Category Archives: MMA

mixed martial arts, MMA, New England Fights

JOSH HARVEY TO MAKE LONG-AWAITED RETURN TO MMA CAGE AT NEF 35 IN BANGOR

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Bangor, Maine (July 16, 2018) – New England Fights (NEF) will hold its next mixed-martial-arts event, “NEF 35: Wicked Season,” on September 8 at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor.  Earlier today, the fight promotion announced the addition of a professional lightweight bout to the fight card.  Josh “Hook On” Harvey (4-0) will return to the cage to take on Jay Ellis (15-79) at a fight weight of 155-pounds.

 

 

 

The fight with Ellis will take place just over 16 months since the last time Harvey did battle in the NEF cage.  The former amateur lightweight champion is undefeated thus far in his professional career.  Harvey has entered the cage four times in the pro ranks and has finished all four opponents in the first round with two knockouts and two submissions to his credit.  He is a member of Young’s MMA based in Bangor, and “NEF 35” will be Harvey’s first opportunity to fight in front of his hometown fans, family and friends since “NEF Presents Dana White: Lookin’ for a Fight” which took place at the Cross Insurance Center in August 2016.

 

 

 

“I’m excited to display the improvements I made since my last fight,” Harvey said. “Thankful for any opponent willing to hook on, will be one for the highlight reel for sure!”

 

 

 

Harvey’s opponent, Jay Ellis, is a longtime veteran of the sport based out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin where he trains with Team Knockout.  Ellis regularly travels to New England to compete and has gained a cult following throughout the region. Last summer, he shocked Bangor fight fans by taking the fight to Ryan Sanders (16-9) and nearly upsetting the hometown favorite with a submission attempt before Sanders was able to score a come-from-behind victory.

 

 

 

“I’m so happy to be coming back to Maine to put on another great performance,” stated Ellis when reached for comment. “This time my hand will be raised high as the victorious one.”

 

 

 

NEF’s next mixed-martial-arts event, “NEF 35: Wicked Season,” will see the company make its return to the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor, Maine.  The event is scheduled to take place Saturday, September 8, 2018 with a bell time of 7 pm.  Tickets are on sale now at www.CrossInsuranceCenter.com.

Bellator, mixed martial arts, MMA, Paramount Network

OFFICIAL BELLATOR 203: PITBULL VS. WEICHEL 2 RESULTS & PHOTOS 

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Full Bellator 203 Photos // Credit: Bellator/Lucas Noonan

 

Bellator 203 Scorecards

 

Bellator 203 Official Results:

 Patricio “Pitbull” (27-4) def. Daniel Weichel (39-10) via split decision (49-46, 48-47, 47-48)

*“Pitbull” retains Bellator featherweight world championship

Alessio Sakara (20-12, 2 NC) def. Jamie Sloane (8-5, 1 NC) via TKO (strikes) at 1:19 of round one

Andrey Koreshkov (21-2) def. Vaso Bakocevic (33-18-1) via KO at 1:06 of round one

Alen Amedovski (6-0) def. Will Fleury (4-1) via KO at 1:39 of round one

Maxim Radu (9-1) def. Simone La Preziosa (3-5) via TKO (strikes) at 4:50 of round one

Michele Martignoni (4-0) def. Simone D’Anna (4-2) via KO (head kick) at :06 seconds of round one

*Martignoni ties record for fastest KO in Bellator history

LFA, mixed martial arts, MMA

LFA 47 – JACKSON vs. JENNERMAN

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LFA RETURNS TO DALLAS 
WITH 
INTERIM FEATHERWEIGHT 
TITLE BOUT

MAIN EVENT:
“THE LEECH”
DAMON JACKSON
vs.
“NASTY”
NATE JENNERMAN
 
INTERIM FEATHERWEIGHT TITLE BOUT
FRIDAY, AUGUST 10th LIVE on AXS TV
THE BOMB FACTORY in DALLAS, TEXAS
 
Tickets are on sale NOW through TheBombFactory.com

LAS VEGAS, Nevada – LFA CEO Ed Soares announced today that the promotion will crown an interim featherweight champion when the promotion returns to Dallas in August.

 

 

The main event of LFA 47 will feature an interim featherweight title bout when former LFA featherweight title challenger Damon “The Leech” Jackson battles fellow top contender “Nasty” Nate Jennerman. LFA 47 – Jackson vs. Jennerman takes place this Friday, August 10th at The Bomb Factory in Dallas, Texas. The entire main card will be televised live and nationwide on AXS TV at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.

 

 

“LFA featherweight champion Kevin Aguilar recently got the opportunity to compete for a UFC contract,” stated Soares. “Damon Jackson and Nate Jennerman are the two winningest featherweights in LFA history. They will compete for the LFA interim featherweight title on August 10th. LFA started at The Bomb Factory at LFA 1 by unifying the Legacy FC and RFA bantamweight titles. In May, we unified our featherweight title in the same venue. Now we will continue our exciting history in Dallas at LFA 47.”

 

 

Tickets for LFA 47 – Jackson vs. Jennerman are available for purchase NOW at TheBombFactory.com.

 

 

Jackson (15-2-1) heads into this title fight looking to capture LFA gold that eluded him the first time he competed for it at LFA 4. The former Legacy FC featherweight champion and three-time UFC veteran came up short against Kevin Aguilar that night, but has since strung together four consecutive submission victories inside the LFA Octagon. The NAIA All-American wrestler currently has the most wins in LFA history (5 wins) and will look to continue his dominance and position himself for one of two preferred outcomes with a title win at LFA 47. That would be either a rematch with Aguilar or a return trip to the UFC.

 

 

Jennerman (12-3) is the only man to experience a similar level of success as Jackson since the merger of Legacy FC and RFA created LFA in January 2017. The Roufusport product is currently tied with LFA flyweight champion Maikel Perez for second most wins in LFA history (4 wins) and will look to tie the promotion’s wins leader Jackson by defeating the man himself. If “Nasty Nate” wins by submission, he will also tie Jackson’s record for most submission wins in LFA history (5 submission wins). More importantly, Jennerman will capture prestigious LFA championship gold against his toughest opponent to date.

 

 

 

Main Card (Televised on AXS TV at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT):

 

 

 

Main Event | Interim Featherweight Title Bout (145 lb)

– Damon Jackson (15-2-1) vs. Nate Jennerman (12-3)

 

 

Co-Main Event | Featherweight Bout (145 lb)

– Levi Mowles (9-3) vs. Charles Cheeks III (13-6)

 

 

Welterweight Bout (170 lb)

– Evan Cutts (9-3) vs. William “Patolino” Macario (9-3)

 

 

Welterweight Bout (170 lb)

– Sean Spencer (12-6) vs. Bilal Williams (8-6)

 

 

Welterweight Bout (170 lb)

– Ramiz Brahimaj (6-1) vs. Justin Patterson (10-4)

 

 

Women’s Strawweight Bout (115 lb)

– Valerie Soto (0-0) vs. Cristina Crist

 

 

Featherweight Bout (145 lb)

– Austin Lingo (4-0) vs. Eddie Brown (4-1)

 

 

 

LFA 47 will be the sixth LFA event to take place in the City of Dallas. It will also be the twelfth time that LFA has traveled to “The Lone Star State” of Texas. The entire main card of LFA 47 will be televised live and nationwide on AXS TV at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT.

 

 

 

Please visit LFAfighting.com for bout updates and information. LFA is on Facebook at Legacy Fighting Alliance. LFA is also on Instagram at @LFAfighting and Twitter at @LFAfighting.

 

 

 

In 2017 RFA and Legacy FC merged to form LFA, the premier developmental organization in Mixed Martial Arts. The combined forces of LFA launched the careers of over 130 athletes to reach the pinnacle of MMA by competing in the UFC.  In May of 2018 the promotion joined the London Trust Media Holdings group of companies.

 

Bellator, mixed martial arts, MMA, Paramount Network

OFFICIAL BELLATOR 202: BUDD VS. NOGUEIRA RESULTS & PHOTOS

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 Full Event Photos Here

 

Complete Bellator 202: Budd vs. Nogueira Results:

Julia Budd (12-2) defeated Talita Nogueira (7-1) via TKO (punches) at 4:07 of round three

Michael McDonald (19-4) defeated Eduardo Dantas (20-6) via KO (punches) at :58 of round one

Chris Honeycutt (11-2, 1 NC) defeated Leo Leite (10-2) via unanimous decision (30-25, 30-25, 30-25)

Valentin Moldavsky (8-1) defeated Ernest James (1-1) via TKO (punches) at 4:03 of second round

 

Preliminary Card Results:

Daniel Carey (6-2) defeated Aaron Webb (2-1) via submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:54 of round two

Will Morris (3-0) defeated Charles Williams (3-1) via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-25)

Veta Arteaga (4-2) defeated Emily Ducote (6-5) via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Yaroslav Amasov (20-0) defeated Gerald Harris (25-7) via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)

Steve Kozola (9-2) defeated Ryan Walker (7-4) via KO (punches) at 1:45 of round one

Rudy Schaffroth (5-0, 1 NC) defeated Jon Hill (12-7) via TKO (punches) at :42 of round one

Tyler Ingram (2-0) defeated Fernando Gonzalez (3-1) via submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:13 of round two

Nation Gibrick (2-0) defeated Luis Erives (0-1) via submission (heel hook) at 1:30 of round one

 

mixed martial arts, MMA, New England Fights

EWER AND HALL ON COLLISION COURSE FOR NEF 35 IN BANGOR

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Maine (July 13, 2018) – New England Fights (NEF) will hold its next mixed-martial-arts event, “NEF 35: Wicked Season,” on September 8 at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor.  Earlier today, the fight promotion announced the addition of a professional lightweight bout to the fight card.  CJ Ewer (3-1) is scheduled to face Caleb Hall (1-0) at a fight weight of 155-pounds.

 

 

 

Ewer headlined the previous NEF card in Bangor with a win over Mike Hansen (5-9) last August to claim the professional middleweight title of the promotion.  Earlier this year, he tried to become the first multi-division champion in NEF history when he met Kemran Lachinov (5-2) for the welterweight strap.  It was not to be, however, as Ewer suffered his first professional loss that February evening at “NEF 32.”  A member of Bangor’s Young’s MMA who proudly serves his country with the United States Air Force security forces, Ewer will look to rebound from that loss against Hall this September.

 

 

 

“Caleb has improved exponentially every single fight, and he looked amazing his last fight,” said Ewer of his opponent. “Caleb will go very far in this sport, but I am going to make sure he doesn’t do it at my expense. It’s going to be a very tough, very exciting fight for sure.”

 

 

 

Caleb Hall surprised many fans when he arrived for “NEF 33” weigh-ins this spring.  The one-time amateur featherweight titleholder looked like a monster version of his former self after bulking up with ten pounds of muscle for his professional debut at lightweight.  The next night, Hall squeezed the proverbial life out of rugged veteran John Ortolani (8-13) with a Von Flue choke to pick up his first pro victory.  The impressive performance sent a message to the New England MMA scene that Hall had indeed arrived in the pro ranks.  Hall is a product of the Choi Institute in Portland, Maine and a two-time state wrestling champion out of Dirigo High School in Dixfield, Maine.

 

 

 

“I am looking forward to making another statement with a win over Ewer in his hometown,” stated Hall. “He’s a tough fighter, and I can’t wait to get in there and fight.”

 

 

 

NEF’s next mixed-martial-arts event, “NEF 35: Wicked Season,” will see the company make its return to the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor, Maine.  The event is scheduled to take place Saturday, September 8, 2018 with a bell time of 7 pm.  Tickets are on sale now at www.CrossInsuranceCenter.com.

Bellator, boxing, mixed martial arts, MMA, Rich Bergeron, Tom Padgett, Tony Penecale, UFC, wrestling

FNU Combat Sports Show: Pro Boxer Anthony Laureano Interview, Brock Invades the UFC Cage, Cormier gets a Huge Win, Pacquaio Faces a Tough Boxing Test in Malaysia This Weekend

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This week on the FNU Combat Sports Show, Psychic Tom and Rabble Rousin’ Rich start off with a great interview with pro boxer Anthony Laureano. The Connecticut professional boxer is coming off a big win on the undercard of the Joe Smith Jr. fight at the end of June. We also recap last week’s boxing and MMA action, highlighted by Daniel Cormier’s monumental win over Stipe Miocic to become the first two belt holder in the UFC since McGregor. Tony joins the broadcast after the Laureano interview to give his take on Brock’s return to the UFC after going back to the WWE at the end of his first UFC stint. We also touch upon the Danny O’Connor fight being called off due to severe dehydration suffered by O’Connor. Finally, we preview upcoming events and briefly discuss a rumored rematch between Vitali Klitschko and Lennox Lewis.

 

Listen to the full show right here:

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/9pj6fsfyhi4kmrj/tomtonyrichfnushowjuly10th2018.mp3?dl=0

Bellator, mixed martial arts, MMA, Paramount Network

OFFICIAL BELLATOR 202: BUDD VS. NOGUEIRA WEIGH-IN RESULTS & PHOTOS

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Full Weigh-In Photos Here

 

Complete Bellator 202 Weigh-in Results:

Women’s Featherweight World Title Main Event: Julia Budd (144.1) vs. Talita Nogueira (144.3)

Bantamweight Co-Main Event: Eduardo Dantas (135.5) vs. Michael McDonald (135.6)

Middleweight Main Card Bout: Chris Honeycutt (185.6) vs. Leo Leite (184.3)

Heavyweight Main Card Bout: Ernest James (261.1) vs. Valentin Moldavsky (232.9)

Welterweight Preliminary Bout: Gerald Harris (170.5) vs. Yaroslav Amasov (170.2)

Women’s Flyweight Preliminary Bout: Emily Ducote (125) vs. Veta Arteaga (125.7)

Lightweight Preliminary Bout: Steve Kozola (154.6) vs. Ryan Walker (155.9)

Featherweight Preliminary Bout: Aaron Webb (144.7) vs. Daniel Carey (145.4)

Lightweight Preliminary Bout: Charles Williams (153.6) vs. Will Morris (155.5)

Lightweight Preliminary Bout: Nation Gibrick (155.3) vs. Luis Erives (155.9)

Welterweight Preliminary Bout: Tyler Ingram (169.9) vs. Fernando Gonzalez (170.7)

Heavyweight Preliminary Bout: Jon Hill (256.2) vs. Rudy Schaffroth (252.4)

 

mixed martial arts, MMA, New England Fights

BANGOR FAN FAVORITES WILL DO BATTLE ON NEF 35 FIGHT CARD

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Bangor, Maine (July 12, 2018) – New England Fights (NEF) will hold its next mixed-martial-arts event, “NEF 35: Wicked Season,” on September 8 at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor.  Earlier today, the fight promotion announced the addition of a professional lightweight bout to the fight card.  Jon Lemke (7-8) will meet Aaron “Relentless” Lacey (5-2) at a fight weight of 155-pounds.

 

 

 

Lemke is an eleven-fight veteran of the NEF cage and a perennial top contender in the promotion’s lightweight division.  A member of Titan Athletics based in neighboring Brewer, Maine, Lemke has developed a massive following out of the Bangor area.  He is a four-year veteran of the United States Marine Corps.  One of the highlights of Lemke’s career was scoring a victory over Jesse Erickson (9-7) before a nationally televised audience on the NEF co-promoted Bellator 93 event in Lewiston, Maine.  He is coming off a unanimous decision win against Josh LaBerge (11-7) in Rhode Island last fall.

 

 

 

“It is with great excitement and anticipation that I step back into the NEF cage to fight in front of my hometown friends and fans,” said Lemke. “It is with equal enthusiasm that I fight Aaron Lacey, who is one of the best fighters in New England. This is going to be an absolute battle that fans will not want to miss.”

 

 

 

For Lacey, the bout with Lemke will be the first time he has fought in the lightweight division since his amateur career. Lacey was victorious over Dom Cofone (6-6) in a 150-pound catchweight contest in the spring of 2014.  Since that fight, Lacey has competed nine times – all in the 145-pound featherweight division.  The fight with Lemke presents an opportunity for Lacey to once again compete before his hometown fans and friends in the Queen City.  A member of Bangor’s Young’s MMA, Lacey was scheduled to appear on NEF’s previous event at the Cross Insurance Center in the summer of 2017, but his opponent was forced out of the bout just hours prior to bell time when it was discovered that he was serving a medical suspension for a boxing loss in another jurisdiction.  Lacey will look to bounce back from a loss to top prospect Da’Mon Blackshear (5-1) last month at “NEF 34” in Portland, Maine.

 

 

 

“I’m so excited to be fighting in Bangor,” exclaimed Lacey.  “Last time I was slated to fight in Bangor it did not work out. My last fight (Blackshear) didn’t go my way, and I’m looking to fix some mistakes this fight. It won’t be easy for him.  He will suffer, and I will test and then break his will! Bangor is my home, and I will defend it.”

 

 

 

NEF’s next mixed-martial-arts event, “NEF 35: Wicked Season,” will see the company make its return to the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor, Maine.  The event is scheduled to take place Saturday, September 8, 2018 with a bell time of 7 pm.  Tickets are on sale now at www.CrossInsuranceCenter.com.

Bellator, boxing, FNU Combat Sports Show, Golden Boy Promotions, mixed martial arts, MMA, Rich Bergeron, Tom Padgett, Tony Penecale, UFC, women's boxing, women's MMA

FNU Combat Sports Show: July 5th, 2018

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This week on the FNU Combat Sports Show, Tom, Tony and Rich look back at Bellator 201, a new candidate for “Round of the Year” in the Zappavigna/Saucedo fight, Golden Boy making moves in boxing and MMA, and the increasing push by streaming services to drain away the PPV dollar from sports fans. We start off discussing concussion symptoms that led to the withdrawal of Max Holloway from the co-main event of UFC 226 this week.

 

Of course we also preview a huge weekend for the UFC with The TUF Finale tonight and the long-awaited UFC 226 main event of Stipe Miocic putting his heavyweight belt on the line against Light Heavyweight Champion Daniel Cormier.

 

Listen to the full broadcast at the link below:

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/pckwutknd1wvbm9/july5fnuradioshow.mp3?dl=0

Bellator, boxing, DAZN, mixed martial arts, MMA, Rich Bergeron, Tom Padgett, Tony Penecale, UFC

FNU Combat Sports Show: UFC Fight Night Recap, Pacquiao vs. Matthysse still on, “Big Rig” Retires

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This week on the FNU Combat Sports Show, we discuss the latest news in MMA and boxing, recap the past week’s events and preview the upcoming events this week. We also discuss Walter “2 Guns” Wright winning his main event fight against Mark DeLuca a couple days after we interviewed him last week. Wright’s split decision win came in part due to a persistent jab that frustrated DeLuca and left him bloodied, bruised and exhausted by the final bell. Of course bringing up this fact gets us all going on the absolute necessity of the jab in any combat sports fighter’s toolbox.

Among the news we touch on:

The rumors about Manny Pacquiao’s next fight with Lucas Matthysse being in jeopardy, Manny and his team say everything is on track.

Johny “Big Rig” Hendricks retires (also forgot to mention Rashad Evans retired as well).

 

The latest cast for The Contender Series, set to return this August featuring 16 up and coming young boxers in the 160-pound division.

 

Lyoto Machida’s defection from the UFC to Bellator and Bellator’s blockbuster deal with DAZN, a streaming service working to take over new markets this year, including the US and Italy.

 

Here is the link to our full broadcast:

 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/fhh628mp15en9md/tomtonyrichjune282018.mp3?dl=0