affair saw Giles coming forward as soon as the bell sounded. Nemeth was cut almost immediately as Giles connected with a barrage of lefts and rights.
The referee quickly stepped in so he could give Nemeth a standing eight count, but there was no need as he gave up to give Giles the TKO win after just 22 seconds.
Bantamweight MMA action followed as Arnold Allen took on Nathan Greyson.
Allen, who was making his professional debut at just 18 years old, began with a takedown attempt that went awry as he landed on his back. However, when the ground fighting began, he showed a tremendous amount of skill.
While Greyson looked for the ground-and-pound, Allen constantly looked for submissions, and just when it looked like he would get the armbarGreyson slammed his way out.
Greyson finished the first round in a strong position with a spot of ground-and-pound from the mount, but when the second round began Allen showed he had more to him than his ground game.
As Greyson backed Allen up against the fence, Allen connected with a big left that sent his man crashing to the canvas. The referee called the action immediately, giving Allen the knockout just 40 seconds into the round.
Then it was up to light heavyweight Max Nunes as he faced Shane Fourie.
As the old saying goes someone’s “0” had to go in this battle of undefeated fighters. The first few moments saw them engage in a clinch against the cage, and although Nunes was the one being pushed against the fence, he had more success than Fourie.
Fourie went for a takedown after the referee separation, but an error on his part saw Nunes landing in top position. He soon went to work with the ground and pound, and as Fourie was cut open, the referee stepped in to give Nunes the win by verbal submission.
It was down to welterweight for the next fight between Andy Cona and Amil Smith.
Cona began his shift in the cage with a spinning back fist attempt and the action really got underway when he took the fight to the ground.
They spent the next few moments jockeying for position, with Cona taking his man down with a pro wrestling-like power slam. That may have been a great highlight reel moment, but ultimately it meant nothing when Smith took his back and synched in a rear naked choke for the submission win.
The welterweight action continued with Lee Caers and Luke Newman.
Before the fight began, commentator and former UFC fighter Ian Freeman praised Newman’s striking ability, and although we saw a little of that here, it was his ground game that impressed me.
After taking his man down with a high slam, Newman went to work. Caers did a good job of defending at times, but Newman’s ground-and-pound soon softened him up.
Moments later, Newman took Caers’ back, and after a few more well placed shots, he locked in a rear naked choke for the submission win.
Catchweight action made at 80 kilos followed as Miguel Barnard went up against Michael Page.
Page began the fight with his somewhat flamboyant stance as both fighters did a bit of showboating as they tried to land that first blow.
A few moments later, Page slipped and fell to the ground. Bernard immediately went into the guard, only to find himself in a Page armbar. But as Bernard tapped, Page kept the hold in place, only releasing it when the referee screamed at him to stop.
Yet, more welterweight action followed as Warren Kee took on Bola Omoyele.
We had a brief testing of the waters at the beginning before Omoyele instigated a clinch. He then went for a takedown, but each time he tried this Kee managed to get back to his feet.
Omoyele then took Kee’s back while they were still standing as he delivered a succession of left knees to Kee’s head. These soon had their desired effect, and as Kee slumped up against the cage, Omoyele added a few punches into the mix. The referee soon stepped in to give Omoyele the TKO win.
The only title fight on the show saw A.J. Woodhall taking on Louis King for the vacant UK1 Light Heavyweight title.
Time to bring out that blink-and-you’ll-miss-it line again. King came out swinging as soon as the bell rang as he clobbered Woodhall with a succession of lefts and rights. Woodhall quickly fell to the mat as the referee stopped the fight after just six seconds to give King the TKO win and the title.
The main event featured light heavyweight action as Neil Bittong faced Ben Smith.
To me this seemed like the most methodical fight on the show. Bittong had some success early on when he escaped after a couple of takedowns until Smith eventually succeeded with his desired tactic.
It looked like it was going to be a long night for Bittong as Smith controlled the action with the ground-and-pound. It was a tactic that served him well for the majority of the first round and into the second.
But against the run of play, Bittong managed to get back to his feet, and moments later he took Smith’s back. As the round entered it’s final minute Bittong flattened his man out and synched in a rear naked choke to take the submission win.
In conclusion — my review of the TV broadcast of this event I described this as an explosive night of action, and having seen the entire show I see no reason to change that conclusion.
This really is another quality DVD release from UCMMA, and if you’re one of those fans frustrated by shows where every fight goes the distance this may be the tonic you’re looking for. The judges simply weren’t required here.
As for my fight of the night, the no-prize originally went to Arnold Allen and Nathan Greyson, and once again I see no reason to change that decision, or to change the decision to give this show the thumbs up.
With thanks to the powers that be for supplying a copy of this release. For details on how to purchase UCMMA 27 on DVD visit www.ucmma.tv.
Don’t forget to check out my website at twoshedsreview.blogspot.com. It’s been online in one for or another for nearly 13 years now!
Fans love it when fighters “stand and bang,” don’t we? All that rolling around on the ground is little more than an unwelcome distraction, something that we reluctantly tolerate until the next blistering stand-up exchange. Given the p…
Fans love it when fighters “stand and bang,” don’t we? All that rolling around on the ground is little more than an unwelcome distraction, something that we reluctantly tolerate until the next blistering stand-up exchange.
Given the perpetuity of this myth, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if half of you read that paragraph while nodding your head approvingly.
It’s strange that MMA’s ground game has developed a reputation as a viable NyQuil substitute, despite the preponderance of evidence to the contrary.
It’s difficult to pinpoint whence this notion became rooted in the collective consciousness of the MMA fanbase. It has become so pervasive due to its persistent reinforcement that even while I am enjoying a good grappling exchange, I can’t help but imagine that the person sitting next to me is stifling a yawn.
But, on further reflection, this image doesn’t really jibe with the facts.
In basic terms, mixed martial arts is kickboxing plus grappling. Take away the latter and you are essentially left with a K-1 fight contested inside a cage.
Is the mere image of two fighters inside a cage sufficient to make people watch a sport that is inherently less compelling? Has the UFC’s marketing of its product been so effective that fight fans have been blinded to its limitations as a source of entertainment?
Certainly these factors have played at least a minor role. However, they cannot account for the huge disparity in popularity between MMA and kickboxing.
If you buy into the myth that fans really do hate grappling, it must be difficult to wrap your head around MMA’s place at the summit of the combat sports’ hierarchy
In an interview on the MMA Hour late last year, former K-1 star Tyrone Spong expressed his own confusion when asked about kickboxing’s relative mainstream obscurity:
“I really don’t understand. It’s something about the American culture I haven’t figured out yet. I’ve been trying to do that, but it’s hard. Even at all the UFC events, you see that the people, crowd, the audience, they start booing when guys go to the ground, when they wrestle a lot and they do jiu-jitsu. And they start applauding and start yelling when they stand and strike and bang. So, I don’t know if it’s a thing of a ring or the Octagon that gets them, or the small gloves. I don’t know what it is. But, people in the states like to see people bang it out, but at the same time kickboxing isn’t that popular when kickboxing is all about striking and standing and trading and banging it out, so you tell me. I don’t understand.”
Spong’s remarks appear to oversimplify the issue, however. The notion that fans automatically erupt into a chorus of boos whenever a fight hits the ground is demonstrably false. Similarly, fights that are primarily contested on the feet are frequently targeted by the boo-boys—Frank Mir vs. Mirko “Cro Cop” anyone?
“There’s a real misconception that fans love it when you finish fights, fans love submissions or fans love two guys that ‘bang,’ whatever that means. Fans do want to see two guys that are working, though.”
That may be what it boils down to. Whether on the feet or on the ground, fans want to see action. We want to see fighters “working.”
The average MMA fan is now educated enough to appreciate what is going on when a fight hits the floor. They cheer guard passes, submission attempts, takedowns, sweeps, etc. They even boo when a referee prematurely stands fighters back up—that means you, Kim Winslow and Fernando Yamasaki.
So, why is MMA currently more popular than other combat sports? There is no real mystery here. Put simply, mixed martial arts offers us the chance to watch the best fighters on the planet. Other less dynamic forms of violence certainly have their place. However, they do not showcase the world’s best fighters.
Despite being peddled to the point of cliché, the concept of “baddest man on the planet” has managed to retain its allure. And that concept is currently best defined by mixed martial arts.
Jake Shields’ UFC career has been anything but a smooth ride as the former Elite XC and Strikeforce champion has endured more than his fair share of personal and professional bumps in the road over the last two years. The Cesar Gracie black belt long r…
Jake Shields‘ UFC career has been anything but a smooth ride as the former Elite XC and Strikeforce champion has endured more than his fair share of personal and professional bumps in the road over the last two years.
The Cesar Gracie black belt long rallied for a chance to come to the UFC after dominating virtually every competitor he faced in all of the other promotions he fought for over the years. Once he got to the UFC however, Shields fell on harder times, going just 2-2 (1 no-contest) over his last five fights.
He had to suffer through the loss of his father, Jack Shields just days away from his scheduled bout against Jake Ellenberger in Sept 2011, and then after a brief return to the middleweight division, he tested positive for a banned substance that put him on suspension for the last six months.
After some much needed time off and reflection, Shields is truly ready to turn the page on the last couple of years of his life and get back to the business of being one of the top welterweights in the world.
Shields will officially return to the UFC later this year, and he will do so as a 170-pound fighter, the division he dominated until he ran into UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre at UFC 129, which resulted in his first loss in nearly six years.
“I’m hungry to fight right now,” Shields told Bleacher Report on Wednesday. “I’ve been training really hard. The problem is there’s not a lot of opponents for me right now, but I want to fight. I’m kind of stuck waiting, but I’m hoping something pulls together quick.”
Shields says the decision to move back to welterweight happened when he tried to get his body readjusted to fighting at 185 pounds for his last fight. While he was part of Strikeforce, Shields struggled to find opponents in the welterweight division, so eventually he moved to middleweight where he defeated Robbie Lawler, Jason “Mayhem” Miller and Dan Henderson in consecutive fights.
When he struggled to cut weight and get the same kind of performances once he signed with the UFC as a welterweight, Shields tested the middleweight division again, and he wasn’t happy with the results.
“I’m always kind of stuck in the middle, it’s either a big cut or I’m small at the weight,” Shields stated. “I was constantly trying to keep my weight up, I was eating all the time and lifting all the time. I never really got over 195 pounds and even then all the 170 pounders are bigger than that. Basically I got a new diet, a cleaner diet, I’ve got my weight back down into the high 180’s.”
Shields is currently fasting on an all fruit and vegetable juice diet, and in his daily life, he’s a vegetarian, but already notices a big difference with the dietary changes he’s made.
“I made some changes, my weight came down, my cardio feels better, I feel a lot cleaner with more energy,” said Shields.
With his weight in check, Shields is now focused on restarting his career in 2013 in the welterweight division. It’s a harsh reminder how quickly the world forgets that it wasn’t long ago Shields was clearly defined as the No. 2 welterweight in the world behind St-Pierre, and now his name has vanished from the rankings.
Shields hopes to rectify that with his next few fights, and he’d love the chance to start with an old foe that he fought after the tragic loss of his father.
“I’d like to fight someone tough. I’d like to fight Jake Ellenberger,” Shields said. “That’s the one loss that I felt I’d really like the chance to repeat myself on, so I’d like that. I just want to fight one of those top guys, to show that I can still beat those guys and get back into title contention.”
Ellenberger is currently matched up with top ranked welterweight contender Johny Hendricks at UFC 158 in Montreal, so Shields is happy to face any top competitors the UFC sees fit. He’ll even stand by the ready in case they need him for the UFC 158 card where the show is stacked with welterweights.
“Carlos Condit would make a lot of sense. He’s really good or (Rory) MacDonald, he’s good. Just any of these guys that are good. I’m willing to fight whoever they put me against,” Shields commented. “I’m staying ready in case someone gets hurt in March I might be able to jump in and fill in for somebody. I certainly wouldn’t want to wish injury upon anyone, but it’s good to be ready just in case.”
Shields actually defeated Condit during the Rumble on the Rock welterweight tournament in 2006, and the New Mexico based fighter has talked about a rematch several times in the past.
No matter who he faces, what Shields doesn’t want to live with is the fact that he didn’t try to come back and show the world that he can still be one of the best fighters on the planet.
“I don’t want to look back in five years and say I did okay in the UFC. I had some wins, had some losses, fought for the title, but I never reached my potential. I’m willing to do whatever I takes,” said Shields.
“I don’t know how much longer I can do this so I’m really looking to come out and get some big wins and hopefully in dominant fashion. I want to go out there and finish some fighters.”
Damon Martin is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report and all quotes were obtained first hand unless otherwise noted.
It is time to step into the world of British MMA once again for a kind of déjà