Tag: Ray Sefo

WSOF Champ Finally Making His Way To UFC

Now that World Series of Fighting (WSOF) has been rebranded as the Professional Fighters’ League, the former promotion’s most high-profile fighter is finally making his way to the UFC. According to a report from MMA Junkie, former WSOF lightweight champ Justin Gaethje is currently negotiating with the UFC to joined their talented 155-pound division. An

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Now that World Series of Fighting (WSOF) has been rebranded as the Professional Fighters’ League, the former promotion’s most high-profile fighter is finally making his way to the UFC.

According to a report from MMA Junkie, former WSOF lightweight champ Justin Gaethje is currently negotiating with the UFC to joined their talented 155-pound division. An official contract has not been signed; however, a UFC official confirmed the ongoing negotiations. Gaethje’s manager Ali Abdelaziz confirmed the negotiations as well.

Also, an anonymous source from the Professional Fighters League said they would miss Gaethje, but focused more on their upcoming season-style format than “The Highlight’s” absence:

“Professional Fighters League will miss Justin, but the thrill, drama, excitement of the regular season, playoffs and championship is about more than one fighter – and the glory of finding a true champion, and rewarding that champion with $1 million is what we’re really excited about,”

Former WSOF President Ray Sefo wished Gaethje the best on Twitter, but also wanted the focus to be on Professional Fighters League’s ambitious goal of crowning a new $1 million lightweight winner:

Gaethje will leave WSOF as arguably their most dominant fighter, racking up a 17-0 record while mot recently fighting for the promotion where he won the lightweight title in early 2014. He went on to defend that championship five times, with all five wins coming by way of knockout. He also bested former UFC standout Melvin Guillard by decision in a catchweight affair after “The Young Assassin” missed weight.

Possessing absolutely vicious Muay Thai striking, most notably his fight-changing leg kicks, the Trevor Wittman-trained Gaethje should soon enter the stacked UFC lightweight fray where a litany of potentially exciting match-ups wait him.

Who do you want to see ‘The Highlight’ face first?

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WSOF President on NYE Card: ‘I Can’t Think of Better Place’ Than NYC

WSOF 36

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNnP03xxzSU

World Series of Fighting (WSOF) will make its New York City debut on Dec. 31. The event will take place inside The Theater at Madison Square Garden (MSG). Four championships will be on the line for WSOF’s biggest card to date.

WSOF President Ray Sefo joined Sherdog’s Beatdown show to promote “WSOFNYC.” When WSOF announced they would hold an event inside “The World’s Most Famous Arena,” many were surprised. Even more eye opening is the fact that WSOF booked the event for New Year’s Eve.

Sefo admitted the event was tough to pull off, but is happy to have sealed the deal.

“It was [difficult]. It’s who you know, not what you know. That’s how it came about. We were able to finalize it and move forward with it. We’re fortunate and blessed we get to be in New York City and Madison Square Garden New Year’s Eve. There’s so many legendary names and fighters that have fought in this arena, so I can’t think of a better place for New Year’s Eve.”

In “The City That Never Sleeps,” people are always looking for things to do. Especially the day before the ball drops. Sefo said he’s confident that his team is getting the message across of WSOF’s event this Saturday.

“We have a great team down there, a PR team….we’ve got some of the best people in the business in New York City, making sure the whole city of New York knows what’s going on New Year’s Eve.”

The NBC Sports Network portion of the prelims begins at 3 p.m. ET. The main preliminary bout will feature a middleweight title match between champion David Branch and Louis Taylor. The main card beings at 4 p.m. on NBC. It’ll be headlined by undefeated lightweight champ Justin Gaethje defending his gold against Luiz Firmino.

There will be two other title fights on the main card. Welterweight title holder Jon Fitch will put his strap on the line against Jake Shields. Bantamweight champion Marlon Moraes will also defend his belt when he meets Josenaldo Silva.

WSOF 36

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNnP03xxzSU

World Series of Fighting (WSOF) will make its New York City debut on Dec. 31. The event will take place inside The Theater at Madison Square Garden (MSG). Four championships will be on the line for WSOF’s biggest card to date.

WSOF President Ray Sefo joined Sherdog’s Beatdown show to promote “WSOFNYC.” When WSOF announced they would hold an event inside “The World’s Most Famous Arena,” many were surprised. Even more eye opening is the fact that WSOF booked the event for New Year’s Eve.

Sefo admitted the event was tough to pull off, but is happy to have sealed the deal.

“It was [difficult]. It’s who you know, not what you know. That’s how it came about. We were able to finalize it and move forward with it. We’re fortunate and blessed we get to be in New York City and Madison Square Garden New Year’s Eve. There’s so many legendary names and fighters that have fought in this arena, so I can’t think of a better place for New Year’s Eve.”

In “The City That Never Sleeps,” people are always looking for things to do. Especially the day before the ball drops. Sefo said he’s confident that his team is getting the message across of WSOF’s event this Saturday.

“We have a great team down there, a PR team….we’ve got some of the best people in the business in New York City, making sure the whole city of New York knows what’s going on New Year’s Eve.”

The NBC Sports Network portion of the prelims begins at 3 p.m. ET. The main preliminary bout will feature a middleweight title match between champion David Branch and Louis Taylor. The main card beings at 4 p.m. on NBC. It’ll be headlined by undefeated lightweight champ Justin Gaethje defending his gold against Luiz Firmino.

There will be two other title fights on the main card. Welterweight title holder Jon Fitch will put his strap on the line against Jake Shields. Bantamweight champion Marlon Moraes will also defend his belt when he meets Josenaldo Silva.

Exclusive Interview with W.S.O.F. President Ray Sefo: Talking Past, Present, and Future

ray-sefo-2

On an average day President of World Series of Fighting Ray Sefo sifts through dozens of e-mails, takes numerous phone calls, and sits through hours of meetings.  The e-mails from current fighters, trying to give good reason on why they should headline the companies next card. The calls, from managers trying to get their fighters a chance to compete in one of the Top 3 MMA organizations in the United States. Every day Ray is in the office, working hard, doing everything in his power to make W.S.O.F. as big as it can be. Same as Scott Coker of Bellator or Dana White of the UFC. Same as role in President, but totally different in his understanding of a fight and fighters mentality.

Before becoming President of W.S.O.F. Ray Sefo was one of the best Kickboxers in the world. Fighting the “Who’s Who” list of competitors. Big names in Kickboxing and MMA alike. From Ernesto Hoost to Mark Hunt, Ray has fought the best and at 45 years old. He may not be done yet, “…It just has to be the right fight. There is no point in me fighting a fight that doesn’t make any sense. In other words, if Cro Cops team called up and said, ‘hey would you like to have a rematch with Cro Cop?’ that makes sense to me, ya know what I mean?…”

In this exclusive interview we got to talk to Ray about everything from childhood, to fighting, to his thoughts on all of the hot button topics in MMA today. Listen and discover how Ray continues to work on his transition from one of the best fighters in the world to one of the most powerful sports presidents in the world.

ray-sefo-2

On an average day President of World Series of Fighting Ray Sefo sifts through dozens of e-mails, takes numerous phone calls, and sits through hours of meetings.  The e-mails from current fighters, trying to give good reason on why they should headline the companies next card. The calls, from managers trying to get their fighters a chance to compete in one of the Top 3 MMA organizations in the United States. Every day Ray is in the office, working hard, doing everything in his power to make W.S.O.F. as big as it can be. Same as Scott Coker of Bellator or Dana White of the UFC. Same as role in President, but totally different in his understanding of a fight and fighters mentality.

Before becoming President of W.S.O.F. Ray Sefo was one of the best Kickboxers in the world. Fighting the “Who’s Who” list of competitors. Big names in Kickboxing and MMA alike. From Ernesto Hoost to Mark Hunt, Ray has fought the best and at 45 years old. He may not be done yet, “…It just has to be the right fight. There is no point in me fighting a fight that doesn’t make any sense. In other words, if Cro Cops team called up and said, ‘hey would you like to have a rematch with Cro Cop?’ that makes sense to me, ya know what I mean?…”

In this exclusive interview we got to talk to Ray about everything from childhood, to fighting, to his thoughts on all of the hot button topics in MMA today. Listen and discover how Ray continues to work on his transition from one of the best fighters in the world to one of the most powerful sports presidents in the world.

Rousimar Palhares Signs On For MMA Return, WSOF Says Not So Fast

Although controversial former WSOF welterweight champion Rousimar Palhares is currently suspended until August 2017 for holding onto a fight-ending submission on Jake Shields at last year’s WSOF 22, that apparently isn’t going to stop the brutalizing grappler from at least attempting to return to the cage. A report has arrived from MMA Fighting today (March 22, 2016)

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Although controversial former WSOF welterweight champion Rousimar Palhares is currently suspended until August 2017 for holding onto a fight-ending submission on Jake Shields at last year’s WSOF 22, that apparently isn’t going to stop the brutalizing grappler from at least attempting to return to the cage.

A report has arrived from MMA Fighting today (March 22, 2016) that Palhares has signed on to face Emil Meek at May 21’s Venator FC 3 from Italy. The promotion’s president Frank Merenda, who defended oft-troubled middleweight Jason Miller (another fighter preparing to fight for him) just last week, came back with the suggestion that Palhares has been ‘unfairly’ under fire for holding onto submissions too long:

“Rousimar is a great champion who has often found himself unfairly under fire for excessive holding [alleged or real] after opponents have tapped out. But anyone who knows him knows that he is a good guy who never wants to hurt anyone. He’s a hard worker, a serious and respectful guy who genuinely loves the world of combat sports. Above all, he has a real desire to redeem himself in front of everyone and show that he is not the “monster” that everyone talks about.”

rousimar palhares vs jon fitch

The proposed fight will supposedly serve as the Venator FC 3 main event and will be for the promotional welterweight title.

Regardless of the public perception of Palhares (which is clearly not good), however, the fact remains that he is suspended by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) until August 1, 2017, and WSOF head man Ray Sefo said he is still under contract with them:

“If he takes the fight in May,” Sefo stated, “that’s a violation of his World Series of Fighting contract that is still active. He was suspended by the athletic commission but being suspended doesn’t mean you’re released from your contract.”

That would make sense, but Palhares’ manager Alex Davis apparently believes that they can do what they please and fight in Italy despite being the ones who were found in violation of the rules.

Jump to the following page to read his manager’s brash response to WSOF…

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WSOF 15 Results: Branch Shocks Okami With TKO Win, Gaethje Decisions Guillard

With UFC 180 and Bellator 131 taking the majority of the spotlight this past Saturday night, MMA enthusiasts sort of forgot to pay attention to the stacked WSOF 15, which took place at USF Sundome in Tampa, Fla.

The main event saw David Branch successfully defend his 185-pound title against former UFC middleweight contender Yushin Okami, stopping the Japanese veteran in the fourth round with punches.

“Thunder” had the grappling advantage, yet the Renzo Gracie-trained combatant kept finding a home for his right hand. After three close rounds, Branch drilled his opponent with a solid right hand, dropping the challenger and continued to pounce on him until being awarded the stoppage victory. See the GIF after the jump.

With UFC 180 and Bellator 131 taking the majority of the spotlight this past Saturday night, MMA enthusiasts sort of forgot to pay attention to the stacked WSOF 15, which took place at USF Sundome in Tampa, Fla.

The main event saw David Branch successfully defend his 185-pound title against former UFC middleweight contender Yushin Okami, stopping the Japanese veteran in the fourth round with punches.

“Thunder” had the grappling advantage, yet the Renzo Gracie-trained combatant kept finding a home for his right hand. After three close rounds, Branch drilled his opponent with a solid right hand, dropping the challenger and continued to pounce on him until being awarded the stoppage victory (GIF via Zombie Prophet).

Melvin Guillard, the A-list fighter competing in the B-list league, ruined his chances at securing a world title after failing to make weight prior to his bout alongside Justin Gaethje, but none of that truly mattered. The reigning lightweight champion got the better of his foe during the course of three rounds, winning the contest by split decision. It was a back and forth affair (mostly won by the undefeated slugger), contested mostly on the feet, and lived up to the billing. It’s a shame it was marred by Guillard failing to make weight yet again, taking a bit of the muster away from the bout.

Also on the card, Jessica Aguilar, arguably the best women’s strawweight fighter in the world, took care of business by beating Kalindra Faria and defended her title for the second time and earned her 10th consecutive victory. Credit Faria for going for broke early and trying to make it a dogfight against “Jag,” however, after winning the first round, the hopeful challenger was not match for the American Top Team standout.

To be fair, nobody in their right mind would have picked WSOF over the top two MMA promotions on Saturday evening, seeing how all three had fairly big events on the same night. But, Ray Sefo and the gang loaded the card with familiar names and backed the event with star power, delivering a pretty good night of fights from the Sunshine State. It’s a shame nobody watched it, yet you can pretty much access anything these days and spend your Sunday afternoon catching up. It’s kind of worth the squeeze.

WSOF 15 Main Card Results

David Branch def. Yushin Okami via TKO (punches) at 3:39 of R4
Justin Gaethje def. Melvin Guillard via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)
Jessica Aguilar def. Kalindra Faria via unanimous decision (49-45 x3)
Jorge Patino def. Eric Reynolds via unanimous decision (30-27×2, 29-28)

Under Card Results

Maurice Salmon def. Javier Torres via TKO (doctor’s stoppage) at 5:00 of R1
Andrew Hutchinson def. Troy Gerhart via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)
Ryan Keenan def. Jose Andres Cortes via submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:16 of R3
Tony Way def. Fred Moncaio via submission (guillotine choke) at 2:03 of R3
Hector Ochoa def.. Robert Reed via split decision (28-29, 29-28×2)
Reggie Pena def. Joe Johnson via submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:15 of R1
Matt Frevola def. Josh Zuckerman via submission (armbar) at 2:50 of R1

– (Alex G.)

[VIDEO] Spong, Newell Victorious at World Series of Fighting 4

(Tyrone Spong vs Angel DeAnda.)

It may not have been the barnburner that we hoped it would be, but Tyrone Spong improved his MMA record to 2-0 in the main event of last night’s WSoF 4 by earning a unanimous decision over Angel DeAnda.

Spong fought smart, utilizing leg kicks throughout the fight while avoiding DeAnda’s heavy hands for most of the fight. To DeAnda’s credit, he was never dropped by Spong, but he also never mounted any significant offense. At least I don’t think he did; one of the judges scored this fight 29-28.

Okay, so it wasn’t exactly the most exciting fight in recent memory. Fortunately, the rest of the WSoF 4 main card made up for the disappointment that was the main event. After the jump, there’s also videos of a knockout and submission for your viewing pleasure.


(Tyrone Spong vs Angel DeAnda.)

It may not have been the barnburner that we hoped it would be, but Tyrone Spong improved his MMA record to 2-0 in the main event of last night’s WSoF 4 by earning a unanimous decision over Angel DeAnda.

Spong fought smart, utilizing leg kicks throughout the fight while avoiding DeAnda’s heavy hands for most of the fight. To DeAnda’s credit, he was never dropped by Spong, but he also never mounted any significant offense. At least I don’t think he did; one of the judges scored this fight 29-28.

Okay, so it wasn’t exactly the most exciting fight in recent memory. Fortunately, the rest of the WSoF 4 main card made up for the disappointment that was the main event. After the jump, there’s also videos of a knockout and submission for your viewing pleasure.


(Ray Sefo vs Dave Huckaba)

Though JZ Cavalcante’s (questionable) knockout over Tyson Griffin earned him a spot in the upcoming lightweight tournament, my favorite knockout from last night involved heavyweights Ray Sefo and Dave Huckaba. Yes, you read that correctly.

It’s funny how the fight that many of us were expecting to be one of the ugliest bouts of the year – two old-timers engaged in a conflict of interest will drastically lower your expectations – turned out to arguably be the best fight from last night’s card. Sefo was in control for most of it, but he was caught by a fierce counter left hook that put him out on his feet. A few follow-up punches later, and Huckaba was awarded the standing TKO.


(Nick Newell vs Keon Caldwell)

Also from last night’s card, Nick Newell’s WSoF debut ended predictably. We were given a few takedowns by Newell, a comparison of Newell to Anthony Robles from Todd Harris, and then Newell locked in the fight-ending choke before the end of the first round. Don’t look now, but Newell is now 10-0, with nine of those fights ending in the first round and seven of those fights ending by submission. Expect him to receive a step up in competition for his next bout.

Full Results

Main Card
Tyrone Spong def. Angel DeAnda via unanimous decision
Marlon Moraes def. Brandon Hempleman via unanimous decision
Nick Newell def. Keon Caldwell via submission (guillotine choke), 2:07 of Round One
Dave Huckaba def. Ray Sefo via TKO (punches), 4:32 of Round Two
Gesias Cavalcante def. Tyson Griffin via TKO (punches), 1:37 of Round Three

Preliminary Card
Gerald Harris def. Jorge Santiago via unanimous decision
Lewis Gonzales def. Antonio McKee via unanimous decision
Jared Papazian def. John Robles via unanimous decision
Victor Valenzuela def. Isaac Gutierrez via submission (rear-naked choke), 2:41 of Round Two