Category Archives: MMA

Bellator, DAZN, mixed martial arts, MMA, Paramount Network

BELLATOR RETURNS TO MOHEGAN SUN ARENA FOR MASSIVE DOUBLEHEADER ON FEBRUARY 15 & 16

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FRIDAY NIGHT HEADLINED BY MATT MITRIONE VS. SERGEI KHARITONOV IN HEAVYWEIGHT CLASH

SATURDAY’S CARD TO FEATURE ‘MVP’ VS. PAUL DALEY IN WELTERWEIGHT WORLD GRAND PRIX GRUDGE MATCH & A HEAVYWEIGHT NO. 1 CONTENDER’S BOUT PITTING CHEICK KONGO AGAINST VITALY MINAKOV

LOS ANGELES – On February 15 and 16, Bellator returns to Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. for two back-to-back nights of exciting MMA action.

On Friday, the event will be anchored by a heavyweight battle between Matt Mitrione (13-6) and Sergei Kharitonov (29-7, 1 NC), while Saturday’s show will see the long-awaited matchup between Michael “Venom” Page (13-0) and Paul Daley (40-16-2) headline in a Bellator Welterweight World Grand Prix opening round pairing. In addition, the card will also see a heavyweight No. 1 contender’s bout between Cheick Kongo (29-10-2) and undefeated former Bellator heavyweight champion Vitaly Minakov (21-0).

Tickets for both events are available early through an exclusive Bellator Nation pre-sale beginning Wednesday, Dec. 5 at 10 a.m. ET. Tickets will go on sale to the general public Friday, Dec. 7 at 10 a.m. ET. Tickets can be purchased at the Mohegan Sun Arena box office, as well as Ticketmaster and Bellator.com. Fans can save when they purchase tickets to both events through the “Back-to-Back Pack!” Please visit Ticketmaster.com for more details.

Bellator: Mitrione vs. Kharitonov will be broadcast Friday, February 15 on Paramount Network at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT and will stream LIVE on DAZN.

Bellator: MVP vs. Daley will stream exclusively on DAZN on Saturday, February 16 at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. Preliminary action for both events will stream on Bellator.com and globally on the Bellator Mobile App. Additional bouts will be announced in coming weeks.

Fresh off an impressive semi-final run in Bellator’s Heavyweight World Grand Prix, Matt Mitrione returns to action on February 15 against a true veteran in Sergei Kharitonov. The former Purdue football defensive lineman splits his training between Indianapolis and Combat Club in South Florida, and is in the best shape of his fighting career. Recently, Mitrione has defeated Roy Nelson and Fedor Emelianenko, adding to an already-impressive list of career victories.The man dubbed “The Paratrooper,” Kharitonov is the owner of an equally notable MMA resume, with the 38-year-old scoring wins against some of the sport’s most marquee names, including an incredible performance against Roy Nelson, as well as Fabricio Werdum, Andrei Arlovski, Pedro Rizzo, Murilo “Ninja” Rua and Alistair Overeem.

One of the most unorthodox strikers to ever compete for Bellator, “MVP” has steadily worked his way up the welterweight ranks since signing with the organization in 2013. Known for his antics both inside the cage and out, every Michael Page fight is must-see entertainment. With an undefeated record of 13-0, and 11 of those victories coming by stoppage, the 31-year-old out of London Shootfighters finally meets up with fellow Brit and longtime rival, Paul Daley. A veteran of Strikeforce, UFC and BAMMA, Nottingham’s Daley has competed professionally since 2003. Throughout his career, “Semtex” has been one half of some of the most memorable bouts in MMA history, including a knockout of the year over Brennan Ward in 2017.

A rematch of Bellator 115, Cheick Kongo will look for redemption against Bellator’s longest reigning heavyweight champion, when Vitaly Minakov returns for his first fight with the promotion since 2014. A winner of seven straight, including two consecutive first-round knockouts over Timothy Johnson and Javy Ayala, Kongo has earned the opportunity to compete in a No. 1 contender’s bout. Undefeated as a professional, Minakov earned a victory against Alexander Volkov, as well as a previous win against Kongo, in his previous Bellator stint, and later continued his winning ways in Russia against “Bigfoot” Silva and Tony Johnson. The two now meet to determine who will go on to face the winner of Fedor Emelianenko and Ryan Bader.

Updated Bellator: Mitrione vs. Kharitonov Fight Card:

Heavyweight Main Event Bout: Matt Mitrione (13-6) vs. Sergei Kharitonov (29-7, 1 NC)

Updated Bellator: MVP vs. Daley Fight Card:

Welterweight World Grand Prix Matchup: Michael Page (13-0) vs. Paul Daley (40-16-2)

Heavyweight Main Card Bout: Cheick Kongo (29-10-2) vs. Vitaly Minakov (21-0)

*Card subject to change

Please visit Bellator.com for more information.

Combate Americas, mixed martial arts, MMA

COMBATE AMERICAS ANNOUNCES OFFICIAL TOURNAMENT BRACKETS AND TWO LINEUP CHANGES FOR “COPA COMBATE” ONE-NIGHT, EIGHT-MAN, $100,000 GRAND PRIZE SHOWDOWN

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LIVE ON DAZN, UNIVISION AND UNIVISION DEPORTES NETWORK
FROM SAVE MART CENTER IN FRESNO, CALIF. ON FRIDAY, DEC. 7

JOEY RUQUET REPLACES GASTON REYNO,  DANIEL REQUEIJO TO REPRESENT SPAIN IN PLACE OF ZEBENZUI RUIZ

FRESNO  – December 3, 2018 – Combate Americas today announced two changes to the lineup for its much-anticipated, biggest event of the year – the “COPA COMBATE” one-night, eight-man, $100,000 grand prize Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) featherweight (145 pounds) showdown – as well as the tournament brackets for the event that takes place at Save Mart Center on Friday, Dec. 7.

 

The second annual “COPA COMBATE” extravaganza airs live in its entirety in English in the U.S. and Canada on DAZN (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT), and live on television in Spanish in the U.S. on both Univision (12 a.m. ET/PT) and Univision Deportes Network (UDN) (12 a.m. ET/9 p.m. PT).

 

Originally slated for action in a previously announced tournament alternate bout, 26-year-old Joey “El Cazador” Ruquet (6-1), fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev., USA and representing Puerto Rico, has been entered into the main draw of the eight-man tournament where he will replace Uruguay’s Gaston “Tonga” Reyno(7-2, 2 NC), who has been forced to withdraw from the tournament due to staph infection.

 

In addition, Daniel “El Gallego” Requeijo (14-6) will represent Spain in place of previously announced Zebenzui “El Niño Roca” Ruiz (7-2), after Ruiz was unable to secure a visa to enter the U.S.

 

The 34-year-old Requeijo, who hails from Spain’s Las Palmas, Canary Islands, boasts a near-93 percent finish rate, earning 13 of his 14 career victories by way of (T)KO or submission.

 

Also announced today were the official tournament brackets for the “COPA COMBATE” tournament affair.

 

On one side of the draw, or “Group A,” Requeijo will square off with Pablo “El Gallo” Villaseca (13-4) of Santiago, Chile, while Alejandro “Gallito” Flores(13-1) of Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico will battle undefeated John “Ronin” Bedoya (6-0) of Bogota, Colombia.

 

On the other side of the draw, or “Group B,” Ruquet will collide with Bruno “Aquiles” Cannetti (7-5) of Buenos Aires, Argentina, while Andres “The Bullet” Quintana (15-2) of Roswell, N.M., USA will face fellow prolific star Marlon “Deriko Siete”  Gonzales (13-3-2, 1 NC) of Lima, Peru.

 

The winners of each quarterfinal stage bout in Group A will meet in semifinal stage action, while the winners of each quarterfinal stage bout in Group B will do likewise.

 

The two semifinal stage fight winners will face off in the championship showdown with the $100,000 grand prize at stake.

 

Replacing Ruquet in one the two tournament alternate bouts will be Vicente “Chento” Enriquez Marquez (5-5) of Barcelona, Spain.  Enriquez Marquez will take on Ruquet’s original, tournament alternate bout opponent “Ruthless” Rudy Morales (5-6) of Las Vegas via Guatemala City, Guatemala.

 

Announced today as an addition to the “COPA COMBATE” event preliminary bout card was a flyweight (125 pounds) tilt between Paul Elizondo (1-0) of Fresno and Nathan Napolitano (0-0) of Salinas, Calif. USA.

 

Priced from $30, tickets for “COPA COMBATE” are on sale online at CombateAmericas.com/Tickets and at Ticketmaster.com, as well as at the Save Mart Center box office.

 

Doors at Save Mart Center will open for the event at 5 p.m. PT on December 7, and the first preliminary bout will begin at 6 p.m.

 

UPDATED “COPA COMBATE” UPDATED FIGHT CARD:

 

PRELIMINARY BOUT CARD:

 

Flyweight: Paul Elizondo vs. Nathan Napolitano
Welterweight: Evan Solorio vs. Jimmy Molina
Middleweight: Albert Gonzales vs. James Porter

 

FEATURED FLYWEIGHT BOUT:

 

Corina Herrera vs. Maria Paula Buzaglo

 

“COPA COMBATE” FEATHERWEIGHT TOURNAMENT ALTERNATE BOUTS:

 

Pablo Sabori vs. Michael Irizarry
Rudy Morales vs. Vicente Marquez Enriquez

 

“COPA COMBATE” FEATHERWEIGHT TOURNAMENT QUARTERNAL STAGE BOUTS:

 

Group A:

 

Daniel Requeijo vs. Pablo Villaseca
Joey Ruquet vs. Bruno Cannetti

 

Group B

 

Alejandro Flores vs. John Bedoya
Andres Quintana vs. Marlon Gonzales

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Bellator, DAZN, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, MMA, Paramount Network

FULL FIGHT RESULTS & PHOTOS FOR BELLATOR 211 & BELLATOR KICKBOXING 11

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Bellator 211 Photos Here

 

Bellator 211: Sakara vs. Kauppinen Results:

Kent Kauppinen (11-4) def. Alessio Sakara (23-13, 2 NC) via KO at 1:10 of round 1

Domingos Barros (6-0) def. Hesdy Gerges (0-1) via TKO at 2:53 of round 1

Pedro Carvalho (9-3) def. Luca Vitali (11-5) via sub. (guillotine) at 0:43 of round 1

Alen Amedovski (8-0) def. Ibrahim Mane (7-2) via KO at 0:12 of round 1

Kiefer Crosbie (5-0) def. Orlando D’Ambrosio (7-4) via unanimous decision (30-27 x3)

Giorgio Pietrini (15-4-1) def. Nemanja Milakovic (5-4) via KO at 0:20 of round 1

Andrea Fusi (7-4) def. Walter Pugliesi (4-1) via split decision (29-28 x2, 28-29)

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Bellator Kickboxing 11 Photos Here

 

Bellator Kickboxing 11: Varga vs. Cangelosi Results:

Gabriel Varga (17-6) def. Shan Cangelosi (34-10-1) via KO at 2:42 of round 1 to retain championship

Raymond Daniels (35-3) def. Zakaria Laaouatni (10-4) via majority decision (29-28 x2, 29-29)

Yuri Bessmertny (42-19-2) def. Karim Ghajji (99-16-1) via unanimous decision (30-26, 29-27 x2)

Gabriele Casella (20-2-1) def. Dani Traore (21-4) via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28 x2)

Younes Rahmouni (14-4-1) def. Tiziano Campus (15-5-1) via majority decision (29-28 x2, 28-28)

Christian Zahe (58-24-7) def. Samuel Toscano (28-12-3) at 2:20 of round 1

 

Bellator Kickboxing 11 Preliminary Card Results:

Sabir Temirkhnov (13-4) def. Matteo Costa (18-7-2) via TKO at 0:39 of round 2

Giacomo Licheri (6-0) def. Filippo Solheid (43-18-8) via split decision (30-27, 29-28, 28-29)

Matteo Di Luca (24-9-2) def. Giacomo D’Aquino (22-3-8) via unanimous decision (30-27 x2, 29-28)

 

Please visit Bellator.com for more information.

 

Bellator, DAZN, mixed martial arts, MMA, Paramount Network

FULL FIGHT RESULTS & PHOTOS FOR BELLATOR 210: NJOKUANI vs. SALTER 

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Full Event Photos Here

 

Bellator 210: Njokuani vs. Salter Main Card Results:

John Salter (16-4) defeated Chidi Njokuani (18-6, 1 NC) via submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:32 of round one

David Rickels (20-5) defeated Guilherme Bomba (10-5) via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Kristina Williams (3-1) defeated Bruna Ellen (4-2) via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)

Juan Archuleta (21-1) defeated Jeremy Spoon (20-5) via unanimous decision (30-25, 30-26, 30-26)

 

Preliminary Card Results:

Costello Van Steenis (11-1) defeated Chris Honeycutt (11-3, 1 NC) via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Jordan Young (10-0) defeated Anthony Ruiz (34-23) via submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:48 of round one

Goiti Yamauchi (23-4) defeated Daniel Weichel (39-11) via split decision (30-27, 27-30, 29-28)

Joe Schilling (3-5) defeated Will Morris (4-1) via TKO (corner stoppage) at 5:00 of round one

Shawn Bunch (8-3) defeated Joe Warren (15-8) via verbal submission (punches) at 1:42 of round one

Mike Shipman (12-1) defeated Scott Futrell (8-5) via submission (anaconda choke) at 2:58 of round one

Noad Lahat (13-4) defeated Brian Moore (11-7) via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27, 29-27)

Rudy Schaffroth (6-0, 1 NC) defeated Vernon Lewis (6-4) via KO (punch) at 2:51 of round one

Adil Benjilany (5-1) defeated Daniel Carey (5-3) via TKO (punches) at :43 of round two

Hracho Darpinyan (17-8-2) and Gerald Harris (25-7-1) fight to a majority draw (29-28, 28-28, 28-28)

 

 

Please visit Bellator.com for more information.

Bellator, DAZN, mixed martial arts, MMA, Paramount Network

EMMANUEL SANCHEZ HEADLINES BELLATOR’S RETURN TO WINSTAR WORLD CASINO AND RESORT ON MARCH 22 AGAINST ASHLEIGH GRIMSHAW IN FEATHERWEIGHT CLASH

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LOS ANGELES – Following his exciting back-and-forth championship bout at Bellator 209 earlier this month, Emmanuel Sanchez (17-4) quickly returns to featherweight action on Friday, March 22 at WinStar World Casino and Resort against one of Bellator’s newest European signings, Ashleigh Grimshaw (20-10-1, 3 NC).

 

 

 

The event will be broadcast live and free on Paramount Network at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT, as well as DAZN.com, while preliminary action will stream on Bellator.com and globally on the Bellator Mobile App. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at the WinStar World Casino and Resort box office, as well as through Ticketmaster and Bellator.com. Additional bouts will be announced in the coming weeks.

 

 

 

The 28-year-old, nicknamed “El Matador,” will serve as Bellator’s headliner for the second consecutive time in his 13th fight with the promotion. A homegrown fighter from the famed Roufusport MMA Academy in Milwaukee has defeated a who’s who of 145-pounders including former champions Daniel Straus and Marcos Galvao, as well as standouts Sam Sicilia, Justin Lawrence and Georgi Karakhanyan. Now, Sanchez looks to immediately put himself back into contender status with a tough test on March 22.

 

 

 

Based out of London, Ashleigh “The White Wolf” Grimshaw has competed professionally since 2003, amassing more than 30 professional bouts across the European MMA scene. Unbeaten in his last four contests, Grimshaw has finished his opponent 18 times in his 20 victories. Now, set for his promotional debut with Bellator, the 36-year-old will be looking to make noise in a division currently championed by Patricio “Pitbull” Freire.

 

 

 

Updated Bellator: Sanchez vs. Grimshaw Fight Card:

 

 

Featherweight Main Event Bout: Emmanuel Sanchez (17-4) vs. Ashleigh Grimshaw (20-10-1, 3 NC)

 

 

 

*Card subject to change

 

 

Please visit Bellator.com for more information.

 

****

Bellator, mixed martial arts, MMA, Rizin FF

BELLATOR SENDS BANTAMWEIGHT WORLD CHAMPION DARRION CALDWELL TO JAPAN ON NEW YEAR’S EVE TO CHALLENGE KYOJI HORIGUCHI FOR INAUGURAL RIZIN FF 135-POUND TITLE

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LOS ANGELES – Bellator is pleased to announce that the organization’s current bantamweight titleholder Darrion Caldwell (13-1) will represent the promotion in an exciting matchup against 2017 Rizin Bantamweight Grand Prix winner Kyoji Horiguchi (25-2). The two will compete for the inaugural Rizin bantamweight championship at Rizin 14 on Monday, Dec. 31 from Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

 

 

 

In the three-round (15-minute) Rizin FF world championship bout – which will be held in a ring under Rizin’s unique rule set – the victor of Caldwell vs. Horiguchi will leave Japan’s historic combat sports venue a Rizin FF champion. Caldwell’s Bellator bantamweight title will not be on the line in the contest.

 

 

 

The latest agreement between Bellator and Rizin FF furthers a collaboration between the two companies which has seen multiple athletes, including Fedor Emelianenko, “King Mo” Lawal and Hisaki Kato amongst others, compete interpromotionally, but never before has a title from either promotion been on the line.

 

 

 

“Working for the Japanese fight company K-1 was a magical time during my promotional career and I have always felt strongly that MMA in the ‘Land of the Rising Sun’ would rise again. It truly is amazing to see what Nobuyuki Sakakibara has been able to do thus far with Rizin FF, so when he reached out to me about putting Darrion Caldwell against Kyoji Horiguchi for Rizin’s belt, we spoke to Darrion and he jumped at the opportunity,” Bellator President Scott Coker said. “Bellator wants to support Rizin, and by sending our bantamweight champion to compete during their New Year’s Eve event, we look forward to this leading towards more collaboration between the two promotions in 2019. I want to wish Darrion luck in his quest to prove he is the best 135-pound fighter on the planet.”

 

 

 

“I am very grateful and honored that Bellator and Scott Coker would send us their unarguable bantamweight champion to fight for Rizin’s first-ever world title fight. This title fight will be a true champion vs. champion to determine the world’s best bantamweight fighter,” Rizin FF President Nobuyuki Sakakibara said. “We hope this kind gesture will kick off of a series of exciting matchups between both promotions in 2019. My dream would be that eventually we can co-promote a mega event in both countries with a ‘Champion Carnival’ taking place where stories and rivalries can be built and told.”

 

 

 

Caldwell, a 30-year-old Rahway, N.J. native and the current Bellator bantamweight champion, most recently moved up a weight class to challenge himself, successfully finishing veteran Noad Lahat. Fighting out of San Diego, Calif., “The Wolf” has emerged as one of the most well-rounded fighters in the world, collecting 10 victories since signing with Bellator in 2013. The 2009 NCAA D-1 National Champion wrestler from NC State boasts a resume that includes five first-round finishes, a 25-minute war against Eduardo Dantas to claim the world title and a textbook guillotine choke submission victory over Leandro Higo in his first career title defense earlier this year. Caldwell will look for fifth consecutive win and a second world title belt when he enters the ring against Kyoji Horiguchi on New Year’s Eve in Japan.

 

 

 

Please visit Bellator.com for more information.

M-1, M-1 Challenge, mixed martial arts, MMA, Russia

M-1 Challenge featherweight champion Nate “The Train” Landwehr To make first title defense vs. Andrey Lezhnev

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M-1 Challenge Battle in Atyrau, Dec. 15, in Kazakhstan
Nate Landwehr is excited to make his first title defense
SAINT PETERSBURG, Russia (November 28, 2018) — M-1 Challenge featherweight champion Nate “The Train” Landwehr will make his first title defense December 15, headlining M-1 Global’s final event of the year – M-1 Challenge Battle in Atyrau– versus challenger Andrey “Iron” Lezhnev, in Atyrau, Kazakhstan.
M-1 Challenge Battle in Atyrau will be live-streamed from Kazakhstan 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 the action on their computers, as well as on Android and Apple smart phones and tablets. M-1 Challenge 97 will also be is available onwww.FITE.TV(preliminary card is free, $7.99 for the main card).
 
This will mark the first M-1 Global show in Kazakhstan in three years, since M-1 Challenge 59: Battle of the Nomads 5 in Astana, in which Russian star Sergei Kharitonov knocked out American Kenny Garner in the first round.
The 30-year-old Landwehr (11-2-0, M-1: 3-0-0), fighting out of the Nashville suburb of Clarksville, Tennessee, captured the coveted M-1 Challenge featherweight title belt this past June at M-1 Challenge 95 in Nazran, Ingushetia, Russia. The entertaining American fighter stopped defending champion Khamzat Dalgiev on punches in the second round. Dalgiev was making his first title defense, after he shocked the MMA world by knocking out longtime M-1 champion Ivan Buchinger in the opening round.
  “The Train” keeps rollin’
In two other M-1 fights that set-up his title shot, Landwehr won a split decision over Viktor Kolesnik at M-1 Challenge 85, preceded by a third-round stoppage of Mikhail Korobkovvia punches at M-1 Challenge 83.
“Make no mistake,” Lanwehr said, “I want to put an ass whooping on everyone in the division. Lezhnev is just the next in line. Don’t think of me as just the champion, think of me as the baddest S.O.B that can make 145 pounds. I will be coming at him as if I am still a hungry challenger trying to make a statement to become a champion.
“I would love to have a tournament with all the contenders. We’d all fight multiple times on one night against everyone and the last man standing is crowned King. But, for now, I will fight who M-1 feels is the next contender. If you have a problem with that, then it means you are not as impressive as a fighter as you think. Because I convinced them in two fights that I was the one for the job and I got the job done in my third (M-1) fight.
Fighting out of Ukraine, Lezhnev (18-7-0, M-1; 6-3-0) earned this title shot by winning nine of his last 10 fights, including the last three in a row. His victims include another U.S., Lee “American Bulldog” Morrison, who lost a unanimous decision to Lezhnev at M-1 Challenge 69 in 2016.
Andrey Lezhnev has earned his title shot against Lanwehr
“Landwehr is a typical brawler with nice cardio,” Lezhnev commented. “Everybody who plays by his rules loses. He is also very provocative, he loves creating the hype around him. For a long time, he tried to avoid this fight, challenging guys who passed their prime, because he understood he had no chances against me. But now the time has come to beat that hype out of him.”
All fights and fighters are subject to change. Additional M-1 Challenge Battle in Atyraufights will soon be announced.
INFORMATION:

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@M1GlobalNews
@M1Global
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Upcoming M-1 Challenge Events:
Dec. 15 – M-1 Challenge Battle in Atyrau: Landwehr vs. Lezhnev in Atyrau, Kazakhstan
Combate Americas, mixed martial arts, MMA

COMBATE AMERICAS ANNOUNCES  “COPA COMBATE” TOURNAMENT ALTERNATE BOUTS FOR ONE-NIGHT, EIGHT-MAN $100,000 GRAND PRIZE SHOWDOWN AT SAVE MART CENTER IN FRESNO, CALIF. ON FRIDAY, DEC. 7

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COMBATE AMERICAS’ BIGGEST MMA EVENT OF 2018   
“COPA COMBATE”
MARKS FIRST ONE-NIGHT, EIGHT-MAN TOURNAMENT IN CALIFORNIA, AIRS LIVE ON DAZN, UNIVISION AND UNIVISION DEPORTES NETWORK

ALSO:
FEATURED WOMEN’S STRAWWEIGHT CONTEST PITS
MARIA BUZAGLO VS. CORINA HERRERA  

TICKETS FOR “COPA COMBATE” ON SALE NOW

NEW YORK  – November 27, 2018 – Combate Americas today announced a pair of “alternate” bouts for its much-anticipated, biggest event of the year – the “COPA COMBATE” one-night, eight-man Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) tournament that will award its featherweight (145 pounds) winner of three consecutive bouts a $100,000 grand prize at Save Mart Center in Fresno, Calif. on Friday, Dec. 7.

 

The second annual “COPA COMBATE” tournament airs live in English in the U.S. and Canada on DAZN (10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT), and live on television in Spanish in the U.S. on both Univision (12 a.m. ET/PT) and Univision Deportes Network (UDN) (12 a.m. ET/9 p.m. PT), and marks the first time in history that California State will sanction a one-night, eight-man MMA tournament.

 

In one of two tournament alternate bouts announced today, Michael Irizarry (9-2) of San Juan, Puerto Rico will take on Pablo “El Gallo Negro” Sabori (8-5) of San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora, Mexico, and in the second alternate bout, Joey “El Cazador” Ruquet (6-1) of Las Vegas, Nev., USA will face off with” Ruthless” Rudy Morales (5-6) of Las Vegas via Guatemala City, Guatemala.

 

Should any of the winners of the four quarterfinal stage tournament bouts be unable to re-enter La Jaula, the Combate Americas competition cage, for his semifinal stage bout due to injury sustained in quarterfinal stage action, one of the two tournament alternate bout winners will replace the injured competitor in the semifinal stage of the tournament.

 

Also announced today was a featured women’s strawweight (115 pounds) contest between unbeaten Maria Buzaglo (1-0) of Lima, Peru and relentless battler Corina Herrera (3-4-1) of Porterville, Calif., USA.

 

The “COPA COMBATE” tournament field features eight previously announced fighters, representing eight different countries: Andres “The Bullet” Quintana(15-2) of Roswell, N.M., USA; Alejandro “Gallito” Flores (13-1) of Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico; Gaston “Tonga” Reyno (8-2, 2 NC) of Montevideo, Uruguay; and Zebenzui “El Niño Roca” Ruiz (7-2) of Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, Spain; Bruno “Aquiles” Cannetti (7-5) of Buenos Aires, Argentina; Latin American MMA pioneer Pablo “El Gallo” Villaseca (13-4) of Santiago, Chile; undefeated John “Ronin” Bedoya (6-0) of Bogota, Colombia; and powerhouse Marlon “Deriko Siete”  Gonzales (13-3-2, 1 NC) of Lima, Peru.

 

The tournament brackets and quarterfinal stage tournament matchups will be announced this week.

 

In “COPA COMBATE” preliminary bout action announced today, local police officer Evan “Pitbull” Solorio (3-2) of Fresno will face off with Jimmy “Mamba” Molina (0-0) of Spokane, Wash., USA in a welterweight (170 pounds) contest.

 

In a battle of two professional debut competitors, Albert Gonzales (0-0) of Fresno will collide with James Porter (0-0) of Fresno.

 

Priced from $30, tickets for “COPA COMBATE” are on sale online at CombateAmericas.com/Tickets and at Ticketmaster.com, as well as at the Save Mart Center box office.

 

Doors at Save Mart Center will open for the event at 5 p.m. PT on December 7, and the first preliminary bout will begin at 6 p.m.

 

 

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Bellator, DAZN, mixed martial arts, MMA, Paramount Network

TWO TITLES ON THE LINE AT BELLATOR 214 IN L.A. ON JANUARY 26

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GEGARD MOUSASI DEFENDS BELLATOR MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP AGAINST UNBEATEN RAFAEL LOVATO JR.

 

LOS ANGELES – The co-main event of Bellator’s return to the “Fabulous” Forum in Inglewood, Calif. on Jan. 26 will see reigning middleweight champion Gegard Mousasi (45-6-2) defend his title against undefeated Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt Rafael Lovato Jr. (9-0).

 

 

 

The main event of the card will feature the Finals of the Bellator Heavyweight World Grand Prix, where the greatest heavyweight of all-time Fedor Emelianenko (38-5, 1 NC) faces current light heavyweight champ Ryan Bader (26-5) for the Bellator world heavyweight title. A recently added featherweight bout will pit super-prospect Aaron Pico (4-1) against the always-tough Henry Corrales (16-3). Additional bouts will be announced in the coming weeks.

 

 

 

Tickets for Bellator 214: Fedor vs. Bader are on sale now and can be purchased at the Forum box office, as well as Bellator.com and Ticketmaster.com. The event will be broadcast live and free on Paramount Network at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT and will be simulcast live on DAZN. Preliminary action will stream on Bellator.com and globally on the Bellator Mobile App.

 

 

 

Fighting out of Leiden, South Holland, Netherlands, Gegard Mousasi will be looking to follow-up his decisive TKO victory over Rory MacDonald at Bellator 206 in what will be his second title defense since becoming champion earlier this year. “The Dreamcatcher” is currently in the midst of an impressive eight-fight win streak that dates back to 2016. The 33-year-old judo black belt has dominated the stacked middleweight class since signing with Bellator in 2017, collecting three victories in as many bouts, including a pair of knockouts against Rafael Carvalho and MacDonald in both of his world title fights. The former Strikeforce champion, who debuted in impressive fashion against Alexander Shlemenko, now looks to extend his current win streak and defend the middleweight belt for the second time in just five months.

 

 

 

Rafael Lovato Jr. will be making his sixth appearance for Bellator, a bout where not only will the 35-year-old’s unblemished mark of 9-0 be on the line, but also a world championship belt. Since signing with the Viacom-owned promotion in 2017, the Oklahoma City-based fighter has tallied five wins and four finishes, three of which came in the opening round, including his most recent submission win over top middleweight contender John Salter at Bellator 205. A fourth-degree black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, the former Legacy FC middleweight champ will finally have his shot at Bellator gold when he takes on current 185-pound champion Mousasi in the co-main event of Bellator’s return to Los Angeles on Jan. 26.

 

 

 

Updated Bellator: Fedor vs. Bader Fight Card:

 

 

Heavyweight World Grand Prix Final Main Event: Fedor Emelianenko (38-5, 1NC) vs. Ryan Bader (26-5)

Middleweight World Title Bout: Gegard Mousasi (45-6-2) vs. Rafael Lovato Jr. (9-0)

Featherweight Feature Bout: Aaron Pico (4-1) vs. Henry Corrales (16-3)

 

 

 

Updated Preliminary Card:

 

 

Lightweight Preliminary Bout: Mike Segura (9-6) vs. Richard Leroy (7-1)

Lightweight Preliminary Bout: Jorge Juarez (3-0) vs. David Pacheco (Pro Debut)

 

 

 

*Card subject to change

 

 

 

For more information, please visit Bellator.com.

M-1, M-1 Challenge, mixed martial arts, MMA, Russia

M-1 CHALLENGE 99 OFFICIAL RESULTS & PICTURES FROM RUSSIA

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Aleksander Doskalchuk decisions Mikael Silander
To retain his M-1 Challenge flyweight title
 
  And still champion… M-1 Challenge flyweight champion Aleksander Doskalchuk retained his title belt
NAZRAN, Ingushetia, Russia (November 17, 2018) – The first and only M-1 Challenge flyweight champion, Aleksander Doskalchuk, made his second successful title defense last night in the M-1 Challenge 99, main event, when he decisioned his Finnish challenger, Mikael “Hulk” Silander, at Nazran in the Republic of Ingushetia in Russia.
Doskalchuk (10-1-0), fighting out of Ukraine, made his first title defense against then-Interim M-1 Challenge titlist Arman Ashimov, who Doskalchuk defeated this past June at M-1 Challenge 92, when his opponent suffered a hand injury and was unable to continue in the third round.
Aleksander Doskalchuk (L) outworked challenger Mikael Silander to earn a unanimous decision win
Silander (18-7-0), who had his second title shot last night versus Doskalchuk, lost in an Interim title fight against Ashimov last February at M-1 Challenge 87, in which the Finnish fighter was stopped on punches in the second round.
Doskalchuk improved to 4-0-0 in M-1 Global competition with his five-round unanimous decision victory over Silander
In the co-featured event, Brazilian heavyweight Klidson Farias de Abreau (14-2-0) turned in an impressive M-1 debut, using a straight armbar to force his Russian foe, Anton “Cherepovets Giant” Vyazigin (11-3-0), into submission in the second round. Abreau usually fights in the light heavyweight division, but he took on heavyweight Vyazigin, who was coming off a no-contest fight against living legend Sergey Kharitonov.
Russian featherweight prospect Abubkar Mestoev kept his undefeated record intact, improving to 7-0-0 with his unanimous decision triumph against Elias Alves “Junior Maranhao” Da Silva (21-8-0). Mestoev had been fighting in the lightweight division, but moved down because he felt his lack of height was a advantage, yet he was considerably shorter in this fight with Da Silva.
In the Fight of the Night, Akexander Osetrov (5-0-1) won a three-round majority decision overSalem Evloev (4-1-0), who is the brother of M-1 Challenge bantamweight champion Movsar Evloev, who is rumored to be signing with the UFC. Salem was being touted as a successor to his brother in the not too distant future, but his first loss will certainly curtail his rise as a contender, and Osetrov has positioned himself for a future title shot.
Also fighting on the main card, Brazilian lightweight Michel “Sassarito” Silva (21-7-1) employed a rarely used brabo choke to defeat previously undefeated Magomedkamil Malikov(6-1-0) in round two. The 6′ 2″ Silva has a distinct advantage as the tallest M-1 fighter in the lightweight division.
On the undercard, Ukrainian middleweight Vadim Shabadash (8-3-0) locked in a rear naked choke on Russian Musa Pliev (2-1-0) for an opening round win, Kyrgyzstan featherweightBusurmankul Abdibait Uulu (11-2-1) took a three-round majority decision from RussianZalimbeg Omarov (10-3-1), and Spanish featherweight Aridane Romero (8-1-0) was victorious over Russian Ahmadkhan Bokov (4-4-0) by way of a second-round submission via a triangle choke.
Georgian welterweight Amiran Gogoladze (7-1-0) only needed 10-seconds to knock out Juho Valamaa (15-6-0) with a powerful punch. It was the shortest fight of the night as well as one of the quickest knockouts in M-1 history. Russian middleweight Vladimir Trusov (3-1-0) defeated Russian Aslan Ismailov (2-1-0), by way of technical knockout in the third round, via submission to punches.
On the pre-undercard, Russian featherweight Gleb Khabibullin (3-0-0) stopped Russian Amir Badiev (2-1-0) with a devastating punch in the first round, and veteran Russian lightweightLom-Ali Nalgiev (15-7-0) decisioned Tursunbek Asylgaziev (10-7-0).
The 24 fighters in this International event represented seven different countries: Ukraine, Finland, Brazil, Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Spain and Georgia.
Below find the official results and pictures:
MAIN CARD
MAIN EVENT – M-1 CHALLENGE FLYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
Aleksander Doskalchuk (10-1-0, M-1: 4-0-0), Ukraine
WDEC5
Mikael Silander (18-7-0, M-1: 3-2-0), Finland
(Doskalchulk retained M-1 Challenge flyweight title)
CO-FEATURE – HEAVYWEIGHTS
Klidson Farias de Abreau (14-2-0, M-1: 1-0-0), Brazil
WSUB2 (3:14 / straight armbar)
Anton Vyazigin (11-3-0, 1 NC, M-1: 4-2-0, 1 NC), Russia
FEATHERWEIGHTS
Abubakar Mestoev (7-0-0, M-1: 7-0-0), Russia
WDEC3
Elias Alves Da Silva (21-8-0, M-1: 0-1-0), Brazil
BANTAMWEIGHTS
Alexander Osetrov (5-0-1, M-1: 4-0-1), Russia
WDEC3
Selem Evloev (4-1-0, M-1: 4-1-0), Russia
LIGHTWEIGHTS
Michel Silva (21-7-1, M-1: 3-2-0), Brazil
WSUB2 (1:17 / bravo choke)
Magomedkamil Malikov (6-1-0, M-1: 3-1-0), Russia
UNDERCARD
MIDDLEWEIGHTS
Vadim Shabadash (8-3-0, M-1: 3-1-0), Ukraine
WSUB1 (3:12 / rear naked choke)
Musa Pliev (2-1-0, M-1: 2-1-0), Russia
FEATHERWEIGHTS
Busurmankul Abdibait Uulu (11-2-1, M-1: 3-0-1), Kyrgyzstan
WDEC3
Zalimbeg Omarov (10-3-1, M-1: 7-2-1), Russia
Aridane Romero (2-0-0, M-1: 2-0-0), Spain
WSUB2 (2:28 / triangle choke)
Ahmadkhan Bokov (7-2-0, M-1: 0-1-0), Russia
WELTERWEIGHTS
Amiran Gogoladze (7-1-0, M-1: 4-0-0), Georgia
WKO1 (0:10 / punch)
Juho Valamaa (15-6-0, M-1: 1-2-0), Finland
MIDDLEWEIGHTS
Vladimir Trusov (3-1-0, M-1: 3-0-0), Russia
WTKO3 (2:50 / submission to punches)
Aslan Ismailov (2-1-0, 1 NC, M-1: 0-1-0), Russia
PRE-UNDERCARD
FEATHERWEIGHTS
Gleb Khabivbullin (3-0-0, M-1: 1-0-0), Russia)
WKO1 (2:14 / punch)
Amir Badiev (1-2-0, M-1: 0-2-0), Russia
LIGHTWEIGHTS
Lom-Ali Nalgiev (15-7-0, M-1: 6-2-0), Russia
WDEC3
Tursunbek Asylgaziev (10-7-0, M-1: 0-1-0), Kyrgyzstan
 
Klidson Farias de Abreau (L) was too much to handle for Anton Vyazigin
Abubakar Mestoev (L) decisioned Elias Alves Da Silva
Alexander Osetrov (L) defeated Selem Evloev in the Fight of the Night
Michel Silva (R) connected on this kick to the head of Magomedkamil Malikov
INFORMATION:

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