Former WWE champion Jack Swagger (aka Jake Hager) will make his MMA debut this January on the same night Bellator will crown a new heavyweight champion.
On Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show, Hager announced he will be facing JW Kiser on January 26th on the undercard of Bellator 214 from the Forum in Los Angeles, CA. It’s not clear if the fight will be on the televised portion or the prelims.
The 36-year-old was a two-sport athlete in football and wrestling at Oklahoma, the latter of which he was an All-American in. After graduating, he signed a deal with WWE in 2006 and spent several years in developmental before being called up to the big show. He made his debut for ECW in 2008 before moving to Raw in 2009. While in WWE, he won the WWE World title, the ECW title, and the U.S. title. He left the company in 2017 after asking for his release.
He has worked indie shows since then, but announced his intent in November 2017 to fight professionally. He has one more indie appearance remaining before going into his fight camp full time.
During his conversation with Helwani, Hager alluded to the fact he might not fight under his real name if some “legal filings” are done in time.
Kiser is 1-1, making his pro debut earlier this year in a Kansas City-based promotion.
Fedor Emelianenko will face Ryan Bader in the Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix finals in the main event with middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi defending against Rafael Lovato Jr. in the co-main event. Aaron Pico will also be on the event.
In a battle of former UFC talents, Ryan Bader dominated Matt Mitrione at Bellator 207 Friday at Connecticut’s Mohegan Sun to advance to January’s Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix tournament finals to crown a new champion.
Bader, the promotion’s light heavyweight champion, took a unanimous decision by scores of 30-25, 30-24, and 30-25.
Bader’s wrestling and pure dominance on the mat negated anything Mitrione tried to do, leading to, at one point, ten minutes of time without getting any offense in.
In the opening round, Bader, outweighed by roughly 25 pounds, was dominant, grounding Mitrione early and using his wrestling to control him. He leveraged that to land hard left hands that Mitrione had no answer for, easily winning a 10-8 round on this writer’s scorecard.
In the second round, Mitrione threw hands trying to hurt Bader, but Bader took him down within seconds and went to work again with more of the same. He locked on a kimura midway through the round that almost got Mitrione to tap, but he was able to defend enough to barely survive. Mitrione was exhausted at the end of the round, arguably another 10-8.
The third round started the same way: with Bader easily getting a takedown, but the crowd was less and less enthusiastic. Bader tired a bit, but didn’t let Mitrione escape, pounding him on the mat and using his wrestling to outclass his opponent for another 10-8.
The promotion returns Saturday night at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, NY, with the other Heavyweight Grand Prix semi-final featuring Chael Sonnen vs. Fedor Emelianenko. Starting at 9 PM Eastern, we’ll have live coverage of that show courtesy of Paul Fontaine. Like tonight, the show can be seen on Paramount Network and DAZN.
In the co-main event, Sergei Kharitonov defeated Roy Nelson by knockout with one second left to go in the first round afer he unloaded a barrage of unanswered punches that ended wih Nelson Flair flopping. Kharitonov got a point taken in the first round after he kneed Nelson in the head while he was kneeling.
On the undercard:
Lorenz Larkin took a unanimous decision win over Ion Pascu (29-28 x3) to earn the alternate position in the Welterweight Grand Prix.
Corey Browning scored a minor upset with a second round TKO of Kevin “Baby Slice” Ferguson Jr. in an entertaining fight.
Wih no UFC on the slate, Bellator has the MMA world focused on their big show in San Jose, CA, Saturday night, but on a new broadcast partner, sports streaming app DAZN.
We’re looking for your thoughts on the show, as well as last night’s ROH Death Before Dishonor and tomorrow night’s New Japan show, so you can leave a thumnbs up, down or middle along with a best and worst match to [email protected]
The main event features an interesting champion vs. champion bout as welterweight champion Rory MacDonald challenges middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi. The two have made great traction since Bellator signed them away from UFC and for MacDonald, a win here puts him, and Bellator, in an interesting position with the upcoming welterweight tournament. For Mousasi, a win helps increase his value and growing respect among fans.
Also on the card, Wanderlei Silva and Rampage Jackson fight for the fourth time, Douglas Lima and Andrei Koreshkov battle for the fourth time to kick off the aforementioned welterweight tourney, Aaron Pico faces his toughest challenge to date in Leandro Higo, and more.
The prelims can be seen on ParamountNetwork.com with the entire main card available on DAZN.
**********
By Dave Meltzer
YSIDRO GUTIERREZ (4-2) VS. GASTON BOLANOS (3-1), FEATHERWEIGHTS
First round: Head kick by Bolanos. Bolanos threw a kick, was taken down but got back up. Good right by Bolanos. Gutierrez with some punches. Head kick by Bolanos. Knees by Bolanos. Bolanos just threw him down. Bolanos then let him up. Bolanos missed the spinning elbow. Takedown by Bolanos. Head kick Bolanos didn’t hit solid. Bolanos 10-9
Second round: Takedown by Bolanos. He let Gutierrez back up. Bolanos landed a left hook behind the ear that put him down. He’s landing punches on the ground and it was stopped. There were ten hard puches on the ground that landed and a few that missed.
1:37 of round two.
KERI MELENDEZ (2-0) VS. DAKOTA ZIMMERMAN (0-0), WOMEN’S STRAWWEIGHTS
First round: Melendez got a big reaction. Front kick to the face by Melendez and a takedown. Melendez with a stuff power bomb. Another short power bomb by Melendez. Melendez with a hard elbow. Zimemeran is working for a triangle. Zimmerman also has the armbar.while working the triangle. Melendez survived the submission attempts but they were dangerous. 10-9 Zimmerman
Second round: Both swinging. Knee by Melendez. They’re in a clinch. Melendez seems tired. Zimmerman trying for a takedown. Nothing much is happening. Melendeza landed knees to the body. They’re back in the clinch. Melendez brought her to the corner in front of Gilbert Melendez. Knees to the body by Melendez. Melende took the round with the knees to the body. 19-19 after two.
Third round: Melendez landing punches now. Left by Melendez. Zimmerman shot in looking for a takedown. Zimmerman got her down. Zimmerman in side control. Melendez reversed to the top. Zimmerman tried for an armbar but didn’t have it. Zimmerman landed an up kick and got to her feet. Both are landing. Melendez’s punches lack the zing becuase hse’s tired. She’s still the better striker and is landing. Zimmerman shot in again. Melendez got a takedown. Melendez 29-28.
AARON PICO (3-1) VS. LEANDRO HIGO (18-4), FEATHERWEIGHTS
First round: Freddy Roach is in Pico’s corner. Pico laned a few punches. They traded low kicks. Knees by Higo. Trading punches. Low kick by Higo. Pico with a nice body shot. Low kick by Higo. Uppercut by Higo. Pico dropped him and is unloading with shots. Higo stayed up. Low kick by Higo. Pico with big shots. Pico dropped him and landing hard punches on the ground. The ref is letting it go way too long. Higo got up and Pico landing more big punches and put him down again and it was finally stopped. This was a great three minutes. Pico came across like a superstar. But that referee, he really blew it on this one.
After the fight, Pico said to Patricio Pitbull that you’re time wil come.
3:19
ANDREY KORESHKOV (21-2) VS. DOUGLAS LIMA (29-7), WELTERWEIGHTS
First round: Koreshkov came out to the Nikolai Volkoff Russian national anthem. Lima with a head kick. Low kick by Lima. Ric Flair whoo’s all over the joint. Koreshckov shot in for a takedown. Lima blocking it and landed some elbows. Koreshkov lifted Lima off his feet twice but Lima kept his balance. Lima got a momentary takedown. Neither can take the other down. The crowd is booing heavily now. Elbow by Koreshkov. Very hard round to judge. 10-9 Lima but could easily be 10-10.
Second round: Body kick by Lima. Nothing happening again. Body kick by Lima. Koreshkov’s left shin is swelling up bad from low kicks. Lots of clinching but the crowd isn’t as restless. Another boring round. Lima 20-18
Third round: Front kick by Lima. Lima stumbled. Body kick by Lima. Body kick by Lima. Lima continues to land low kicks. Koreshkov tried a takedown. Lima landed a knee after a momentary takedown. Crowd booing heavily at the end of the round. Lima 30-27.
Cormeir just got the biggest pop of the show by far. Pretty much a standing ovation.
Fourth round: Lima accidentally kicked him low. Lima with a few punches. Crwod booing heavily. Knee by Lima. Koreshckov with a left. Lima has him in trouble with punches as the round ended. Lima 40-36
Fifth round: Lima with a body kick. Lima with a big right. Lima took him down landed punces on the ground and has a choke and Koreshkov went out and it was stopped.
3:04
WANDERLEI SILVA (35-13-1) VS. RAMPAGE JACKSON (37-13), HEAVYWEIGHT
First round: People see Jackson as a big star. Silva looks old, like much older than his chronological years. Looks late 50s. Jackson is much heavier than the past at 254 pounds but looks like a guy who still trains. The crowd is still really hot for this. Both traded and Jackson rocked him. Silva threw a kick to the head. Both swinging. Silva landed a wild punch and Rampage closed the distance. Jackson landed a right on the break. Front kick by Silva. Both landing punches. This was actually a hell of an exchange. The people really liked the ending of the round. 10-9 Jackson
Second round: Both swingig wildly. Silva almost went down but came back. For 15 secons it was 14 yeas ago. Jackson with a right. Jakcson hurt himn with a right that just cracked him. Silva swinging swing wildly back. Theyr’e in a clinch. Jackson with a knee to the body. Jackson with upperucts. Knee by Jackson to the body. Both are swinging wildly again. Both are in a clinch again. Both trading again. Jackson with a right. Jackson dropped him with a right and was landing punches on the ground and it’s over. Fans loved this fight. It was much better than expected.
4:32
GEGARD MOUSASI (44-6-2) VS. RORY MACDONALD (20-4) FOR MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE
First round: Mousasi landed a left. Mousasi does look a lot bigger in the cage far more than two days ago when he had cut weight. Mac Donald with a low kick and punch. Mousasi wih a left. MacDonald with a right. Mousasi back with jabs. Nice low kick and jab combo by Mousasi. Head kick by MacDoanld just missed. Big right by Mousasi. MacDonald with a right. Mousasi landing jabs. Mousasi 10-9
Second round: MacDonad dove for an Imanari roll and Mousasi ended up on top. MacDonald is bleeding heavily from the nose from punches. Mousasi landing punches. Mousasi moved to mount. Mousasi landing elbows to the head. He’s landing more elbows and continued to hammer the elbows until it was stopped.
On the eve of one of the promotion’s biggest nights of the year, our Dave Meltzer sat down with Bellator MMA president Scott Coker and rising star Aaron Pico (seen above) as they prepare for Saturday’s Bellator 206 event in San Jose, CA, the first of their new partnership with streaming service DAZN.
Kicking off with Pico, Dave discussed his fight with Leandro Higo Saturday, recovering from his debut loss at Madison Square Garden, his skillset in various disciplines, his near miss of making the U.S. Olympic team as a wrestler, when he wants to get a title shot, and more.
At the 12:00 mark, Dave talks with Coker, someone he’s known for years dating back to the Strikeforce days. The two discuss the DAZN deal, their focus on the UK market and the specific series, some potential matchmaking, the McKee family fighting on the same card in January, Saturday’s San Jose show, and more.
Fans of those fighting in cages have not one, not two, but three shows to satiate their bloodsport palletes — all of which are on free TV.
Action kicks off Friday with the first of two Bellator shows (yep, you read that right) and continues through Saturday with a pretty fun looking UFC show in Boise, Idaho, and Bellator running a hybrid MMA/kickboxing show overseas.
We’re still waking up from the intended return of Brock Lesnar and the events of UFC 226, but I threw cold water in the faces of Paul Fontaine and Ryan Frederick, propped them up, and asked them some questions about the weekend.
Some of the best of Bellator Friday & Saturday on Paramount
– Women’s Featherweight Champion Julia Budd vs. Talita Nogueira
– Eduardo Dantas vs. Michael McDonald
– Men’s Featherweight Champion Patricio “Pitbull” Freire vs. Daniel Weichel
– Andrey Koreshkov vs. Vaso Bakocevic
UFC Boise on Fox Sports One
– Junior dos Santos vs. Blagoy Ivanov
– Sage Northcutt vs. Zak Ottow
– Dennis Bermudez vs. Rick Glenn
– Randy Brown vs. Niko Price
– Myles Jury vs. Chad Mendes
– Cat Zingano vs. Marion Reneau
– Eddie Wineland vs. Alejandro Pérez
– Darren Elkins vs. Alexander Volkanovski
– Justin Scoggins vs. Said Nurmagomedov
– Kurt Holobaugh vs. Raoni Barcelos
– Liz Carmouche vs. Jennifer Maia
– Mark De La Rosa vs. Elias Garcia
– Jessica Aguilar vs. Jodie Esquibel
What are you most looking forward to this weekend?
Ryan: Nothing screams “must-see” for me as it’s just a simple weekend with a lot of fights. I am interested in seeing how well Junior Dos Santos and Chad Mendes perform coming off of USADA suspensions. By all accounts, Dos Santos was innocent and got a reduced suspension while Mendes admitted to using banned substances and took a two-year suspension. I also look forward to always seeing Cat Zingano compete as she has one of the best stories in the sport and it is impossible to root against her
Paul: Saturday’s show is really deep, so I’m just looking forward to a great night of fights. This probably sounds odd considering my stance on last weekend’s show (and especially given how everything turned out) but this show, aside from the main event, is far bigger on paper. Four former PPV main eventers are on the card as well as five former world champions from other organizations. The one that really intrigues me, aside from the one Freddy already mentioned, is the Zingano/Marion Reneau fight. Reneau may be the most underrated female fighter on the roster and Zingano has looked really good in her fights, despite losing three straight. She’s also one of the few people to have ever beaten Amanda Nunes in the UFC.
Josh: As a whole, the Saturday UFC show is aces for something on FS1. Lots of names, lots of litmus test fights, and intrigue up and down the card, at least to hardcores anyway. However, I am finding myself really into the Eduardo Dantas-Michael McDonald fight on Friday’s Bellator show. These are two talented bantamweights and a nod toward some of the gradual depth that the promotion is starting to slowly add.
Anything being overlooked?
Paul: “Super” Sage Northcutt! He’s got one of the longest winning streaks at lightweight in the company but keeps stepping up to welterweight where he usually loses. He’s been around for years so it’s hard to remember (until you see him) that he’s one of the youngest fighters on the roster at 22 and the youngest fighter on this card. But with increased training from Team Alpha Male, there is plenty of time for him to put it all together and justify all the hype that surrounded him early in his career. I’ve always got a sliver of hope that he could be one of those few fighters that break through as mainstream stars and he just needs to win the big fights.
Ryan: The Friday night Bellator card has a good co-main event between Dantas and McDonald. I still firmly believe the UFC made a mistake with letting McDonald go as he’s fun and action-oriented fighter. On the UFC side, I totally think the Elkins-Volkanovski fight is being overlooked. Elkins has a six-fight win streak while Volkanovski has won 14 straight. It’s buried down on the prelims, and I understand why since both have been shown to produce less than exciting fights, but it is a legitimate bout that has divisional ramifications.
Josh: Other than McDonald-Dantas, it’s hard not to look at Mendes-Jury and get excited. Before he left, Mendes was a top featherweight who famously got KO’d by Conor McGregor. Jury is one of the sport’s enigmas: talented yet quiet. He seems to disappear so it’s easy to forget about him, but with a more regular fight schedule, I think he’d be on more radars. The lighter weight classes are really coming to play this weekend.
Anything not doing it for you?
Josh: I don’t understand why Bellator is doing two shows on two days instead of combining them into a more desirable event. Seriously, drop the kickboxing league, focus on MMA, and give us five solid fights once a month. That’s all we need. Also, the Bellator titles need a bit of an importance boost, don’t they?
Ryan: I don’t hate the fight and I get why he is in the spot, but Northcutt should not be in a co-main event slot at this point, especially since there is some good depth on this UFC show. (Jury vs. Mendes should have got that honor.) Northcutt has made some good decisions in joining a legitimate training camp and there has been improvement, but he has a dangerous fight against Ottow. It should be opening the main card, though, because there are just better options there.
Paul: Ryan is nuts…Sage should be headlining! That said, I’ll go with another co-main event: Alessio Sakara vs someone named Jamie Sloan for Bellator Saturday on a national network in a promotion that likes to think of itself as major league. I think that’s pretty sad. But when you look at the rest of the card, you can see why. I watch everything and I will watch this show but I have no idea when. Or why, for that matter.
Any intrigue with these shows?
Paul: Rick Glenn, Jessica Aguilar, Blagoi Ivanov, Eddie Wineland and Jennifer Maia are all former world champions in other organizations and all fighting on Saturday’s show. That’s the intrigue for me: how will these champions in other companies stack up against some of the best in UFC and they all have tough matchups. Obviously, Wineland has been around forever and Glenn and Aguilar have had a few UFC fights, but Ivanov and Maia are complete unknowns unless you watch other MMA groups. Maia is the second rated women’s flyweight in the world according to FightMatrix.com and Ivanov has only lost to Alexander Volkov in his career and he’s a top five guy in UFC right now. There’s so much on this show!
Ryan: It’s how the former title challengers compete on the UFC show. Dos Santos could be close to getting back into contention now that Stipe Miocic has lost the championship. Mendes has fought for the 145-pound title three times, and he’s only lost to Jose Aldo, Conor McGregor, and Frankie Edgar in his career. He was a top four featherweight at the time of his suspension, and if he comes back in top form, he provides a good and fresh challenge in a division that has changed in the 31 months since he last fought.
Zingano has a win over the current champion, but has lost two straight. She’s fighting for the second time this year, though, something she’s never done in the UFC, and the four months since her last fight is the shortest time between fights for her since joining the UFC. I’m interested is seeing if she can get back towards the rematch with Nunes.
Josh: The guys covered it fairly well above. If you’re into MMA, there’s something for you without too much barrier to entry. There are plenty of litmus test fights and yes, all of it’s on basic cable. Huzzah!
What will be people talking about most after the show is done?
Ryan: Perhaps it will be one of those aforementioned former title challengers if they get good wins. I just see it as a weekend of fights with nothing particular worth rushing to the television to watch. While there are two title fights for Bellator, they aren’t high profile. It should be a good weekend of fights.
Paul: If Zingano wins, it could be about whether she could earn a title shot and a rematch with Nunes with one more win. If Nunes is indeed going to fight Cyborg in December, it would make sense to give Zingano a fight on that show as well and have her there as a stand-by title challenger in case either of them fall out of the fight. As the reigning Invicta FC champion, Maia could step into the top three of the UFC rankings if she wins her debut fight. And if JDS loses in the main event, people could be talking about whether or not he will retire. Of course, he won’t, but it won’t stop people from bringing it up.
Josh: That Marion Reneau has earned herself a title shot, that JDS has a little more left in the tank, and Myles Jury is ready for a big name at featherweight.
Who wins?
– Ryan: Budd, McDonald and Pitbull in Bellator; Dos Santos, Mendes, Zingano, Bermudez and Sage at UFC Boise
– Paul: Budd, Dantas, Pitbull; Rusev….er…Ivanov, Jury, Zingano, Glenn, and Super Sage.
In a move that will increase revenue and will also hopefully boost ratings, Bellator MMA announced a restructuring of their TV product Tuesday at a press conference.
The company will pare back on their schedule to 22 events a year with 15 airing on Paramount Network and seven exclusively moving to DAZN, a streaming service geared towards sports fans that has not yet launched in the U.S. The 15 Paramount shows will also air on DAZN (pronounced Da Zone) and will include eight “tentpole” shows.
The deal kicks off on September 29th with the much-discussed Gegard Mousasi vs. Rory MacDonald San Jose event that will also feature Rampage Jackson vs. Wanderlei Silva 4. That show will air exclusively on DAZN.
The promotion said the deal was a nine-figure, multi-year agreement. DAZN didn’t announce a price point, but will offer a one-month free trial when they launch. They are already available in other countries including Canada where DAZN is available for $20/month or $150 for a year.
For MMA fans in the U.S., the deal is an interesting one as it presents another paywall in order to watch previously free content. Paired with the UFC’s recently announced deal with ESPN+ that kicks off in 2019, fans that want to watch everything will be paying more for MMA content starting this fall.
From a brand perspective, less shows for Bellator is a major plus. With a thin roster, it was hard for them to put on consistent quality fight cards with stakes on the now former Spike TV, especially in those months where they did multiple shows. Ratings have been down over the past year, especially for the non-tentpole events.
This move also seems to fit more into the new vision for Paramount Network and brings in an additional revenue stream for Viacom (owners of Paramount and Bellator) that didn’t previously exist. Whether this means the end of a return to pay per view remains to be seen.
Additionally, it allows the promotion to find an audience in regions that have DAZN but don’t otherwise have access to Bellator programming.
“Left My Wallet…” returns with the voice of the Boston Celtics and former Bellator announcer, Sean Grande.
Sean is a lifelong wrestling fan and longtime subscriber to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter. We discuss what lured him to Bellator, the difference in calling MMA from other sports, and why he left. We then discuss his early memories of pro wrestling, being there live for an AWA title change, having been at every Bob Backlund title defense at MSG, Vince McMahaon’s phone number being in the phone book, and his friendships with Mick Foley, JIm Ross, and CM Punk.
Sean also shares his thoughts on Punk in the UFC, and some fun stories about the night Foley won his first WWE championship.
Finally, the talk turns to the NBA and, of course, the Celtics. Sean shares his top priority for the Celtics this offseason (no, it’s not LeBron), LeBron’s impending free agency, the outlook for the Celtics next year, and so much more!
This is truly an interesting and unique talk and Sean shares some stories he’s never told before. It’s a different side of the voice of the Boston Celtics so check it out and enjoy!
Mirko Cro Cop, one of the legends of the PRIDE era, who told John McCarthy in 2007 that he was “getting too old for this,” has signed with Bellator.
The promotion wasted no time in booking his first fight as he’ll face Roy Nelson at Bellator 200 in London, England on May 25th. This will be a rematch of their October 29th, 2011 UFC fight that Nelson won via third round KO.
The 43-year-old was in talks with Bellator in 2015, but UFC beat their offer and he signed with the company. Just before his second fight with UFC that year, he announced his retirement, although it later came out that he had been suspended but it had not been announced yet. He later admitted to using HGH to attempt to heal up from a shoulder injury. He said that when USADA came for a surprise test, although due to the difficulty of catching HGH usage, he actually did not test positive.
Given his retirement, UFC released him from his contract, but he came out of retirement in 2016 for Japan’s RIZIN group. He’s gone 5-0 in Rizin, including a knockout of King Mo Lawal.
Nelson is coming off a February decision loss to Matt Mitrione in the first round of the Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix. He’s 1-1 since signing with Bellator and hasn’t won two in a row since 2012-13.
Bellator 200 features middlewight champion Rafael Carvalho vs. Gegard Mousasi, and Michael “Venom” Page vs. David Rickels.
Matt Mitrione advanced in the Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix tournament Friday night, downing Roy Nelson via majority decision at Bellator 194 at Connecticut’s Mohegan Sun Arena.
He moves on to face the winner of the May Ryan Bader vs. King Mo quarterfinal while Chael Sonnen awaits the winner of the April Fedor Emelianenko vs. Frank Mir fight.
Mitrione came out strong and dominated the first two rounds, but gassed out in the third. Nelson took him down early in the round and eventually moved into a crucifix position, doing a lot of ground and pound damage. Referee Dan Miragliotta looked like he might be close to stopping it, but allowed Mitrione the chance to escape which he eventually did. Mitrione was able to get to his feet, only to be taken down again for the duration of the round.
Sonnen, acting as color commentator for the night, speculated that it may have been enough to earn Nelson a 10-8 round, which would’ve made the fight a draw and an “overtime” fourth round because it was a tournament match. However, only one judge saw it that way while the other gaves 29-28 scores for Mitrione.
Former referee and sometimes judge John McCarthy was a desk analyst for the show and he said that he would’ve been very close to ruling the third round a 10-8 for Nelson and the fight a draw, adding that he would have to have paid more attention to see how much damage the ground strikes were doing. McCarthy said that Nelson had two of the three “Ds” (domination, duration, damage) required for a 10-8.
The fight was a rematch from December 2012 in the UFC’s TUF 16 finale show where Mitrione was knocked out in the first round.
Also on the show:
– Patricky Pitbull scored a first round KO win over Derek Campos to become the no. 1 contender to lightweight champion Brett Primus.
– Heather Hardy scored a somewhat questionable decision win over Ana Julaton in a boring fight.
– Fedor protege Vadim Nemkov used leg kicks to earn a third round TKO win over former light heavyweight champion Liam McGeary in a fight reminiscent of the Jose Aldo-Urijah Faber WEC fight where Aldo destroyed Faber’s leg.
– In the opener, prospect Taiwan “Air” Claxton got a second round TKO win over winless Jose Perez in a showcase bout.
Pro wrestling is snoozing on this long U.S. holiday weekend, leaving us with two MMA shows to take a look at. Joining me as always is Paul Fontaine and Ryan Frederick to help answer a few questions of the somewhat burning kind.
First, The Cards
Bellator 194 main card: Friday
GP Tournament First Round: Matt Mitrione vs. Roy Nelson
Patricky Pitbull vs. Derek Campos
Liam McGeary vs. Vadim Nemkov
Heather Hardy vs. Ana Julaton
UFC Fight Night (Steve) Austin: Sunday
Donald Cerrone vs. Yancy Medeiros
Derrick Lewis vs. Marcin Tybura
James Vick vs. Francisco Trinaldo
Thiago Alves vs. Curtis Millender
Brian Camozzi vs. Geoffrey Neal
Sage Northcutt vs. Thibault Gouti
Jared Gordon vs. Carlos Diego Ferreira
Oskar Piechota vs. Tim Williams
Roberto Sanchez vs. Joby Sanchez
Sarah Moras vs. Lucie Pudilova
Steven Peterson vs. Brandon Davis
Alex Morono vs. Josh Burkman
What fight(s) are you most looking forward to?
Paul: I’m a sucker for “Super” Sage so I really want to see if he can get on a roll. He’s young enough that he could still be a big transcendent star someday if he can back up the hype with results. On the Bellator show, I’m really looking forward to the women’s fight as Hardy has had great fights in both of her previous appearances and has a real star presence. I’ve seen every one of Julaton’s fights and she’s scrappy as hell. This could be a show-stealer.
Ryan: I like the UFC main event between Cerrone and Medeiros as they are both exciting fighters who like to slug it out. Cerrone has been on a skid but is still capable of being one of the best. Medeiros has won three straight since moving up in weight, and has shown a lot more power. He’s also coming off of one of the best fights of 2017 in his win over “Cowboy” Oliveira. This should be exciting. I also am looking forward to Derrick Lewis fighting, because he is just fun.
Nason: There’s a lot of intrigue throughout the two cards, but I’m most interested in both main events. I don’t think Medeiros will ever be a champion, much less a top flight contender, which is why this will tell us a lot about where Cerrone is at. He’s lost three straight coming into this, a first in his long career. I wonder how much is there after his legendary hellacious fight schedule over the last five years. On the Bellator side, I’m hoping we see a big performance out of Mitrione. Nelson is old hat and doesn’t do much for me interest-wise based on the last five-seven UFC fights he had.
Any dark horse fights?
Paul: Brian Camozzi vs Geoffrey Neal on the UFC card. Camozzi is 0-2 in UFC and is probably fighting for his job. Every one of his fights in the last four years has ended in a stoppage for either he or his opponent. Neal’s record is similar and he’s coming off a very impressive first round KO on the Dana White Contender Series last summer.
Nason: Vick has been making a lot of noise about not being able to get good fights and has been on a nice run as of late. If he can top a solid veteran in Trinaldo and look good doing it, he has to get a top 10 dude next. Has to. I’m also interested in seeing how Thiago Alves fares in his return against Curtis Millender. He’s a true veteran but still has that charisma that makes you turn your head, even for a few minutes.
Ryan: Steven Peterson vs. Brandon Davis on the UFC card. Both are mostly unknown, but have had exciting fights on the regional scene. Davis stepped in on short notice in his last fight (his UFC debut) and is looking to rebound from that loss. Also, Vick vs. Trinaldo should be good. Both are underrated at 155 pounds and this is a potential breakout fight for both.
Any fights a bit overrated?
Paul: The main event of the Bellator show is a couple big names who are well past their prime. It is likely to be a three round boring fight as Mitrione’s best path to victory is knocking out Nelson early which is tough to do. Nelson is likely to clinch up with him on the cage all night in an attempt to tire him out, but he’ll do nothing to try and put Mitrione away.
Ryan: I’m not so interested in the main event of the Bellator show. I feel they could have matched up both Nelson and Mitrione in other fresh matchups. They’ve already fought and Nelson knocked Mitrione out. Nelson has gone down as a fighter while Mitrione is maybe just slightly better than he was then, but not much.
Nason: Look at these couple’a’ Bellator hatahs! Paul mentioned the Hardy-Julaton fight and I need to tell you this: I could care less about Hardy and think they are trying way to hard to get her over. Also, the whole boxing-MMA crossover fight deal? Zzzzzz. Don’t care. Also, enough with the Pitbull brothers already. They’re one of the last few holdovers from the Bjorn Rebney era and I don’t really care about seeing them in a Bellator cage anymore.
Do these shows matter?
Paul: Yes and no. If you care about the Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix, then obviously yes. The semi-main of that show is probably a #1 contender for their lightweight belt and, in fact, Patricky Pitbull is the #7 lightweight in the world according to FightMatrix.com and is coming off a win over Benson Henderson. As far as the UFC show, in the grand scheme of things, no. But, this show looks like it could be sneaky great. Nothing on this show comes off as looking terribly bad on paper and most of the fights have potential to be very fun.
Ryan: The UFC actually has a real solid card, and Bellator continues the GP tourney, so they do matter. The UFC has one of their most popular fighters in the main event, a good lightweight bout, and Northcutt on the card, so it is somewhat loaded. Bellator also has Hardy on the show, so they loaded that up a tad. The UFC show should be good, and Bellator is kinda just there.
Nason: The Bellator show not so much outside the main event, but there are some interesting stakes in the UFC show. As mentioned above, I’m interested to see where Cerrone, Northcutt, Vick, and Lewis are at. This is essentially a heat check show for some of these younger-ish guys.
To many, 2017 was a down year in MMA but the sport did have some fun moments in the final three months of the year and on this 90-minute Josh Nason’s Punch-Out, we walk down memory lane one final time to remember.
Joining me on this show is first-time guest and fellow MMAJA member Nathan McCarter of Bleacher Report.
On the docket:
– UFC 217 and the return of Georges St-Pierre, plus the triumps of TJ Dillashaw and Rose Namajunas
– Demetrious Johnson’s breaking of the all-time UFC title defense record in highlight reel fashion
– Conor McGregor being Conor McGregor in feuding with Marc Goddard and helping Bellator pop a good ratings number
– Anderson Silva gets flagged by USADA…again.
– The coronation of Cyborg Justino as the sport’s top active female star
– The great UFC 218 where Max Holloway, Francis Ngannou, Eddie Alvarez and Yancy Medeiros made big impressions
– Some quick hit thoughts on Ronda Rousey’s appearance at the Royal Rumble, Stipe-DC thoughts, and plenty more.
With the wrestling world relatively quiet this weekend, MMA has taken center stage with UFC and Bellator going head-to-head Saturday night on separate coasts. While the UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight titles will be battled over in Boston, Bellator kicks off its year-long heavyweight championship grand prix and a former UFC fighter guns for his first major title.
In the main event, Chael Sonnen and Rampage Jackson will fight in a first round matchup of the heavyweight grand prix. This will be Sonnen’s first foray into heavyweight while Jackson has fought here before, notably in a dud of a fight against King Mo Lawal.
Sonnen is coming off a June decision win over Wanderlei Silva while Jackson is coming off that March decision loss to Mo, snapping a five fight losing streak.
In the co-main event, Rory MacDonald will look to win his first major championship when he faces welterweight champion Douglas Lima in what should be a great fight. Also on the show, former lightweight champion Michael Chandler looks to get back on track while prospect Aaron Pico looks to win his second straight.
Follow our main card coverage starting at 9 p.m. ET tonight.
Bellator 192 (main card)
Heavyweight Grand Prix Round 1: Chael Sonnen vs. Rampage Jackson
Welterweight champion Douglas Lima vs. Rory MacDonald
Michael Chandler vs. Goiti Yamauchi
Aaron Pico vs. Shane Kruchten
Henry Corrales vs. Georgi Karakhanyan
*********
In the prelims, prospect Joey Davis won his fight but the debuting Khonry Gracie dropped a decision to Devon Brock, who was also making his pro debut. Other names of note picking up wins were Johnny Cisneros and Guilherme Vasconcelos.
John McCarthy makes his debut as color commentator, alongside Mike Goldberg for tonight’s show.
Featherweights Georgi Karakhanyan (27-7-1) vs Henry Corrales (14-3)
Goldberg and McCarthy seem like they have chemistry together. The video on the Shaw Cable feed is completely messed up so I cannot tell who is winning the fight but it sounds like Karakhanyan from the commentary. It seems to be a network-wide issue affecting only the Paramount Network in Canada on my cable system.
Second round sounded like it was back and forth but that Karakhanyan had the advantage. Corrales finished strong and may have stolen the round. The commercials are working fine, it’s only the video during the live fights that is messed up.
John McCarthy seems to think that Corrales is down 2 rounds and needs a finish.
Corrales seemed to be holding off Karakhanyan well but it sounds like Karakhanyan won the third as well. In listening to Goldberg call a fight, it’s alarming how little of the action he actually calls as it’s really hard to tell what’s going on. Based on what I heard, I’d be shocked if Corrales won the fight.
Official result – Henry Corrales (15-3) by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x 2)
Corrales said he is not impressed with his own performance. He put over his camp, saying he’s 3-0 since he switched to them.
Jay Glazer is the studio host of the show and gives it a very different vibe, adding credibility to the show, I think. Jay Glazer interviewed Ryan Bader about the Heavyweight Grand Prix. He basically just put over all the other competitors in the tournament but didn’t really have a lot to say. Josh Thomson is also on the panel.
Jenn Brown then interviewed his opponent King Mo and he said that they will both be fighting at their walk-around weights and the better man should win, which would be him. King Mo said that Chael will win the main event because Rampage is out of shape. I’ve found an online live feed of the show so I should be able to watch from here on in.
Featherweights Aaron Pico (1-1) vs Shane Krutchen (12-3)
Pico dropped Krutchen with a body punch combo to open the fight. Pico backed off, forcing Krutchen to stand. He dropped him again with a hard punch to the liver and he was out. Ref stepped in before Pico could do more damage.
Official result – Aaron Pico (2-1) by KO (punch) at 37 seconds
He put over his team after the fight in his post-fight interview. John McCarthy asked him to call someone out but he refused to, saying he’ll fight whoever they put in front of him. Both guys have sworn in their promos tonight. Not sure if that’s by design but it is interesting given it’s the debut of the network.
Lightweights Michael Chandler (16-4) vs Goiti Yamauchi (22-3)
After a brief cage clinch, Yamauchi dropped to the ground, almost like he was pulling guard. Chandler obliged him and went into his guard. He proceed to hold position for almost the entire round, doing enough to avoid a standup and easily win the round. Yamauchi was continously grabbing the cage but only was warned once. 10-9 Chandler
Yamauchi hurt Chandler bad with a body kick early. Chandler was wobbly for awhile after that but he managed a takedown halfway through the round. He was just laying there for awhile and almost got stood up but in the last minute, he did a lot of damage and probably stole the round. 10-9 Chandler, 20-18 overall
Lost hte video feed again for most of the 3rd round but from what I saw, Chandler dominated and should take the round and the fight easily. Should be noted that John McCarthy is already one of the best color guys in MMA.
Official result – Michael Chandler (17-4) by unanimous decision (30-26 x 2; 30-25)
John McCarthy told Chandler that Scott Coker says he earned a shot at Brent Primus and Chandler says “who”. McCarthy asks if that’s what he wants and he said no but he’s a company man and he’ll do whatever the company wants.
Roy Nelson was interviewed by Josh Thomson and Jay Glazer at the desk. Thomson says he picked the winner of Nelson/Mitrione to win the whole tourney. Nelson says that if he fights his fight, he’ll win but if he doesn’t then he won’t.
Jenn Brown interviewed Mitrione backstage about the fight with Nelson. He feels he earned a title shot and didn’t like the fact he had to go through a tournament to get the belt. But now he likes the idea because he was going to have to beat everyone anyway and this is the most exciting thing going on in the sport. This is rematch from 5 years that Nelson won but Mitrione says he’s developed as a fighter and he doesn’t feel Nelson has.
Bellator Welterweight title – Champion Douglas Lima (29-6) vs Rory McDonald (19-4)
McDonald was clinching on the cage early, trying to get it to the ground. Neither guy did much on the feet. McDonald got a takedown with just over 2 minutes left. Lima was actually more active from his back but McDonald held him down for the majority of the round. Ref Jason Herzog actually stood them up with 12 seconds left but nothing happened on the feet. 10-9 McDonald but close
McDonald was constantly going for takedowns and controlling the cage clinch but Lima was the more active fighter, landing punches to the head and body from the clinch. When they were standing, it was pretty even although Lima was doing more damage as McDonald was bleeding from the nose. Another close round, 10-9 Lima, 19-19 overall
Round started off really slow with a lot of clinch work where nothing was happening and the crowd was booing. After they separated, McDonald got a takedown but didn’t do anything with it. Ref stood them up. After the standup, Lima started landing hard leg kicks and he dropped McDonald with one with about 45 seconds left. Lima went into his guard and did a lot of damage with ground and pound. 10-9 Lima, 29-28 overall
McDonald went for a takedown right off the bat but Lima stuffed it and ends up on top. McDonald’s left leg is swelled so badly from the kicks, it looks like it has a second knee. Lima quickly moved into mount and held it for awhile but didn’t do a ton of damage. McDonald was eventually able to move him back to guard and as soon as he did, the ref stood them up. Lima landed a hard leg kick that almost dropped McDonald again but he got a takedown. He did his best damage of the fight but probably not enough to take the round. 10-9 Lima, 39-37 overall. Should note that most on my Twitter feed have it tied up as does John McCarthy.
McDonald got an immediate takedown. He was far more active than he’d been at any time during the fight, trying to avoid a standup. In particular, he landed some hard elbows that opened a cut on Lima’s forehead. There was a couple points when it looked like he might get stood up but McDonald did enough to stay on top. He slowed down at the end but enough to take the round. I have it 10-9 McDonald and 48-47 Lima overall but I suspect McDonald will take it.
Official result – Rory McDonald (20-4) by unanimous decision (48-47, 49-45 and 49-46)
McDonald says Lima is the best guy he’s ever fought and after winning that fight, he really feels like the best welterweight in the world. He says he can’t walk on his leg and it feels like there’s a person growing inside of it. Not sure how two judges thought that Lima didn’t win both rounds 3 and 4 but it wasn’t a bad decision.
McDonald had to be carried to the back by his cornermen. Lima looked upset at the decision.
Main event – Round 1 matchup in the Heavyweight Grand Prix: Rampage Jackson (37-12) vs Chael Sonnen (29-15-1)
Sonnen is giving up 31 pounds in this matchup. Trace Adkins sang the national anthem. Blake Grice is your referee.
First round was pretty good. Sonnen was far more active but Jackson landed the harder punches and did the most damage. Jackson threw Sonnen down halfway through the round, almost like a bodyslam, but backed off, forcing hi to stand. Sonnen got a late takedown and was working for a rear naked choke but Jackson moved into top position by the end of the round. 10-9 Jackson.…but Tom Lawlor for one has it the other way.
Sonnen clinched up early, trying to get a takedown. He got it about 90 seconds in and manage to hold Rampage down for the rest of the round. He didn’t do a ton of damage but enough to avoid a standup. Jackson was starting to do damage from his back late in the round but not nearly enough to take it. 10-9 Sonnen and 19-19 after 2. Rampage could need a finish though as round 1 was close.
Jackson went right to the cage clinch and manage to hold Sonnen there for over half the round. He had some really good damage with a nice series of body punches. After they finally separated, it was pretty even on the feet and Jackson was taunting Sonnen, trying to get him to throw down. Sonnen got a takedown with a minute left but Jackson was more active from his back. Ref stood them up with 10 seconds left and Jackson closed with a nice punch combo. 10-9 Jackson and 29-28 overall but I suspect Sonnen might win it.
Official decision – Chael Sonnen (30-15-1) by uananimous decision (29-28 x 3)
Crowd booed the decision but it was probably more due to the fact they like Jackson than they disagreed with the decision. He said that neither Frank Mir nor Fedor are the best but one of them will be the next. He had a couple cute rehearsed lines but crowd didn’t seem to care. No interview with Rampage.
While the first half of MMA’s 2017 was relatively dull, the second half of the year was full of intrigue — mainly due to a boxing match featuring the UFC’s biggest star.
On a new edition of Josh Nason’s Punch-Out, The Fight Network’s Cody Saftic returns to talk about July through September 2017 which featured:
– The build-up to the biggest fight of the year money-wise in Floyd Mayweather vs. Conor McGregor including the fight itself.
– Jon Jones’ triumphant return to the UFC in winning back his light heavyweight title and then the crushing news he was flagged by USADA yet again.
– The UFC struggled with main events falling through on fight week due to issues like sinusitis and bad weight cuts
– Lots of free agent signings, fight announcements, event results, Dana White guarantees that were later rescinded, and more.
If you want to listen in to the first two episodes in the year in review series, head to the JNPO vault now.
Two of the biggest talkers in the sport will face off in the first round of the Bellator MMA Heavyweight Grand Prix tournament, announced Tuesday along with the rest of the first round fights and locations.
On January 20th at the Forum in Los Angeles, CA, Chael Sonnen will face former UFC light heavyweight champion Rampage Jackson to kick off the tournament as part of the undercard of Rory MacDonald vs. welterweight champion Douglas Lima. The show will go head-to-head with UFC 220 from Boston, MA.
Announced earlier this month, four heavyweights and four light heavyweights moving up in weight class will compete in the Grand Prix tournament with the winner becoming the new Bellator heavyweight champion.
A month after Sonnen/Rampage, Matt Mitrione will look to keep his win streak going against Roy Nelson at Connecticut’s Mohegan Sun Arena in February 2018. This will be a rematch of their December 2012 UFC TUF finale encounter.
In April at Chicago’s Allstate Arena, Fedor Emelianenko will try to turn back time one last time against Frank Mir who will be making his Bellator debut after being released by the UFC while under suspension by USADA.
Finally, the first round wraps up in May at San Jose, CA’s, SAP Center with light heavyweight champion Ryan Bader moving up in weight to face “King” Mo Lawal, a fight originally scheduled to happen at the promotion’s NYC show this year.
Dates and locations for the semifinals and finals weren’t announced, nor were alternates in case of injury. Sonnen vs. Jackson will air on the Paramount Network, the soon-to-be renamed Spike TV, but it’s unclear as to whether all fights will be on free TV. Depending on how 2018 plays out, the finals could be on the company’s return to PPV.
From Friday morning through Saturday night, MMA fans had no shortage of news and results to keep them going into the next week and beyond. From new fights, drug test failures, big announcements, and great fights, it was quite a 36 hour (or so) stretch.
Helping yours truly sift through it all is former Bellator MMA matchmaker and Five Ounces of Pain co-founder Sam Caplan.
We begin on Friday, November 10th with the MMA Junkie story of the Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix tournament that will finally see a new champion crowned. Sam and I discuss potential matchups and the very interesting tournament field.
We transition to the McGregor Attacks! part of the show with how the UFC lightweight champion made himself the focus of our attention for a run-in during a taped Bellator MMA show in Dublin, Ireland.
From there, we discuss the latest USADA test failure flag for Anderson Silva and whether surprise fill-in Michael Bisping should have got the call given what happened at UFC 217.
We finish up with the news of Max Holloway vs. Jose Aldo II in Detroit and some thoughts on a very fun and bloody night at UFC Norfolk, headlined by Dustin Poirier vs. Anthony Pettis and Matt Brown’s elbow of doom.
