Tag: UFC Fight Night 29

Joey Beltran Wants to Unleash ‘National Geographic’ Style Violence on Maldonado

Joey Beltran has defined his career with a bevy of ultra exciting fights where fists fly, blood gets spilt and, generally speaking, both competitors leave the Octagon looking like they just got put through a meat grinder.
It’s a style that has defined …

Joey Beltran has defined his career with a bevy of ultra exciting fights where fists fly, blood gets spilt and, generally speaking, both competitors leave the Octagon looking like they just got put through a meat grinder.

It’s a style that has defined Beltran’s career, and that’s why when he was waiting to hear about his next fight he asked about a potential matchup against Brazilian slugger Fabio Maldonado.

Maldonado is a former pro boxer whose own style mirrors Beltran’s, and the potential for a fight of the night slugfest would almost be guaranteed if the two met.

It turns out the UFC liked the idea as well, so they booked Beltran vs. Maldonado in Brazil at UFC Fight Night 29, and ‘The Mexecutioner‘ could not be happier about it.

“I imagine we’re going to meet in the center and we’re not going to stop swinging until either 15 minutes runs up or somebody gets knocked out,” Beltran said.

In the video interview (that can be seen in its entirety above), Beltran confesses that his style of fights are always entertaining, but can be somewhat dangerous to his health.

The veteran UFC fighter has seen the long-term effects of brain injuries suffered by boxers decades after they hang up their gloves, so as much as he likes exchanging huge flurries of punches with an opponent, he knows it’s time to learn some defense as well.

So, for this fight camp, Beltran switched things up a bit to help him avoid taking as much damage, while dishing out plenty of unmitigated violence on his opponent.

Think of Beltran’s new style like one of those nature videos where a predator stalks its prey quietly in the trees until there is the perfect moment to strike and get the kill. That’s how Beltran is approaching fights now, and he’s happy to unleash the first attack on Maldonado in Brazil.

“I promise you fans you can expect pure, National Geographic style violence,” Beltran said.

Check out the entire interview with Beltran above where he discusses the fight with Maldonado and his new approach to fighting.

 

 

 

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Jeremy Stephens Injured, Fight with Rony Jason Scrapped for UFC Fight Night 29

One of the featured fights on the upcoming UFC Fight Night 29 card has been scrapped after injuries to both Jeremy Stephens and Rony Jason.
Over the weekend, Jason, a former Ultimate Fighter Brazil winner from the first season of the international show…

One of the featured fights on the upcoming UFC Fight Night 29 card has been scrapped after injuries to both Jeremy Stephens and Rony Jason.

Over the weekend, Jason, a former Ultimate Fighter Brazil winner from the first season of the international show, was pulled from the fight after an MRI was done on the fighter and revealed an injury that forced the CABMMA (Brazilian Athletic Commission) to pull him from the card.

Details about the injury were not available from the commission in terms of how long Jason would be out or the severity of the nature of the ailment.

Now it seems his opponent Jeremy Stephens will also be pulled from the fight card after he suffered an injury leading into the show as well.

According to Stephens’ manager Ryan Hass from EVO Agents, who spoke to Bleacher Report on Monday, the featherweight slugger was dealing with an injury that’s kept him out of the gym for over a week.

Stephens was suffering from a leg injury that kept him off his feet for more than a week, but the San Diego-based featherweight was planning on pushing through and traveling to Brazil for the fight until Jason pulled out of the bout.

With Jason out of the fight and no replacement currently in place, Stephens opted to back out of the card as well to allow his leg time to heal.

Hass said the injury that Stephens suffered isn’t expected to keep him out of action for much time, and the UFC may even contemplate re-booking the fight for a later date, but there’s no confirmation at this time.

Stephens found new life at featherweight after spending most of his career as a lightweight fighter. He picked up a dominant win back at UFC 160 in his debut at 145 pounds where he brutalized Estevan Payan over the course of three rounds.

The Iowa native hoped to jump right into the deep end of the featherweight division, which prompted his fight with Jason, who is on a three-fight win streak since winning his season of the reality show in Brazil.

Damon Martin is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report.

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Jake Shields vs. Demian Maia Head-to-Toe Breakdown

UFC Fight Night 29 is headlined by Jake Shields and Demian Maia. The October 9 bout will be fought in Maia’s home country of Brazil.
Shields returned to welterweight with a split-decision win over rising prospect Tyron Woodley. Maia’s welterweight run …

UFC Fight Night 29 is headlined by Jake Shields and Demian Maia. The October 9 bout will be fought in Maia’s home country of Brazil.

Shields returned to welterweight with a split-decision win over rising prospect Tyron Woodley. Maia’s welterweight run has led him to the No. 4 ranking in the division.

Without doubt, Maia’s run has been dominant.

It all began with a quick injury TKO over Dong Hyun Kim. After that bout, he moved on to a quick submission win over Rick Story and a dominant decision against Jon Fitch. Maia has become a serious title contender in the welterweight division.

The October 9 tilt will have a lot of implications on the rankings, but before we get there, this is your head-to-toe breakdown of the welterweight matchup.

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Rousimar Palhares Draws Mike Pierce at UFC Fight Night 29 in Brazil

The UFC’s October outing to Brazil has gained some star power in the form of Rousimar Palhares.
The fan favorite from Brazil makes his welterweight debut against Mike Pierce, the underrated wrestler from America with Chael Sonnen-like callouts of Palha…

The UFC’s October outing to Brazil has gained some star power in the form of Rousimar Palhares.

The fan favorite from Brazil makes his welterweight debut against Mike Pierce, the underrated wrestler from America with Chael Sonnen-like callouts of Palhares‘s home country. The fight takes place on Fox Sports 1 on October 9, though it has not been announced if this will be a main or preliminary card bout.

Palhares drops to 170 after falling in his last two outings at middleweight to Alan Belcher and Hector Lombard (both by knockout). The leglock specialist was once considered a contender at middleweight before his current losing streak, beating the likes of Dave Branch, Mike Massenzio and Dan Miller with ease.

As for Pierce, the Oregon-based fighter finds himself in the middle of a four-fight winning streak over the likes of Carlos Eduardo Rocha, Aaron Simpson, Seth Baczynski and David Mitchell. Many fans feel that his accomplishments have not been valued, seeing how successful he has been with the UFC and his placement being on the Facebook portion of cards.

This will be a wrestler vs. jiu-jitsu specialist fight. Both men’s striking has improved recently, especially Pierce, who has blasted Mitchell and Simpson with heavy knockout blows.

One would have to think that this is a do-or-die situation for Palhares, as the UFC has been cutting many fighters on losing streaks lately. Though he is popular and skilled, three straight losses would likely put his job and career in jeopardy.

As for Pierce, a win would definitely have to put him into contention. Palhares is the notable win he has been looking for, seeing as his only losses in the UFC have come to Josh Koscheck, Johny Hendricks and Jon Fitch.

Stay tuned with Bleacher Report for more updates on upcoming UFC cards.

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Demian Maia vs. Jake Shields Officially Headlining UFN 29 in Brazil

UFC Fight Night no Combate in São Paulo, Brazil, Oct. 9 now officially has its headliner: Demian Maia vs. Jake Shields.
The No. 4 ranked, 170-pound contender Maia (18-4) will take on former Strikeforce champion Shields (28-6-1) in a five-round b…

UFC Fight Night no Combate in São Paulo, Brazil, Oct. 9 now officially has its headliner: Demian Maia vs. Jake Shields.

The No. 4 ranked, 170-pound contender Maia (18-4) will take on former Strikeforce champion Shields (28-6-1) in a five-round bout to cap off a night of fights that will air on FOX Sports 1 in the United States.

Maia, who is undefeated at welterweight, expressed his pride in representing his country on home soil in an article with UFC.com:

I am very happy and proud to be the main event. I’ve always wanted to fight for the UFC in São Paulo, were I was born and raised. I have a special connection with the Jose Correa arena in Barueri, where I had my first major MMA milestone in 2006. My big goal is to get a title shot and become world champion. I know Jake Shields is a great opponent, with wins over names such as Dan Henderson and Carlos Condit, and beating him is sure to get me within title contention.

In the same article, Shields also spoke on the quality of his opponent as well as Brazilian fans:

The Brazilian audience is intimidating and enthusiastic, and it makes for an excellent atmosphere. But once I get in the Octagon, I’ll be focused and ready. Fighting Demian on his home turf will not be an issue. His strengths are obvious: he’s the best Brazilian jiu-jitsu martial artist in my division. His weakness is his standup. I want to beat him at what he’s best at.

The co-main event of the night will pit two more welterweights contenders against each other, as Erick Silva (15-3) takes on South Korea’s Dong Hyun Kim (17-2-1).

Silva is coming off the Submission of the Night victory in his last outing. Kim has won three-of-four, with the loss coming at the hands of Maia when a freak injury during a scramble forced him to tap out.

Both the main and co-main events promise to be tactical smorgasbords. Maia and Shields are among the best at control grappling in MMA, while Kim has not found an opponent he can’t take down during his UFC stint.

The young Brazilian, Silva, has his own explosive ground game, with two of his three UFC victories coming by way of first-round submission.

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Demian Maia vs. Jake Shields Verbally Agreed for UFC Fight Night on October 9th


(“We needed somebody to emulate Jake’s style during this training camp, Luckily, the Purple Prancer was available.” / Props: @DemianMaia)

Demian Maia was supposed to compete earlier this month at UFC 163, but the injury curse had other plans, and his opponent Josh Koscheck was forced out on short notice. Luckily he’ll have another high-profile fight to make up for it. MMAFighting reports that Maia has verbally agreed to fight Jake Shields at UFC Fight Night 29, which goes down October 9th, possibly at the Gymnasium Multisport José Corrêa in Barueri, São Paulo. The event will be broadcast on FOX Sports 1.

Between his previous wins over Rick Story and Jon Fitch, and his bookings against Koscheck and Shields, Maia is becoming a villain to West Coast-based American wrestlers during his current run at welterweight — though he’ll certainly be treated like a hero in his return to Brazil. Shields is coming off a forgettable split-decision victory against Tyron Woodley at UFC 161 in June, which followed his no-contest against Ed Herman due to a failed drug test. It’s been a long time since Shields has had a truly impressive victory (you might have to go all the way back to April 2010), and the odds won’t be in his favor this fall.

A main event for the card hasn’t been announced yet, but the UFC’s October 9th lineup will also feature Erick Silva vs. Dong Hyun Kim and Jeremy Stephens vs. Rony Jason.


(“We needed somebody to emulate Jake’s style during this training camp, Luckily, the Purple Prancer was available.” / Props: @DemianMaia)

Demian Maia was supposed to compete earlier this month at UFC 163, but the injury curse had other plans, and his opponent Josh Koscheck was forced out on short notice. Luckily he’ll have another high-profile fight to make up for it. MMAFighting reports that Maia has verbally agreed to fight Jake Shields at UFC Fight Night 29, which goes down October 9th, possibly at the Gymnasium Multisport José Corrêa in Barueri, São Paulo. The event will be broadcast on FOX Sports 1.

Between his previous wins over Rick Story and Jon Fitch, and his bookings against Koscheck and Shields, Maia is becoming a villain to West Coast-based American wrestlers during his current run at welterweight — though he’ll certainly be treated like a hero in his return to Brazil. Shields is coming off a forgettable split-decision victory against Tyron Woodley at UFC 161 in June, which followed his no-contest against Ed Herman due to a failed drug test. It’s been a long time since Shields has had a truly impressive victory (you might have to go all the way back to April 2010), and the odds won’t be in his favor this fall.

A main event for the card hasn’t been announced yet, but the UFC’s October 9th lineup will also feature Erick Silva vs. Dong Hyun Kim and Jeremy Stephens vs. Rony Jason.