Category: MMA

Luke Rockhold Off UFC 230 Due To Injury

UFC 230 lost it’s co-main event again. This time the fight between Luke Rockhold and Chris Weidman has been scrapped. Earlier this evening ESPN’s Brett Okamoto broke the story that Rockhold had withdrawn from his bout due to injury. In the tweet that reported the story he also added that UFC is currently “shuffling things around” because of this.

What was one of the first bouts announced for the show, Nate Diaz versus Dustin Poirier, was also thrown away due to an injury to Poirier. Injuries aside, this card has seen its fair share of shuffling around. Valentina Shevchenko and Sijara Eubanks were set to fight for UFC’s vacant flyweight championship, but Eubanks has been re-booked to fight Roxanne Modafferi on the prelims, with Shevchenko fighting for the belt against Joanna Jędrzejczyk at UFC 231.

People have become wary of undisclosed injuries lately due to the USADA’s new policy. In September it was announced that USADA will no longer announce drug test violations until the case is closed. Fighters now only have to notify the public about their violation if they want to. Recently Sean O’Malley did this once he was taken off of the UFC 229 prelims. While Rockhold’s injury may very well be legitimate, people won’t hesitate to speculate on the situation (and they haven’t).

UFC’s last two appearances at Madison Square Garden came with fewer bumps in the road, with each being supercards in their own right. The promotion’s debut at “The World’s Most Famous Arena” in 2016 consisted of three title fights, with Conor McGregor defeating Eddie Alvarez in the main event. The next year the venue would see another three title event, with George St. Pierre returning to MMA for the first time in four years in the main event.

Currently the main event of 230 is Heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier versus Derrick Lewis, who received a huge boost in popularity after UFC 229. On that show he performed a last minute knockout in a bout he would have otherwise lost. Alongside that performance he was praised online for his comedic post-fight interview. As a result, he shot up from around 300 thousand Instagram followers to over a million before the weekend was over.

Bellator 208 Full Report: Fedor To Meet Bader In Bellator Heavyweight GP Finals

The Preview

After Bellator put on Bellator 208 the previous night, they come back with Bellator 208 on Saturday. The main event of this show was Chael Sonnen (30-15-1) fighting Fedor Emelianenko (37-5) in the second semi-final match of the promotions Heavyweight Grand Prix. Last night was the first part of the round, with Ryan Bader beating Matt Mitrione in a very decisive bout. The angle of the advertisements leading up to this show was Chael Sonnen being very patriotic and wanting to fight a Russian. Sonnen very much carried the promotion for this show, even dressing as Uncle Sam for the ads and promotional photos.

Alongside the main event, the main card had four other bouts. The co-main event is Saad Awad (23-9) versus Benson Henderson (25-8). Awad is on a four fight win streak heading into this bout. Henderson won his last fight but has had a very 50/50 tenure in Bellator so far. Another Heavyweight bout besides the main event that is booked is Cheick Kongo (28-10-2) versus Timothy Johnson (12-4). Johnson is making his Bellator debut, but not against an easy opponent. Kongo hasn’t lost since 2015, picking up 6 wins since then. The other two bouts on the main card are Alexander Shlemenko (57-11) versus Anatoly Tokov (26-3) in a battle of the Russians, and Henry Corrales (15-3) versus Andy Main (12-3-1). That’s the fight that started the card.

A Recap of The Show

  1. The Featherweight fight between Henry Corrales and Andy Main began the main card. The whole first round was stand up fighting. Both fighters were slow and methodical with Corrales starting to pick up the pace in the final 40 seconds. The crowd booed with two minutes left in the round out of disapproval. With just over two minutes left in the second round Main landed a trip, but it was all for nothing since they were both back on their feet seconds later. Commentator Big John McCarthy had it 2-0 Corrales at this point, but on my scorecard I had it tied. The scorecards ended up not mattering once Corrales dropped Main with a left hook in a combination.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Corrales 10 9
Main 9 10
  1. The battle of the two Russians was next on the card in the Middleweight class. Anatoly Tokov fought Alexander Shlemenko. Tokov kept control in the first round, being dominant against the cage and on the ground. Early in the second round the fight was paused after Tokov got kicked between the legs. It did not take him long to be ready to resume the bout. The rest of the second round seemed very much like the first. It felt like both of these guys had clocked out at this point. The fight went the distance with the judges all scoring it 30-27 for Tokov.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Tokov 10 10 10 30
Shlemenko 9 9 9 27
  1. The first of two Heavyweight bouts on the main card was Cheick Kongo versus Tim Johnson. This fight was ended with just over a minute gone by. Johnson got rocked by a shot which made him fall into Kongo’s arms. Kongo finished the fight on the ground shortly after.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Kongo
Johnson
  1. The co-main event was Benson Henderson versus Saad Awad. In the first round Awad showed good defense on the ground. He almost got caught in a rear naked choke when trying to complain to the ref about Henderson grabbing gloves. Henderson had better stand up (predominantly kicks) and ground game. There was a close call at the end of round two where Awad had to survive a chokehold for 15 seconds. He was very much saved by the bell. In the final round, the fight was paused because of Henderson grabbing the cage. The rest of the round was much like the two before.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Henderson 10 10 10 30
Awad 9 9 9 27
  1. The main event of the evening was Chael Sonnen versus Fedor Emelianenko in the semi-finals of Bellator’s Heavyweight GP. When they were given the opportunity to touch gloves in the middle they didn’t, but once asked a second time did. Only seconds into the bout Sonnen got dropped by a punch. Fedor refused to go to the ground until Chael landed a takedown. Fedor was absolutely all over Chael for the first three minutes. Sonnen seemed to gain some control in the fight when he landed a takedown with two minutes to go. With 30 seconds left in the first round Fedor would not stop throwing punches down on Sonnen who was shelling up on the floor. The ref intervened and that ended the fight.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Sonnen
Emelianenko

Looking Ahead

Walking away from this Bellator show the promotion has a championship match set up. In January Ryan Bader will battle against Fedor Emelianenko to crown a new Bellator Heavyweight Champion. This is a wish come true for Bader, who said on Friday that he wants to face Fedor. Bellator takes some time off after a doubleheader weekend. Bellator returns on November 15th for Bellator 209. A championship bout in Patricio Freire versus Emmanuel Sanchez main events that card.

Bellator 207 Full Report: Ryan Bader Moves On To Heavyweight GP Finals

Preview

Bellator began their first event of their two this weekend with Bellator 207. Like 208, which takes place tomorrow, 207 is headlined by a semi-final match in Bellator’s Heavyweight GP. The Friday card had Matt Mitrione fighting Ryan Bader. The Saturday night card is scheduled to have Fedor Emelianenko versus Chael Sonnen. The final four in the tournament are definitely all fan favorites. Below the main event, there are four other main card bouts. In the co-main event spot is what should be only another explosive Heavyweight clash besides the main event. Roy Nelson fights Sergei Kharitonov. Nelson was booked for the main event of Bellator 200 against Mirko Cro Cop. Due to an injury from Cro Cop before the fight, sadly this bout did not happen. Kharitonov returns to Bellator after fighting for M-1 and Russian Cagefighting Championship for a year.

Also on the main card is Kevin Ferguson Jr. versus Corey Browning. Both fighters are still somewhat new to MMA, with Ferguson Jr. holding a 3-1 record with all fights being under Bellator. Browning is making his Bellator debut, coming into the promotion with a 3-2 record. Below them is two veterans in Lorenz Larkin (19-7) versus Ion Pascu (18-8) in a Lightweight fight. That fight is the alternate fight for the Welterweight GP. Starting off the main card was Carrington Banks (7-1) and Mandel Nallo (6-0) fighting to protect their very clean win/loss records so far.

Rundown Of The Card

  1. Carrington Banks and Mandel Nallo fought with Bellator having no hesitation on starting the main card. After a minute in the first round of uneventful stand-up, Nallo showed great takedown defense. Banks tried for a takedown, with his second attempt being reversed into a takedown from Nallo. Nallo seemed near to putting in a chokehold but eventually stopped trying for it. With under two minutes left in the first Banks landed his first takedown, but took many elbow strikes to the head while on top. These two both battled on the ground as the first round ended. In the first minute of the second round Nallo landed a perfectly timed right knee to the head to absolutely put Banks to sleep. When the camera was in his face after the fight, all he had to say to the camera was “come to Tri Star” (the MMA gym that he trains at).

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Banks 9
Nallo 10
  1. The next fight on the card was Corey Browning versus Kevin Ferguson Jr. A.K.A Baby Slice. When Browning did his walkout, the commentators talked about how Browning felt stress going into this fight. While Baby Slice had dominance for the most of round one, the final minute went in favour of Browning. Browning tried for a crucifix, then landed a handful of elbows until the round ended. The two fighters traded at the start of the second round, with Browning dropping Baby Slice after being hit by a combo. Browning looked like he was in trouble early in the second round, but somehow stood up seconds later. Browning was landing strikes from above onto Baby Slice until the ref stopped the fight. This was quite the turnaround as only moments before Baby Slice was inching close to a submission win. Browning got his hand raised without Baby Slice present. It was reported by Mike Bohn that he was stretchered out of the venue.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Browning 9
Baby Slice 10
  1. Lorenz Larkin and Ion Pascu fought each other in the Welterweight GP alternate bout. Most of the first round was stand up with Pascu trying to a takedown in the final minute of the round. In the second round Larkin showed dominance with his striking. With two minutes left in the final round Pascu landed a clean single leg takedown. While Pascu had good ground game for the remaining time, it wasn’t enough to win him the round on my scorecard. The judges gave Larkin the fight Unanimously (29-28, 29-28 & 29-28).

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Larkin 10 10 10 30
Pascu 9 9 9 27
  1. In the co-main event was Roy Nelson versus Sergei Kharitonov. In the first round Nelson went for a takedown but was stopped. Kharitonov landed an illegal knee to the top of Nelson. The fight was resumed, but a point was taken away from Kharitonov. Nelson started to take hard shots as the round was coming to a close. With under 10 seconds left, Kharitonov finished the fight with standing strikes and (legal) knees with Roy against the cage.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Nelson
Kharitonov

5. Before the main event they played a pretty good promo video for this fight. Matt Mitrione fought Ryan Bader to see who moves onto the finals of the Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix. In the promo it was mentioned by Mitrione how he’s not a good wrestler, but “every round starts standing”. Well, Bader landed a takedown only seconds into the first round. Bader started to land shots from above with two minutes to go. He continued like this until the end of the round. At the start out round two Mitrione came out swinging, until he got caught with another takedown. Bader was all over him once again on the ground. He nearly got a submission finish halfway through but did not get it. In the final round Bader landed another takedown only maybe 4 seconds in. The official scorecards had it in favour of Bader of course Unanimously (30-25, 30-24 & 30-25).

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Mitrione 8 8 8 24
Bader 10 10 10 30

Looking Ahead

Now that Bellator 207 is in the books, one half of the puzzle has been solved. Ryan Bader said in his post fight interview that he’d like to fight Fedor in the finals, but now it’s just up to Fedor to do the job. Tomorrow from New York, Chael Sonnen fights Fedor Emelianenko, with the winner challenging Bader in the finale of the Grand Prix. After these two events are done Bellator will be gone until mid-November.

Bellator 206 Full Report: Mousasi Stops MacDonald In The Second Round

Bellator put on maybe their biggest event of the year on Saturday, live from the SAP Center in San Jose. The card is very stacked, with the new champion Gegard Mousasi facing fellow champ Rory MacDonald in the 185 weight class. In the co-main event slot two absolute veterans of MMA face each other. Quinton “Rampage” Jackson faces Wanderlei Silva in a Heavyweight bout.

On a promotional scale this is also a big show for Bellator as it is their debut on sports streaming network DAZN (pronounced “The Zone”). DAZN had recently broadcasted the Anthony Joshua versus Alexander Povetkin boxing bout. The preliminary part of the show started on Bellator’s website.

  1. Kicking off the preliminary coverage was Josh San Diego facing Joe Neal in the 140lbs Catchweight. Neal went for a takedown only a minute into the first round. San Diego was dominant in the first round with strikes, getting a takedown in the final seconds of the round. In the second round San Diego out-striked Neal by a margin. The final round was close. Neal started to land good strikes. San Diego got two more takedowns once Neal started to step up his strikes. A significant amount of blood came from San Diego’s head due to an unintentional contact of heads. The fight went the distance, bringing everyone’s attention to the judge’s scorecards. The judges had scorecards that were near opposites to each other, but still giving San Diego the win (29-28 Neal, 30-27 San Diego & 29-28 San Diego).

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
San Diego 10 10 10 30
Neal 9 9 9 27

 

  1. Featherweight Jeremiah Labiano faced Justin Smithley in the second bout. Labiano landed a takedown in the first minute. After that they were battling on the ground for the whole round. At one point Smithley was getting hit over and over with hammer strikes, only to respond with a taunting smile. Labiano started to really rain down the strikes while on top, triggering the ref to stop the fight.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Labiano
Smithley

 

  1. Continuing on the prelims was Amber Leibrock versus Arlene Blencowe in another Featherweight bout. Early in the first round Leibrock landed a knee that had Blencowe in trouble. Blencowe recovered and kept it to kickboxing for the final minutes. The second round was much closer with Blencowe being able to match or even do better than Leibrock’s boxing. While the majority of the second round was standing a takedown was done with 20 or so seconds left. Blencowe opened the third round with a takedown. Leibrock tried for an armbar, but Blencowe escaped it with a slam, putting Leibrock right on her head. This really hurt Leibrock, giving Blencowe the win after a few more strikes. Blencowe was weeping out of joy after the fight.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Leibrock 10 9
Blencowe 9 10

 

  1. In a Bantamweight fight, Ty Costa battled against Cass Bell. Bell has a very distinct golf course green dyed hair. Bell went to the first round on my scorecard. Costa found himself in a similar situation to the last bout in an Armbar. He tried to slam Bell but didn’t get the same result as what Blencowe got. Costa eventually submitted after Bell really locked in the Armbar.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Costa 9
Bell 10

 

  1. We went to another Catchweight bout, this time at 160lbs. Adam Piccolotti faced James Terry. Piccolotti won the first round but was even more prominent with his jab in the second round. This whole fight was an absolute war between these two. Terry became bloodied in the final round. The fight went the full 15 minutes, with the judges giving Adam Piccolotti the win unanimously (29-28, 30-27 & 30-27).

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Piccolotti (R) 10 10
Terry 9 9

 

  1. The main card began after the last fight. The show started with the competitors of the top three bouts tonight coming out to do faceoffs on the stage. The first fight on the main card was Gaston Bolanos versus Ysidro Gutierrez in a Featherweight bout. After being a nearly even first round, Bolanos floored Gutierrez with a left. He landed many strikes from on top to close out the fight and give him the victory.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Bolanos (R) 10
Gutierrez 9

 

  1. Keri Melendez faced Dakota Zimmerman. The first round was explosive right out of the gates with Melendez slamming Zimmerman in an attempt to escape a hold. Zimmerman was trying for a Triangle with over a minute left. It was turned into an Armbar that Melendez was able to endure until the end of the round. The second round was fought mostly up against the cage. Melendez was dominant with striking while Zimmerman was possibly better on the ground. The fight went all three rounds. Keri Melendez won via Split Decision (29-28 Melendez, 29-28 Zimmerman & 29-28 Melendez).

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Melendez (R) 9 10 10 29
Zimmerman 10 9 9 28

 

  1. The up and comer in MMA Aaron Pico competed against Leandro Higo. Quick in the first round both guys were throwing hands. Higo was even throwing some knees when in clinch. Higo got dropped with punches and got back up quickly. Pico kept up the intensity and took down Higo once again. Higo stayed standing but took numerous unanswered shots. While the Pico put on a good performance, the ref really let this go too long. Pico continues to never leave the first round in his MMA career.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Pico
Higo

 

  1. Bellator has had lots of news swirl around about their Welterweight tournament. News broke days ago that of all people, 50 Cent will put forward $1 Million Dollars that goes to the winner of the tournament. It begins tonight with Douglas Lima versus Andrey Koreshkov in a quarter-final fight. This fight is scheduled for five rounds. Round one was primarily against the cage. The second round found itself in a similar position after very methodical stand up. Lima was able to get more strikes in the third round, giving him the round on my scorecard. In between round three and four the broadcast showed that UFC 2-division champion Daniel Cormier is in attendance. Koreshkov got stunned at the 10 second warning of round 4. In the fifth round, Lima put in a Rear Naked Choke after strikes to get the win.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Round 5 Total
Lima 9 10 10 10
Koreshkov 10 9 9 9

 

  1. In the co-main event slot tonight, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson faced Wanderlei Silva for the fourth time in their career. If Jackson gets the win, he ties the rivalry 2-2. When the two fighters met in the middle before the bell there was no glove touch. At the start of the first round Jackson taunted Silva, signalling to try to hit him. A minute and a half into the first round, Silva was pushed to the cage after being rocked by some strikes. These two both had great combinations after what was a slow first half of the first round. The first round came to a close with both fighters taunting each other. At the start of round two both guys were teeing off. With three minutes left Silva went into a clinch after being shook by a left-right combination. With 30 seconds left in the second round, Jackson dropped Silva with a left and right hook then continued to hit him on the ground until the ref called off the fight. After the fight Rampage said that everyone should respect Wanderlei because nobody else is like him.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Jackson 10
Silva 9

 

  1. Finally, to cover the main event of the evening. In a champ versus champ bout, Gegard Mousasi fights Rory MacDonald. The first round was stand up only, with Mousasi winning it on my scorecard. In the second round MacDonald shot for a takedown but only later would he find out that it was very much to his detriment. Mousasi was able to land tons of shots on the ground and win the fight via stoppage. This ended the evening of fights.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Round 5 Total
Mousasi 10
MacDonald 9

As Bellator now has this show in their rear view mirror, they look to their doubleheader weekend coming up in two weeks. The two cards decide the finalists in the Bellator Heavyweight World Grand Prix. Matt Mitrione battles Ryan Bader in Uncasville, CT on the 12th, and the next night Fedor Emelianenko fights Chael Sonnen. That bout takes place in Uniondale, NY. In the MMA world outside of Bellator, there’s a lot going on. This weekend isn’t even over, as RIZIN puts on RIZIN.13 in only a few hours from now. Next week Conor McGregor battles Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 229. Below them on the fight card is 12 other bouts.

Bellator 205 Full Report: McKee Wins In The First Round

This weekend’s Bellator event feels like a primer for what comes next week. In 8 days Bellator will pack the SAP Center in San Jose, California. The show will have a Heavyweight battle between Rampage Jackson and Wanderlei Silva, and also a Champion versus Champion bout in the Middleweight division when Gegard Mousasi faces Rory MacDonald. But until then, we have this card to view. Live from Boise, Idaho in the Centurylink Arena, the main event is a Featherweight battle between John Macapa and the still undefeated A.J. McKee. Below them on the main card was three other fights.

The main card began with Patricky Pitbull versus Roger Huerta in a Lightweight bout. Pitbull got rocked early in the first round, but recovered while answering back with strikes of his own. Pitbull really knew when to pick his spots when it comes to stand up fighting. Huerta really picked up the pace at the end of the round. With around 25 seconds left in the first, Pitbull got a takedown. At the start of the second round Huerta got dropped with strikes. Somehow, Huerta held on for 10 more seconds before the ref waved it off. By the time round one was halfway through you could tell that this fight would not be going the whole 15 minutes.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Pitbull 9
Huerta 10

Continuing on with the main card was Veta Arteaga versus Denise Kielholtz in a Flyweight bout. Arteaga had the crowd behind her since she was billed from Boise. Kielholtz seemed to want to keep it standing up in the first round while Arteaga went for a takedown many times. In the second round Arteaga got her first significant battle on the ground. After Kielholtz unpredictably shot for a takedown, while getting back up Arteaga was able to get a Guillotine. After fully locking in the standing Guillotine, Kielholtz tapped to end the fight. After the fight Veta said that she thinks that she deserves a title shot.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Arteaga 9
Kielholtz 10

In the co-main event slot tonight, the undefeated Middleweight Rafael Lovato Jr. fought John Salter. The first round was purely stand up, which came as a shock because of how much the grappling of these two fighters was hyped up. In the second round, Lovato Jr. dropped Salter then went down for a Guillotine. Interesting how they stayed standing for so long with no desperation for ground game until there was a necessary moment to go there. The final few minutes of the round had the grappling that was billed for the bout. More than halfway into the third round, Lovato was wailing away on Salter while on the ground. Lovato Jr. got a submission in after repeated ground and pound to make Salter tap. After the fight, Lovato Jr. asked for a title shot after the fight. His post-fight interview/promo was very good.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Lovato Jr. 10 10
Salter 9 9

The main event of the evening was John Teixeira versus A.J. McKee. It’s a 23 year old undefeated fighter in McKee versus Teixeira, a fighter at age 31 with much more experience under his belt. Early in the first round there was an amazing catch of a spinning back kick from Teixeira. Only moments later, Teixeira got dropped by a left hand to end the bout very early. McKee did not have to land any more strikes after just the one. McKee wins and improves his undefeated streak to 12-0. Like many others on this show, McKee asked for a title shot in his post-fight interview. This wrapped up Bellator’s final show before they make their DAZN exclusive debut on their Saturday night broadcast next week.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
McKee
Teixeira

 

Jon Jones Issued 15 Month USADA Suspension

This afternoon it was announced formally by USADA that UFC fighter Jon Jones has been issued a 15 month suspension due to his failed UFC 214 drug test. What was originally planned to be a 30 month suspension was shortened to half it’s length after Jon provided USADA with “substantial assistance.” Jones’ suspension is set to expire on October 28.

Jon has since then issued a statement on many social media platforms. He finished his Instagram post about the matter saying “Greatness is what I’m chasing and the path to reclaiming my throne is now officially open. Comeback Season begins now.”

Bellator 204 Full Report: Caldwell Gets Round 2 Stoppage

On Friday Bellator hosted Bellator 204, with four fights on the main card. Bellator is in South Dakota this week at the Stanford Pentagon. The first fight of the evening was Tywan Claxton versus Cris Lencioni in a Featherweight bout. With 30 to go in the first round Claxton did a Fortnite dance to mock Lencioni. Claxton essentially out-wrestled Claxton for 15 minutes. Throughout the weekend the two have been beefing, and the beef even carried after the bell, with Claxton should “What? What?.” All three judges gave Claxton a 30-27 win.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Lencioni 9 9 9 27
Claxton 10 10 10 30

Undefeated James Gallagher challenged Ricky Bandejas in the next bout. Gallagher had a loud entrance, and got in Bandejas’ face during the commercial break. He for sure seems like a personality. This was Gallagher’s first Bantamweight fight. Gallagher got rocked hard by a right hand and stood back up, but got dropped seconds later and finished off with more punches. The crowd went absolutely wild for this. Bandejas was in Gallagher’s face right after the stoppage, with many people shoving him back. Before the stoppage he got around 5 hits in unanswered. If this fight proved anything, it’s that having the right attitude and being confident is the first step, but not the only step to winning a fight.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Bandejas
Gallagher

The co-main event of the evening was A.J. Matthews versus Logan Storley. Storley got a huge reaction from the crowd since he was billed from South Dakota. Storley got a takedown early in the first round after dodging a swing. Storley started to land a flurry of strikes with 2 and a half to go, but the ref kept it going. The referee called a timeout with a minute to go in the first round due to a supposed illegal knee. The doctor at ringside checked out Matthews, but then decided to continue the fight. Storley of course brought it right back to the ground. Matthews survived the round but risked the chance of being scored as a 10-8 round loss. In round 2 Storley brought it to the ground once again. Minutes later he started landing tons of unanswered strikes until the ref finally called it. Matthews being finished off wasn’t an “if”, it was a “when.”

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Matthews 10
Storley 8

The main event of the evening is Darrion Caldwell faced Noad Lahat. The first round was slow but close, with my scorecard going towards Caldwell. In the second round Caldwell got Lahat on the ground and started hitting him from behind until the ref put a stop to the battle. Caldwell prevails as Bellator goes off air.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Caldwell 10
Lahat 9

 

Bellator Fights Reported 8/11/18 – 8/17/18

With a Bellator event this Friday, the promotion has been hot on announcing bouts.

Roy Nelson vs. Sergei Kharitonov – Bellator 207

Sergei Kharitonov and Roy Nelson will both compete in their third Bellator fight against each other at Bellator 207. Before this news was broken by MMAJunkie there was already another Heavyweight clash between Matt Mitrione and Ryan Bader set as the main event of the evening. That fight is a semi-final of the Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix. The winner meets the winner of a Fedor vs. Sonnen fight.

Benson Henderson vs. Saad Awad – Bellator 208

Benson Henderson and Saad Awad are set to square off in October at Bellator 208 in the promotions third visit to the state of New York. MMAJunkie broke the news Tuesday that this fight will go down. Awad’s last fight was in June, beating Ryan Couture in a first round stoppage. Henderson is also coming off an impressive performance at Bellator 196 beating Roger Huerta in the second round through submission. They will be fighting on the same card as the highly anticipated bout between Fedor Emelianenko and Chael Sonnen in the Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix Semi-finals.

Cheick Kongo vs. Timothy Johnson – Bellator 208

On the same card as the previously mentioned Henderson vs. Awad bout is Cheick Kongo versus Timothy Johnson. The story was broken live on ESPN’s Ariel And The Bad Guy talk show. Bellator veteran Cheick Kongo hopes to spoil the welcoming party for Johnson, whose last bout was in the UFC back in February.

Patricio Freire vs. Emmanuel Sanchez – Unnamed Show

Friday afternoon MMAJunkie reported that Patricio Freire will face Emmanuel Sanchez in a November fight in Israel. Bellator has made two trips to Israel, airing tape delayed shows, and aims to do so once again with two Bellator veterans. While a date is set for the fight, the name/number of the Bellator show is not yet known. Freire recently won the sequel bout against Daniel Weichel after going five rounds. Sanchez is on a four fight win streak, recently getting a first round Triangle Choke finish against Sam Sicilia.

UFC Fights Reported 8/11/18 – 8/17/18

Just like every week, there have been many fights added to upcoming UFC cards.

Lucie Pudilova vs. Irene Aldana – UFC 228

Irene Aldana, who was scheduled to fight on UFC 227 against Bethe Correia has been bumped to 228 with a new opponent. UFC announced that Aldana will face Lucie Pudilova on the UFC Fight Pass Early Prelims, presumably finishing the currently 14 fight card. Both fighters are coming off a victory, both via Unanimous decision.

Sean O’Malley vs. Jose Quinonez – UFC 229

Charismatic “Sugar” Sean O’Malley has been put back on assignment, with his next task being Jose Quinonez at UFC 229. The fight was announced by O’Malley himself Monday while on Ariel Helwani’s MMA Show. Quinonez has lost two of his nine career bouts, while O’Malley has stayed 10-0, undefeated. O’Malley broke into the UFC through season 1 of Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series, being one of the biggest personalities on the show. Since then he has picked up two more wins, both via scorecards. He was sidelined briefly after his last win as he suffered a foot injury that needed surgery.

Quinonez has been on a tear himself as well, being on a four fight win streak with the past three being going all three rounds. The only time that Quinonez has lost in the UFC was back in 2014 when he made his debut. Quinonez looks to improve to five wins in a row and to end O’Malley’s undefeated streak on the same night that McGregor challenges Nurmagomedov for a belt that he previously held.

Alan Patrick vs. Scott Holtzman – UFC 229

Adding to the Las Vegas card is Alan Patrick and Scott Holtzman. Reported by Combate and MMAFighting.com, Patrick and Holtzman will battle in the Lightweight division on October 6th at the T-Mobile Arena. UFC has yet to confirm this bout for the lineup.

PFL 6 Report: Cooper III Wins In 18 Seconds

Live from Atlantic City, New Jersey, PFL presents it’s 6th fight since it’s new season format. Starting off the Facebook Live prelims for PFL 6 had major implications. Eddie Gordon faces fellow Middleweight Gasan Umalatov, with the winner being taken out of playoff contention. In Umalatov’s corner for this fight was Khabib Nurmagomedov. In Gordon’s corner was Matt Serra and Ray Longo. The first round was a feeling out process with a burst of energy in the final 30 seconds. In the final two rounds both fighters fought a composed battle, with Umalatov outplaying him. All three judges gave Umalatov won 30-27 unanimously. Gordon seemed confident up until the moment that the score was announced. This was an obvious closed case before the announcement even came.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Gordon 9 9 9 27
Umalatov 10 10 10 30

The second bout went to the ground almost immediately. Andre Lobato was trying repeatedly to get a submission in, but Taylor was avoiding it while landing strikes. The commentary booth did not understand why Taylor repeatedly went for takedowns on a guy who has such good ground game. Taylor had good takedowns in the second, outscoring Lobato who wasn’t engaging as much. This fight went the distance with the judges giving Taylor the Unanimous win (30-27, 30-27 & 30-26).

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Taylor 10 10 10 30
Lobato 9 9 9 27

The next fight is Rex Harris, who defeated Lobato who just fought a few shows ago, facing Shamil Gamzatov. This fight was very close, staying standing for most of the time. Just like the two fights before this one went the whole 15 minutes. Gamzatov stays undefeated after a Unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27 & 29-28).

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Harris 9 9 10 28
Gamzatov 10 10 9 29

Abus Magomedov faced Anderson Goncalves in the next bout. In the first round Magomedov landed a strong right strike to down Goncalves. The ref rushed over to end the fight while Magomedov was adding a few extra punches to the exchange.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Magomedov
Goncalves

Continuing with the prelims, Bruno Santos tested his skills against John Howard. Howard fought in a style where he would act all collected but then explode with punched every 20 seconds. Santos took it to the ground with two takedowns in the first round. Howard hit Santos many times in the second round then took him down to the ground. It looked scary for Santos but he recovered. Howard was fighting the clock at the end of round 3 as he had an submission move on Santos. Santos was able to last the final 10 seconds, making the fight go the distance. Bruno Santos picked up his win Unanimously (30-27, 30-27 & 29-28).

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Santos 10 10 10 30
Howard 9 9 9 27

Jake Shields, who was coming off his main event loss from a months ago is facing Herman Terrado. This was another elimination bout. The first round was close, but went to Shields in my book. The second round was primarily on the ground. Shields got a takedown then stayed in control for the rest of the time. In the final round Shields started to get rocked by some shots while standing. He recovered when he went to the ground. Shields held on for the rest of the round and made it go to decision. The judges all had Shields win 29-28.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Terrado 9 9 10 28
Shields 10 10 9 29

Carlton Minus comes in as a last moment replacement to face Rick Story in the final preliminary bout. Minus has fought his whole career in Alaska up until now. Story was dominant in the first round, not ever coming close to a finish, but being successful. Story did a takedown and went into full guard seemingly with ease in the second round. When Story slipped in the Rear Naked Choke it put him away. Completely one sided fight.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Minus 9
Story 10

Starting off the main card on NBCSN was Joao Zeferino versus Yuri Villefort. Zeferino had outstanding ground game in the first round, with his strikes visibly shaking Villefort. Zeferino had a slower second round, exploding in the end of the round. In the third round Zeferino finally put a stop to it with a Rear Naked Choke. After the fight Zeferino talked about how he was battling illness leading up to the fight. His will power to not give up is what powered him on.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Zeferino 10 10
Villefort 9 9

In the first elimination fight of the main card, Jonatan Westin faced Abubakar Nurmagomedov. In the first round Nurmagomedov was hit below the belt by accident. Luckily he was able to get back into the battle within moments. Nurmagomedov was able to take it to the ground in the first round and land tons of strikes. At the start of round 2 Westin got clipped right before getting taken down. Westin got close to putting in a Triangle Choke but could not succeed with it. With a minute left Westin almost slipped in a submission but Abubakar avoided. Westin had a significant cut on his head throughout the third round. The judges gave Abubakar Nurmagomedov the win via Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27 & 29-28). This continued the winning streak for fighters that Khabib Nurmagomedov were cornering this evening.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Westin 9 9 9 27
Nurmagomedov 10 10 10 30

The next fight is a very interesting one. Jozette Cotton faced Kayla Harrison. Harrison made her debut at PFL 2 winning via submission. It will be interesting to see how she can fair in only her second fight. Harrison called her shot, that being either a KO or a submission in round 1. When Cotton was asked what she predicts, she said she will win in the second round via stoppage. A very good video package about Harrison was played before the fight. Harrison took the fight to the ground, where Cotton didn’t want it. Harrison went into full mount with a minute left and started swinging away. Harrison put in an Armbar with 20 seconds to go, but Cotton survived. Kayla brought the fight back to the ground almost immediately in the second round. Kayla seemed less focused on submission moves and more focused on strikes this time around. 15 seconds into the third round Harrison executed another takedown. When Harrison started to really land strikes on top the ref finally put a stop to it. It was impressive how long Cotton was able to stay in the fight.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Cotton 8 9
Harrison 10 10

Bojan Velickovic faced Magomed Magomedkerimov in the co-main event of the evening. Just like many other fights on this card, Khabib was in the Russian’s corner. Magomed got a takedown and put Velickovic in a Guillotine. Somehow he escaped the hold, which was applied tightly. A section of the crowd was rallying behind Magomed. There was a pause for both fighters in this fight as each other them were hit in the groin. The second round was so close, with very entertaining ground game. This fight went the distance in a absolute competition. Khabib’s management goes 5-0 tonight.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Velickovic 9 10 9 29
Magomedkerimov 10 9 10 28

In the main event of the evening, Paulo Kusch faced Ray Cooper III. 15 seconds into the main event Cooper III floored Kusch with strikes making the ref step in almost immediately. It looked like he landed a strike after the ref intervened, but it didn’t connect. The crowd was absolutely stunned by this stoppage. Cooper III clinched the #1 seed for his weight class with this win. Kusch left the octagon before the official decision. This wrapped up PFL 6.

My Scorecard:

Fighter Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Total
Kusch
Cooper III