Tag: WSOF

WSOF 17 Results and GIFs: Shields Taps Foster And…That’s…About…It

(Photo via Getty)

WSOF 17: “Shields vs. Foster” took place last night from Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, NV., featuring former Strikeforce champion and UFC alumni Jake Shields against another fellow UFC veteran Brian Foster.

The winner of their contest would go on to challenge Rousimar Palhares for the welterweight title at a later date, and despite the slow start, Shields scored his second consecutive submission win. He’s now 2-0 since being fired from the UFC:

(Photo via Getty)

Did you forget there was a WSOF event on last night? It’s okay, so did the guy on the left … (all GIFS courtesy of ZombieProphet):

WSOF 17: “Shields vs. Foster” took place last night from Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, NV., featuring former Strikeforce champion and UFC alumni Jake Shields against another fellow UFC veteran Brian Foster.

The winner of their contest would go on to challenge Rousimar Palhares for the welterweight title at a later date, and despite the slow start, Shields scored his second consecutive submission win. He’s now 2-0 since being fired from the UFC:

Shields didn’t play nice in his post-fight interview when asked about the champion, stating he was “a dirty fighter” and that he’s going to “whoop his ass,” too. Apart from that, the event was rather slow, with a few notable occurrences. After all, every MMA media member devoted their Saturday night to a heavyweight boxing fight featuring Bermane Stiverne vs. Deontay Wilder, which also took place in Las Vegas.

Joe Condon hit one hell of a Hail Mary, choking out Johnny Nunez with under one minute left in their co-main event contest. The guillotine was pretty freaking nasty, to say the least (that’s not Brian Cobb, though … he was injured on a treadmill):

Bryson Hansen defeated Rudy Morales in a dud of a fight, minus the fact that Morales was cut in the first round and bled all over the place. This is an early candidate for GIF of the year, presumably titled, “Look Ma! I’m actually not roadkill:”

Danny Davis Jr. defeated Adam Cella via unanimous decision, but he was lucky to not get disqualified for a Steven Gerrard-style bullet to Cella’s cranium:

On the preliminary card, Jordan Rinaldi scored a sweet submission over Soslan Abanokov earlier in the evening, submitting the latter with an americana:

And finally, apart from the other uneventful fights, the torrid theme music, interviews in between fights, shitty video players MMA sites still have the patience for, and a ring announcer named Jazz Securo, referee Kim Winslow really dropped the ball by letting Trey Williams hold onto his anaconda choke for way too long and nearly killed Jamie Point in the process. Point’s stiff, cold body and long stare is downright harrowing:

WSOF 17 QUICK RESULTS:

Main Card:

Jake Shields def. Brian Foster via submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:51 of R1
Joe Condon def. Johnny Nunez via submission (guillotine choke) at 4:22 of R3
Krasimir Mladenov def. Brendan Kornberger via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Bryson Hansen def. Rudy Morales via unanimous decision (30-25, 30-26, 30-27)
Danny Davis Jr. def. Adam Cella via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 29-27)

Preliminary Card

Jordan Rinaldi def. Soslan Abanokov via submission (armbar) at 3:02 of R3
Donavon Frelow def. Taylor McCorriston via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Trey Williams def. Jamie Point via technical submission (anaconda choke) at 3:52 of R1

– Alex G.

Power-Ranking the Bevy of Fights to Be Booked Today, January 15th, With GIFS


(There’ll be plenty more of this after the jump. Trust me.)

It’s February 18th, 2016 (or something like that), which can only mean one thing: There dun been a whole lotta MMA fights booked today! And rather than give you some paint-by-numbers fight booking breakdown (looking at you, Goldsteen), I’ve decided to do pretty much that, but with gifs. So without further askew, let’s get to it!

#6: Matt Hamill vs. TBA — WSOF 4-Man Light Heavyweight Tournament

Oh, hadn’t you heard? Following his retirement from the sport in 2011, unretirement in 2012, firing from the UFC and signing with the WSOF in 2013, and re-retirement before ever fighting for the WSOF in 2014, Matt “The Hammer” Hamill has once again unretired! Fuck yeah, consistency!

Although he won’t be getting that rematch with Rampage Jackson in Bellator he was hoping for, Hamill has in fact signed an exclusive contract with World Series of Fighting, and is expected to make his debut as part of a 4-man tournament for the promotion’s light heavyweight belt. There’s no word on who he’ll be facing yet (our guess is another UFC veteran, which is all this tournament is made up of), but we feel confident not giving two shits about this fight regardless. Ranking:


(There’ll be plenty more of this after the jump. Trust me.)

It’s February 18th, 2016 (or something like that), which can only mean one thing: There dun been a whole lotta MMA fights booked today! And rather than give you some paint-by-numbers fight booking breakdown (looking at you, Goldsteen), I’ve decided to do pretty much that, but with gifs. So without further askew, let’s get to it!

#6: Matt Hamill vs. TBA — WSOF 4-Man Light Heavyweight Tournament

Oh, hadn’t you heard? Following his retirement from the sport in 2011, unretirement in 2012, firing from the UFC and signing with the WSOF in 2013, and re-retirement before ever fighting for the WSOF in 2014, Matt “The Hammer” Hamill has once again unretired! Fuck yeah, consistency!

Although he won’t be getting that rematch with Rampage Jackson in Bellator he was hoping for, Hamill has in fact signed an exclusive contract with World Series of Fighting, and is expected to make his debut as part of a 4-man tournament for the promotion’s light heavyweight belt. There’s no word on who he’ll be facing yet (our guess is another UFC veteran, which is all this tournament is made up of), but we feel confident not giving two shits about this fight regardless. Ranking:

 

#5: Thiago Silva vs. Ronny Markes — WSOF 4-Man Light Heavyweight Tournament

Remember that time I mentioned how the WSOF light heavyweight tournament is entirely made up of former UFC fighters? Well, enter Thiago Silva, who was just signed by the WSOF to a multi-fight contract despite being a reprehensible piece of human garbage.

A brief refresher on Silva’s recent past. First, he was slapped with a “lifetime ban” by the UFC following his arrest for the aggravated assault of his ex-wife and an armed standoff with police. Once his wife fled the country out of fear for her safety, Silva was then welcomed back into the organization with open arms after, and this is what Dana White actually said, “coming out of the legal process untainted.” Of course, Silva was then re-fired less than a month later after his ex-wife released some disturbing videos of him threatening her with a gun, because the UFC literally learned nothing from the Ray Rice scandal.

(*exhale*) In any case, Silva has been booked in the WSOF’s 4-man lightweight tourney opposite former UFC middleweight Ronny Markes in the semifinal round.

You see what’s happening here, right? WSOF is unabashedly setting up Thiago fucking Silva to be the face of their light heavyweight division. My reaction to this can only be summed up in the immortal words of David Caruso. Ranking:

 

#4: Rampage Jackson vs. TBA (Possibly Fabio Maldonado) — UFC 186

‘Page is back, baby! Lovers of MMA circa 2005, rejoice!!

I kid (sort of), but according to MMAFighting, Jackson’s return to the Octagon is being eyed for UFC 186 in April, with his opponent potentially being Fabio Maldonado. The Brazilian former pro boxer is fresh off a second round TKO of Hans Stringer at UFC 179, and has won 4 of his last 5 overall. Say what you want about Rampage (or Maldonado) being past his prime…

I suppose I should have finished that thought with a counterpoint, but what I’m getting at is Rampage vs. Maldonado has slugfest written all over it. In blood. Ranking: 

 

#3: Jim Miller vs. Paul Felder — UFC on FOX 15

Jim Miller is a gamer through and through, and Paul Felder kicked off 2015 with a KO of the Year-worthy spinning backfist over Danny Castillo at UFC 182. This fight will win all of the performance bonuses. Ranking: 

 

#2: Paige VanZant vs. Felice Herrig — UFC on FOX 15

Paige VanZant vs. Felice Herrig. Paige VanZant. Versus Felice Herrig…

 

#1: Renan Barao vs. TJ Dillashaw II — UFC 186

Although it hasn’t been officially confirmed yet, UFC Tonight is reporting that the UFC is looking to book Dillashaw vs. Barao II for the April 25th card in Montreal now that Dominick Cruz has once again gone down with an ACL injury.

This rematch makes a hell of a lot more sense now than it did when Barao and Dillashaw were originally scheduled to lock horns again at UFC 177, which as we all know, ended with Barao withdrawing from the fight on 24 hours notice following a botched weight cut. While Dillashaw went on to starch Joe Soto that night, Barao would bounce back with a third round submission win over top contender Mitch Gagnon at Fight Night 58. The scales are finally starting to even in the battle of Team Alpha Male vs. All of Brazil, so we’ll go ahead and slap this one with a Ranking of:

–J. Jones

Matt Hamill Returns to Pro MMA, Signs with World Series of Fighting

Matt Hamill, who achieved widespread fame and admiration as a successful hearing-impaired fighter, will return to pro MMA this year after signing with the World Series of Fighting promotion.
The news came Wednesday night via Ariel Helwani of MMAFightin…

Matt Hamill, who achieved widespread fame and admiration as a successful hearing-impaired fighter, will return to pro MMA this year after signing with the World Series of Fighting promotion.

The news came Wednesday night via Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting. 

Hamill will compete in a four-man tournament to determine the inaugural WSOF light heavyweight champion. Also in the bracket is Thiago Silva, the controversial fighter who has also signed with WSOF and who defeated Hamill by unanimous decision in October 2013. As it happens, that was the last professional fight in the UFC or elsewhere for both men. 

Silva will face another UFC veteran, Ronny Markes, in the tournament’s semifinal round. Hamill will take on an as-yet unannounced opponent.

Last July, Hamill, now 38, retired from the sport, citing a “nagging injury.” However, in December Hamill tweeted that he was coming out of retirement and seeking a fight. 

Hamill originally targeted Bellator and a rematch with Quinton “Rampage” Jackson for his return fight. But that never materialized. Like a bout with Jackson, however, a matchup with Silva would give Hamill the opportunity to avenge a previous loss.

Hamill (11-5) earned legions of fans for his success in college wrestling and later in MMA. He was a formidable and heavy-handed wrestler during his heyday in the late 2000s, defeating notables like Tito Ortiz, Mark Munoz and Keith Jardine.

He also has the strange distinction of being the only man to ever technically defeat Jon Jones, though he only did so because Jones was disqualified for throwing illegal elbows.

In 2010, a movie, The Hammer, was made about Hamill’s life.  

At the tail end of his UFC run, Hamill looked thoroughly unimpressive, even during rare victories. Diminished by time and injuries, Hamill was a shell of his former self, particularly against younger, more complete mixed martial artists.

It remains to be seen whether Hamill’s health or fighting game will have improved during his retirement. Either way, Hamill’s return to active competition will likely draw interest in various quarters of the MMA and non-MMA public.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

Thiago Silva Joins World Series of Fighting, Enters Light Heavyweight Tourney

Thiago Silva? Thiago Silva.
Silva, the former UFC light heavyweight contender who has recently faced domestic assault charges and other serious controversies outside of the cage, has signed with the World Series of Fighting promotion and will participa…

Thiago Silva? Thiago Silva.

Silva, the former UFC light heavyweight contender who has recently faced domestic assault charges and other serious controversies outside of the cage, has signed with the World Series of Fighting promotion and will participate in a four-man tournament to determine the first WSOF light heavyweight champion.

The news was first reported Wednesday evening by Ariel Helwani of MMA Fighting:

During his days in the Octagon, Silva (16-3-2) was known for an aggressive striking style, which earned him memorable knockout wins over fighters like Keith Jardine, Rafael Cavalcante and Houston Alexander.

But major trouble appeared last February, when Silva allegedly threatened to kill his estranged wife and barricaded himself in his South Florida home. Silva was eventually arrested, but only after an armed standoff with a SWAT team.

He was briefly charged with attempted murder, though the charge was later downgraded to aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, along with other related charges.

The UFC released Silva shortly after news of the incident surfaced.

However, in September, the UFC reinstated Silva after a judge dropped all charges against him when Silva’s ex-wife, Thaysa Kamiji, declined to cooperate with the investigation and departed the United States for Brazil.

But there was another turn of events.

Shortly after that reinstatement, Kamiji posted two videos to YouTube that respectively appeared to depict Silva carrying a gun and allegedly high on cocaine. The UFC again released Silva.

Fast-forward about three months, and Silva has now signed with WSOF. WSOF President Ray Sefo told Helwani that he believed Silva deserved another chance in professional MMA.

“We researched his situation, and the charges were dropped,” Sefo told Helwani in Wednesday’s report. “[Silva] wasn’t convicted. In my opinion, you’re innocent until proven guilty. The guy is a great fighter so we want to give him an opportunity.”

The WSOF light heavyweight tournament will reportedly pit Silva against another UFC vet and current WSOF 205-pounder Ronny Markes. Matt Hamill, famous for achieving a lengthy UFC career despite a hearing impairment, is also in the tournament.

The fourth competitor has not yet been announced.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com

NSAC Recap: Jake Shields’ UFC 150 Drug Test Revealed, Ashlee Evans-Smith Receives Temporary Suspension + More


(Oddly enough, Shields was much more compliant during yesterday’s hearing. via Combat Lifestyle)

Remember how the Nevada *State* Athletic Commission (enough with this NAC nonsense, MMA media) was supposed to hold a meeting yesterday regarding Jon Jones’ drug test/their complete mismanagement of Jon Jones’ drug test? Well, they did, and without mentioning him by name, the commission came to the conclusion that they “might” form a committee to address out-of-competition drug testing. Huzzah!!

The meeting was not without it’s fair share of actual, noteworthy highlights, however, so let’s get to them…

– If you recall, Jake Shields fought Ed Herman in a middleweight contest at UFC 150 back in 2012, emerging victorious via unanimous decision. Shortly thereafter, it was announced that Shields had tested positive for a banned substance, resulting in a $5,675 fine and his win being overturned. What Shields tested positive for exactly remained a mystery until yesterday’s meeting, when in the process of applying for a fight license for his upcoming WSOF 17 main event fight with Brian Foster, Shields admitted to using diuretics, not Mary Jane as we had suspected, prior to UFC 150. (via MMAFighting):

Shields said he was given the diuretics in 2012 by someone he knew from fighting, but not a fellow fighter. He said it was someone he didn’t know very well and called it a “mistake.”

“I learn from my mistakes,” Shields said. “I’d like to think that, at least. I’m not one to go through what I went through before.”

“I didn’t know it was banned, but it was my fault,” he said. “It was my responsibility.”


(Oddly enough, Shields was much more compliant during yesterday’s hearing. via Combat Lifestyle)

Remember how the Nevada *State* Athletic Commission (enough with this NAC nonsense, MMA media) was supposed to hold a meeting yesterday regarding Jon Jones’ drug test/their complete mismanagement of Jon Jones’ drug test? Well, they did, and without mentioning him by name, the commission came to the conclusion that they “might” form a committee to address out-of-competition drug testing. Huzzah!!

The meeting was not without it’s fair share of actual, noteworthy highlights, however, so let’s get to them…

– If you recall, Jake Shields fought Ed Herman in a middleweight contest at UFC 150 back in 2012, emerging victorious via unanimous decision. Shortly thereafter, it was announced that Shields had tested positive for a banned substance, resulting in a $5,675 fine and his win being overturned. What Shields tested positive for exactly remained a mystery until yesterday’s meeting, when in the process of applying for a fight license for his upcoming WSOF 17 main event fight with Brian Foster, Shields admitted to using diuretics, not Mary Jane as we had suspected, prior to UFC 150. (via MMAFighting):

Shields said he was given the diuretics in 2012 by someone he knew from fighting, but not a fellow fighter. He said it was someone he didn’t know very well and called it a “mistake.”

“I learn from my mistakes,” Shields said. “I’d like to think that, at least. I’m not one to go through what I went through before.”

“I didn’t know it was banned, but it was my fault,” he said. “It was my responsibility.”

Shields was eventually granted a license for his upcoming fight, as was Anderson Silva. The latter celebrated this by beating a training partner within an inch of his life.

-Speaking of diuretics, Ashlee Evans-Smith’s recent positive test for the banned diuretic hydrochlorothiazide (or as her manager called it, “flowers and sh*t”) was also addressed by the committee yesterday. Evans-Smith was handed “a temporary suspension pending a full disciplinary hearing” and opted against contesting the ruling. Her manager, on the other hand, had less than kind things to say.

It’s not performance-enhancing or anything. I don’t understand why they’re talking about her doing diuretics, but Jon Jones did cocaine and nothing is happening to him. Cocaine is okay because it’s out of competition? He was in training camp.

– Finally, the Nevada State Athletic Commission handed out 9 month suspensions to Bellator heavyweight James Wilson and WSOF lightweight Bryson Gutches. The former pissed hot for nandrolone metabolite and was fined 33 percent of his $2,500 purse (LOL!). The latter tested positive for the diuretic furosemide, and the resulting fine is equal parts hilarious and depressing. (via MMAJunkie):

Gutches was paid $1,000 in “show” money for the contest, as well as $1,000 for his win bonus. The NSAC elected to fine him the entirety of the win bonus, as well as 20 percent (or $200) of his win bonus, amounting to a total fine of $1,200. 

We hope it was worth it, fellas.

–J. Jones

Rousimar Palhares Avoids Punishment for Brutal Submission of Jon Fitch

Rousimar Palhares, the World Series of Fighting welterweight champion and one of the most dangerous fighters in all of MMA, will not be punished by the California State Athletic Commission following yet another brutal and controversial submission victo…

Rousimar Palhares, the World Series of Fighting welterweight champion and one of the most dangerous fighters in all of MMA, will not be punished by the California State Athletic Commission following yet another brutal and controversial submission victory Saturday.

That news came Monday evening from Marc Raimondi of MMA Fighting, who spoke with CSAC Executive Director Andy Foster. Though Foster said Palhares will not be punished by the CSAC, he expressed frustration over Palhares‘ continued and dangerous behavior in the cage.

“As soon as [the tap] touches you, he should have let it go,” Foster said. “He chose to keep it going another few seconds. You can say it’s the heat of the moment—I’ve heard that too many times from him. I don’t think it’s enough to punish him or anything. It’s real borderline. I’m pretty mad.”

Palhares successfully defended his WSOF title at WSOF 15 in Sacramento, using his signature leg lock to force Jon Fitch to submit. The controversy came when Palhares refused to relinquish the knee bar—one of the most painful and potentially destructive submission moves in jiu-jitsu—despite Fitch repeatedly tapping on Palhares‘ leg and screaming in pain.

The referee moved in to stop the contest but had to act fairly forcefully to get Palhares to let go.

Though it was only a few extra seconds, that’s all you need to seriously injure an opponent. Fitch was unable to walk from the cage under his own power after the bout.

Palhares, for his part, seemed unapologetic following the fight:

As fans know, this is not the first time Palhares has done something like this. Last year, Palhares was released from the UFC for holding a heel hook too long on Mike Pierce. In 2010, he was suspended for 90 days for doing the same against Tomasz Drwal. 

Despite Palhares‘ history, WSOF signed him soon after his UFC release. However, WSOF President Ray Sefo asserted there would be a zero-tolerance approach to Palhares.

After WSOF 16, Sefo offered a different assessment than the CSAC‘s Foster, noting in an email to MMA Junkie that he believed Palhares‘ submission was “perfectly clean.”

It is unknown what will happen with Palhares in terms of his next opponent. It may not be surprising if WSOF has a hard time finding a willing opponent despite the fact that Palhares holds the welterweight title.

Palhares, 34, is 17-6 as a pro, with 14 wins coming by way of submission.

Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com