Titan FC officials have confirmed three planned fights for Titan FC 39, including a pair of title fights.
Pat Healy and Gesias “JZ” Cavalcante meet in the main event on UFC Fight Pass for the lightweight belt, while Andre Harrison defends his title in the co-main. Also, newly-signed Dhiego Lima faces David Michaud in a No. 1 contender match.
Below is the complete press release from Titan FC:
Titan FC 39 will take place at the Bank United Center in Coral Gables, FL and will feature a main event for the lightweight championship, pitting veterans Gesias “JZ” Cavalcante and former Titan FC 155lb., champion Pat Healy on Friday night June 10.
Featherweight champion Andre Harrison will attempt to defend his title for third time against Deivison Ribeiro in the co-main event. In a battle to determine the number one welterweight contender, Dhiego Lima will face David Michaud. Kurt Holobaugh will face Luciano Dos Santos in a lightweight match-up and Preston Parsons will take on Ignacio Bahamondes.
“Titan FC continues to put on action packed events and we are extremely excited to showcase an amazing fight card at the Bank United Center headlined by JZ Cavalcante and Pat Healy for the Titan FC lightweight championship,” said Titan FC COO Lex McMahon. “We’ve stacked the deck with a host of competitive match-ups. This is a card that you don’t want to miss, whether live in the arena or at home on UFC Fight Pass.”
Titan FC officials have confirmed three planned fights for Titan FC 39, including a pair of title fights.
Pat Healy and Gesias “JZ” Cavalcante meet in the main event on UFC Fight Pass for the lightweight belt, while Andre Harrison defends his title in the co-main. Also, newly-signed Dhiego Lima faces David Michaud in a No. 1 contender match.
Below is the complete press release from Titan FC:
Titan FC 39 will take place at the Bank United Center in Coral Gables, FL and will feature a main event for the lightweight championship, pitting veterans Gesias “JZ” Cavalcante and former Titan FC 155lb., champion Pat Healy on Friday night June 10.
Featherweight champion Andre Harrison will attempt to defend his title for third time against Deivison Ribeiro in the co-main event. In a battle to determine the number one welterweight contender, Dhiego Lima will face David Michaud. Kurt Holobaugh will face Luciano Dos Santos in a lightweight match-up and Preston Parsons will take on Ignacio Bahamondes.
“Titan FC continues to put on action packed events and we are extremely excited to showcase an amazing fight card at the Bank United Center headlined by JZ Cavalcante and Pat Healy for the Titan FC lightweight championship,” said Titan FC COO Lex McMahon. “We’ve stacked the deck with a host of competitive match-ups. This is a card that you don’t want to miss, whether live in the arena or at home on UFC Fight Pass.”
Gesias Cavalcante and Pat Healy will compete this June for the Titan FC lightweight championship, the promotion announced recently.
Set for June 10 from the BankUnited Center in Coral Gables, Florida, the event – Titan FC 39 – will stream live on UF…
Gesias Cavalcante and Pat Healy will compete this June for the Titan FC lightweight championship, the promotion announced recently.
Set for June 10 from the BankUnited Center in Coral Gables, Florida, the event – Titan FC 39 – will stream live on UFC Fight Pass.
Cavalcante (19-8-1 is a former Strikeforce and World Series of Fighting veteran. However, the 32-year-old has not fought since 2014 when he topped Gele Qing on the regional scene. His WSOF run ended with a 2-2 record.
During his career, Cavalcante has scored wins over the likes of Tyson Griffin, Bobby Green, Nam Phan and Caol Uno.
Healy (33-21) held the Titan FC title before, but lost it after missing weight. The UFC veteran is 4-1 over his last five, including three wins with Titan FC.
Reaching the highest levels of success in a sport as physically demanding as mixed martial arts can leave an athlete battered and bruised. Often fighters make it to the UFC only to leave defeated both physically and mentally. Many of these fighters disappear into obscurity never to be heard from again, serving as little more than ill warnings to young prospects of the sport.
But every so often a fighter who has been cut from the UFC shows great determination and drive as they work their way back onto the active roster. A return trip to the UFC is something usually reserved for those fighters who have great potential or those who have built up impressive win streaks in smaller promotions showcasing their skills. These are the fighters who often serve as the best examples for young upstarts. Determined and driven fighters like these can make excellent teammates and mentors to fighters who are trying to break through and find their way to the big show.
Reaching the highest levels of success in a sport as physically demanding as mixed martial arts can leave an athlete battered and bruised. Often fighters make it to the UFC only to leave defeated both physically and mentally. Many of these fighters disappear into obscurity never to be heard from again, serving as little more than ill warnings to young prospects of the sport.
But every so often a fighter who has been cut from the UFC shows great determination and drive as they work their way back onto the active roster. A return trip to the UFC is something usually reserved for those fighters who have great potential or those who have built up impressive win streaks in smaller promotions showcasing their skills. These are the fighters who often serve as the best examples for young upstarts. Determined and driven fighters like these can make excellent teammates and mentors to fighters who are trying to break through and find their way to the big show.
In Portland, Oregon there is a fighter many people believe will make his third trip to the UFC sooner rather than later. That fighter is mixed martial arts veteran Pat “Bam Bam” Healy. At 31 years old, Healy is a veteran of over 50 fights, and that experience will be something he leans on as he continues his journey back to the UFC. Since being released by the UFC in the summer of 2014, Healy has gone 2-0 and has won the Titan FC Lightweight Championship. Having recently changed his training up a bit since the release — splitting his time between Donald Cerrone’s BMF Ranch and Jackson’s MMA in Albuquerque, New Mexico — Healy has added new wrinkles to his game and showing growth as a veteran fighter, which is sometimes hard to do.
Healy has spent extended periods of time at all levels of the sport, and a fighter with a well as deep as Healy’s will always be on the radar of UFC matchmakers looking for late replacement or veteran fighters for testing young talent. If an opportunity like that is presented to Healy, it will obviously be the foot in the door he is looking for. This journey back to the top will certainly be challenging, but a veteran like Healy understands the adversity that he will likely be facing. While Healy is pushing forward with his goal to reach the UFC for a third time he is standing side by side with a one of the sports hottest up and coming fighters, Austin Springer, who is looking for his first shot inside the Octagon.
Austin Springer is a prospect that seems to fit the mold of future UFC fighter perfectly. At 23 years old, Springer is 8-0 and is showing no signs of slowing down. Springer has fought for titles in three of his last four fights, and in those matchups, secured bantamweight, featherweight, and lightweight championships. Being able to adapt to the challenges of competing in multiple weight classes is nothing that Springer finds too stressful. At 23 years old, Springer is married with two sons, owns his own gym (Gladiator MMA in Vancouver, WA), and trains full time for his chance to punch his ticket to the big show. The pressures that come with being a father, fighter, and businessman might be a challenge for most, but Austin Springer believes that he performs best under pressure.
“Being labeled a top prospect does not add any additional pressure for me. I love being viewed as a top tier pro. I thrive and excel under the brightest lights. If it’s 4th down and we need a big play, I want the damn ball,” said Springer.
After a good bit of success early on in his professional career, Springer got the call from Bellator MMA to fight for their promotion. Springer jumped at the chance and won a unanimous decision over Zach Skinner at Bellator 101 in a fight that he controlled from start to finish. The opportunity didn’t last long, howeverm as Bellator decided not to move forward with the undefeated fighter. Springer has responded to the release by working harder and finishing every fight he has had since the release. For his part, in all this Springer believes in what he is doing and expects to break through in the near future.
“I believe I have absolutely proven that I am ready to compete with the very best fighters in the world…I don’t think there’s anything more that needs to be done to prove I’m at that level. I will however continue to beat top ranked guys, I will continue to pound on the UFC’s front door until they open up and invite me in!”
Clearly the paths of the veteran and the rookie have become parallel. While Springer competes to make his debut with the UFC, Healy looks to be make an elusive third stint with the promotion. With the drive and determination that these two fighters share it seems that little will hold either back from their goal.
(You just keep your surfer boy hand gestures away from my daughter, pothead! Photo via Getty.)
Ever since being screwed out of his UFC 159 win over Jim Miller (and the $130,000 in bonuses that came with it) due to a positive marijuana test (a.k.a some old bullshit), Pat Healy has seen some rough times. He’s dropped his past four contests to Khabib Nurmagomedov, Bobby Green, Jorge Masvidal, and Gleison Tibau, and while none of those were exactly gimme fights, Healy’s stock in the lightweight division has plummeted nonetheless. Unfortunately, today brings news that “Bam Bam” has been released from the UFC in light of his four-fight skid.
The losing streak seems all the more surprising given Healy’s previous run under the Strikeforce banner, which saw him score five straight wins and earn a title shot against Gil Melendez (that was eventually cancelled when the latter went down with an injury). Tough luck, kid. Here’s hoping Healy can rebound in a big way when the WSOF inevitably scoops him up.
In somewhat less surprising pink slip news, TUF 16 winner Colton Smith has been fired following his lightning quick submission loss to the Wikipedia-less Carlos Diego Ferreira at Fight Night 44 last month. Since defeating Mike Ricci to win the TUF 16 trophy back in December of 2012, Smith has dropped three straight to Robert Whittaker, Michael Chiesa, and Ferreira, all by stoppage. His most recent loss dropped his professional record to 3-4, or 6-4 if you’re the promotion attempting to make their reality show winners look like above-average fighters.
In other firing news…
(You just keep your surfer boy hand gestures away from my daughter, pothead! Photo via Getty.)
Ever since being screwed out of his UFC 159 win over Jim Miller (and the $130,000 in bonuses that came with it) due to a positive marijuana test (a.k.a some old bullshit), Pat Healy has seen some rough times. He’s dropped his past four contests to Khabib Nurmagomedov, Bobby Green, Jorge Masvidal, and Gleison Tibau, and while none of those were exactly gimme fights, Healy’s stock in the lightweight division has plummeted nonetheless. Unfortunately, today brings news that “Bam Bam” has been released from the UFC in light of his four-fight skid.
The losing streak seems all the more surprising given Healy’s previous run under the Strikeforce banner, which saw him score five straight wins and earn a title shot against Gil Melendez (that was eventually cancelled when the latter went down with an injury). Tough luck, kid. Here’s hoping Healy can rebound in a big way when the WSOF inevitably scoops him up.
In somewhat less surprising pink slip news, TUF 16 winner Colton Smith has been fired following his lightning quick submission loss to the Wikipedia-less Carlos Diego Ferreira at Fight Night 44 last month. Since defeating Mike Ricci to win the TUF 16 trophy back in December of 2012, Smith has dropped three straight to Robert Whittaker, Michael Chiesa, and Ferreira, all by stoppage. His most recent loss dropped his professional record to 3-4, or 6-4 if you’re the promotion attempting to make their reality show winners look like above-average fighters.
In addition to the release of Healy and Smith, the UFC has announced the release of three other fighters. Below are their names, followed by our reaction in gif form.
Chris Indich: 0-2 in the UFC, with losses coming to Richard Walsh (via UD) at the TUF Nations Finale and Vik Grujic (via TKO) at Fight Night 43. I honestly have no idea who any of the people I just mentioned are.
Dave Galera: 0-1, dropped a decision to ROYSTON F*CKING WEE at Fight Night 34 back in January. ROYSTON WEE, YOU GUYS!
Jay Hieronannounced his retirement from MMA competition today via twitter. He retires with a 23-7 record, accrued over 10 years of competition.
Jay Hieronannounced his retirement from MMA competition today via twitter. He retires with a 23-7 record, accrued over 10 years of competition.
Hieron was truly one of the most well-traveled fighters in MMA. He fought for every big organization to grace the sport in the last era. He made his mark in Strikeforce, Bellator, the WEC, and the IFL. In the latter organization, he captured gold for the first and only time in his career, becoming the inaugural IFL welterweight champion.
Hieron’s success in the B-leagues of MMA never translated into success in the UFC, however. He lost all four of his fights in the world’s leading MMA organization. That doesn’t mean Hieron was a poor fighter though. He has wins over the likes of Pat Healy, Rick Story, Jason High, Rick Hawn, and Joe Riggs, (and debatably over Ben Askren). And for the most part, Hieron only lost to the best.
Hieron’s retirement signifies an ending era of MMA. There are few fighters of his ilk anymore—men who have fought for every would-be claimant to the UFC’s throne. The landscape is different now. The only organizations big enough to showcase talent aren’t big enough to keep it.
We wish Jay Hieron the best in his life outside the cage.
It’s funny how life works out sometimes. You accept a fight against “the Russian,” thinking you’ve been offered a match against the UFC’s undefeated Dagestani phenom, Khabib Nurmagomedov. Instead, you find out you’ll actually be facing Rustam Khabilov, a still-dangerous but slightly-less-established Russian. Disappointment washes over you. But then, Khabilov suffers an undisclosed injury and you get to fight the Russian you thought you were going to fight in he first place. Hollywood couldn’t write it any better.
It’s funny how life works out sometimes. You accept a fight against “the Russian,” thinking you’ve been offered a match against the UFC’s undefeated Dagestani phenom, Khabib Nurmagomedov. Instead, you find out you’ll actually be facing Rustam Khabilov, a still-dangerous but slightly-less-established Russian. Disappointment washes over you. But then, Khabilov suffers an undisclosed injury and you get to fight the Russian you thought you were going to fight in he first place. Hollywood couldn’t write it any better.
