Although his firing has yet to be made official, it appears that Baroni has in fact been let go for his ongoing support of War Machine, even as the horrendous allegations and charges against him continue to pile up. Then again, Baroni’s defense of his former training partner could just be the out Coker was looking for to send the NYBA packing. For one, Baroni’s dropped his past three fights in a row. For two, he was smoked by Karo Parisyan in his promotional debut at Bellator 122. And for three, he can’t even spell the name of the promotion he was fighting in. Three strikes, you’re out!
Now, if only we can make it to the end of this sentence without Coker immediately contradicting his decision to steer clear of anyone even relatively involved in a domestic violence case…
The rumors of Bellator signing Gina Carano may have been premature — or totally invented — but the promotion will indeed begin holding women’s fights again, as part of a brand-new featherweight division. According to a press release distributed today, Marloes Coenen and Julia Budd have signed contracts with Bellator, and will fight on a live Spike TV broadcast later this year.
“We’re incredibly excited to bring in two of the best athletes competing in our sport today,” said Bellator President Scott Coker. “We are making a commitment to bring back the female division to Bellator, and feature some of the world’s best in the Bellator cage.”
Bellator began running women’s matches early in its history, with fighters like Jessica Penne, Leslie Smith, Kerry Vera, and Rosi Sexton featured during the promotion’s first season in 2009. The next year, Bellator hosted a women’s strawweight tournament, which saw Zoila Gurgel outpoint Penne, Jessica Aguilar, and WMMA legend Megumi Fujii. But in light of increasing competition from Invicta FC and the UFC, Bellator formally shut down its women’s divisions in August 2013.
Of course, that was during the Bjorn Rebney era. Now that Scott Coker is runnin’ thangs, Bellator will attempt to re-capture some of the success that Strikeforce previously had in promoting female stars Gina Carano and Cris Cyborg. (By the way, the fact that Coker is pushing a new 145-pound division theoretically makes Bellator a more attractive environment for Carano and Cyborg than the UFC, as they wouldn’t have to squeeze into the bantamweight division to compete.)
The rumors of Bellator signing Gina Carano may have been premature — or totally invented — but the promotion will indeed begin holding women’s fights again, as part of a brand-new featherweight division. According to a press release distributed today, Marloes Coenen and Julia Budd have signed contracts with Bellator, and will fight on a live Spike TV broadcast later this year.
“We’re incredibly excited to bring in two of the best athletes competing in our sport today,” said Bellator President Scott Coker. “We are making a commitment to bring back the female division to Bellator, and feature some of the world’s best in the Bellator cage.”
Bellator began running women’s matches early in its history, with fighters like Jessica Penne, Leslie Smith, Kerry Vera, and Rosi Sexton featured during the promotion’s first season in 2009. The next year, Bellator hosted a women’s strawweight tournament, which saw Zoila Gurgel outpoint Penne, Jessica Aguilar, and WMMA legend Megumi Fujii. But in light of increasing competition from Invicta FC and the UFC, Bellator formally shut down its women’s divisions in August 2013.
Of course, that was during the Bjorn Rebney era. Now that Scott Coker is runnin’ thangs, Bellator will attempt to re-capture some of the success that Strikeforce previously had in promoting female stars Gina Carano and Cris Cyborg. (By the way, the fact that Coker is pushing a new 145-pound division theoretically makes Bellator a more attractive environment for Carano and Cyborg than the UFC, as they wouldn’t have to squeeze into the bantamweight division to compete.)
But back to Coenen and Budd…
“After fighting professionally for over 15 years, I am honored to be invited into the Bellator cage,” Coenen said in today’s press release. “Fighting for Bellator brings my spirit back for fighting! It is great to be working together with Scott Coker again as we both have the same vision on fighting. My style is fighting with the objective to knock my opponent out or to submit her. That is exactly what I am planning to do the very first second I step into the Bellator cage.”
Coenen (21-6) hasn’t competed since her TKO loss to Cris Cyborg in their rematch at Invicta FC 6, in July 2013. By comparison, Budd (6-2) is a somewhat unseasoned competitor, but she’s coming off a 4-0 run in Invicta in 2012-2013.
“I’m ecstatic about the opportunity that Bellator is giving the 145 female division and I’m especially excited to be one of the first females to fight for Scott Coker under the Bellator banner,” Budd added in the press release. “This gives me the opportunity to showcase my skills as one of the best fighters in the world on one of the biggest stages in the world.”
Bellator has fired War Machine after a report from TMZ claimed he was involved in a domestic violence investigation.
TMZ’s report claimed the domestic dispute involved three people at War Machine’s Las Vegas home. Two people were reportedly injured so bad they had to go to the hospital. The report claimed one victim was War Machine’s “significant other.”
A tweet from Christy Mack, War Machine’s sort of girlfriend (the “it’s complicated” relationship status was made for them), seems to confirm the report:
(War Machine in 2007 / Photo via Getty)
Bellator has fired War Machine after a report from TMZ claimed he was involved in a domestic violence investigation.
TMZ’s report claimed the domestic dispute involved three people at War Machine’s Las Vegas home. Two people were reportedly injured so bad they had to go to the hospital. The report claimed one victim was War Machine’s “significant other.”
A tweet from Christy Mack, War Machine’s sort of girlfriend (the “it’s complicated” relationship status was made for them), seems to confirm the report:
War Machine seemingly tweeted about the incident as well:
While nothing is official yet, a domestic violence incident seems pretty likely. We hate to say this was inevitable, it seemed inevitable given War Machine’s sordid history.
Fortunately, Bellator under Scott Coker threw the book at War Machine.
“We have a zero tolerance policy here at Bellator when it relates to any form of domestic violence,” Bellator president Scott Coker said in a press release sent to CagePotato. “And after learning of this latest incident involving Jon Koppenhaver, War Machine, Bellator is releasing him from his promotional contract with the organization.”
War Machine has been arrested before, so who knows if and how long he’ll be incarcerated this time. His last fight was a loss to Ron Keslar at Bellator 104. To be honest, Bellator is better off without him.
The recent departure of Bjorn Rebney from Bellator got me thinking about the rest of the non-UFC MMA world, and what it has to offer—both good and bad. So, I’ve compiled a list of the best and worst in a few categories. How do they stack up against their counterparts in the UFC? Hell, I don’t know, but none of them have a signature 360-degree turn while doing any of their jobs.
Chambers is refreshing to hear while watching fights. Not only does he sound professional behind the mic, but he was a seasoned pro MMA fighter himself, which gives him an insider’s perspective into what’s going on during fights. The former Human Weapon host regularly pokes fun at himself, and rarely do we get the ever-so-obnoxious “When I trained with so-and-so” type of rubbish we hear from other ex-fighter commentators. Even if Chambers does occasionally botch names of the One FC fighters like “Xainj-Gui- Zambetriuyuiock,” he still maintains great hair, even in the humidity of Southeast Asia.
Bas’s golden days are behind him, and he’s forgotten that he isn’t fighting anymore. His once-funny shtick has become stale and we can only hear so many mispronounced moves and slaughtered names of fighters before we want to turn down the volume and enjoy the second-tier MMA in front of us—though I am still a sucker for any liver-shot references.
The recent departure of Bjorn Rebney from Bellator got me thinking about the rest of the non-UFC MMA world, and what it has to offer—both good and bad. So, I’ve compiled a list of the best and worst in a few categories. How do they stack up against their counterparts in the UFC? Hell, I don’t know, but none of them have a signature 360-degree turn while doing any of their jobs.
Chambers is refreshing to hear while watching fights. Not only does he sound professional behind the mic, but he was a seasoned pro MMA fighter himself, which gives him an insider’s perspective into what’s going on during fights. The former Human Weapon host regularly pokes fun at himself, and rarely do we get the ever-so-obnoxious “When I trained with so-and-so” type of rubbish we hear from other ex-fighter commentators. Even if Chambers does occasionally botch names of the One FC fighters like “Xainj-Gui- Zambetriuyuiock,” he still maintains great hair, even in the humidity of Southeast Asia.
Bas’s golden days are behind him, and he’s forgotten that he isn’t fighting anymore. His once-funny shtick has become stale and we can only hear so many mispronounced moves and slaughtered names of fighters before we want to turn down the volume and enjoy the second-tier MMA in front of us—though I am still a sucker for any liver-shot references.
Matchmaker
BEST: Rich Chou, Strikeforce and (Now) Bellator
There’s a reason Rich Chou was brought in to Bellator after Scott Coker took over. No, it’s not because he and Coker are good friends, though that may have a small (or huge) part in it. Nick Diaz versus Paul Daley, and Robbie Lawler versus Melvin Manhoef! Do I need to say more? Those fights, along with so many others that Chou put together in Strikeforce’s glory days, had even the most cynical MMA hipster fans jumping with excitement.
WORST: Gregg Sharp, Xplode Fight Series
This joke of a promoter/matchmaker has been in the MMA media spotlight lately after the UFC signed Dashon Johnson, whose 9-0 record was exposed as shamelessly padded. Sharp regularly pits blue-chip prospects with impressive records against fighters with more losses than digits on their hands and feet combined. Hell, Sharp booked a one-legged fighter with a 4-3 record against an 0-10 fighter, to ensure a win. Sharp is a disgrace to the sport, as is his unsanctioned show.
Despite losing $40 million of Strikeforce’s cash, he still (somehow) sold his show to the UFC for good money, and was signed on to work for the mammoth MMA promotion. The minute Coker’s non-compete clause expired, Viacom booted Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney, and hired Coker on as the new face of the company. I’m not sure Coker has the Midas touch, as he burned through a ton of cash before selling Strikeforce, but other people certainly believe he does. Plus, Coker has always handled himself with dignity — unlike some people we could mention — and that has to count for something.
WORST: Mark Pavelich, Maximum Fighting Championships
Pavelich isn’t guilty of putting on bad shows. On the contrary, most of MFC’s fights are actually very good, along with the production of the shows. But Pavelich is guilty of something: forgetting he’s not John Gotti, or any other tough guy or important human being for that matter. Pavelich has been spotted on numerous occasions at photo shoots with leather jackets, motorcycles, and exotic cars, basically acting like the main attraction, not the promoter. For all of Pavelich’s megalomaniacal behavior, his greatest feat of douche-baggery was when he left a message on Drew Fickett’s (manager’s) voicemail threatening to “fly down wherever he fucking is and fucking choke him out!”
Martinez is the consummate professional. He doesn’t scream like a caged animal or have a “signature 360 move.” He announces fights, what he’s supposed to do. Let’s take a look at the best announcer in history, Michael Buffer (he would have won, but we’re talking MMA here, not all sports), and how clean and smooth he is while announcing fights. Martinez takes after the good Buffer, and knows the fights are what is hyping the crowd. He doesn’t need to create a spectacle of their introductions.
WORST: Ric Reyes/Roland Sarria, Rage In The Cage
Ric Reyes isn’t so bad at just announcing the fights, but it’s his need to continue speaking after his job is done that has him on this list. I mean, how hard is it to sit down and shut your mouth after the bell rings? Apparently, very difficult. Why is it so difficult? Roland Sarria, the former owner of Rage In The Cage, who would regularly engage in over-the-mic shenanigans with Reyes mid-fight. Sarria once yelled over the loudspeaker, during the middle of a super-heavyweight fight, that the “two men inside the cage are sponsored by Krispy Kreme.” Reyes chimed in that he hoped the doors and cage would hold up. And the two regularly yell, “Do you want to see them up, or do you want to see them down?” while the fight is unfolding. If Martinez is the consummate professional, Reyes and Sarria are the antithesis, and may or may not be able to correctly call the clowns out of their cars at the local circus.
The event was one of Bellator’s better ones. We’ve recapped the entire card for you (and threw in some GIFs–which are all courtesy of Zombie Prophet/Fansided):
The Bellator 122 prelims were packed with action. Saad Awad pulled off one of the best TKOs from the bottom in recent memory against Joe Duarte. After getting blasted with a right hand, Awad crumbled to the mat. However, Duarte got over aggressive and Awad snagged him in a triangle. The ref called the fight about a billion elbows to Duarte’s temple later. Check out the GIF.
Other significant prelim happenings: The unheralded Fernando Gonzalez upset Bellator mainstay Karl Amoussou via unanimous decision. Gonzalez was simply quicker and better conditioned. One has to wonder about Amoussou’s future in Bellator.
Bellator put a light heavyweight tournament semifinal on the prelims. Kelly Anundson took on Luiz Philipe Lins, but the fight didn’t last long. Lins collapsed to the canvas a few minutes into the first round with a knee injury. Anundson was therefore awarded with a TKO victory.
More prelim action: Wrestling standout Bubba Jenkins steamrolled over Poppies Martinez, taking him down and scoring a TKO via ground and pound (GIF) in the first frame.
Get the rundown of the main card–plus the precious GIFs–after the jump.
The event was one of Bellator’s better ones. We’ve recapped the entire card for you (and threw in some GIFs–which are all courtesy of Zombie Prophet/Fansided):
The Bellator 122 prelims were packed with action. Saad Awad pulled off one of the best TKOs from the bottom in recent memory against Joe Duarte. After getting blasted with a right hand, Awad crumbled to the mat. However, Duarte got over aggressive and Awad snagged him in a triangle. The ref called the fight about a billion elbows to Duarte’s temple later. Check out the GIF.
Other significant prelim happenings: The unheralded Fernando Gonzalez upset Bellator mainstay Karl Amoussou via unanimous decision. Gonzalez was simply quicker and better conditioned. One has to wonder about Amoussou’s future in Bellator.
Bellator put a light heavyweight tournament semifinal on the prelims. Kelly Anundson took on Luiz Philipe Lins, but the fight didn’t last long. Lins collapsed to the canvas a few minutes into the first round with a knee injury. Anundson was therefore awarded with a TKO victory.
More prelim action: Wrestling standout Bubba Jenkins steamrolled over Poppies Martinez, taking him down and scoring a TKO via ground and pound (GIF) in the first frame.
The main card started with what was the true main event of the night (for us at least): PHIL BARONI VS. KARO PARISYAN. Unfortunately, it didn’t really live up to our expectations. Baroni came out completely flat. As soon as Parisyan turned up the “heat” [Editor’s note: We’re so sorry. The intern who came up with that line has been let go], Baroni became a deer in the headlights…then a dead deer on the hood of a car. The end was particularly brutal as he was finished while sitting in Indian style (GIF), just absorbing punches to the head in a total stupor. We really, REALLY hope he retires at this point.
Next up came highly touted British Prospect Liam McGeary vs. Egidijus Valavicius in the next light heavyweight tournament semifinal. McGeary kicked Valavicius to the curb. After taking a handful of punches, McGeary clinched Valavicius. A minute or two later, a flurry of lethal knees and uppercuts (GIF) from McGeary ended the fight; Valavicius was out on his feet. McGeary will face Kelly Anundson in the finals of the light heavyweight tournament.
In the co-main event, Brett Cooper met Brandon Halsey in the middleweight tournament final. Halsey controlled the bout during the minute or two that it lasted. Halsey clinched Cooper, took him down, and then arm barred him (GIF). It almost resembled a Ronda Rousey fight in that aspect.
The co-main event saw Andrey Koreshkov face Adam McDonough in the welterweight tournament semifinal. It was domination from bell to bell. Koreshkov landed an array of strikes (included a wicked spinning back kick) that kept McDonough puzzled throughout the fight. Koreshkov was too fast, too accurate, and his sprawls were too powerful for McDonough, a wrestler with anemic striking, to mount anything resembling an offense. It was a strong performance for Koreshkov, who earned a title shot with the win. It was a strong performance for Bellator, too. The fight card was energetic, fun, and left us with that “let’s shadow box with our shirts off” feeling.
Here are the complete results:
Main Card:
Andrey Koreshkov def. Adam McDonough via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Brandon Halsey def. Brett Cooper via submission (armbar), Round 1, 2:09
Liam McGeary def. Egidijus Valavicius via TKO (strikes), Round 1, 2:10
Karo Parisyan def. Phil Baroni via knockout (punches), Round 1, 2:06
Preliminary Card:
Augusto Sakai def. Matt Frembling via TKO (strikes), Round 3, 3:32
Bubba Jenkins def. Poppies Martinez via TKO (punches), Round 1, 4:10
Kelly Anundson def. Philipe Lins via TKO (injury), Round 1, 1:40
Fernando Gonzalez def. Karl Amoussou via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Saad Awad def. Joe Duarte via TKO (elbows) – Round 1, 1:18
Sergio Rios def. Stephen Martinez via TKO (head kick, punches), Round 2, 0:20
Linton Vassell def. Virgil Zwicker via submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 1:07
“It’s always darkest before it’s totally black.”-Mao Zedong (supposedly).
This quote aptly described MMA’s immediate future, or at least it seemed to until very recently. Card quality, fan interest, and–most importantly–numbers were all declining; 2014’s PPV buy ceiling of 350,000 was 2009’s floor. MMA was headed for a perplexing time when it was simultaneously bigger than ever but smaller than ever, when the fighters were more talented than ever but less popular than ever.
A series of fortunate events and new found circumstances can change all that. To make a Back to the Future reference, the horrific, Biff Tannen-owned Hill Valley that represented MMA’s future may well become the nice, stable Hill Valley in which George McFly is a successful fiction author and Marty McFly bangs his girlfriend in the back of a pickup truck. That is to say, MMA might be approaching a level of popularity, constancy and quality that many (including myself) didn’t think it was capable of reaching in the current climate.
“It’s always darkest before it’s totally black.”-Mao Zedong (supposedly).
This quote aptly described MMA’s immediate future, or at least it seemed to until very recently. Card quality, fan interest, and–most importantly–numbers were all declining; 2014′s PPV buy ceiling of 350,000 was 2009′s floor. MMA was headed for a perplexing time when it was simultaneously bigger than ever but smaller than ever, when the fighters were more talented than ever but less popular than ever.
A series of fortunate events and new found circumstances can change all that. To make a Back to the Future reference, the horrific, Biff Tannen-owned Hill Valley that represented MMA’s future may well become the nice, stable Hill Valley in which George McFly is a successful fiction author and Marty McFly bangs his girlfriend in the back of a pickup truck. That is to say, MMA might be approaching a level of popularity, constancy and quality that many (including myself) didn’t think it was capable of reaching in the current climate.
What’s the reason for this cautious optimism?
The initial catalyst, for me at least, is MMA’s reaction to Conor McGregor. Interest for UFC Fight Night 46 was so high you’d have thought it was headlined by Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson II rather than Conor McGregor vs. Diego Brandao. And this was on a Fight Pass card, mind you. That level of excitement for a Fight Pass card is extremely rare–as was the web traffic he brought in for a Fight Pass card. Fight Pass cards are so lackluster we refused to cover one. UFC Fight Night 46, however, garnered more traffic than even some Fox Sports 1 cards.
Conor McGregor stepping into the Octagon is an event. People need to see it. It’s no wonder then UFC Fight Night 46 was reportedly the most-watched Fight Pass event of all time. Conor McGregor has the makings of a superstar. He’s charismatic, a magnet for attention, he’s talented, and has a fan-friendly fighting style. Though McGregor is further proof stars have to be found and built up rather than manufactured by stamping “UFC” on them, McGregor is a light in the dark.
Rousey, too, is another reason the future seems bright. As I’ve noted in the past, the UFC women’s bantamweight division is little more than a promotional vehicle for Ronda Rousey. If you doubt this, look at Ronda Rousey’s fights in the UFC. Was the UFC sponsoring her or her opponent? The UFC does not dissemble its abject love of Rousey; Dana White admitted Rousey is the only reason the division exists.
As inflammatory and ridiculous as it sounded when White said it, Rousey might actually be the UFC’s biggest star. This (somewhat) justifies the UFC’s treatment of her. But watching even the greatest of fighters crush glorified jobbers in under a minute can get boring–boring enough that people won’t pay $60 to see it. Currently, the UFC women’s bantamweight division is such that Floyd Mayweather Jr. is the only person getting as much attention as Rousey. That’s changing now.
Rousey-Holm, Rousey-Carano, and Rousey-Justino are far more sell-able and will garner more interest than Rousey vs. any of the other overmatched contenders in the division.
The women’s MMA landscape as a whole is changing thanks to the UFC’s inclusion of the strawweight division via TUF 20. The UFC’s current strawweight roster possesses enough personalities (Rose Namajunas, Felice Herrig, etc.) to make the weight class interesting.
Then we come to UFC Fight Pass. We’ve panned the network on CagePotato multiple times, but Zuffa is finally starting to listen to our suggestions. To that end, they will now start showing Invicta fight cards. Deals with other MMA promotions might also be in the works. They also plan to to air events in judo, wrestling, and other martial arts. Fight Pass is changing for the better. What was once a cheap cash-grab is turning into a legitimate window into the mixed martial arts ecosystem.
And finally, Bellator. Bjorn Rebney is out. Scott Coker, a man with the proven capability to put on cards fans care about (and who’s not scummy and horrible), is in. With Scott Coker’s vision and Viacom’s financial backing, Bellator 2.0 (or Spikeforce, as we like to call it) can become serious competition to the UFC, which’ll force the UFC to step up its game and offer a better product. Look at UFC Fight Night 50. Is it a coincidence that it’s one of the more loaded Fight Night cards in recent memory? Did Zuffa just feel like throwing us a bone? Of course not. UFC Fight Night 50 is going head to head with Bellator 123 that night.
There are reasons for MMA fans to be hopeful. There is an emerging star on the horizon, the UFC’s biggest existing star has more credible, higher profile foes to dispatch, a new crop of feisty and fearsome women are entering the fold, Fight Pass is becoming something you wouldn’t be ashamed of subscribing to, and we’re fast approaching the spiritual resurrection of Strikeforce and the competitive nature in MMA it entails.
Are we approaching a Golden Age? Maybe not because the sport still has a few unsolved problems. But we’re certainly approaching an age in which things get better before they get worse. Be cautiously optimistic, MMA fans.
