The Professional Fighters League (PFL) strolls into the Ocean Resort Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey for the last event of the regular season.
The main event will feature hard-hitting light heavyweights Smealinho Rama and Jamie Abdallah. The co-main event will pit burgeoning MMA broadcaster Sean O’Connell taking on the always dangerous Bazigit Atajev.
As always LowkickMMA is your destination for all things MMA.
Here are the results as they happen:
Facebook Prelims:
Mo De’Reese vs. Leroy Johnson
Mo De’Reese defeats Leroy Johnson via KO (knee) at 2:23 of round one
The World Series of Fighting has signed welterweight Paul Bradley to a contract. Bradley’s debut with the promotion is expected to be announced soon.
Bradley, a former UFC, Strikeforce and Bellator fighter, was a standout wrestler for the University of Iowa before embarking on his MMA career. The 33-year-old sports a record of 23-6 with two no-contests.
In his most recent fight, the Iowa native finished Chris Honeycutt in just 40 seconds.
“We are excited to welcome aboard Paul Bradley, and look forward to having him test his skills in our highly competitive welterweight division,” said World Series of Fighting president Ray Sefo. “Paul has fought and triumphed over some top caliber opposition during his 10-year career, so we are confident that he will be a great addition to our roster.”
Bradley was a two-time NCAA All-American for the Hawkeyes and placed fourth at the NCAA Championships. The Alliance MMA fighter also holds wins over Josh Neer and Karl Amoussou in recent years to his resume.
The World Series of Fighting has signed welterweight Paul Bradley to a contract. Bradley’s debut with the promotion is expected to be announced soon.
Bradley, a former UFC, Strikeforce and Bellator fighter, was a standout wrestler for the University of Iowa before embarking on his MMA career. The 33-year-old sports a record of 23-6 with two no-contests.
In his most recent fight, the Iowa native finished Chris Honeycutt in just 40 seconds.
“We are excited to welcome aboard Paul Bradley, and look forward to having him test his skills in our highly competitive welterweight division,” said World Series of Fighting president Ray Sefo. “Paul has fought and triumphed over some top caliber opposition during his 10-year career, so we are confident that he will be a great addition to our roster.”
Bradley was a two-time NCAA All-American for the Hawkeyes and placed fourth at the NCAA Championships. The Alliance MMA fighter also holds wins over Josh Neer and Karl Amoussou in recent years to his resume.
Bellator MMA returns with their event of 2016 this Friday night at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, California. Bellator 148 airs live and free on Spike at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT, while preliminary bouts will stream live on Bellator.com and The Bellator Mobile App at 5 p.m. PT. The main card consists of
Bellator MMA returns with their event of 2016 this Friday night at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, California. Bellator 148 airs live and free on Spike at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT, while preliminary bouts will stream live on Bellator.com and The Bellator Mobile App at 5 p.m. PT.
The main card consists of four bouts with the main event featuring a welterweight bout between Paul Daley and Andy Uhrich. The co-main event features a welterweight clash between Chris Honeycutt and Paul Bradley.
Here is the final card for the event:
MAIN CARD (Spike, 9 p.m. ET)
Bellator MMA Welterweight Main Event: Paul Daley (37-13-2) vs. Andy Uhrich (11-5)
Bellator MMA Welterweight Co-Main Event: Chris Honeycutt (6-0, 1 NC) vs. Paul Bradley (22-6, 2 NC)
Bellator MMA Lightweight Feature Bout: Ryan Couture (10-3) vs. Patricky “Pitbull” Freire (14-7)
Bellator MMA Heavyweight Feature Bout: Raphael Butler (9-1) vs. Tony Johnson (9-2)
Preliminary Card:
Bellator MMA Featherweight Feature Bout: Mark Dickman (10-2) vs. Thomas Diagne (5-5-1)
That’s from the 168-pound catchweight fight between Jozette Cotton and Holly Lawson. If you ask us, the GIF is the most (and only) entertaining one of the night.
Here are the complete Bellator 129 results:
Main Card
Paul Bradley def. Josh Neer via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Houston Alexander vs. Virgil Zwicker ruled majority draw (29-28 Alexander, 28-28, 28-28)
Andre Santos def. James Terry via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Joe Vedepo def. Davin Clark via TKO (punches) – Round 3, 2:27
Preliminary Card
John DeVall def. Chris Lane via submission (triangle choke) – Round 1, 4:40
Eric Howser def. Tim Bazer via submission (elbows) – Round 1, 4:11
Michael McBride def. Kevin Morris via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 4:32
Martin Brown def. Bryan Corley via knockout (punches) – Round 2, 0:42
Jozette Cotton def. Holly Lawson unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
Anthony Smith def. Brian Green via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-26, 30-26)
Victor Moreno def. Marcos Marquez via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Bellator 104 was one of the promotion’s most stacked cards this season. When Bellator mainstay Karl Amoussou and three UFC vets (Paul Sass, Rob Emerson, and Paul Bradley) are relegated to the prelims, there’s some good or at least decent fights on the main card.
The prelims were exciting and had a few notable happenings.
Cliff Wright vs. Derek Loffer was a thrilling back-and-forth match that saw Wright win via armbar late in the second round.
After that, Brandon Girtz pulled a Chris Leben. No, he didn’t urinate in a bed or fail a drug test. He fought twice in two weeks and won both matches like Leben did back in 2010. Girtz submitted Poppies Martinez and Mike Estus at Bellator 102 and Bellator 104, respectively. And these weren’t Hail Mary submissions; Girtz controlled both guys before torquing their arms.
Then, Rob Emerson—wife stealer and one of a select few men to defeat the next Anderson Silva—heel hooked Jared Downing in under two minutes.
Paul Sass, too, won in short order, this time with a toe hold. His opponent Rod Montoya was seemingly ignorant of the fact that Sass has an amazing guard since he kept taking Sass down. Surprise, surprise, Montoya was submitted.
Unfortunately, Karl Amoussou vs. Paul Bradley couldn’t live up to the exciting standard set by the night’s previous bouts. Bradley won a unanimous decision that saw him lay in a gassed Amoussou’s guard for two out of three rounds.
That ended the prelims and brought us into the main card on Spike, which started with *gulps* a Bellator heavyweight fight between Eric Prindle and Peter Graham. It started out alright enough, with Graham nearly finishing Prindle, but then it quickly descended into the usual Bellator heavyweight routine: Heavy breathing, long periods of inactivity, and looping, exhausted punches. At the last second, Graham hit Prindle with a front kick to the face that floored him. Graham won via unanimous decision.
Read the recap for the Bellator 104 main card after the jump.
(Spoiler alert: The guys on the left beat the guys on the right.)
Bellator 104 was one of the promotion’s most stacked cards this season. When Bellator mainstay Karl Amoussou and three UFC vets (Paul Sass, Rob Emerson, and Paul Bradley) are relegated to the prelims, there’s some good or at least decent fights on the main card.
The prelims were exciting and had a few notable happenings.
Cliff Wright vs. Derek Loffer was a thrilling back-and-forth match that saw Wright win via armbar late in the second round.
After that, Brandon Girtz pulled a Chris Leben. No, he didn’t urinate in a bed or fail a drug test. He fought twice in two weeks and won both matches like Leben did back in 2010. Girtz submitted Poppies Martinez and Mike Estus at Bellator 102 and Bellator 104, respectively. And these weren’t Hail Mary submissions; Girtz controlled both guys before torquing their arms.
Then, Rob Emerson—wife stealer and one of a select few men to defeat the next Anderson Silva—heel hooked Jared Downing in under two minutes.
Paul Sass, too, won in short order, this time with a toe hold. His opponent Rod Montoya was seemingly ignorant of the fact that Sass has an amazing guard since he kept taking Sass down. Surprise, surprise, Montoya was submitted.
Unfortunately, Karl Amoussou vs. Paul Bradley couldn’t live up to the exciting standard set by the night’s previous bouts. Bradley won a unanimous decision that saw him lay in a gassed Amoussou’s guard for two out of three rounds.
That ended the prelims and brought us into the main card on Spike, which started with *gulps* a Bellator heavyweight fight between Eric Prindle and Peter Graham. It started out alright enough, with Graham nearly finishing Prindle, but then it quickly descended into the usual Bellator heavyweight routine: Heavy breathing, long periods of inactivity, and looping, exhausted punches. At the last second, Graham hit Prindle with a front kick to the face that floored him. Graham won via unanimous decision.
Kendall Grove made his return to mainstream American MMA (looking life Rufio from Hook) versus Joe Vedepo. Grove controlled the fight from bell to bell. Vedepo spent most of the fight about to be submitted or knocked out. It was one of those fights where the winner looked good but the loser did such a great job of getting his ass beat that everyone can’t shut up about his “heart.”
In the night’s first welterweight tournament semifinal, Ron Keslar upset War Machine in decisive fashion. He took War Machine down immediately, took his back, and choked him unconscious at 3:31. We’re still debating at the CagePotato offices as to whether Christy Mack will leave War Machine for Keslar now.
In the second welterweight tournament semifinal, which was Bellator 104′s main event, Brent Weedman and Rick Hawn faced off. It wasn’t the first time these two fighters met. They fought back in May 2012, with Hawn winning. Hawn won via unanimous decision this time too, but it was a ho-hum affair. This season’s welterweight final will therefore be Rick Hawn vs. Ron Keslar.
Here are the complete Bellator 104 results:
Main Card
Rick Hawn def. Brent Weedman via Unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Ron Keslar def. War Machine via technical submission (rear naked choke), 3:31 of Round 1
Kendall Grove def. Joe Vedepo via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Peter Graham def. Eric Prindle via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Preliminary Card
Paul Bradley def. Karl Amoussou via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Paul Sass def. Rod Montoya via submission (toe hold), 2:01 of Round 1
Robert Emerson def. Jared Downing via submission (heel hook), 1:44 of Round 1
Brandon Girtz def. Mike Estus via submission (armbar), 4:25 of Round 1
Cliff Wright def. Derek Loffer via submission (armbar), 4:28 of Round 2
Andre Tieva def. Chris Lane via TKO (punches), 2:14 of Round 1
Filed under: UFC, UFC on FOXWill Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos deliver a classic fight in the first-ever UFC broadcast on network television? Will they put on the kind of performance that has the first-time UFC viewers clamoring for more? Will t…
Will Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos deliver a classic fight in the first-ever UFC broadcast on network television? Will they put on the kind of performance that has the first-time UFC viewers clamoring for more? Will the winner emerge as an American sports star? And ultimately, who will get his hand raised and the UFC heavyweight belt put around his waist on Saturday night?
I’ll attempt to answer those questions and more below.
What: UFC on Fox 1: Velasquez vs. Dos Santos
When: Saturday, the Facebook undercard stream begins at 4:45 p.m. ET and the Fox broadcast begins at 9.
Where: Honda Center, Anaheim
Predictions on all the fights below.
Cain Velasquez vs. Junior Dos Santos From a business perspective, the big question is whether this fight is going to turn new viewers who watch on Fox for the first time into UFC fans. That’s what the UFC is really hoping for with the decision to put the heavyweight title on the line for free on network television.
It’s probably too much to ask that we could get a classic battle along the lines of Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar at the first Ultimate Fighter Finale — the gold standard for fights that brought the UFC new fans. But I do believe this is going to be a highly entertaining fight: Velasquez and Dos Santos are both compelling figures who rarely look dull in the cage, and unlike so many heavyweights, they both have the gas tank to keep this fight explosive even if it goes into the fifth round.
So who wins it? If I were certain that Velasquez is completely healthy, I’d probably give him a slight edge, thanks to his wrestling: We haven’t yet seen Dos Santos tested on the ground, and Velasquez might be the man to put him on his back and put him in trouble. However, I have nagging questions about whether Velasquez’s rotator cuff surgery could affect him in this fight. Will he have the same strength and movement that he had when he beat Brock Lesnar a year ago?
And because of those questions about Velasquez’s shoulder, I’m going to give a slight edge to Dos Santos, who I think will be able to keep the fight standing most of the way and get the better of the striking exchanges with Velasquez. Heavyweight fights that go the full five rounds don’t come along very often, but I think we’re going to see one here: Dos Santos wins by decision and becomes the new UFC heavyweight champion. Pick: Dos Santos
Clay Guida vs. Ben Henderson The most disappointing part of the UFC on Fox card is that this fight — which may determine the next contender for the UFC lightweight title — has been relegated to being shown on an online stream on Facebook and FoxSports.com, and won’t make it to TV. This is a great fight that shouldn’t be overlooked. Guida’s path to victory would be to take Henderson down, control him from the top and grind out a decision, but I think Henderson is going to be too strong for him and should take this one. Pick: Henderson
Dustin Poirier vs. Pablo Garza At age 22, Poirier is one of the most promising young fighters in the featherweight division, and a likely future title contender. I like him to win by submission over Garza in what looks to me like the Fight of the Night favorite. Pick: Poirier
Cub Swanson vs. Ricardo Lamas In what should be another very exciting featherweight fight, Swanson will have too much for Lamas and win a technical knockout. Pick: Swanson
DaMarques Johnson vs. Clay Harvison In a battle of former Ultimate Fighter contestants, look for Harvison to take control early and finish Johnson off by TKO. Pick: Harvison
Norifumi Yamamoto vs. Darren Uyenoyama There are a whole bunch of American fans these days who have no idea that Kid Yamamoto was once considered among the To 10 pound-for-pound fighters in the world. Yamamoto has only won one fight since New Year’s Eve 2007, and the Japanese MMA scene has fallen apart, and so Yamamoto feels like an ancient relic to a lot of newer fans. But even if Yamamoto isn’t what he once was, he should still be good enough to beat Uyenoyama, a UFC newcomer. Look for Yamamoto to pick up his first win inside the Octagon. Pick: Yamamoto
Mackens Semerzier vs. Robert Peralta Peralta is on an eight-fight winning streak which included a victory over Dream featherweight champion Hiroyuki Takaya, a victory for Peralta that opened a lot of eyes and got him his shot in the UFC. I think he’ll make it nine in a row against Semerzier. Pick: Peralta
Alex Caceres vs. Cole Escovedo Cacares, the former Ultimate Fighter bad boy, is moving down to bantamweight in what looks like a final attempt to stay on the UFC roster. I like Escovedo to put a beating on “Bruce Leroy” and knock him out of the UFC. Pick: Escovedo
Mike Pierce vs. Paul Bradley Pierce, who’s 4-2 in the UFC, has already beaten Bradley once before and should do it again in Bradley’s second fight in the Octagon. Look for a one-sided unanimous decision in Pierce’s favor. Pick: Pierce
Aaron Rosa vs. Matt Lucas Lucas is getting his first shot in the UFC after fighting for most of his career in Rage in the Cage. I like him to win his debut and likely get Rosa sent packing from the UFC. Pick: Lucas
Will 