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Category Archives: mixed martial arts
Ramazan Emeev vs. Alexander Shlemenko M-1 Global Grand Prix Middleweight Championship; Alexander Volkov makes 1st M-1 Challenge Heavyweight title defense vs. Attila Vegh
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M-1 Challenge 68, June 16 in St. Petersburg, Russia
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 (L-R) — Ramazan Emeev & Alexander Shlemenko
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (April 28, 2016) – M-1 Global has announced a blockbuster M-1 Challenge 68 event as Ramazan Emeev and Alexander “Storm” Shlemenko battle in the M-1 Global Grand Prix Middleweight Championship, while M-1 Challenge heavyweight champion Alexander “Drago” Volkov makes his first title defense against Attila “Pumuklo” Vegh, Thursday night, June 16, at Yubileyny Sports Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia.
M-1 Challenge 68 will be streamed live from St. Petersburg in high definition onwww.M1Global.TV. Viewers will be able to watch the preliminary fights and main card by logging on to register at www.M1Global.TV. Fans may watch all of the action on their computers, as well as on Android and Apple smart phones and tablets.
Emeev (14-3-0, M-1: 8-1-0), fighting out of Russia by way of Dagestan, is the reigning M-1 Challenge middleweight champion, although his title belt will not be at stake against Shlemenko. The 28-year-old Emeev, who was the 2015 M-1 Global Fighter of the Year, is a two-time M-1 Challenge middleweight champion. He originally captured the coveted crown in 2012, taking a decision from Mario Miranda for the vacant title. In his first title defense, Emeev lost to Vyacheslav Vasilevsky, who stopped the defending champion via punches in the fourth round.
In their much anticipated rematch April 10, 2015, Emeev recaptured the title from Vasilevsky, choking the defending champion into an opening-round submission. Last December, Emeev successfully defended his title when Luigi Fiorvanti retired after four rounds. Earlier this month at M-1 Challenge 65, Emeev defeated Maiquel Falcao in the M-1 Grand Prix semifinals, by way of a first-round submission (choke – see picture below), to qualify for the final versus Shlemenko.
 The 31-year-old Shlemenko (52-9-0, M-1: 3-0-0) is a three-time Bellator champion from Omsk, Russia. He returned to M-1 Global competition in February, taking a decision from Vasilevsky (see picture below) at M-1 Challenge 64. The Siberian-born Shlemenko hadn’t competed in M-1 Global since 2005.
 Volkov (25-6-0, M-1: 9-3-0), 27, also fought in Bellator for three years, 2012 to 2015, returning to M-1 Global action this past February for the first time in 5 ½ years. The popular fighter from Moscow signed a promotional contract with M-1 Global, fighting Denis Smoldaraev Feb. 19, 2016 (see picture below) at M-1 Challenge 64 for the vacant M-1 Challenge heavyweight championship. Volkov emerged victorious, using a choke in the third round to win with the Submission of the Night.
 Vegh (29-6-2, M-1: 0-0-0), will make his M-1 Global debut versus Volkov in their M-1 Challenge title fight. Fighting out of Slovakia by way of his native Czechoslovakia, Vegh (pictured below) is a former Bellator light heavyweight champion who is moving up one weight class to challenge Volkov.
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Chile newest member of World MMA Association
 MONTE CARLO, Monaco (April 26, 2016) — The World MMA Association (WMMAA) has announced that Chile is the newest member of its worldwide association.The Chilean MMA Federation (Federation Chilena de MMA) is certified by the national Ministry of Sports. Its inner-structure will be comprised of 15 branches, representing one for each region of Chile. There are currently eight MMA organizations with a goal to unite all under the umbrella of the Federation.
The Federation has developed MMA in various ways, from hosting regional amateur MMA championships to conducting seminars and educating officers. The Chilean MMA Federation is headed by President Alberto Maturana Rodriguez and Vice President Christian Parra Campos.
 “It is critical for an organization like ours to exist, to add unbiased structure not just for athletes, but also as a regulatory bodies,” Rodriguez (pictured to right) said. “Much continues to happen since our appointment. We just celebrated our first event under the WMMAA Pan-American Division and we look forward to using our experience and volumes of knowledge the Pan-American Division, as well as our honorary president Tomas Yu,brings to Chile and the sport. We share the vision and with all our efforts, we will defend, promote and endorse MMA as a sport, and give all participants and fans a significant difference in the sport.“We will continue to grow with every new country and take the MMA movement, as well as the recognition of MMA as a sport, forward. We will work like a family with the Pan-American Division to support this sport in Chile. We’re delighted to have been appointed and look forward to this opportunity of contributing to the WMMAA to continue the fight and make history in Chile and the MMA world.”
Chile is now a member of the WMMAA’s Pan-American Division, along with Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Cuba, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay and Venezuela.
 “On behalf of the World MMA Association Pan-American Division, we would like to congratulate and welcome the Chilean MMA Federation on its recent appointment as our new provisional affiliate,” added Yu (pictured to left), Pan-American Division president. “In this WMMAA year of monumental progress, in which we will celebrate our fourth World MMA Association Champion this November in Macao, it will now allow us to focus on our inaugural Continental MMA Championship.“It is important to reflect on how the WMMAA movement will continue to grow in a new era of MMA. The WMMAA movement is essentially an educational movement and for this reason we encourage events such as the National Continental and International MMA Championships to promote MMA development, among all ages of participants, especially youth through sport, MMA and the WMMAA code of conduct. Let us build together for a peaceful and better world. Let us strive to provide and education for all in which sport, MMA and WMMAA ideals play and essential role, based on values, respect, dignity, tolerance and solidarity.”
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NEW CHAMPIONS CROWNED AT NEF 22 IN LEWISTON
Lewiston, Maine (April 23, 2016) – New England Fights (NEF), America’s number-one regional fight promotion, held its most recent event, “NEF 22: ALL ROADS LEAD HERE,” Saturday night at the Androscoggin Bank Colisée in Lewiston, Maine. More than 3,000 fight fans were on hand for the event, making it one of the largest crowds ever to witness an NEF event.
On the boxing portion of the card, Brandon “The Cannon” Berry (11-1-1) fought to a majority draw in a six-round contest with James Lester (10-9-1). Many of Berry’s supporters in attendance felt that he won the fight, but two of the judges had it even on the scorecards.
The headliner of the amateur MMA card saw Caleb Hall (7-3) captured the vacant amateur featherweight title with a second-round submission of Erik Nelson (2-3). On the professional side of the MMA card, Devin Powell (6-1) took home the lightweight championship by defeating Jesse Erickson (6-5) in the first round via technical knockout.
The full results from Lewiston, Maine:
PROFESSIONAL BOXING
Brandon Berry fought James Lester to a majority draw
PROFESSIONAL MMA
Devin Powell def. Jesse Erickson via TKO, round 1 (Powell wins lightweight title)
Mike Hansen def. Jesse Baughman via arm triangle, round 1
Josh Harvey def. Matt Denning via triangle choke, round 1
Tollison Lewis def. Zenon Herrera via armbar, round 1
Aaron Lacey def. Derek Shorey via D’Arce Choke, round 1
AMATEUR MMA
Glenn Kasabian def. Matt Marshall via TKO, round 1
Tom Burgess def. Alex Payson via KO, round 2
Ryan Daley def. Jake Denham via TKO, round 2
Bryce Bamford def. Joe Krech via TKO, round 1
Caleb Hall def. Erik Nelson via D’arce Choke, round 2 (Hall wins featherweight title)
Nick Gulliver def. Dave Smith via TKO, round 1
Cory Trial def. Angelo Rizzitello via split decision
Ras Hylton def. Matt Glover via KO, round 2
Angela Young def. Hannah Sparrell via unanimous decision
New England Fights’ next event, “NEF 23: CAGE THE CAPE,” takes place Saturday, May 14, 2016 at the Hyannis Youth and Community Center in Hyannis, Massachusetts. Tickets are on sale now atwww.NewEnglandFights.com.
NEF returns to the Androscoggin Bank Colisée in Lewiston, Maine on June 18, 2016 with “NEF 24: THE PROMISED LAND.” Tickets for “NEF 24” start at just $25 and are on sale now at www.TheColisee.com or by calling the Colisée box office at207.783.2009 x 525.
For more information on the events and fight card updates, please visit the promotion’s website at www.NewEnglandFights.com. In addition, you can watch NEF videos at www.youtube.com/NEFMMA, follow them on Twitter @nefights and join the official Facebook group “New England Fights.”
About New England Fights
New England Fights (“NEF”) is a fight events promotions company. NEF’s mission is to create the highest quality events for Maine’s fighters and fans alike. NEF’s executive team has extensive experience in combat sports management, events production, media relations, marketing, legal and advertising.
ANDREY KORESHKOV RETAINS WELTERWEIGHT CROWN IN EMPHATIC FASHION, DEFEATING BENSON HENDERSON BY UNANIMOUS DECISION
UNCASVILLE, CONN. (April 22, 2016) — While many will be surprised by the news that Andrey Koreshkov (19-1) defeated Benson Henderson (23-6) in the main event of “Bellator 153: Koreshkov vs. Henderson,” the Russian champion made it clear following the bout that he intended to win each and every round inside the cage at the Mohegan Sun Arena on Friday night, and according to the judges scoring the bout at cage side, he did exactly that (50-45, 50-45, 50-45).
Over the course of 25 minutes, Henderson, a longtime lightweight competitor, had difficulty closing the distance of the larger “Spartan,” and sustaining damage in the process. “Smooth” was unable to secure takedowns and was upset with his performance, making it clear that he hopes for a quick return to the Bellator MMA cage; whether it’s at 170 or 155-pounds.
“Spartan” makes his first successful defense of the title he took from Douglas Lima in this very arena last year, and has his sights set on fighting one of the main contenders that the Scott Coker-led currently promotion has on its welterweight roster. In addition to the victory, Koreshkov also takes home the newly designed Bellator championship belt.
Patricio “Pitbull” Freire’s Showcases Nasty Guillotine in Co-Main Event
Patricio “Pitbull” Freire (25-3) went all-in with a beautiful guillotine choke 4:09 into the second round of his co-main event fight, forcing Henry Corrales (12-3) to tap out. Since making his Bellator MMA debut back in April of 2010, “Pitbull” has now collected 13 victories with the promotion, including wins in eight of his last nine bouts. It has been a great week for the “Pitbull” brothers, after older brother Patricky “Pitbull” came out victorious in the main event of “Bellator 152: Freire vs. Souza” last Saturday in Torino, Italy. The loss is only Corrales’ third of his career, two of which have now come via guillotine choke.
“Cyborg” Santos Spoils Ward’s Hometown Reunion With First Round Win
In his Bellator MMA debut, Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos (21-16) defeated New London’s own Brennan Ward (13-4) with an ankle lock submission just 30 seconds into the opening round. The victory is Santos’ fourth career win in 30 seconds or less and 16th first round finish. The former Strikeforce competitor has now strung together back-to-back wins and has left an impressive first impression for Bellator fans, aside from the ones in attendance at Mohegan Sun Arena. For Ward, the loss puts an end to a promising streak of four consecutive wins, all of which came in his dominant 2015 campaign.
Primus Squeaks Past “Toninho Furia” In Catchweight Marathon
Brent Primus (7-0) remained undefeated with a split decision victory over “Toninho Furia” (27-6) on Friday taking home scores of (28-29, 29-28, 29-28). The Portland, Oregon native connected on several heavy blows and two pivotal takedowns leading him to his seventh career win. The three-round thriller was just Primus’ second fight that went past the first round and was left to the judges’ discretion.
“MVP” Makes Quick Work Of Holloway In Explosive Opening Bout
During the opening contest at “Bellator 153: Koreshkov vs. Henderson,” Michael “Venom” Page (10-0) finished Jeremie Holloway (7-2) with multiple hammerfists and an impressive toe hold submission at 2:15 in the opening round of action. The 28-year-old British phenom, “MVP,” remains undefeated after recording his tenth career win and sixth victory under the Bellator MMA banner. “Venom” now directs his attention to a return home when he meets Fernando Gonzalez on July 16 at “Bellator 158: London.”
Preliminary Card Results:
Djamil Chan (12-2) defeated Richard Patishnock (6-4) via knockout (punches) at 3:09 of round one
Chris Honeycutt (7-1) defeated Matt Secor (7-3) via unanimous decision (30-25, 30-27 x2)
Mike Zichelle (8-4) defeated Joe Cronin (2-4) via submission (rear-naked choke) at 1:25 of round one
Matt Bessette (18-7) defeated Keith Richardson (14-7) via TKO (cut) at 3:14 of round two
Chris Foster (9-4) defeated Vovka Clay (3-1) via unanimous decision (29-28 3x)
Sam Watford (2-0) defeated Dean Hancock (2-1) via submission (armbar) at 1:24 of round one
Tim Caron (4-0) defeated Justin Sumter (0-1) via TKO (punches) at 3:38 of round two
Blair Tugman (8-6) defeated Jay Perrin (2-2) via split decision (30-27, 27-30, 29-28)
MATT MITRIONE SET FOR PROMOTIONAL DEBUT AGAINST CARL SEUMANUTAFA AT ‘BELLATOR: DYNAMITE 2’
SANTA MONICA, CALIF. (April 22, 2016) – A heavyweight showdown between Bellator MMA’s high profile free agent acquisition Matt Mitrione (9-5) and Carl “Badwater” Seumanutafa (10-6) will serve as the co-main event of “Bellator: Dynamite 2” on June 24, at Scottrade Center in St. Louis.
The bout joins a main card that features a catchweight main event between “Rampage” Jackson (36-11) and Satoshi Ishii (14-5-1) in Jackson’s first fight for the Scott Coker-led promotion since 2014. Additional MMA and kickboxing contests will be announced shortly.
Tickets for “Bellator: Dynamite 2,” which start at just $30, are onsale now at Ticketmaster.com and the Ford Box Office at Scottrade Center. Doors for the event open at 5 p.m. CT local time, and the first contest takes place one hour after.
“Bellator: Dynamite 2” airs live and free on Spike at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT, while preliminary bouts will stream live on Bellator.com and The Bellator Mobile App.
Exactly like the groundbreaking inaugural “Dynamite” event this past September in San Jose, both a mixed martial arts cage and kickboxing ring will cover the floor at Scottrade Center, giving fans in attendance the opportunity to see both iterations of combat sports on the same night.
Matt Mitrione originally took his talents to the football gridiron, signing as an undrafted free agent with the New York Giants in 2002. After brief stints with the San Francisco 49ers and Minnesota Vikings, Mitrione entered the MMA cage and hasn’t looked back since. The 14-time UFC veteran began his professional career with victories in his first five fights, four of which came by way of knockout. Known as one of the top finishers in the sport, the 37-year-old Indianapolis native recently finished his run with his former employer, making the decision to test free agency. Mitrione will now look to duplicate the success that he found throughout his career, when he makes his much-anticipated Bellator MMA debut against Seumanutafa on June 24.
At only 26 years of age, Carl “Badwater” Seumanutafa will face the stiffest test of his career when he takes take center stage at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis. Similar to Mitrione, all but one of his wins has come by way of knockout, including five first-round finishes. Looking to continue building momentum in the heavyweight division, the former Strikeforce competitor was victorious in his Bellator debut, when he finished Javy Ayala with a vicious second round TKO at “Bellator 148: Daley vs. Uhrich.” A native of San Francisco, Seumanutafa has been competing professionally since 2007, making his pro debut at only 18-years-old.
Updated “Bellator: Dynamite 2” Fight Card:
Bellator MMA 215 lb. Main Event: Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (36-11) vs. Satoshi Ishii (14-5-1)
Bellator MMA Heavyweight Co-Main Event: Matt Mitrione (9-5) vs. Carl Seumanutafa (10-6)
Preliminary Card:
Bellator MMA Welterweight Preliminary Bout: Kevin Engel (5-0) vs. Chel Erwin-Davis (3-1)
Bellator MMA Bantamweight Preliminary Bout: Jordan Howard (9-3) vs Justin Robbins (14-17-1)
Bellator MMA Welterweight Preliminary Bout: Joaquin Buckley (5-0) vs Chris Heatherly (9-3-1)
Bellator MMA 130-pound Preliminary Bout: Michelle Royer (1-0) vs Katy Collins (3-1)
Bellator MMA 180-pound Preliminary Bout: Brad Jones (5-4) vs Clay Mitchell (1-2)
Bellator MMA Middleweight Preliminary Bout: Jason Christeson (1-0) vs Jarrod Thomas (0-0)
Bellator MMA Heavyweight Preliminary Bout: Lee Burns (2-0) vs. Byron Stevens (0-0)
Bellator Kickboxing Preliminary Bout: Elmir Kulosman (3-0) vs. Darryl Cobb (2-1)
Bellator Kickboxing Preliminary Bout: Tara Walker (4-3-1) vs. Mimi Kutzin (3-2)
‘MVP’ LOOKING TO SQUASH BEEF WITH FERNANDO GONZALEZ AT THE O2 IN LONDON ON JULY 16
LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHT BOUT BETWEEN LINTON ‘THE SWARM’ VASSELL AND FRANCIS ‘LIMITLESS’ CARMONT ALSO OFFICIAL
SANTA MONICA, Calif. (April 22, 2016) – The recently announced international tentpole event, “Bellator 158: London,” now features two additional mouth-watering matchups during the event’s main card, with today’s addition of Michael “Venom” Page (10-0) versus Fernando Gonzalez (25-13) in a welterweight bout at The O2 in London. “MVP” is fresh off a first-round submission during the main card of “Bellator 153: Koreshkov vs. Henderson” tonight and now sets his sights on impressing in his home country.
In addition, the stacked main card now also features a light heavyweight pairing between Linton “The Swarm” Vassell (16-5) and Francis “Limitless” Carmont (24-11). The two new contests join an event that already features Kimbo Slice (6-2) taking on James Thompson (20-16) and Josh Koscheck (17-10) against Paul “Semtex” Daley (38-13-2). Additional contests will be announced shortly.
In the United Kingdom, the event will be broadcast free on SPIKE UK and Channel 5, while in America the card will air FREE on SPIKE. Exact broadcast details for “Bellator 158: London” will be revealed in the near future. Tickets for the event are on sale now and start at only ￡40.00. They are available at TheO2.co.uk or The O2 Box Office.
As was showcased tonight at “Bellator 153: Koreshkov vs. Henderson,” mixed martial arts fans and pundits alike would be hard-pressed to find a striker — or submission specialist — as dynamic as Page. Other than his win against Jeremie Holloway, look no further than his previous outings against Charlie Ontiveros, or his 65-second knockout of Rudy Bears for explosive examples. But, now “Venom” looks to strike against Gonzalez, who is no stranger to being the underdog when he enters the Bellator MMA fray. A proud son of London, England, the 29-year-old Page has only reached the judges’ scorecards once in his nine professional outings. “MVP” will enter the cage at The O2 in London with an unblemished record, hometown support and momentum, all on his side.
Gonzalez, a 32-year-old Menifee, Calif. is looking to build upon his split decision victory over Gilbert Smith at “Bellator 151: Warren vs. Caldwell” and add to his impressive five-fight winning streak. A veteran of the Scott Coker-founded Strikeforce promotion, as well as World Extreme Cagefighting, Gonzalez has been competing professionally since 2003 and was originally slated to fight “MVP” in March, but the fight fell through when the Englishman withdrew due to injury. Now, Gonzalez looks to solidify himself as the No. 1 contender to the crown at 170-pounds and prove that he truly is the stiffest test Page has faced in his 10-fight career.
Vassell is fresh off of a victory over Bellator’s Emanuel Newton in a bout that went the distance at the record-shattering event that was“Bellator 149: Shamrock vs. Gracie.” Vassell has now won 11 of his last 13 fights and will be chomping at the bit to get back in the cage in front of his hometown fans. Vassell joins Thompson, Daley and Page on a card that features a strong contingent of British talent as the card continues to grow.
Hailing from Paris, France, the 34-year-old Carmont will enter the cage for the first time in 2016 and fourth under the Bellator MMA umbrella. In his most recent appearance, at the tournament-style “Bellator MMA: Dynamite 1,” Carmont replaced an injured Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal, who was forced to drop out after suffering a rib injury earlier in the event. After winning his first bout of the evening, “Limitless” surrendered a loss to Phil Davis in the final round of the tournament-style contest. Now, “Limitless” looks to upset the hometown faithful during the main card of “Bellator 158: London.”
Updated “Bellator 158: London” Fight Card:
Bellator MMA Heavyweight Main Event: Kimbo Slice 6-2) vs. James Thompson (20-16)
Bellator MMA Welterweight Co-Main Event: Josh Koscheck (17-10) vs. Paul Daley (38-13-2)
Bellator MMA Welterweight Bout: Michael Page (10-0) vs. Fernando Gonzalez (25-13)
Bellator MMA Light Heavyweight Bout: Linton Vassell (16-5) vs. Francis Carmont (24-11)
The FNU Combat Sports Show: Is McGregor Retirement Threat Proof UFC Brass is Out of Touch With Their Most Popular Stars?
MATT GLOVER FINDS FUTURE IN FIGHTING AFTER FOOTBALL
Lewiston, Maine (April 22, 2016) – During the years 2003-2006, Matt Glover (1-0) was the player from Mountain Valley High School in Rumford, Maine that you did not want to end up facing from the other side of the pigskin. Standing over six feet tall and weighing 250-pounds, the nightmarish middle linebacker helped to build Mountain Valley (MV) into a modern day football dynasty by punishing ball carriers for four decorated years and leading MV to two state championships in the process. He bench pressed over 400 pounds in the weight room and was hell on wheels on the field making him a powerful two-way double-threat player on both offense and defense. His reputation is legendary in the River Valley area of Western Maine as a feared and respected athlete.
After graduating from Mountain Valley in 2007, Glover left football behind to go to work. He married his longtime girlfriend, Lindsey, and had a son. They bought a home together. Throughout the summer and fall seasons, he traveled the agricultural fair circuit in Maine with his pulling horses, a family tradition he had been brought up in from an early age.
“My family has been competing in horse pulling since I was a kid,” Glover explained. “It takes up a lot of time and it keeps my dad young. I get up early every morning to exercise my horse teams before I go into work at night. Between my dad, my wife and I, we have 11 draft horses. We bale our own hay for all of them. I love backing them up to the drag and watching them dig.”
But despite the fullness of his life, the call of competition still beckoned to him and left him with a sense of longing. “I would have killed to have had that same feeling again,” Glover recalled. “And then I stepped into the cage.”
In early 2015, Matt’s younger brother, Ryan—another Mountain Valley football standout—made his mixed martial arts (MMA) debut at “NEF 16.” Ryan swarmed his opponent in his first fight and stopped him in a blistering 12 seconds. Matt was in attendance that night and found his curiosity piqued at the prospect of competing in a different kind of contact sport.
Later in 2015, Ryan competed for the inaugural NEF Amateur Heavyweight Championship. He dropped a decision that night to current title holder, Billy “Bigfoot” Leahy (3-1). After the win, the trash talk quickly escalated between Leahy and members of Berserkers MMA, based out of Rumford and led by head coaches Gary Dolloff and Mike Hansen (3-3). “When Billy Leahy called out all of the guys at Berserkers after he beat my brother, then it was game-on,” recalled Matt.
Matt began training closely with members of the Berserkers coaching staff, including Hansen and others, who he credits for his accelerated learning curve in the sport. Additionally, Matt sparred extensively with brother Ryan, who was preparing for a fight of his own on the same night that Matt was scheduled to make his MMA debut. “My brother and I are not like other brothers,” Matt explained. “We go into the gym and beat the hell out of each other and then ride home in the same truck—that’s just how we have always been. Push, push, push—everything is competition with us. From the first one to get to the next hay bale in the hay field to the first one to get to the supper table—it’s just how we operate.”
“Matt’s a real competitive person,” his wife, Lindsey, confirmed. “Everything is a competition with him. I knew that cagefighting would feed that competitive hunger that he feels all the time when he’s not pulling his horses.”
Matt officially made his MMA debut back in February at “NEF 21: THE IMMORTALS” against durable veteran Gravin Guillen (2-5). Matt exceeded debut expectations by finishing Guillen in just 1:30 of the first round by technical knockout (TKO). When the ref cleared the scene, Guillen’s face showed the effects of Glover’s record-breaking exploits in the weight room. Glover’s Rumford fans that were in attendance in heavy numbers that night, voiced their approval in thunderous applause. “At first, I had butterflies,” Glover remembered, “but once I heard all the people cheering, all it did was pump me up. I was ready to fight. Win or lose, I knew they had my back and more.”
This weekend, Glover is poised to make his second appearance in the NEF cage when he takes on 6’6” Ras Hylton (1-0) from rival gym, First Class MMA. Hylton made his debut on the same night as Glover and, like his challenger this weekend, made quick work of his opponent by earning a TKO victory at 1:21 of the first round.
Berserkers MMA Founder and Head Coach, Mike Hansen, predicts a dominant night for Glover. “Matt happens to be much stronger than he even appears, which is incredible if you have ever seen him,” Hansen stated. “A guy of his size normally struggles with agility, but Matt doesn’t. He is a super athlete and easy to coach. Matt improves daily and will be a juggernaut in the heavyweight amateur division.
“Ras is used to being the bigger guy in all of his fights. That will not be the case on Saturday night. Matt will put his hands on Hylton in a way he’s never been touched before. I don’t see Ras walking away from this fight with his hand held high. He should consider it a win if he can walk away at all when Matt’s done with him.”
Going into Saturday night, Glover feels well prepared to continue building on his success in the sport of MMA that he started to create back in February. If his athletic history is any indicator, he should be confident in the future. “I’m ready for this fight,” Glover stated. “In this fight, I’m more relaxed because my brother’s not fighting and I can just focus on my fight… After that first win, I knew I was hooked because there’s no better feeling.”
“When people first started speaking to Matt about competing in MMA, I was completely against it 110%,” Lindsey stated. “But after watching him train so hard with the guys in the gym and seeing that he has the same passion for that as he does for his horse pulling, I felt more at ease and decided that if this was something he wanted to pursue, I would support him in any way that I possibly could.
“The Glover brothers fighting in MMA is a big thing for Rumford,” Lindsey stated in closing. “Every time it’s getting close to fight night, this town comes alive. No matter where he goes within the sport, this town and his family support him.”
New England Fights’ next event, “NEF 22: ALL ROADS LEAD HERE,” takes place this Saturday, April 23, 2016 at the Androscoggin Bank Colisée in Lewiston, Maine. Tickets for “NEF 22” start at just $25 and are on sale now at www.TheColisee.com or by calling the Colisée box office at 207.783.2009 x 525. For more information on the event and fight card updates, please visit the promotion’s website at www.NewEnglandFights.com. In addition, you can watch NEF videos at www.youtube.com/NEFMMA, follow them on Twitter @nefights and join the official Facebook group “New England Fights.”
ANDREY KORESHKOV LOOKS TO SPOIL HIGHLY-ANTICIPATED BELLATOR MMA DEBUT OF BENSON HENDERSON AT ‘BELLATOR 153’ ON SPIKE TOMORROW
UNCASVILLE, Conn. (April 21, 2016) – Following weigh-ins for “Bellator 153: Koreshkov vs. Henderson” competitors on Thursday, all fights are set to take place inside the cage at the Mohegan Sun Arena tomorrow on Spike.
Headlined by a welterweight world title bout between Andrey “Spartan” Koreshkov (18-1) and Benson “Smooth” Henderson (23-5), the main card is primed to entertain. The card is loaded with young talent, including 28-year-old welterweight star Michael “Venom” Page (9-0), who will put his unblemished record on the line against Jeremie Holloway (7-1).
In addition, “Bellator 153: Henderson vs. Koreshkov” also features Brennan Ward (13-3) going to battle against “Cyborg” Santos (20-16), Patricio “Pitbull” Friere (24-3) versus Henry Corrales (12-2) and Brent Primus (6-0) meeting “Toninho Furia” (27-5).
“Bellator 153: Koreshkov vs. Henderson” takes place at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., and airs live and free on Spike at 8 p.m. ET/7 p.m. CT, while preliminary bouts will stream live on Bellator.com and The Bellator Mobile App. In addition, stay tuned immediately following the event, the debut of “Bellator Kickboxing: Torino” takes place at 11:00 p.m. ET/PT.
Tickets for the event start at just $30 and remain on sale now at Bellator.com, Ticketmaster.com and the Mohegan Sun Box Office.