UFC 116 Predictions

As Mike Goldberg would say "here we go!" as yell tap mma returns for UFC 116 and our predictions on this huge event. The Headliner on this card is the biggest heavyweight fight in UFC history between Interim Heavyweight Champion Shane Carwin and Heavyweight Champion the man hated by many loved by few Brock Lesnar. Lets get to the picks

Main Event
UFC Heavyweight Championship
Interim Champion Shane Carwin vs Reigning Champion Brock Lesnar


This will literally be the biggest heavyweight fight in UFC history as Carwin and Lesnar prepare to throw XXXXL and XXXXXL dukes in the center of the Octagon.  This will be Lesnar's first fight back since his life threatening battle with Diverticulitus and the cards in my opinion aren't nearly stacked in his favor. Lesnar and Carwin come from the same wrestling molds but both use them in different ways Lesnar to take his opponents down and make their faces look like freshly ground beef off the Lesnar farm in South Dakota. While Carwin uses his wrestling more like a Randy Couture to close distance keep the fight standing and clinch up and use his super human power in the dirty boxing relam. I think that at some point in this fight unless Carwin or Lesnar can clip the other early that Lesnar will be able to put Carwin on his back, but can he keep him there unlike Frank Mir who really didn't look to get up while Lesnar was on top of him how will Lesnar respond to a huge man with great power looking to get up it may be something a little different than anything Lesnar has felt before.  On the feet though I definitely feel that Carwin has the advantage in the stand-up as for no reason else than his power while I do think Lesnar can hold his own I'm just not 100% sold on Lesnar having the kind of power standing that Carwin has. Lesnar has already admitted that he will be fighting in the southpaw stance for the fight which really says he will be looking to shot in on Carwin. One alarming thing that Lesnar said though is that it is easy to bring someone in to mimick Shane Carwin which I don't believe true because you simply can not simulate power like Carwin's. I think in the end after Carwin gets up from being taken down by Lesnar the two will slug it out and Carwin will connect with his cinder block hand and put Lesnar down.

Yell Tap prediction: Carwin via 2nd round KO




Co-Main Event
Middleweight Division
Chris Leben vs Yoshihiro Akiyama
A lot about this fight can be told by Akiyama's attitude towards it since Wanderlei Silva pulled out. Akiyama almost wanted to pull out of this fight which is a telling sign that his heart isn't into this fight and it honestly could kill him against the heavy handed Leben who comes into the fight just 2 weeks after his last one. Akiyama is an elite judo player and really should look into that as his blue print for winning this fight because trading fists with the iron chinned Leben is not a bright idea and would crush Akiyama. While the feet are the advantage for Leben as was said earlier Akiyama should have the advantage on the ground and he should fight this fight like his with Melvin Manhoef by weathering the storm on the feet and getting a take down and submission. I don't think that will happen though as Leben is a more well rounded fighter than Manhoef.

Yell Tap Prediction: Leben via 2nd rd TKO


Welterweight Division
Matt Brown vs Chris Lytle
The throwdown of the will take place in this fight a rematch of a 2004 meeting between these two brawlers. Lytle has been around for what seems like forever and already holds a win over Brown in 2004, but I see this fight going a little differntly as I think Browns progression since their last bout and Lytle's willingness to brawl will hurt him here.

Yell Tap Prediction: Upset Special Brown via 2nd rd TKO


Light Heavyweight Division
Krystof Soszynski vs Stephan Bonnar
Another rematch here as Bonnar will attempt to get revenge on Soszynski for a controversial TKO loss at UFC 110 when a head butt from Soszynski caused a cut stoppage on Bonnar. This fight will look a lot like their first one but I'm gonna step out of the box and say Bonnar pulls this one out with his UFC career on the line.

Yell Tap Prediction: Bonnar via Unanimous Decision

Lightweight Division
Kurt Pellegrino vs George Sotiropoulos
The grappling battle of the night will take place in the opening bout of the evening and honestly I believe that this one comes down to the training and Kurt trained with better people "cough" Marcello Garcia "cough" and it will show at the end of the night.


Yell Tap prediction: Pellegrino via Unanimous Decision


Spike TV Prelims
Heavyweight Division
Brendan Schaub vs Chris Tuchscherer- Schaub via 2nd rd TKO


Light Heavyweight Division
Ricardo Romero vs Seth Petruzelli- Petruzelli via 3rd rd Submission


Prelims
Middleweight Division
Goran Reljic vs Kendall Grove- Reljic via TKO 3rd Rd


Welterweight Division 
Daniel Roberts vs Forrest Petz- Petz via Unanimous Decision


Heavyweight Division 
Jon Madsen vs Karlos Vemola- Vemola via 1st rd KO

UFC 112 Predictions

Well today is UFC 112, the main card is taking place live at 1 pm from Abu Dhabi the prelims start at 10 A.M. and coverage of those can be found on mmajunkie.com. Here are my picks for tomorrow

Main Event UFC Middleweight Championship
Demian  Maia (Challenger) VS Anderson Silva (Champion)

This fight is the classic example of a striker vs grappler matchup, but in hindsight Silva doesn't have the average strikers ground game. Though that ground game is honestly nowhere near that of multiple time jiu-jitsu champion Demian Maia. Although a friend of mine always brings up one point and that is that every fight starts on the feet and Maia will need to take Silva down to truly have any chance of winning. During the course of the fight I can see Maia getting a takedown, but it wont be enough as Silva laserbeams Maia in the 3rd round.
Anderson Silva by TKO 3rd Round


UFC Lightweight Championship
Frankie Edgar (Challenger) VS BJ Penn (Champion)

Truthfully to me on paper this fight doesn't look very fair because everything minus wrestling that Frankie does well BJ just does it better. That includes boxing, jiu-jitsu, and just overall control.  In the past I would have said that if Edgar pushes the pace he could win the latter rounds, but since Penn's move to train with the Maronviches his cardio has been great.  This fight should look a whole lot like the Diego vs BJ fight only with Penn finishing earlier.
BJ Penn by Submission 4th Round Rear Naked Choke




Renzo Gracie vs Matt Hughes

This fight might be the one I'm most looking forward to on the card as two legends will battle. Tons of backstory here as Hughes has beaten not only Renzo's cousin Royce, but also two of his star students in Matt Hughes and Ricardo Almedia while Renzo has beaten Hughes's former trainer Pat Militich. One thing disturbs me about this fight, and that is that almost all MMA reporters are counting Renzo out of this fight. I think that is a mistake even though he hasn't fought in 3 years his opponent in Hughes has only fought 1 time in two so that almost rules out ring rust on both sides, and I also feel that Hughes is just to confident thinking that Renzo is gonna be like Royce, but thats not the case as Renzo is probably the most game of all the Gracie's. Expect Renzo to use his stand-up to stifle Hughes into shooting and looking for Renzo to lock up his patented Guillotine to elicit the tap.
Renzo Gracie by Submission 2nd Round Guillotine Choke


Terry Etim vs Rafael Dos Anjos
A great clash here in the lightweight division as I think the stand-up of Etim will get the better of Dos Anjos for a TKO.
Terry Etim via 2nd Round TKO

Mark Munoz vs Kendall Grove
Look for Munoz to close the distance and test Groves chin which will falter into a 1st round KO.
Mark Munoz via 1st Round Knockout

Preliminary Card
Alexander Gustaffon vs Phil Davis- Davis via 2nd Round TKO
Rick Story vs Nick Osipczak- Story via Decision
John Gunderson vs Paul Taylor- In an upset Gunderson via Decision
Matt Veach vs Paul Kelly- Veach via 3rd round TKO
Mostapha Al Turk vs John Madsen- Al Turk via decision on  premise of tougher opponents

Jon Fitch vs Thiago Alves set for UFC 115

Thiago Alves was kept out of his UFC 111 fight with Jon Fitch due to a brain abnormality, but now the two welterweight monsters are scheduled to clash again this time in Vancouver at UFC 115. After Alves was scratched from the fight with Fitch he went onto outpatient surgery while Fitch defeated replacement Ben Saunders.  This is a fight many hardcore fans have been waiting for ever since Fitch won the first battle, and it will be an intresting battle between the suffocating control of Fitch against the killer Muay Thai of Alves.

Is Roy Nelson what the UFC needs?

He was public enemy number 1 in the eyes of most casual UFC fans in October of 2009, but now is he slowly becoming a superstar? The man that I'm speaking of is Roy "Big Country" Nelson.  In October of last year the pot bellied heavyweight entered into the homes of millions on The Ultimate Fighter 10 Heavyweights, and he was matched up in the preliminary round against internet street fighting sensation Kimbo Slice.  In the lead-up to this fight Roy came off as cocky, but I will plead the other side that he was just confident that his well-rounded MMA skills could overcome Slice's brawling ability, but this made most fans of the sport including UFC president Dana White hate him a little more and say why did Nelson a full fat 265 pound heavyweight feel this way.  Well honestly Nelson proved his worth in not only the Kimbo fight, but also in his fights against Justin Wren, James McSweeny finally impressing White in the McSweeny fight.
After these two wins he was in the finale fight against a man who looked like a wrecking machine on the show that man being Brendan "The Hybrid" Schaub who had ko'd or submitted all his competition on the show. Most pundits thought that Nelson would take down Schaub, but were they wrong as he stood in Schaub's line of power and traded bombs eventually dimming the lights of The Hybrid.
Now before I discuss Big Country's most recent fight I'll take a look into why I believe that the MMA community has shunned him.  My theory is pretty simple look at Nelson, he's as fat as you will see anyone in MMA, and possibly the fact that he doesn't train at a big camp erks people the wrong way. The fact of the matter is even though Nelson may have the worst physique in MMA or pro sports for that matter his cardio is amazing for a heavyweight.  Secondly to be honest Roy Nelson if you take him for what he is which is a fun loving big guy is hilarious.  I mean look at the guy he trains out of his house that he calls the "Country Club" which has weight equipment, grappling mats and punching bags, but he also brings a BJJ blackbelt into the mix which is dangerous for a guy his size. When he's in an interview he says funny things like saying in advance of his upcoming fight for Stefan Struve who is 6ft 11in tall that he was trying to get into touch with NBA star Shaq or that to get used to the height he would spar with guys standing on chairs. Truly if you watch or read an interview with him and at least not crack a smile.
Now this brings up his most recent fight against the aforementioned Struve a tall rangy heavyweight who is working his way up heavyweight rankings despite only being 22 years of age. As the two co main evented UFC Fight Night on SPIKE everyone expected a battle of attrition between these two, but Big Country had other plans using his punching power to KO Struve in only 39 seconds.  This fight brings me to think maybe Nelson is what the UFC needs a funny guy to to the routine that Forrest Griffin did before Keith Jardine rape choked him into being serious. Roy can provide comedy, but also deliver in the octagon with KO's or his suffocating ground control in the end Roy Nelson is a complete fighter and the real deal in my humble opinion and I cant wait for him to take the step up in competition which could be in his next fight against the likes of Gabriel Gonzaga or Junior Dos Santos.

Sorry for the Delay

Sorry for an almost 2 week break in-between news. I was caught up with school and other things, but now will be back and posting not only news but articles so stay tunned and remember to follow yell tap on twitter.

Demacio Page out vs Antonio Banuelos at WEC 48 Scott Jorgensen in

Once again Demacio Page has had to pull out of a fight. This time it comes against Antonio Banuelos, but the WEC had an ace waiting in the wings in Scott Jorgensen. Jorgensen is fresh off his 31 second submission of Chad Geroges in Columbus at WEC Bowles vs Cruz. This fight is going to be a rematch of Banuelos and Jorgensen's meeting at WEC Brown vs Faber 2 last June. The fight was closely contested and the victory went to Banuelos in a controversial split-decision. In my opinion the winner of this fight could possibly get the next crack at the WEC Bantamweight Championship as WEC matchmaker Sean Shelby said he's not 100% sold on a rematch between Joseph Benavidez and new divisional champion Dominic Cruz. This leaves Page now open for a different fight and in my opinion and should fight Miguel Torres once his cut is healed.

The UFC wil NOT counter Strikeforce April 17

Bloodyelbow.com is reporting that the UFC will now not counter Strikeforce's second CBS show on April 17. This can really be attributed to the lack of a big name main event and in reality after the loss of the Swick vs Serra fight the UFC had almost no reason to continue the attempt at this show because there were no truly intriguing fights that could be put together on such short notice.

Roger Gracie to make May 15 Strikeforce Debut vs Kevin Randleman

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Champion Roger Gracie will make his long awaited Strikeforce debut May 15 in St. Louis against wrestling power Kevin Randleman.  Gracie is the latest grappling phenom from the long family of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners, but unlike his cousin Rolles Gracie who failed miserably during his UFC debut Roger has been tested and may have some of the best grappling credentials of any Gracie these include being a 2 time Abu Dhabi  Combat Club Champion, 5 time Pan Am Jiu-Jitsu Champion and the list could continue. In this fight he will take on a man people once hearlded as the future in Kevin Randleman, but after early problems Randleman's MMA career never recovered and he is at about a .500 record now. Randleman who usually depends on his world class wrestling may  have to leave that on the back burner against a jiu-jitsu player like Gracie. The fight will take place at the May 15 Strikeforce event headlined by a heavyweight title fight between Allistar Overeem and Brett Rogers.

Chris Lozano vs Jason Dent to Headline NAAFS Fight Night in the Flats 6

Every June Northeast Ohio gets one of the best MMA shows in the nation as the NAAFS puts on their annual Fight Night in the Flats card, but this year the main event is personal. Chris Lozano the NAAFS Pro Series Middleweight Champion is a proud member of Strong Style Fight Team and Jason Dent the NAAFS Pro Series Lightweight Champion is a proud member of Griffonrawl Fight Team and both of these men will look to defend the honor of their teams as they lock horns in June at Fight Night in the Flats VI. The fight will take place in the welterweight division as Dent will move up and a division and Lozano will move down a division for the headline fight which should be a barn-burner which will heat up the Flats in Cleveland in June.

Bellator adds Roger Huerta to Seson 2 Lightweight Tournament

After his UFC contract expired lightweight Roger Huerta was one of the most sought after free agents in mixed martial arts. He is a free agent no longer as he has signed with Bellator to join their season 2 lightweight tournament with the winner getting a shot at Lightweight Champion Eddie Alvarez after he comes off his super-fight with Josh Neer at Bellator 17 on May 6.

WEC 48 Matchmaking News

The WEC is shaping up its preliminary card for their first pay-per-view effort. Among the fights added to the card are Takeya Mizugaki vs Rani Yahya, Brad Pickett vs Demetrious Johnson both of which taking place in the bantamweight division, Alex Karalexis vs Anthony Pettis in the lightweight division, and hooking up in featherweight bouts will be Tyler Toner vs Brandon Visher, Cub Swanson vs. Chan Sung Jung and Anthony Morrisonvs Mackens Semerzier. All bouts mentioned are on the preliminary card.

James Irvin vs Alessio Sakara to take last televised spot onf UFC on Versus card

A fight between heavy hitters has now been offically added to the UFC on Versus main card as Alessio Sakara will take on James Irvin in a middleweight clash. This fight will bring more hand to hand combat to an already stacked main card. You can bet this one doesn't go the distance.

Paulo Thiago vs Martin Kampman in the works for UFC 115

Mmajunkie is reporting that surging welterweight contenders Paulo Thiago and Martin Kampman will meet in a showdown at UFC 115. This is a great fight pitting two contenders up against each other in what essentially will be a title eliminator. Thiago comes into the fight riding steam after choking Mike Swick unconscious at UFC 109 while Kampman comes off a submission win over Jacob Volkman at UFC 108, but is also coming off a deep laceration that forced him to pull of his scheduled fight with Ben Saunders at UFC 111.

Kimbo vs Mitrione offical for UFC 113 not counter-programing effort on April 17

It's now official that Kimbo Slice's next fight will be a part of the UFC 113 pay-per-view as he will take on fellow TUF 10 alumni Matt Mitrione. This announcement comes as sort of a surprise as it was thought that the UFC would use this fight as the feature on their card that will counter Strikeforce.  The main event for that card is not known, and now we must wonder if the UFC will go on with the counter-programing effort on April 17.

It's offical UFC to counter-program Strikeforce April 17

Today Dana White confirmed a story that we at yelltapmma broke yesterday that the UFC will indeed counter-program Strikeforce on April 17. The event will most likely take place on Spike TV. No fights have been announced yet although it is thought that Wanderlei Silva will meet Yoshihiro Akiyama on the card and another rumored fight for the card is Mike Swick taking on Matt Serra in a welterweight tilt.

Kimbo vs Mitrione off UFC 113?

If you go to the UFC's website ufc.com the Kimbo Slice vs Matt Mitrione fight from UFC 113 has been removed. What does this mean? Most people like myself believe the UFC is planning on Kimbo vs James Toney now with the signing of the former World Champion boxer yesterday. Also the man training Toney, Juanito Ibarra said that they want to fight Kimbo. If this is the case Dana White isn't keeping true to his word that Toney wouldn't be used in a freakshow fight. More on this as we get more information.

Bonnar Soszynski rematch likely for TUF 11 finale

It looks as if though Stephan Bonnar will look to get some revenge for the headbutt that gave him a loss. According to mma mania a rematch between Krystoff Soszynski and Stephan Bonnar will likely take place at the Ultimate Fighter 11 Finale. Like myself most fans called for a rematch of these men's slugfest from UFC 110 after an accidental headbutt ended the fight and the nod went to Sosynzki by TKO.

Kamal Shalorus of WEC 48 PPV card

A hit that the WEC didn't need just occured as undefeated lightweight fighter and former Olympian Kamal Shalorus has been forced off their first pay-per-view card with an undisclosed injury. It is not known yet whether his opponent former Lightweight Champion Jamie Varner will have a new opponent. We will try to keep you updated on this story.

WEC to go north of the border?

It looks as if though the WEC's global expansion will continue this year as in June the UFC's sister promotion will make a trip to Calgary.  The event is tenatively scheduled for June 20, but the event is not a lock yet, but the WEC is attempting to secure a location in the city. An expected main event could be the winners of the two main events of this weekends WEC show between Brian Bowles and Dominic Cruz and Miguel Torres and Josepeh Benavidez facing off for the Bantamweight Championship.

UFC to counter Strikeforce on CBS?

According to a report on the very popular underground mma forum the UFC will in fact counter-program Strikeforce on CBS, but this time not with some old pay-per-view.  Instead they will counter it with a Fight Night on Spike with the main event of Wanderlei Silva vs Yoshihiro Akiyama in a middleweight showdown.  More on this to follow.

James Toney signs with the UFC

Sadly folks it has happened and the boxing big mouth that is James Toney has signed with the UFC according to fiveouncesofpain.com. It's official Dana has sold out to do a freakshow fight. Does anyone besides me smell James Toney vs Kimbo coming soon to PPV near you?

Strikeforce makes 3 huge fights

The long awaited bouts between Gegard Mousasi and Mo Lawl will take place at Strikeforce on CBS April 17 for the Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Championship along with Gilbert Melendez vs Shinya Aoki for the Strikeforce Lightweight Championship.  Both of these title fights are extremely intriguing and will be awesome fights for fans of the sport and great exposure for the fighters on CBS. Both fights will be on the main card and will be 5 round affairs. After the disappointing news of no Fedor on this card this takes the sting away. Lastly Allistar Overeem will make his return to America, but he will not fight Fedor instead the man who Fedor fought last. That man being Brett Rogers in what will be a striking showdown. With the addition of this fight it makes the new found May 15 Strikeforce card as a showdown for heavyweights as joining these two will be Fedor vs Fabricio Werdum and Andrei Arlovski vs Antonio Silva.

Arlovski back with Strikeforce to fight "Bigfoot" Silva May 15

Andrei Arlovski has signed with Strikeforce and will be apart of their May 15 show in St. Louis. Arlovski was last seen fighting for Strikeforce last June when Brett Rogers knocked him out in 30 seconds. Arlovski was a sought after free agent and will now make his return to the cage. His opponent Antonio "Big Foot" Silva lost his last fight for Strikeforce on their first CBS card to Fabricio Werdum. The winner of this fight sure seems to be in line for the very unstacked Strikeforce Heavyweight Division.

Dan Miller vs Michael Bisping planned for UFC 114

According to mmajunkie.com middleweights Dan Miller and Michael "The Count" Bisping are set to face off at UFC 114 in Las Vegas.  Both of these fighters are coming off losses Miller to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu ace Damian Maia and Bisping to Wanderlei Silva. This is a must win fight for Miller who has lost his last two fights, and in reality this is a relevance fight for Bisping as he has lost 2 out of 3 and most fans now question whether or not he is a viable title challenger after losing in his two biggest steps up in competition. Also sorry for the lack of posts over the weekend as I was out of town.

Fedor vs Fabricio Werdum Rescheduled to May

"An M-1 Selection press conference was held today.

Vadim Finkelstein announced that Fedor's Emelianenko's next bout was rescheduled from April to May. His opponent remains the same: Fabricio Werdum."

That is the news from bloodyelbow.com. This is interesting now because does this infact mean that we will see Dan Henderson and Jake Shields tangle on Showtime instead of CBS. I'll be following this and try to see what is going on.

Askren vs Thomas 1st announced Bellator Welterweight Tourney Fight

After rounding out the field yesterday Bellator Fighting Championships wasted no time in setting the first match for their Welterweight Tournament. It pits two former collegiate wrestlers against each other as former 2-time NCAA D-1Champion  Ben Askern (3-0) will take on UFC and Strikeforce veteran Ryan Thomas (10-3). The fight will take place as a part of the April 8 card which will air live on Fox Sports Net. Askren may be the fighter coming into Bellator with the most hype mainly because of his amazing wrestling credentials, but he also has the jiu-jitsu to stay up to par with some of the best as he is a purple belt that competed and won a match in last years Abu Dhabi Combat Club tournament. In this fight he will take on 2 fight UFC veteran Ryan Thomas, who in his two UFC fights came up short against Ben Saunders and Matt Brown. This is an interesting match-up which places Askren against the toughest competition he has faced yet in his young career. It will be interesting to see how Askren steps up to the plate.

KJ Noons to return to MMA at DREAM 13

KJ Noons (7-2) will make his long awaited return to the mixed martial arts world after beating Nick Diaz for the Elite XC Lightweight Title. Noons sat out all of last year from the mma game to try his hands in boxing. It was successful endeavor as he went 4-1 in his time.  The time now comes for Noons who was the last man to defeat Diaz to make a comeback to the world of 4 oz. gloves. His return though will not be an easy one as he meets Andre "Dida" Amado a Brazilian Mauy Thai specialist who was one time one of the best at the Chute Box academy. The fight will take place at DREAM 13 March 22 in Japan. The card is expected to be headlined by Joachim Hansen and Bibiano Fernandes going head to head for the DREAM Featherweight Championship.

NAAFS Returns to Southern Ohio with Pro-Am March 27

 

The premier fight organization in Ohio the NAAFS will return to southern Ohio with Caged Fury 10 on March 27. This is going to be a pro-am card with the main event taking place in the pro series lightweight division pitting 2008 National Amateur Lightweight Champion Josh "Buzzsaw" Johnson (9-0) out of USA Martial Arts taking on longtime NAAFS Vet and hometown boy John "Mongoose" Myers (10-7) out of Instigator Fight Team in a match that is sure to bring fireworks to Claymont High School. Also on the professional portion of the card 2009 National Amateur Featherweight Champion Doug Kulbis (0-0 pro 8-0 amateur) out of Evolve MMA will make his pro debut against Brandon "X-Man" Hance (0-1 pro 6-2 amateur). Also one of Northeast Ohio's most popular fighters Brian "The Predator" Rogers (6-3) out of Strong Style Fight Team will take on out of stater Tom "Vulgar" Jones (19-10) in what should be a great Middleweight clash. Here is the rest of the card

135 lbs – Brandon Inskeeps 1-1 (Dragons Den MMA) vs. Lee “The Kid” Kreisher 0-1 (Vander Fighting Systems)

National Amateur Series Bouts

265 lbs – Jason “Rampage” Rauch 9-1 (Main Street MMA) vs Nathan Bryant 6-1 (Ground Zero Fighting Systems)

185 lbs - Milan Wesley 4-2 (Strong Style Fight Team) vs Joe Tennant 2-1 (Ground Zero Fighting Systems)

170 lbs – Ray Halasz 3-0 (Strong Style Fight Team) vs Travis Soto 5-1 (Vander Fighting Systems)

155 lbs – Bill Elek 2-0 (Strong Style Fight Team) vs Wally MacDonald 4-0 (Empire Academy)

125 lbs – Deanna Beison 0-0 (Strong Style Fight Team) vs Katie Knight 1-0 (Dragons Den)

135 lbs – Shawn Goolsby 3-3 (Vander Fighting Systems) vs Mario Micale 3-3 (Evolve MMA)

170 lbs – Cory Ferris 0-0 (Fountain’s Kickboxing Academy/Vander) vs Mike Wolfath 0-0 (Main Street MMA)

145 lbs – Jason Schmucker 3-2 (Team Fight House) vs. Johnny Anderson 2-0 (Main Street MMA)

170 lbs – Adam Trisler 0-1 (Cambridge MMA) vs. AJ Materna 1-0 (Main Street MMA)

170 lbs – Manny Soto 2-0 (Vander) vs TBA

145 lbs – Josh Kissinger 2-1 (Team Instigator) vs TBA

135 lbs – Christopher Smith 0-0 (Vander Fighting Systems) vs TBA

Tickets can be purchased for this show by going to naafs.com

 

Bellator rounds out Season 2 Welterweight tournament

Bellator has closed out their lineup for their season 2 welterweight tournament with the additions of Brett Cooper (10-5) and former UFC veteran Ryan Thomas (10-3).  These two will join Jim Wallhead (18-5), Dan Hornbuckle (19-2), Jacob McClintock (6-0), Ben Askren (3-0) and Sean Pierson (9-4) in a star studded tournament. The winner of the tournament will receive $100,000 and a title shot against season 1 winner and Welterweight Champion Lyman Good (10-0). Stay tuned for match-ups as soon as they are released.

Stephan Bonnar to protest UFC 110 loss

After a loss to Krzysztof Soszynski at UFC 110 Stephan Bonnar will protest the outcome of the fight. After being hit with an accidental headbutt Bonnar was sliced open and bleed like a faucet causing the doctor at ringside to stop the fight. I agree with Bonnar on his decision to do this because it wasn't any damage that Soszynski did on purpose that caused the stoppage and in my book the fight should be changed to a no contest, and these men should rematch on a Spike TV or Versus card to cater to the fans that know these two from The Ultimate Fighter.

Dan Henderson vs Jake Shields Confirmed for Strikeforce in April on CBS

"Dan Henderson and Jake Shields have agreed to meet in Strikeforce with the middleweight title on the line in April. Shields confirmed the bout when speaking to MMAWeekly Radio on Tuesday night."

...

"Now, both Shields and Henderson have a deal in place to put the two middleweights in the cage together in April, although according to the current Strikeforce champion, while a date and venue have been given to the fighters, the actual broadcast has yet to be determined."

"I have a date (and) venue, but they told me to hold that back," said Shields. "Hopefully CBS. I think it's CBS. There's a slight possibility of Showtime because they're still (working it out). I don't know the rest of the card or any of that yet. But me and Dan's on, and I'm hoping it's on CBS."

That's the word from MMA Weekly, and this is one of the worst kept secrets in MMA, but the thing is this could be the headliner on Strikeforce's second show on CBS. This is bringing back memories of a Robbie Lawler vs Scott Smith on Elite XC's second CBS show matching a UFC vet vs a tough challenger although Henderson coming off a KO of the year could bring in more press, but can he bring in the press that Strikeforce needs? Sound off here.

Was Frank Mir out of line?

"I like to think that just for the reason that I’m pretty candid when I speak about things. A lot of individuals are so worried about being politically correct and you know a lot of fighters you know we’re all together I hear them, "Oh, don’t say that because you know the fans won’t like you!" I’m like you know what dude, I’ve realized a long time ago you’re going to have fans who love you and fans that hate you and I’d rather go ahead and say what’s on my mind than to sit there and come up with some PC you know "Oh you know the guy’s a great fighter and I have a lot of respect of him!" And if I don’t mean it, then why is it even coming out of my mouth because whose interested in hearing that?

You see the same cookie cutter responses. "Oh, who do you want to fight next? Well, whoever the UFC deems me, I just want to fight anybody!" I’m like man, I’ve heard that a thousand times! I want to fight Lesnar. I hate who he is as a person, I want to break his neck in the ring, I want him to be the first person that dies due to Octagon-related injuries. That’s what’s going through my mind."

That my friends is what former UFC Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir had to say in a radio interview Friday. Looking at this in context this is a pretty terrible thing to say and since Friday Dana White has made Mir apologize, but looking at this from another perspective is what Mir said really all that much different than what one BJ Penn said last year when he told fans he would fight Georges St. Pierre "To the Death." What do you fans think sound off here.

Bellator announces Featherweight Tournament matchups for Season 2

Today Bellator announced their first match-ups on their second season. The match-ups are a part of the featherweight tournament and will be fought on back to back Fridays April 8 and April 15. The match-ups are as follows on April 8 Joe Warren (2-1) vs. Eric Marriott (17-2) and Georgi Karakhanyan (12-1-1) vs. Bao Quach (17-9-1). These fights are both very interesting with us getting our first chance to see super stud wrestler Joe Warren back in action taking on a much more seasoned Eric Marriott who might have the one thing that Warren is weak at which is submissions. We will see how this match-up plays out. The second fight on April 8 will bring together former Elite XC veteran Bao Quach who has won 11 of his past 12 fights with the lone loss to WEC fighter LC Davis. He will take on Georgi Karakhanyan who is a former pro soccer player and dangerous fighter. The next set of fights will take place on April 15 between Wilson Reis (9-1) vs. Shad Lierley (5-2) and Patricio "Pitbull" Freire (12-0) vs. William Romero (5-0). Reis and Lierley easily has the biggest upside as a match-up that pits a former NCAA Champion wrestler in Lierley and a very well rounded fighter in Reis whose only loss is to Bellator season 1 champion Joe Soto, and in the Romero and Freire fight someone will have to leave with a loss. The match-up will pit the Brazilian Jiu-jitsu black belt in Freire and Canadian sensation Romero in what will be a great fight. These fights will air live on Fox Sports Net affiliates and the winner of the tournament will get an eventual title shot against current Featherweight Champion Joe Soto and $200,000. This will be an interesting tournament that most true MMA fans will keep an eye on.

WEC's First Pay-Per-View Turning Out to be Stellar

It seems that World Extreme Cagefighting is going all out in it's very first $44.95 pay-per-view event. As many fans have said that it will take an amazing card to pay the hefty price tag it seems that the WEC is committed to doing that for the fans. As we already have seen two title fights added to the card in Urijah Faber vs Jose Aldo for the Featherweight title and in a rematch of one of the best fights from 2009 Donald Cerrone will face Ben Henderson for the Lightweight title. When these fights were announced it was also announced that former WEC Featherweight Champion Mike Brown would be taking on former Ultimate Fighter runner up Manny Gamburyan in a featherweight tilt that may determine the next challenger for the title. Though in the past two days it seems that the WEC has gone all out by adding two great lightweight fights to the card. The first one being former champion Jamie Varner taking on former Olympic wrestler Kamal Shalorus in a match-up that could mean a title shot for Shalorus. The other match-up pits former Oklahoma St. All American wrestler Shane Roller up against mauy thai sensation Anthony Njokuani in another match-up that could see the winner dreaming of gold in the near future. Add those with a bantamweight showdown between Demacio Page and Antonio Banuelos and the WEC has put together one hell of a main card, but is it worthy of the hefty price tag?