Tag: Ricco Rodriguez

Bellator 48: Featherweights Close out the Summer Series

You know how sometimes you work on something for a long time, but toward the end you’re just making it worse, but you’ve already put time and energy into it so you don’t want to trash it? Yeah, that’s never happened to me before.

From Wikipedia: The Casino of the Sky has a functional planetarium utilizing fiber optics to display the sun, moon, and stars accompanying the lighting effects of the Wombi Rock, which is a three-story high crystal mountain crafted of alabaster and more than 12,000 individual plates of hand-selected onyx from quarries in Iran, Pakistan, and Mexico; which were transported to Carrara, Italy and fused into glass.

Now look, we may not be able to fully comprehend the functional value of this “Wombi Rock” but that sounds fucking BALLER. Turns out the Mohegan Sun Casino outside Uncasville, Connecticut is the second largest casino in the United States, and we have some extravagant casinos.

So when Bellator pops off for the third and last time of the summer this Saturday, don’t talk to me about “minor league” and “small potatoes”. With a talent pool that is constantly getting deeper with the excellent scouting from the BFC office, a tournament format that keeps fans coming back, and a spot waiting for them on SpikeTV (*fingers crossed*) Bellator is big time, baby.

Come on in and let’s run down the show, starting off with that Featherweight Tournament Final…

You know how sometimes you work on something for a long time, but toward the end you’re just making it worse, but you’ve already put time and energy into it so you don’t want to trash it? Yeah, that’s never happened to me before.

From Wikipedia: The Casino of the Sky has a functional planetarium utilizing fiber optics to display the sun, moon, and stars accompanying the lighting effects of the Wombi Rock, which is a three-story high crystal mountain crafted of alabaster and more than 12,000 individual plates of hand-selected onyx from quarries in Iran, Pakistan, and Mexico; which were transported to Carrara, Italy and fused into glass.

Now look, we may not be able to fully comprehend the functional value of this “Wombi Rock” but that sounds fucking BALLER.  Turns out the Mohegan Sun Casino outside Uncasville, Connecticut is the second largest casino in the United States, and we have some extravagant casinos.

So when Bellator pops off for the third and last time of the summer this Saturday, don’t talk to me about “minor league” and “small potatoes”.  With a talent pool that is constantly getting deeper with the excellent scouting from the BFC office, a tournament format that keeps fans coming back, and a spot waiting for them on SpikeTV (*fingers crossed*) Bellator is big time, baby.

Come on in and let’s run down the show, starting off with that Featherweight Tournament Final…

Pat Curran vs Marlon Sandro

Curran had an unlikely (some would say controversial) run through the 155 pound tournament last year that led him to an unsuccessful bid to become Bellator’s lightweight champ.  His progress through the featherweight brackets has been much smoother, including a sweet peruvian necktie on Peruvian Luis Palomino and a three round beatdown on a twelve year old English boy.  Curran has blossomed as a striker in Bellator, using punches, kicks, and knees to good effect since he joined the roster, but his wrestling background will be important in the Sandro fight.  Curran must avoid Sandro’s bombs, stay smart on defense, and use his speed to jump off his offense.  If he can wrestle Sandro down and maintain control, he can be the first guy to win Bellator tournaments in two weight classes.

Marlon Sandro has made his way through the tournament comfortably as well, after entertaining scraps with Genair da Silva and Nazareno Malegarie.  The former Sengoku kingpin was expected to be the challenger for the featherweight title when he signed with Bellator, and he’s now one fight away from a shot at Joe Warren. After his surprising upset loss to Hatsu Hioki, Sandro will have to deal with fighters trying to grind him down with defensive wrestling and take away his thunderous power on the feet.  Sandro is durable, well-rounded, and experienced, and he needs very little opportunity to land a KO punch. Sandro has the power to test Curran’s chin as it has never been tested before — Curran has never been knocked out, but the Monster from Rio is absolutely capable of leaving Paddy Mike staring up at Wombi Rock when the fight is over.

Cole Konrad vs. Paul Buentello

Cole Konrad claimed the Bellator heavyweight title by doing his best impression of the proverbial immovable object.  He’s a huge athlete with a very good wrestling pedigree, but his striking is rudimentary at best, his cardio is unimpressive, and his submission game is a work in progress, polar bear choke or not.  Perhaps the biggest question mark for Konrad is how training has been going at Team DeathClutch since Lesnar has been out.

Across from him in the cage, Paul Buentello holds a significant advantage in the stand up game, with better technique and power than Konrad.  Thing is, Buentello probably will not be standing for most of this fight.  Once on the ground, the Headhunter doesn’t have the strength to get out from under 300 pounds of Konrad, nor does he have the BJJ skills to win off his back.  If Buentello can’t stop the takedowns from Konrad, it’s going to be a long night for everyone.

Seth Petruzelli vs. Ricco Rodriguez

Pay attention to where Rodriguez weighs in — he’s been talking about hitting light heavy for about a year now, and this is his third catchweight in a row.  It looks like 205 is a bit too far down for Suave, and the biggest boys at 265 have too much size on him.  That won’t be a problem for Rodriguez in this bout, as the Silverback is a jumped-up 205er himself.  With a bit of a size advantage and a very solid ground game, Rodriguez should be able to stay away from any Kimbo Killers and work his own game.

Also on the card: BJJ champ Rene Nazare returns to action in Bellator, expect him to show off against Juan Barrantes.  Nazare is 9-0 with 7 stoppage wins, and he continues to improve at 28.  Something tells us this fight will not go the full fifteen.

On the undercard:

John Clarke vs. Dan Cramer
Andrew Calandrelli vs. Matt Nice
Brett Oteri vs. Ryan Quinn
Nik Fekete vs. Mark Griffin
Saul Almeida vs. Tateki Matsuda

[RX]

Steven Seagal Gets His Hooks Into Ricco Rodriguez Too


(This dude’s Marked for Death…)

Count Ricco Rodriguez as one of the growing number of fighters under the hypnotizing spell of Steven Seagal.

In a recent interview the beleaguered former UFC heavyweight champion did with Bleacher Report, Rodriguez detailed his first meeting with the “Hard to Kill” 7th Dan Aikido master.

“I’ve always been a fan of Steven Seagal’s. I’ve always admired his acting skills and even as I got older and started chasing some of my own personal goals. Because when I was a kid, I watched the Bruce Lee movies and going to Japan, living in Japan and training at the Takada dojo, traveling to Brazil, there was somewhat a similar situation to me and Seagal. So, getting to meet a person such as him, if I can explain to you how phenomenal his energy was, I can’t explain it unless you were because you just feel how motivating he is and how presentable he is. He’s a phenomenal person and a great guy.”


(This dude’s Marked for Death…)

Count Ricco Rodriguez as one of the growing number of fighters under the hypnotizing spell of Steven Seagal.

In a recent interview the beleaguered former UFC heavyweight champion did with Bleacher Report, Rodriguez detailed his first meeting with the “Hard to Kill” 7th Dan Aikido master.

“I’ve always been a fan of Steven Seagal’s. I’ve always admired his acting skills and even as I got older and started chasing some of my own personal goals. Because when I was a kid, I watched the Bruce Lee movies and going to Japan, living in Japan and training at the Takada dojo, traveling to Brazil, there was somewhat a similar situation to me and Seagal. So, getting to meet a person such as him, if I can explain to you how phenomenal his energy was, I can’t explain it unless you were because you just feel how motivating he is and how presentable he is. He’s a phenomenal person and a great guy.”

It didn’t take Rodriguez long to follow in the footsteps of other fighters like Anderson Silva and Lyoto Machida become a believer.

“He moves like a cat and when he was demonstrating a couple of moves you could feel his power and his energy. I was like ‘yeah, I’m going to pay attention’, because he was moving me around like a lightweight and you can have your opinion, but the truth is Anderson Silva gives thanks and praise to Steven Seagal. You have to be respectful to him and mixed martial arts is exactly what it is, mixed martial arts. It’s many different styles, many different forms, many different philosophies, in conjunction with all these different styles you can be a better athlete. You have to be respectful to the older martial artist.”

Well, I guess it’s safe to say that Ricco Rodriguez is probably going to win back his UFC strap now. RIP UFC heavyweight division. “Suave” has put your asses on notice that he’s Out for Justice.

Hump Day Headlines with Stephanie Ann Cook

It’s no coincidence that Chael Sonnen‘s suspension and Lindsay Lohan‘s house arrest were both lifted today. Learning Lesson: if you’re going to f*ck up in life, do it in California. BJ Penn took to his.

It’s no coincidence that Chael Sonnen‘s suspension and Lindsay Lohan‘s house arrest were both lifted today. Learning Lesson: if you’re going to f*ck up in life, do it in California.

BJ Penn took to his Twitter to blast Testosterone Replacement Therapy and calls PED use a cancer in the sport.

Pennsylvania Athletic Commision overturns Charles Oliveira vs. Nik Lentz to a No Contest due to Oliveira’s accidental kick to Lentz who was on the ground.

Kimbo Slice to make pro boxing debut on August 13th in a show produced by Gary Shaw Productions and Tony Holden Promotions.

Ricco Rodriguez vs. Seth Petruzelli is set for Bellator 48 on August 20th.

Strikeforce Challengers 18 headlined by Jorge Gurgel vs. Joe Duarte at the Palms in Las Vegas. Tickets on sale to the public this Saturday.

USA Today releases latest MMA Fighter rankings for June 2011.

Konrad vs. Buentello, Rodriguez vs. Petruzelli Added to Bellator 48

Filed under: Bellator, NewsBellator has lined up two heavyweight matchups, Cole Konrad vs. Paul Buentello and Ricco Rodriguez vs. Seth Petruzelli, for Bellator 48 on Aug. 20 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

Bellator 48 will be the third a…

Filed under: ,

Bellator has lined up two heavyweight matchups, Cole Konrad vs. Paul Buentello and Ricco Rodriguez vs. Seth Petruzelli, for Bellator 48 on Aug. 20 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

Bellator 48 will be the third and final 2011 Summer Series events and is expected to feature the finals of the featherweight tournament which kicked off this past Saturday.


The Konrad vs. Buentello non-title fight was originally announced for Bellator 42 in April, but Buentello would later withdraw due to a back injury. Konrad, who won all seven of his fights in 2010 en route to becoming the Bellator heavyweight champion, will be fighting for the first time this year.

Rodriguez and Petruzelli will both be making their Bellator debuts. Although Bellator is billing this as a heavyweight bout, the agreed upon catchweight is 230 pounds,
according to Petruzelli. Petruzelli was released from the UFC after his loss at UFC 122 last November and scored a TKO this year at WEF 46 in April. Never fighting for the same promotion in a row, Rodriguez has won his last 11 fights.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Booking Alert: Rodriguez-Petruzelli, Buentello-Konrad Added to Bellator 48 Card

“I’m going to beat you so bad you’ll look like you were in a car wreck. Then I’m going to drag you over to the driver’s seat and run away into the night.”

With their featherweight tourney already underway, Bellator would like to remind you that they’ve got some big boys that can throw down too. Two fights have been announced for their upcoming Bellator 48 card, going down on August 20th.

“I’m going to beat you so bad you’ll look like you were in a car wreck. Then I’m going to drag you over to the driver’s seat and run away into the night.”

With their featherweight tourney already underway, Bellator would like to remind you that they’ve got some big boys that can throw down too. Two fights have been announced for their upcoming Bellator 48 card, going down on August 20th.

One of MMA’s most tortured souls, Ricco Rodriguez, will return to the spotlight against Seth Petruzelli in a catchweight bout of 230lbs. Rodriguez, you may recall, picked up his 11th straight victory over TUF alum James McSweeney at Bamma 5 before suffering a TKO loss (arrest) to the Ahwatukee Police Department last month. Petruzelli recently righted his ship with a victory over Dave Mewborn at WEF 46. Prior to that win, he lost two in a row before being cut by the UFC.

Also slated for the card is the rescheduled bout between Cole Konrad and Paul Buentello. This fight was originally scheduled for Bellator 42, but a back injury forced “The Head Hunter” from the event. Fully recovered, he’ll finally get to lock horns with the impossibly boring Bellator Season 5 champion. There’s no doubt that Konrad will be looking for takedowns early and often, but the question remains: is it because he fears Buentello, or because he fears the consequences?

MMA: Tony "Kryptonite" Lopez, Previewing His 3 Fights in 15 Days

You might know Tony “Kryptonite” Lopez from MTV’s Bully Beatdown show, hosted by Jason “Mayhem” Miller. Or, you might know him for the work he has done inside of the MMA ring. Regardless of how you know him, Tony Lopez is stepping up to the plate and f…

You might know Tony “Kryptonite” Lopez from MTV’s Bully Beatdown show, hosted by Jason “Mayhem” Miller. Or, you might know him for the work he has done inside of the MMA ring.

Regardless of how you know him, Tony Lopez is stepping up to the plate and fighting an amazing three times in only a 15-day span. To think, this is an era where the majority of fighters compete only three times in a single year and Lopez is attempting this feat in just barely over two weeks.

Now, you might be thinking to yourself that he must be fighting some really unknown fighters, but that is where you are mistaken. All but one of his opponents are widely known to the majority of MMA fans while the combined record for his three opponents is 92-29. If Lopez is successful against all three, he could land a contract from a major MMA organization.

For those of you who do not know Tony Lopez, he is a veteran of the sport and was the “King of the Cage” Heavyweight and Light-Heavyweight Champion. Lopez has the rare distinction of holding both titles simultaneously while going on a remarkable 16 fight win streak.

Lopez has a record of 24-7, beating fighters such as Kyle Kingsbury and Joey Beltran along his journey as a mixed martial arts fighter.

Here is a look at the fighters that Tony Lopez will be facing in his 15-day stretch.

Begin Slideshow