The Ongoing Trials and Tribulations of Paulo Filho Continue — “Ely” Released by WSOF

(Filho’s first and last appearance under the WSOF banner. We tried to find a video of just the highlights, but there are none.)

Every time it appears that Paulo Filho has hit rock bottom, someone throws him a shovel.

After starting his career with 16 straight wins (!), the former WEC middleweight champion has been sifting through the bowels of sub-mediocrity for the past five years, thanks in no small part to his on-again, off-again roofie addiction and general carelessness in regard to his own career. When Filho crawled out from under his rock to announce that he would be taking on David Branch at World Series of Fighting 2, we pretty much knew that we were in store for a shitshow. The fact that Filho appeared to be suffering another one of his mental breakdowns just days prior only furthered this notion.

And indeed, shit was shown at WSOF 2, with Filho putting on his best dying fish impression for what was probably the longest 15 minutes of Oliver Chan’s life. If you thought Filho’s performance was a joke in and of itself, just wait until you hear the details surrounding Filho that WSOF CEO Ray Sefo revealed in an interview with MMAJunkie:


(Filho’s first and last appearance under the WSOF banner. We tried to find a video of just the highlights, but there are none.)

Every time it appears that Paulo Filho has hit rock bottom, someone throws him a shovel.

After starting his career with 16 straight wins (!), the former WEC middleweight champion has been sifting through the bowels of sub-mediocrity for the past five years, thanks in no small part to his on-again, off-again roofie addiction and general carelessness in regard to his own career. When Filho crawled out from under his rock to announce that he would be taking on David Branch at World Series of Fighting 2, we pretty much knew that we were in store for a shitshow. The fact that Filho appeared to be suffering another one of his mental breakdowns just days prior only furthered this notion.

And indeed, shit was shown at WSOF 2, with Filho putting on his best dying fish impression for what was probably the longest 15 minutes of Oliver Chan’s life. If you thought Filho’s performance was a joke in and of itself, just wait until you hear the details surrounding Filho that WSOF CEO Ray Sefo revealed in an interview with MMAJunkie:

We went through a lot of issues. He didn’t even know who his manager was. … He had a couple of managers. At first, everything went smoothly. Then, toward the end, it was kind of rough.

I think he’s got to do a lot of soul-searching for himself and if this is what he really wants to continue doing. Right now, he’s definitely not on the next show.

We don’t know about you, but we haven’t been this shocked since it was announced that Paulo Filho would be fighting on the second World Series of Fighting card. Wait a minute…

J. Jones

World Series of Fighting 2: Arlovski vs. Johnson — The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly


Special thanks to Oliver Chan and photographer Rick Albrecht for the photos.

If there’s one thing that I took away from last night’s World Series of Fighting card, it was that even a high profile promotion that puts on a night of entertaining fights is going to encounter some hiccups during its second event. Join us as we relive the highs and lows from WSoF 2.

The Good:

Anthony Johnson looked legitimate at heavyweight: Heading into last night’s main event, a lot was riding on Anthony “Rumble” Johnson actually fighting like a true heavyweight and not just looking like one. With all of the focus from fans and pundits alike on the “former UFC welterweight” issue, a poor showing from Johnson could have caused many fans to dismiss WSoF as an organization of squash matches and freak show fights. Fortunately for the organization, last night Rumble proved that his fight against Andrei Arlovski didn’t deserve freak show status. Johnson was too quick for Arlovski early on, and almost finished the fight before the end of the first round. He may have gassed out early – that’ll happen when you take a knee to the juevos during your first fight as a heavyweight – but at least he demonstrated that he’s capable of being a competent heavyweight if Ray Sefo needs him to be one again.


Special thanks to Oliver Chan and photographer Rick Albrecht for the photos. 

If there’s one thing that I took away from last night’s World Series of Fighting card, it was that even a high profile promotion that puts on a night of entertaining fights is going to encounter some hiccups during its second event.  Join us as we relive the highs and lows from WSoF 2.

The Good:

Anthony Johnson looked legitimate at heavyweight: Heading into last night’s main event, a lot was riding on Anthony “Rumble” Johnson actually fighting like a true heavyweight and not just looking like one. With all of the focus from fans and pundits alike on the “former UFC welterweight” issue, a poor showing from Johnson could have caused many fans to dismiss WSoF as an organization of squash matches and freak show fights. Fortunately for the organization, last night Rumble proved that his fight against Andrei Arlovski didn’t deserve freak show status. Johnson was too quick for Arlovski early on, and almost finished the fight before the end of the first round. He may have gassed out early – that’ll happen when you take a knee to the juevos during your first fight as a heavyweight – but at least he demonstrated that he’s capable of being a competent heavyweight if Ray Sefo needs him to be one again.

Marlon Moraes Proves his Win Over Miguel Torres Wasn’t a Fluke: Marlon Moraes vs. Tyson Nam was a battle between two fighters that many fans aren’t familiar with, but should be. Just 2:35 into the first round, “the guy who beat Torres” finished ”the guy who beat Bellator’s champion“ with a devastating head kick. Moraes vs. Nam proved to be an entertaining co-main event that established Moraes as a legitimate bantamweight contender. As an added bonus for WSoF, Marlon Moraes is essentially a “home grown” prospect, in the sense that unlike Arlovski, Torres, Fitch and Johnson, Moraes isn’t already known for his previous work in a different major promotion. It’ll be interesting to see who the promotion will find to challenge Moraes next.

Josh Burkman’s Knockout Over Aaron Simpson: There may not have been a lot of action leading up to it, but Burkman’s knee to Simpson’s head was a great finish. Burkman now improves to 7-1 since being released from the UFC in 2008, and a rematch against Jon Fitch appears to be inevitable.

The Bad:

Where Does Andrei Arlovski Go From Here? Arlovski may be 4-1 with one no contest in his last six fights, but I think it’s safe to say that last night’s performance proved that his days as anything more than a Sylvia-esque sideshow are limited. I hate to sound be so negative, but let’s face it: Arlovski is a mid-level heavyweight at this point of his career. An accomplished one who can still beat the not-quite-readies and never-weres of the division, but one nonetheless. His loss to Anthony Johnson demonstrated that his days as a major organization’s champion are clearly behind him. Even when he was awarded the final round, it felt like Arlovski won it because Johnson was too tired to do so himself. So now the question is, what does WSoF do with him? Do they continue to pay him former heavyweight champion money to crush cans? Do they sacrifice him to a promising upstart? Or do they just throw dignity to the wind and bring in Tim Sylvia?

Cage-Gate: Believe it or not, up until two hours before the preliminary fights, there was the possibility that there wouldn’t be a World Series of Fighting II. Up until then, the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board had issues with the corner pads and canvas WSoF initially planned on using in the cage and refused to approve it for competition. You can read more details on the almost-catastrophe here, and feel relieved that your Saturday night was not ruined by sloppy event planning. Of course, that wasn’t the only case of minor league shenanigans to come from the event…

The Ugly:

Sweet Gloves, Bro. I Bet You Trane UFC:

Now that’s some minor league, Mickey Mouse bullshit. You would think that someone at World Series of Fighting – or NBC, for that matter – would have bought the guy a different pair of gloves instead of putting their faith in a strip of tape.

Whatever Paulo Filho Did for Three Rounds: There are two very good reasons no other semi-legitimate promotion on the planet wants anything to do with Paulo Filho. For starters, despite having all of the necessary skills to be a great fighter, Filho’s life is such a tragic whirlwind of addictioninsanity and unreliability that he’s a headache for promoters. If that doesn’t scare you away from signing him, then know that he couldn’t give less of a fuck about fighting, even when he’s locked in a cage with someone trying to hurt him. When he unretired (*sigh*) to kick Ninja Rua’s ass one last time, World Series of Fighting apparently saw something that led them to believe that he could be placed on the main card of WSoF 2 without making a mockery out of the organization. Predictably, if the pre-fight panic-attack wasn’t enough to make Sefo and co. regret their decision, the three rounds of bullshit against Dave Branch probably was. The saddest part here is that Branch looked great – or at least I think he did – but it’s impossible to put too much stock in a victory over a guy who doesn’t want to even be in the cage.

JZ Calvalcante’s Face After His Fight Against Justin Gaethje:

Entering the bout, the 7-0 Justin Gaethje showed a lot of promise, but like most young up-and-comers, held zero notable victories to his name. Well, unless you count his unnecessarily sad knockout over the troubled Drew Fickett, in which case, we might not have the same definition of “notable.” Gaethje kicked off the main card by butchering JZ Calvalcante’s face on the way to a doctor’s stoppage. Early stoppage? I don’t think a cut above the eye is something to take lightly, but I also wouldn’t be opposed to a rematch, either.

@SethFalvo

 

World Series of Fighting 2: Arlovski vs. Johnson — Live Results and Commentary


(Admit it. You kind of missed that tongue.Photo via facebook.com/MMAWorldSeries)

Tonight in Atlantic City, former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski headlines World Series of Fighting 2 against former UFC whateverweight Anthony Johnson, in a battle that will surely earn the 2013 Minowaman Freak Show Hall of Fame Award. Also on the card: UFC vets Josh Burkman and Aaron Simpson throw down in the welterweight division, Paulo Filho hopefully shows up to fight David Branch, and Marlon Moraes returns from his win over Miguel Torres to face Bellator champ killer Tyson Nam.

Our man Oliver Chan is on the scene tonight at the Revel Casino, where he and photographer Rick Albrecht will be posting round-by-round updates, commentary, and visual aids after the jump, beginning at 9:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest from the NBC Sports Network main card broadcast, and let your voices be heard in the comments section.


(Admit it. You kind of missed that tongue.Photo via facebook.com/MMAWorldSeries)

Tonight in Atlantic City, former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski headlines World Series of Fighting 2 against former UFC whateverweight Anthony Johnson, in a battle that will surely earn the 2013 Minowaman Freak Show Hall of Fame Award. Also on the card: UFC vets Josh Burkman and Aaron Simpson throw down in the welterweight division, Paulo Filho hopefully shows up to fight David Branch, and Marlon Moraes returns from his win over Miguel Torres to face Bellator champ killer Tyson Nam.

Our man Oliver Chan is on the scene tonight at the Revel Casino, where he and photographer Rick Albrecht will be posting round-by-round updates, commentary, and visual aids after the jump, beginning at 9:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest from the NBC Sports Network main card broadcast, and let your voices be heard in the comments section.

Please stand by.

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages, I would like to wish myself a happy 32nd birthday on this lovely Saturday evening where I am sitting cage-side at the World Series of Fighting 2 coming at you LIVE on NBC Sports.  We’ll be bringing some of the action to you live on CagePotato as well.  But first, here are the prelims:

Frank Buenafuente vs. Bill Alego

Alego wins by Rear Naked Choke at 4:26 in the 2nd round

BrensonHansen vs. Tom Marcellino

Hansen wins by KO at 3:24 in the 2nd round

Chris Wade vs. Ozzie Dugulubgov

Ozzie (yeah, not attempting that name again) wins by Unanimous Decision

Igor Gracie vs. Rich Patishnock

Rich Patishnock wins after doctor stoppage (athough Igor clearly had won the round)

Waylon Lowe vs. Cameron Dollar

Waylon Lowe wins via 1st Round KO

Rick Glenn vs. Alexandre Pimentel

Rick Glenn wins via KO at 1:51 in the 3rd round

Danillo Villefort vs. Kris McCray

Villefort via split-decision

Main Event Coming Up!

JZ Calvalcante vs. Justin Gaethje

Well, for this fight, I will definitely be referring to these fighters by their first names.

Round 1

Justin comes in with a couple of leg-kicks.  JZ shoots for the takedown, but Justin defends connects with some heavy fists.  Justin gets JZ  against the fence and hits with some more combos.  JZ eats some knees from the clinch.  Justin slips after some monster knees and a series of punches in bunches, JZ takes the action to the center of the ring.  Justin gets JZ back against the fence and delivers some bone-crunching elbows to the face.  JZ struggles to get off the fence as Justin continues to deliver powerful uppercuts to the face of JZ who is now bloody.

Ref halts the action to have the doctor examin JV’s face which has a rather large gash above the eye.  Doctor comes in to check out the wound and calls the fight.

JZ is pretty pissed that the fight was stopped, understandably since he can still continue, however that giant gash above his eye will only get worse if they continue.

Justin Gaethje wins by Doctor’s Stoppate at 2:27 of the first round

Josh Burkman vs. Aaron Simpson

Simpson coming out to Quiet Riot.

Josh Burkman Twisted Sister.  Lot of 80s hair-band music… We are SO in New Jersey right now.

Round 1

Simpson ties up Burkman against the fence.  Burkman reverses.  The two separate and square off again.  Simpson is bleeding from the mouth.  Burkman drops Simpson to one knee with a vicious right hook.  The two square off again.  Nasty leg-kick by Burkman.  He unleashes on Simpson! Gets him against the fence KNEE TO THE HEAD! Simpson is down and the ref jumps in to end it.

The round started off pretty slow, but ended with a huge exclamation point.

Final decision coming up.

Burkman wins by KO 3:04 in the first

Burkman: “Jon Fitch needs to earn his title-shot”

Paulo Filho vs. David Branch

Branch channeling his inner Wandy with his entrance music.

Round 1

Branch pops Filho with a few jabs before taking hi down to the mat.  He’s in Filho’s half-guard looking to ass.  Branch works some GnP from the half-guard.

There’s certainly some Brooklyn fans here.

Branch is landing some hard shots to Filho’s mid-section.  While in the half-guard.

And there’s a failed attempt to start a “U.S.A.” chant.

Branch passes the guard into the mount, but Filho is able to get Branch in his full guard before any damage can be done.  Branch works some body shts from the guard.  He has Filho up against the cage.  Filo attempts some sweeps from the guard.  Branch is able to defend and works some shots from the guard.

Yep… Here come the boo-birds… Like they can do better.

Branch lands some more shots now from the guard as the round ends.

Round goes to Branch 10-9.

Round 2

The two square off in the center.  Branch drops FIlho with a kick to the midsection.  Filho scrables up and Branch lands some strong combos.  FIlho lands an overhand, but Branch drops him to the knees.  Filho gets up, Branch lands the double leg and pins Filho to the cage.  Filho stands up, but is tied up against the cage.  Ref separates them.

Filho with a left hook.  Branch ducks, double leg into side control.  Branch in the mounted crucifix.  ands some shots to Filho’s head a la Matt Hughes vs. BJ Penn.  Filho attempts to rll into Branch.  Filho is looking tired.  Branch flattens Filho out and keeps popping Filho in the head.  Branch attempts to transition into the mount, but goes back to side control.  Filho attempts to hip out, but Branch again flattens out his shoulders.  Branch lands some elbows to the face and body from side control. Now adding knees into the mix.  Branch gets the knee on belly, but moves back to side control.  Branch goes to north-south and lands more body shots to Filho’s midsection.  End of round 2.

Branch dominates the second round.  Easily another 10-9 to the Renzo Gracie fighter.

Round 3

Filho attempts a spinning back kick, but it’s stuffed by branch who gts into th mount and lands some vicious ground and pound.  Filho gets Branch into his half guard as Branch continues to land some powerful elbows.  Filho can’t seem to get out of the bottom position as Branch continues to land some powerful body shots while in the half guard.  Filho gets Branch into the full-guard and lands some elbows, but Branch continues to control Filho from inside the guard.

Ref stands the up and the crowd cheers.

Branch gets Filho into the clinch against the fence and lands some knees.  The separate and a left kick by Branch.  Branch gets Filho against the fence again, knees to the face and body.  Branch gets the double leg and some more ground and pound and the round ends.

Branch easily takes the third once again 10-9.

Official decision:  David Branch wins by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)

Tyson Nam vs. Marlon Moraes

Moraes coming out to some 90s Nirvana.  I like.

Round 1

Tyson and Moraes feel each other out for a bit.  Moraes starts to throw some heavy hands, but does not connect.  He lands a strong leg kick on Nam.  Nam comes in with a cross, Moraes steps away and lands a hard body kick.  Morares and Nam exchange a few punches.  Moraes with a nice combo.  Moraes takes Nam down, but unable to capitalize as Nam quickly gets to his feet.  Moraes lands a ROUND HOUSE  Kick to the head and Nam is OUT!!!!

Official Decision: Moraes wins by KO 2:35 in the 1st Round

 

Andrei Arlovski vs. Anthony Johnson

Get ready for the main event.  Quick note, thanks to CagePotato for this opportunity to come to the fights in person.  Been here since 6 and been running on coffee and EBoost all night.

A quick shout-out to the comment section specifically “Thumblaster” for the comment that made me chuckle: “Rumble got his nickname because that’s what his stomach always used to do when he would fight welterweight”.  Congrats.  You win my approval.

Rumble Johnson coming out to some more Nirvana! This time it’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit”.  I’m pumped! Looking at Rumble one must wonder how he once fought at 170!

Andrei is coming out to “Eye of the Tiger.  The crowd here is definitely pumped now!

Round 1

Rumble comes in with some heavy hands and kicks.  He is definitely pushing the pace and looking good.  Rumble lands a nice combo.    Andrei returns with a strong jab.  Rumble throws to head-kicks, but fails to connect.  Rumble with a nice body-kick.  Andrei with a few body jabs and has Rumble backing up a bit.  Rumble comes in with a combo, goes for a double leg and has Andrei against the cage.  Andrei has the overhook, but Rubmle continues to press him against the cage.  Rumble throws a few knees to Andrei’s legs.  Ref separates.

Andrei with a nice combo.  Rumble goes for the single-leg, but Andrei defends and now has Rumble against the cage.  Andrei throws a few knees as the two pummel.  Again, the Ref separates and the two are squaring off throwing punches in the center.

Rumble knocks Andrei down.  Lands a few punches.  He has Andrei against the cage as the bell rings.

Solid round by Rumble 10-9.

Round 2

Both fighters connect with some powerful shots to the head.  Rumble has Andrei against the cage looking for a take-down.

Once again, the ref moves them to the center of the ring and they square off.  Andrei lands some nice jabs.

Rumble comes in with a few overhands and connects.  Andrei counters with a nice uppercut.  Some front kicks to Rumble’s body.  The two exchange some more.  Rumble goes for the take-down, Andrei sprawls and the two press up against the cage.  Andrei reverses and now has Rumble against the cage.  The two exchanges some knees and continue to pummel.  Andrei catches Rumble in the jewels with a knee and a Rumble is given some time to recover.

Rubmle is back up, they touch gloves and back at it.  Rumble comes in with some strong overhands shoots in for the take-down and once again has Andrei against the cage.  Rumble gets the take down.  Andrei rolls out, Rumble has control of his back.  Andrei is back up against the cage.  Rumble going for the take-down as Andrei lands some hammer-fists.  Andrei sprawls, defending the take-down and Rumble presses him against the cage.  Round 2 over.

Bit closer round.  I’m going to side with Andrei on this, but it could go either way.  10-9 the Pitbull.

Round 3

Rumble goes in for an overhand and Andrei counters.  The two exchange punches and now Rumble has Andrei against the cage.  Andrei lands some strikes to the boy.  The Ref resets once again.

Rumble with a nice head-kick.  Andrei answers with a front kick to the body.  Rumble lands a nice cross to Andrei’s chin that definitely would kill a normal man.  Rumble has Andrei pressed against the cage… Just waiting for another reset now.  Andrei reverses and has Rumble pressed against the cage.  The two exchange knees to the boy.  The two make their way to the middle.  Some hard hits are exchanged and Rumble has Andrei against the cage.  Andrei reverses and the two make their way back to the center.  More hard hits are exchanged.  Andrei’s mouth is open ans he connects with some nice body shots and one to Rumble’s Chin.  Rumble goes for the single-leg, but gives up on it.  Goes for another one and the two are against the cage.  Andrei with some body shots and that’s the third round.

A close round, but I think Andrei landed the better shots.  Tough one for me to call, but I’m leaning to Andrei in a close 10-9 round.  Official decision coming up now.

Official Decision:  Anthony Johnson (29-28 all)… I was waaaaaaaaay off!

Well, folks, thank you for joining me on my birthday (although technically now it isn’t my birthday anymore).  Great fights put together by the WSOF.  Hopefully more to come.  Thanks to Ben and the rest of the CP staff for giving me this opportunity.  Thanks to my Rick Albrecht for his great photog work.  Thanks to EBoost for keeping me going for 6 hours straight.  Don’t forget to donate to Nick Newell’s favorite charity, Tap Cancer Out, by visiting my fundraiser page at www.stayclassy.org/oliverchan

Once Again, Paulo Filho Is In Full-Blown Panic-Attack Mode


(I believe that’s the universal puppy expression for “get me away from this crazy fucker.” / Photo via: sportv.globo.com)

World Series of Fighting took a major risk by putting Paulo Filho on the main card of its “Arlovski vs. Johnson” event this Saturday. Eccentric at best and tragically troubled at worst, the Brazilian cautionary tale has suffered countless career setbacks due to drug addiction, emotional breakdowns, and simple clerical errors. So maybe we should start preparing for the possibility that his scheduled match against David Branch might not happen. Let’s just call it a hunch — a hunch based on the fact that Filho missed his flight to Atlantic City on Tuesday due to a panic attack.

MMAFighting passed along that news last night, adding the following: “On Wednesday, though, Filho confirmed that he was on a plane headed to New Jersey, so as of Wednesday night, the Filho vs. Branch fight is still on.” Oh, Filho confirmed it? Well, then. Crisis averted. I’m sure he’s not hiding in an underground bunker somewhere deep within the Amazon rainforest, surrounded by boxes and boxes of sleeveless flannel shirts.

We’ll keep you posted if we hear more. I think at this point, a blown weigh-in and distracted performance would be a best-case scenario. The smart money’s still on “no-show,” though.


(I believe that’s the universal puppy expression for “get me away from this crazy fucker.” / Photo via: sportv.globo.com)

World Series of Fighting took a major risk by putting Paulo Filho on the main card of its “Arlovski vs. Johnson” event this Saturday. Eccentric at best and tragically troubled at worst, the Brazilian cautionary tale has suffered countless career setbacks due to drug addiction, emotional breakdowns, and simple clerical errors. So maybe we should start preparing for the possibility that his scheduled match against David Branch might not happen. Let’s just call it a hunch — a hunch based on the fact that Filho missed his flight to Atlantic City on Tuesday due to a panic attack.

MMAFighting passed along that news last night, adding the following: “On Wednesday, though, Filho confirmed that he was on a plane headed to New Jersey, so as of Wednesday night, the Filho vs. Branch fight is still on.” Oh, Filho confirmed it? Well, then. Crisis averted. I’m sure he’s not hiding in an underground bunker somewhere deep within the Amazon rainforest, surrounded by boxes and boxes of sleeveless flannel shirts.

We’ll keep you posted if we hear more. I think at this point, a blown weigh-in and distracted performance would be a best-case scenario. The smart money’s still on “no-show,” though.

[VIDEO] Anthony Johnson is a Round Mound of Ground-n-Pound in Extended ‘WSOF 2? Preview


(“Why yes, I did smell what The Rock was cooking. In fact, I went back for seconds. Why do you ask?”) 

“Anthony Johnson is trying to shed the tarnish of being one of the best welterweights in the world…that couldn’t make the weight.”

In the opening moments of the extended preview for this weekend’s second World Series of Fighting event, we are informed of the above dilemma facing former UFC contender Anthony Johnson by a silky-voiced narrator — over a melancholic piano soundtrack of course, because emotions. And while this bit of info would usually serve as the precursor to an inspiring tale of Johnson’s welterweight redemption, it kind of loses its pop when you realize that Johnson is now fighting at upwards of 50 pounds heavier than he was in the UFC.

But it is Johnson’s horizontal expansion that takes center stage in the above preview, understandably yet somewhat still puzzlingly juxtaposed with Andrei Arlovski’s own tale of hopeful redemption. It’s a shame that Dana White has already publicly written off the fight as “not legit,” or the (implied) idea that we could see “The Pitbull” back in the UFC would probably hold a lot more water in the above preview. Ditto for the idea that Arlovski could do so by beating up a former welterweight who has been fighting at light heavyweight for less than a year now. Then again, if you’re like Sherdog’s Jordan Breen, who is also featured in the video, you probably think “weight classes” and “champions” of said “weight classes” are meaningless restrictions meant for little more than depriving MMA fans for the fights they truly want to see (SUPER HLUK TOURNEY NEVER DIE!).

Featuring some highlights of Johnson and Arlovski crushing their respective cans at WSoF 1, as well as the aforementioned interviews with everyone from Eddie Alvarez to renowned trainer Mike Winkeljohn, check out an extended preview of WSoF 2 after the jump, along with a full rundown of the card.


(“Why yes, I did smell what The Rock was cooking. In fact, I went back for seconds. Why do you ask?”) 

“Anthony Johnson is trying to shed the tarnish of being one of the best welterweights in the world…that couldn’t make the weight.”

In the opening moments of the extended preview for this weekend’s second World Series of Fighting event, we are informed of the above dilemma facing former UFC contender Anthony Johnson by a silky-voiced narrator — over a melancholic piano soundtrack of course, because emotions. And while this bit of info would usually serve as the precursor to an inspiring tale of Johnson’s welterweight redemption, it kind of loses its pop when you realize that Johnson is now fighting at upwards of 50 pounds heavier than he was in the UFC.

But it is Johnson’s horizontal expansion that takes center stage in the above preview, understandably yet somewhat still puzzlingly juxtaposed with Andrei Arlovski’s own tale of hopeful redemption. It’s a shame that Dana White has already publicly written off the fight as “not legit,” or the (implied) idea that we could see “The Pitbull” back in the UFC would probably hold a lot more water in the above preview. Ditto for the idea that Arlovski could do so by beating up a former welterweight who has been fighting at light heavyweight for less than a year now. Then again, if you’re like Sherdog’s Jordan Breen, who is also featured in the video, you probably think “weight classes” and “champions” of said “weight classes” are meaningless restrictions meant for little more than depriving MMA fans for the fights they truly want to see (SUPER HLUK TOURNEY NEVER DIE!).

Featuring some highlights of Johnson and Arlovski crushing their respective cans at WSoF 1, as well as the aforementioned interviews with everyone from Eddie Alvarez to renowned trainer Mike Winkeljohn, check out an extended preview of WSoF 2 after the jump, along with a full rundown of the card.

Date: March 23, 2013
Location: Atlantic City, N.J.
Venue: Revel Atlantic City
Broadcast: NBC Sports Network

MAIN CARD (NBC Sports Network, 9:30 p.m. ET)
-Andrei Arlovski vs. Anthony Johnson
-Marlon Moraes vs. Tyson Nam
-Josh Burkman vs. Aaron Simpson
-Dave Branch vs. Paulo Filho
-Gesias Cavalcante vs. Justin Gaethje

PRELIMINARY CARD (Untelevised, 7 p.m. ET)
-Kris McCray vs. Danillo Villefort
-Igor Gracie vs. Richard Patishnock
-Cameron Dollar vs. Waylon Lowe
-Ozzy Dugulubgov vs. Chris Wade
-Rick Glenn vs. Alexandre Pimentel

J. Jones

Jon Fitch Signs Four-Fight Deal With World Series of Fighting, Expected to Make Debut on June 14th


(Photo via Esther Lin/MMAFighting)

Following his controversial dismissal from the UFC, top-ten welterweight Jon Fitch has found his next home with World Series of Fighting. WSOF’s senior executive vice president Ali Abdel-Aziz revealed last night that Fitch has agreed to a four-fight contract, and will likely make his debut at the fledgling MMA promotion’s third event on June 14th. Fitch confirmed the news on twitter, saying that he’ll be officially signing contracts today.

Fitch’s opponent for the 6/14 card has not been determined yet, despite Gerald Harris‘s admirable efforts to troll his way into the booking.

In a related story, former UFC lightweight Jacob Volkmann — who was also recently fired during the UFC’s ongoing mass executions — will be making his World Series of Fighting Debut at WSOF 3 against former Strikeforce standout Lyle Beerbohm. “Fancy Pants” left Strikeforce following back-to-back losses to Pat Healy and Shinya Aoki, but has racked up five straight wins since then.

World Series of Fighting’s next event — headlined by Andrei Arlovski vs. Anthony Johnson — takes place March 23rd at the Revel Casino in Atlantic City. The full lineup for that card is after the jump.


(Photo via Esther Lin/MMAFighting)

Following his controversial dismissal from the UFC, top-ten welterweight Jon Fitch has found his next home with World Series of Fighting. WSOF’s senior executive vice president Ali Abdel-Aziz revealed last night that Fitch has agreed to a four-fight contract, and will likely make his debut at the fledgling MMA promotion’s third event on June 14th. Fitch confirmed the news on twitter, saying that he’ll be officially signing contracts today.

Fitch’s opponent for the 6/14 card has not been determined yet, despite Gerald Harris‘s admirable efforts to troll his way into the booking.

In a related story, former UFC lightweight Jacob Volkmann — who was also recently fired during the UFC’s ongoing mass executions — will be making his World Series of Fighting Debut at WSOF 3 against former Strikeforce standout Lyle Beerbohm. “Fancy Pants” left Strikeforce following back-to-back losses to Pat Healy and Shinya Aoki, but has racked up five straight wins since then.

World Series of Fighting’s next event — headlined by Andrei Arlovski vs. Anthony Johnson — takes place March 23rd at the Revel Casino in Atlantic City. The full lineup for that card is after the jump.

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World Series of Fighting 2: Arlovski vs. Johnson
March 23rd, 2013 

Main Card (NBC Sports Network)
Andrei Arlovski vs. Anthony Johnson
Marlon Moraes vs. Tyson Nam
Dave Branch vs. Paulo Filho
Josh Burkman vs. Aaron Simpson
Gesias Cavalcante vs. Justin Gaethje

Preliminary Card
Waylon Lowe vs. Cameron Dollar
Rick Glenn vs. Alexandre Pimentel
Kris McCray vs. Danillo Villefort
Igor Gracie vs. Richard Patishnock
Ozzy Dugulubgov vs. Chris Wade