Tag: MMA

Michael “Venom” Page and Yusaku Nakamura Among Names Announced In 2 Additional Bellator Japan Bouts

The announcement of two more Bellator Japan bouts was broken on Saturday via Twitter, including well-known promotional star Michael “Venom” Page.

MVP will face former UFC fighter Shinsho Anzai at a catchweight of 173 lbs. Japan’s Anzai recently picked up a win at DEEP Impact 91 against Yoichiro Sato. Including a 2-2 UFC run, Anzai has a professional record of 11-3.

Page recently got a victory at Bellator London over Gianni Melillo, his second win since his first pro loss which came via knockout against Douglas Lima in May.

The matchup will be under unified MMA rules, unlike some other bouts on the card which follow RIZIN’s ruleset.

Also announced for Bellator Japan was Yusaku Nakamura and Makoto Shinryu facing off. The fight will have RIZIN MMA rules, and will be held at 127 lbs.

Nakamura has appeared in RIZIN many times, both as a kickboxer and MMA fighter. He debuted in the promotion at RIZIN 10, losing to Tenshin Nasukawa. After a loss to Manel Kape, Nakamura got his first win in the promotion at RIZIN 16 over Topnoi Tiger Muay Thai.

Shinryu is a frequent fighter in regional Japanese promotion DEEP, currently on a three fight winning streak. His singular loss as a pro comes from Tatsumitsu Wada, a fighter who got promoted to ONE Championship in 2018.

Bellator Japan will take place at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan on December 29th. The event will be broadcasted live on DAZN and the Paramount Network, starting at 10PM EST.

Here’s a full look at the Bellator Japan card as of right now.:

  1. Fedor Emelianenko (38-6) vs. Rampage Jackson (38-13) (Heavyweight)
  2. Sidney Outlaw (14-3) vs. Michael Chandler (19-5) (160 lbs Catchweight)
  3. Lorenz Larkin (21-7) vs. K-Taro Nakamura (35-10-2) (Welterweight)
  4. Ilara Joanne (9-4) vs. Kana Watanabe (8-0-1) (Flyweight)
  5. Goiti Yamauchi (24-4) vs. Daron Cruickshank (22-12) (Lightweight)
  6. Andy Nguyen (6-8) vs. AI (5-1) (Strawweight)
  7. Ren Hiramoto vs. Takahiro Ashida (Catchweight 150 lbs Kickboxing)
  8. Ryuichiro Sumimura (14-7) vs. Jon Tuck (10-5) (Lightweight)
  9. Jarred Brooks (15-2) vs. Haruo Ochio (19-7-2) (Strawweight)
  10. Hiroto Uesako (16-8) vs. Yusuke Yachi (20-9) (Lightweight)
  11. Michael Page (16-1) vs. Shinsho Anzai (11-3) (Catchweight 173 lbs)
  12. Yusaku Nakamura (16-6-1) vs. Makoto Shinryu (9-1-1) (Catchweight 127 lbs)

Benson Henderson Out of Rematch Against Michael Chandler At Bellator Japan, Replaced By Sidney Outlaw

News broke on Twitter late Wednesday night that Benson Henderson was pulled from his Bellator Japan fight against Michael Chandler due to injury. Replacing him will be Sidney Outlaw.

“I got an injury, and I will not be able to participate in the December 29th festivities in Japan,” said Henderson in a video announcement on Twitter. “I’m hoping that Bellator reschedules it for later on – Chandler and I.”

The new matchup between Chandler and Outlaw will be at a catchweight of 160 lbs.

Outlaw returned to Bellator last month, defeating Roger Huerta via unanimous decision. His previous fight in Bellator was in 2014, when he got a win over Mike Bannon.

He has fought in larger American regional promotions like CFFC, Island Fights and Ring of Combat.

Chandler’s fight against Henderson was meant to be a rematch, as they previously matched up in the UFC, where Chandler won via decision.

Chandler’s last fight was a loss to Patricio Pitbull in just over a minute via punches.

Bellator Japan will happen on December 29th at 10 PM EST on the Paramount Network and DAZN, live from Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

Here’s how Bellator Japan, also known as Bellator 237 looks as of right now:

  1. Fedor Emelianenko (38-6) vs. Rampage Jackson (38-13) (Heavyweight)
  2. Sidney Outlaw (14-3) vs. Michael Chandler (19-5) (160 lbs Catchweight)
  3. Lorenz Larkin (21-7) vs. K-Taro Nakamura (35-10-2) (Welterweight)
  4. Ilara Joanne (9-4) vs. Kana Watanabe (8-0-1) (Flyweight)
  5. Goiti Yamauchi (24-4) vs. Daron Cruickshank (22-12) (Lightweight)
  6. Andy Nguyen (6-8) vs. AI (5-1) (Strawweight)
  7. Ren Hiramoto vs. Takahiro Ashida (68 kg Kickboxing)
  8. Ryuichiro Sumimura (14-7) vs. Jon Tuck (10-5) (Lightweight)
  9. Jarred Brooks (15-2) vs. Haruo Ochio (19-7-2) (Strawweight)
  10. Hiroto Uesako (16-8) vs. Yusuke Yachi (20-9) (Lightweight)

Three More Fights Added To Bellator Japan

Three more fights have been added to Bellator’s December 29th event which is co-promoted with RIZIN.

RIZIN’s super atomweight fighter Kanna Asakura return to face Jayme Hinshaw. The American fighter has picked up a 4-3 record fighting in King of the Cage. She will be coming back from a 17-month layoff, last fighting in the summer of 2018. Asakura bounced back from a loss to Miyuu Yamamoto in August, defeating Alesha Zappitella via split decision at RIZIN 18.

The sole kickboxing bout on the card will see former K-1 kickboxer Ren Hiramoto return to face Takahiro Ashida. Hiramoto fought for four years as a pro in K-1, recently being absent from kickboxing for a year. With a background in judo, Ashida has a 23-10-2 record in MMA. He has mostly fought in the regional promotion DEEP Impact, with appearances in other promotions as well.

Also added to the card was a heavyweight matchup between Sergey Shemetov and Shoma Shibisai. Shemetov has never fought in RIZIN or Bellator, but his brother Vitaly Shemetov has. Shibisai made his return to RIZIN at RIZIN 19, defeating Chang Hee Kim in just over a minute.

Here is the full Bellator Japan card as of right now:

  1. Fedor Emelianenko (38-6) vs. Rampage Jackson (38-13) (Heavyweight)
  2. Benson Henderson (28-8) vs. Michael Chandler (19-5) (Lightweight)
  3. Lorenz Larkin (21-7) vs. K-Taro Nakamura (35-10-2) (Welterweight)
  4. Ilara Joanne (9-4) vs. Kana Watanabe (8-0-1) (Flyweight)
  5. Goiti Yamauchi (24-4) vs. Daron Cruickshank (22-12) (Lightweight)
  6. Andy Nguyen (6-8) vs. AI (5-1) (Strawweight)
  7. Ren Hiramoto vs. Takahiro Ashida (68 kg Kickboxing)
  8. Ryuichiro Sumimura (14-7) vs. Jon Tuck (10-5) (Lightweight)
  9. Jarred Brooks (15-2) vs. Haruo Ochio (19-7-2) (Strawweight)
  10. Hiroto Uesako (16-8) vs. Yusuke Yachi (20-9) (Lightweight)

C.B. Dollaway To Challenge For Jiri Prochazka’s Light Heavyweight Title In RIZIN Debut

Former UFC fighter C.B. Dollaway will move to Japanese MMA promotion RIZIN for his next fight, challenging Jiri Prochazka for the promotion’s Light Heavyweight Championship at RIZIN 20.

The fight will take place on New Year’s Eve at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. It will be one of the three championship bouts on the card.

Dollaway won season seven of the UFC’s TV series The Ultimate Fighter. He fought in the promotion for a decade, getting a record of 11-9 before his departure.

Jiri Prochazka has attained a record of 9-1 since joining RIZIN in 2015, avenging his singular loss earlier this year against King Mo, winning his championship in the process.

Prochazka has yet to defend his belt since winning it in April.

Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson Set For April 18

After reports surfaced earlier this week of a clash between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson, it was confirmed on Friday night.  The meeting between the fighters will take place on April 18th at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, USA.

Reported by Brett Okamoto of ESPN, it was made official last night that Nurmagomedov would defend his UFC Lightweight Championship against Ferguson. The report details a meeting between Ferguson’s team and the UFC yesterday, where they signed the contract for the fight.

Nurmagomedov’s side signed off on the fight earlier in the week, as his manager Ali Abdelaziz tweeted a photo of the contract.

Nurmagomedov has held the UFC’s Lightweight Championship since early 2018, defeating Al Iaquinta to get the vacant belt. Since then he has bested Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier.

Ferguson currently carries a 12-fight winning streak, recently prevailing over Donald Cerrone in June.

Conor McGregor To Return On Jan. 18 To Face Donald Cerrone

After a 15-month layoff from MMA which included numerous controversies, Conor McGregor will return to fight “Cowboy” Donald Cerrone at UFC 246 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.

First reported by Brett Okamoto at ESPN, news broke Thursday afternoon that McGregor and Cerrone would fight in a headlining fight that is not for a championship and is a welterweight bout.

In his time off, McGregor has been competing in court. Last March, McGregor had criminal charges dismissed in a case where he took someone’s phone and threw it into the ground.

More famously, in August a video surfaced of McGregor punching a man at a bar. Earlier this month he received a fine of 1,000 euro, pleading guilty to assault.

Last month, the New York Times reported that McGregor was being investigated in Ireland for sexual assault for the second time this year.

McGregor’s last fight was in late 2018, losing to Khabib Nurmagomedov in the fourth round via rear naked choke. That fight was for the Lightweight Championship.

Cerrone will attempt to snap a two-fight losing streak, recently losing in the first round to Justin Gathje.

 

Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Tony Ferguson In The Works For April

The highly anticipated matchup between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Tony Ferguson could happen on April 18th at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, USA, sources say.

First reported by Brett Okamoto of ESPN and further backed up by Damon Martin at MMAFighting, it has been reported that the two lightweights will headline a card on that date. An official announcement by the UFC has yet to be made.

On Monday, Nurmagomedov’s manager Ali Abdelaziz tweeted a photo of a contract, saying “The champ signed his bout agreement against Tony Ferguson.”

Ferguson and Nurmagomedov were first supposed to face off at UFC 223, although a torn knee ligament for Ferguson soiled the plans.

He returned from his injury in late 2018, defeating Anthony Pettis on UFC 229, a card which Nurmagomedov headlined against Conor McGregor.

Nurmagomedov made his second defence of his UFC Lightweight Championship in September, defeating Dustin Poirier with a third-round rear naked choke.

Ferguson is riding a 12-fight winning streak that dates back to 2013. Most recently, he prevailed over Donald Cerrone after a doctor’s stoppage before round three.

Two Bellator vs. RIZIN Fights Announced For RIZIN 20

Two Bellator versus RIZIN matchups were announced for RIZIN’s New Year’s Eve show on Thursday at a press conference. The announcement was one of the many at the event, including fights on the Bellator Japan card and Kyoji Horiguchi’s injury.

RIZIN’s Yuki Motoya will face Patrick Mix on the RIZIN 20 card in a bantamweight fight. Motoya recently lost to Hiromasa Ogiukubo at RIZIN 17 via decision. Mix is undefeated as a pro and has fought twice in Bellator since debuting earlier this year. Mix’s last seven wins have come via stoppage.

Also added to RIZIN 20 was Mikuru Asakura versus John Macapa. Asakura is currently on a six-fight tear, recently defeating Yusuke Yachi at RIZIN 17. Macapa snapped a 2018 three-fight losing streak earlier this year, defeating Kevin Croom then defeating Ashleigh Grimshaw two months ago.

Here’s how RIZIN 20 looks so far:

  1. Lightweight Grand Prix Grand Final
  2. Ayaka Hamasaki (19-2) vs. Seo Hee Ham (22-8)
  3. Johnny Case (27-6-1) vs. Tofiq Musaev (16-3) (Lightweight GP Semi-Final)
  4. Patricky Pitbull (22-8) vs. Luiz Gustavo (10-1) (Lightweight GP Semi-Final)
  5. Yuki Motoya (23-7) vs. Patrick Mix (12-0)
  6. Mikuru Asakura (11-1) vs. John Macapa (23-4-2)

 

Kyoji Horiguchi Out of RIZIN 20 Matchup Against Kai Asakura

Kyoji Horiguchi has been pulled from his New Year’s Eve fight against Kai Asakura due to injury, per a press conference on Thursday. It was reported that Horiguchi tore his ACL.

RIZIN says they will announce another main event soon.

Photos surfaced earlier in the week of Kyoji Horiguchi in a wheelchair with a bandage on his right knee.

The fight was set to be a rematch between the two after Asakura earned a first round stoppage win in a non-championship affair.

ONE Championship: Masters of Fate Full Report

ONE Championship returned to Manila, Philippines on Friday, with “ONE Championship: Masters of Fate.” Headlining the card was Flyweight Champion Joshua Pacio defending his belt against Rene Catalan. The show was held within a ring, and had 13 bouts overall.

Bout 1: Rosham Mainam (3-1) vs. Khon Sichan (3-4) (135 lbs.) (MMA Bout)

Starting off the preliminary card was Indian fighter Rosham Mainam making his ONE debut against Khon Sichan. Mainam got a takedown a minute into the fight. He was dominant in top position, landing strikes and trying for submissions. After putting in an americano, Rosham Mainam got a quick victory to start the show.

Bout 2: Kim Kyu Sung (9-3) vs. Akihiro Fujisawa (5-2) (135 lbs) (MMA Bout)

The next bout saw ONE Hero Series winner Akihiro Fujisawa face Kim Kyu Sung. Both fighters were trying to come back from losses. After a minute of striking, Kim landed an uppercut which dropped Fujisawa and ended the bout. The quick and flashy victory put Kim Kyu Sung to 1-1 in ONE. Akihiro Fujisawa extended his ONE losing streak to three in a row.

Bout 3: Kim Jae Woong (9-3) vs. Rafael Nunes (11-2) (155 lbs) (MMA Bout)

The next fight saw Kim Jae Woong make his ONE debut against Rafael Nunes, who attempted to bounce back from a loss. Both fighters had some good striking early on. Nunes tried for a single leg takedown in the second minute of the fight, and got pelted with punches on the way down. Nunes kept getting tagged in stand-up. Nunes tried again for a takedown by initiating a body lock but couldn’t get it. Nunes was on the back of Woong as the round ended.

The second round started with a close striking battle. Nunes got a takedown in the second minute of the round, but Kim ended up on top. They got back up with Nunes on Woong’s back. They went back to striking halfway through the round. Woong landed a good knee in the clinch. Woong avoided another takedown in the final minute. Woong had Nunes cornered in the end of the round and started to pick him apart.

Halfway through the first minute, Woong landed a body punch that hurt Nunes. Woong came in with knees to the head until the referee called an end to the bout.

Bout 4: Tukkatatong Petpayathai (242-33) vs. Hiroaki Suzuki (41-12 Kickboxing) (145 lbs) (Muay Thai Bout)

The next preliminary bout saw experienced fighters Tukkatatong Petpayathai and Hiroaki Suzuki face off in a muay thai bout. They competed in MMA gloves. The first round saw lots of low kicks from both fighters. Suzuki was the quicker starter. Suzuki did a good job at catching kicks and using them as a counter. There was an especially good combination from Suzuki as the round ended, catching a kick and throwing hooks.

Suzuki continued to catch the kicks in the second round. Despite catching many kicks, damage started to show on the left side of Suzuki. Tukkatatong started to put together some solid punches in the second round.

The final round felt like it was mostly Tukkatatong coming forward and putting together strikes. With the fight going the distance, it needed scorecards to determine a winner. With a split decision, Tukkatatong Petpayathai got the victory.

Bout 5: Robin Catalan (8-6) vs. Gustavo Balart (8-3) (135 lbs) (MMA Bout)

Switching back to MMA, Gustavo Balart faced Robin Catalan. Early on in the fight, Balart was landing good shots. Being the first Filippino on the card, Catalan had the crowd loud. Balart put on a body lock, slowing down Catalan’s offence. As billed by the commentators, this was a striking versus wrestling battle. Balart got a takedown with two minutes to go in the round.

When the second round started, Balart chased another takedown. He got one halfway through the round. In the closing minute of the round, Catalan threw a leg kick which collapsed Balart. After a devastating KO, Robin Catalan moved his ONE record to 5-4.

Bout 6: Han Zi Hao (61-16) vs. Kongsak (183-39-2) (145 lbs) (Muay Thai Bout)

In the second-last muay thai fight of the evening, China’s Han Zi Hao faced Thailand’s Kongsak. The first round was a slow one, Kongsak catching a leg kick and countering with one of his own at one point.

Kongsak dictated the second round for the most part. The final round, like the ones before wasn’t a very fast-paced one. Heading to the scorecards, Kongsak got the victory via unanimous decision.

Bout 7: Yoshitaka Naito (14-3) vs. Pongsiri Misatit (10-3) (125 lbs) (MMA Bout)

Finishing off the prelims was Yoshitaka Naito and Pongsiri Misatit in an MMA bout. Naito went for a single-leg takedown early on eventually getting it. They got back up, with it only taking a few more minutes before Naito brought it back to the ground. Misatit did not do much in the stand-up.

Similar to the first round, Naito got a takedown quickly. After being in top position on the ground for a few minutes, Naito tried for an armbar. Apart from a few moments, Naito had the whole round on the ground.

Misatit landed a leg kick early in the third round as Naito was getting up. We saw the first real striking battle between the two in the start of the third. Naito failed to score a single leg takedown. Misatit stuffed a takedown, landing knees to counter it. Naito tried for a heel hook. He was able to get in side control after Misatit escaped the heel hook. The fight ran out of time with Naito in top position landing strikes. The judges all favoured Yoshitaka Naito as the winner.

Bout 8: Paul Lumihi (7-3) vs. Li Kai Wen (9-4) (145 lbs) (MMA Bout)

Starting off the main card, Paul Lumihi and Li Kai Wen battled. The fight started hectic, as Li Kai Wen came charging in with a Jorge Masvidal-like flying knee. After more striking, Wen landed a takedown and scored a knee strike. He tried for a guillotine choke, but Lumihi escaped and went back to stand-up. Wen kept coming forward with hard strikes. Wen charged forward with punches, eventually dropping Lumihi and getting a win. With a hard to follow and explosive performance, Li Kai Wen got his fourth stoppage victory in ONE in a row.

Bout 9: Stamp Fairtex (2-0) vs. Bi Nguyen (5-4) (115 lbs) (MMA Bout)

In the next fight, experienced muay thai fighter Stamp Fairtex fought in her third MMA fight against Bi Nguyen. Fairtex had a clear height advantage. Nguyen came forward with strikes early on, and got tossed by Fairtex. In a clinch, she landed knee strikes. After being in the clinch for a while, Fairtex landed a trip takedown. They got back up, but Fairtex stayed on Nguyen’s back. Nguyen caught a kick from Fairtex and backed her into the ropes. Fairtex had good combinations of punches throughout the round.

In the second round, Fairtex landed good knees in a clinch many times. Fairtex had a good flurry of strikes with a minute left in the second round. Both fighters showed a good pace, not slowing down their activity in the round. Fairtex danced as she headed to her corner at the end of the round.

The fight stayed as a striking battle in the third round, although the pace did slow down. Fairtex had some moments throughout the round still being the dominant striker. When going to the scorecards, all three judges favoured Stamp Fairtex as the winner. This was the first win for Fairtex in MMA that was no via stoppage.

Bout 10: Geje Eustaquio (12-8) vs. Toni Tauru (11-7) (135 lbs) (MMA Bout)

In the next fight, Finland’s Toni Tauru faced former ONE Bantamweight Champion Geje Eustaquio. Tauru had a significant height advantage. In the first minute of the fight, Tauru got a takedown, taking the back of Eustaquio. He searched for a rear naked choke, but never got his arm under the chin of Eustaquio. He escaped and took top position. With 20 seconds left in the round, both fighters were stood up due to inactivity.

The second round included more stand-up. Eustaquio was able to dip into the pocket and land strikes. He landed a great sweep after catching a kick. As expected, the crowd was behind Eustaquio.

Eustaquio was the more active striker much early in the third round. Halfway through the round, Eustaquio landed a spinning back kick which took down Tauru. The referee stepped in before Eustaquio had to do more damage.

Bout 11: Sangmanee Sathian Muaythai (180-26-5) vs. Azize Hlali (99-17-1)(145 lbs) (Muay Thai Bout)

The final muay thai bout of the evening saw Azize Hlali face Sangmanee Sathian Muaythai. Both fighters were making their ONE debut. Hlali countered a body kick early, sweeping Sangmanee with a responding kick.

Sangmanee had a better second round, landing more kicks and knees in the clinch. Fighters were pretty tied up going into the final round.

Sangmanee landed a good trip in the first minute of the final round. The fight went all nine minutes, with Sangmee Sathian Muaythai taking the unanimous decision win.

Bout 12: Eduard Folayang (21-8) vs. Amarsanaa Tsogookhuu (5-1) (170 lbs) (MMA Bout)

In the co-main event of the evening, Eduard Folayang looked to come back from recent losses to Shinya Aoki and Eddie Alvarez, facing 1-0 ONE fighter Amarsanaa Tsogookhuu. Both fighters started slow in the first round. Folayang had some good kicks in the first round.

At the start of the second round, the fighters went into a standing clinch after Tsogookhuu did a flying knee. Folayang got dropped halfway through the round, possibly colliding heads with Tsogookhuu. In top position, Tsogookhuu landed knees to the head. A doctor was brought in to check on Folayang’s cut. Since they passed the halfway point of the fight (by one second that is), they went to scorecards for a technical decision. Walking away with the victory was Eduard Folayang.

Bout 13: Joshua Pacio (17-3) vs. Rene Catalan (6-2) (ONE Strawweight Championship) (MMA Bout)

In the main event of the evening, ONE Strawweight (125 lbs) Champion Joshua Pacio put his championship on the line against fellow Filippino fighter Rene Catalan. The fight was scheduled for five rounds. Only a minute into the fight, Pacio got a takedown from a body lock. Catalan tried for a heel hook on the ground which Pacio eventually escaped. Pacio took top position on the ground, eventually switching into side control.

Pacio was the fighter marching forward with strikes at the start of the second round. Catalan tried for a takedown which Pacio stuffed. Pacio took top position on the ground in half guard. He looked for a head and arm choke. Catalan was in the head and arm choke for a while before finally tapping out. With a beautiful set up and head and arm choke, Joshua Pacio made his first defence of his championship reign.