Rich, Tony and Tom discuss last week’s busy boxing and MMA schedule and look forward to some incredible match-ups this weekend in combat sports. We also briefly discuss Jose Aldo refusing to believe the hype behind Bjorn Rebney and Georges St. Pierre uniting some other UFC stars to start the MMAAA.
MAYWEATHER PROMOTIONS SIGNS UNDEFEATED LIGHTWEIGHT SAUL “NENO” RODRIGUEZ
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Baltimore Pro Boxing Returns January 13
Baltimore, MD (December 15, 2016) – Jake “The Snake” Smith’s Baltimore Pro Boxing makes their long awaited return to Michael’s Eighth Avenue in Glen Burnie, MD for “A Scary Night at the Fights” Friday, January 13.
Tickets to “A Scary Night at the Fights” are on sale now by going to Baltimoreboxing.com/events or calling 410-375-9175. Doors open at 6:30 and the opening bell will sound at 8:15.
Headlining the event is Baltimore super middleweight Jessie “The Beast” Nicklow. Known as one of the physically toughest fighters in the 160 and 168 pound weight classes, Nicklow has a solid 25-8-3 record with 8 wins by knockout. The 29-year-old fought many top fighters including former undisputed middleweight champion Jermain Taylor, Olympic Gold Medalist Ryota Murata, top contender Sergiy Derevyanchenko and Fernando Guerrero among others.
Nicklow, who is unbeaten in 26 fights in his home state, faces an opponent to be named in an eight round contest.
“I’m excited to be back running pro shows in the Baltimore area,” said Smith, a former boxer who has been a successful promoter for more than 20 years. “We’ve had incredible support from the crowd and our sponsors for amateur shows but people were always asking when we’d run another pro card. It’s my pleasure to present “A Scary Night at the Fights” and the plan is to continue providing quality entertainment for our ticketholders.”
In the co-main event, 18-year-old boxing prodigy Joey “Bazooka Joe” Veazey of Baltimore meets an opponent to be named in a four round junior middleweight contest. Veazey, a multi-time champion in the amateurs, turned pro in October with a unanimous decision victory and has a large fan base.
“Dangerous” Donald Wallace, 1-0 (1 KO), is slated to return in a four round middleweight bout. A newcomer to the sport, the Baltimore resident made a name for himself as an amateur, going from novice to Olympic Trials participant in a short period of time. Wallace, who scored a first round knockout in his pro debut, faces a foe to be named.
Rugged 46 fight veteran Michael “The Amazing” Gbenga of Baltimore by way of Accra, Ghana will appear on the card in a light heavyweight contest.
Additional fights will be announced shortly.
For more information, visit Baltimoreboxing.com.
DON KING’S ANNUAL CHRISTMAS TURKEY GIVEAWAY BEGINS SATURDAY: NINE CITIES, SEVEN STATES, FIVE DAYS
Hall of Fame Promoter, 85, Plays ‘Santa’ For Needy Families
LAS VEGAS (Dec. 15, 2016) – A 50-year-plus tradition of donating turkeys to needy families around Christmas time will continue this week when legendary Hall of Fame boxing promoter, Don “Only In America” King, will visit nine cities in seven states in five days as part of his annual Christmas Turkey Giveaway that begins this Saturday.
The architect and impresario behind the fabled The Rumble In the Jungle and Thrilla in Manila and countless other historic classic boxing events, King will dole out the thousands of birds in Cleveland, Nashville, New Jersey, Los Angeles, New York, Palm Beach, Fla., Deerfield Beach, Fla., Miami and Las Vegas.
“Our annual turkey giveaway has a special theme this year and that’s to ‘Make America Great Again,’ ’’ King said. “It’s about the veterans. God Bless the veterans and God Bless America!”
Below is the schedule for King’s five-day turkey giveaway:
Saturday, Dec. 17
Cleveland, Ohio
Call and Post
11800 Shaker Blvd.
Cleveland, Ohio 44120
Contact: Dale Edwards, 216-773-6600
Monday, Dec. 19
Nashville, Tenn.
Community Care Fellowship
511 S. 8th St.
Nashville, Tenn. 37206
Contact: Jimmy Adams, 615-601-4857
Newark, N.J.
916 S. Orange Ave.
Newark, N.J. 07106
Contact: Carolyn Kelly Shabazz, 862-262-9240
New York
National Action Network
106 W. 145th St.
New York, N.Y. 10039
Contact: Rev. Richardson, 914-572-6343
Tuesday, Dec. 20
Los Angeles, Calif.
California Black Museum of Jazz and Blues
4317 Degnan Blvd.
Los Angeles, Calif. 90008
Contact: Michelle Patterson, 949-218-4769
Charles Dudley, 213-819-7812
Palm Beach, Fla.
Palm Beach Jai Lai
1415 N. 45th St.
Mangonia Park, Fla. 33407
Contact: Addie Green, 561-818-1670
Deerfield Beach, Fla.
St. Paul United Methodist Church
244 SE 2nd Avenue
Deerfield Beach, Fla. 33441
Contact: Jimi Brown, 305-975-7077
Miami, Fla.
14500 NE 11th Avenue
North Miami, Fla. 33161
Contact: Hans Mardy, 305-307-9073
Wednesday, Dec. 21
Las Vegas, Nev.
325 East Windmill
Las Vegas, Nev. 89123
Contact: Eric Brown, 702-325-8134
Unbeaten Local Talent Rounds Out Undercard Action Saturday, January 14 from Barclays Center in Brooklyn
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KO & Submission of the Night M-1 Challenge 73 co-winners announced
| ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (December 15, 2016) – M-1 Global has announced Knockout of the Night and Submission of the Night bonus performance award co-winners for last Friday night’s M-1 Challenge 73: Battle of Narts in Ingushetia, Russia.
Co-Knockouts of the Night
Feared striker Magomed Idrisov (7-0-0, M-1: 4-0-0), of Russia captured the M-1 Challenge bantamweight title by knocking out defending champion Ivan “Buki” Buchinger (31-5-0, M-1: 6-1-0), fighting out of Slovakia, who rode a 10-fight win streak into M-1 Challenge 73, Idrisov put Buchinger to sleep with one devastating punch in the opening round for a shocking ending.
American bantamweight “The Punisher” Josh Rettinghouse (14-4-0, M-1: 2-0-0) knocked out his Kazakh opponent, Sergey Morozov (6-2-0, M-1: 3-2-0), in the first round.
Co-Submissions of the Night
Hometown favorite Khamzat Dalgiev (8-1-0, M-1: 5-1-0), chocked out British lightweight Christian “The Animal” Holley (10-3-0, M-1: 0-1-0) in the second round.
Brazilian bantamweight Diego “The Pride” Davella (16-5-0, M-1: 1-0-0) won his M-1 debut in impressive fashion, choking Zalimbeg Omarov (7-2-1, M-1: 4-2-1) into a second-round submission.
NEXT SHOW: Feb. 18, M-1 Challenge 74, St. Petersburg, Russia
INFORMATION:
Twitter & Instagram:
@M1GlobalNews
@VFinkelchtein
@M1Global
Facebook:
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ALL FIGHTERS SUCCESSFULLY MAKE WEIGHT – BELLATOR MMA & BAMMA DOUBLE HEADER EVENT SET TO TAKE PLACE TOMORROW NIGHT INSIDE 3ARENA IN DUBLIN
DUBLIN, IRELAND. (Dec. 15, 2016) – The official weigh-ins for both “Bellator 169: King Mo vs. Ishii” and “BAMMA 27” took place this afternoon at the 1878 club inside 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland. The competitors are now ready for action tomorrow at 3Arena, with the event airing on SPIKE at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT.
The Spike-televised main card will be highlighted by a heavyweight main event pitting “King Mo” (19-5, 1 NC) against Olympic Judo Gold Medalist Satoshi Ishii (14-6-1). In addition, Anthony Taylor (1-1) will look to quite the crowd as he enters enemy territory to challenge Northern Ireland’s own James Gallagher (4-0) in a featherweight co-main clash.
In addition to a full card of Bellator action, ticketholders will also have the unique opportunity to experience an additional fight card from Europe’s leading mixed martial arts promotion, BAMMA. The bantamweight belt will be on the line at “BAMMA 27,” as Tom Duquesnoy (13-1, 1 NC) and Alan Philpott (16-8) prepare to duke it out for the division gold.
“Bellator 169: King Mo vs. Ishii” takes place inside 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland, and will air free on SPIKE at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT.
“Bellator 169: King Mo vs. Ishii” Card: (SPIKE TV – 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT)
Heavyweight Main Event: Satoshi Ishii (236.6 lbs.) vs. Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal (213 lbs.)
Featherweight Co-Main Event: Anthony Taylor (145.8 lbs.) vs. James Gallagher (145.6 lbs.)
Featherweight Feature Bout: Brian Moore (146 lbs.) vs. Daniel Weichel (145.6 lbs.)
Bantamweight Feature Bout: Elina Kallionidou (135.8 lbs.) vs. Sinead Kavanagh (135.2 lbs.)
Bantamweight Feature Bout: Cameron Else (145.2 lbs.) vs. Dylan Tuke (144.6 lbs.)
BROTHER AND SISTER MMA FIGHTERS RETURN TO CAGE AT NEF 27
Lewiston, Maine (December 15, 2016) –New England Fights (NEF) returns to the Androscoggin Bank Colisee on February 11, 2017 with its next mixed-martial-arts event, “NEF 27: RESURGENCE.” Earlier today, the fight promotion announced the addition of two amateur bouts to the card. Ryan Burgess (2-1) will battle Justin Witham (2-4) in a flyweight contest while his sister, Nicole Burgess (0-1), takes on Sarah Ziehm (0-0) in the strawweight division.
This will not be the first time the Burgess siblings have competed on an NEF card together. Last June at “NEF 24,” Ryan and Nicole would taste defeat at the hands of Dustin Veinott (5-4) and Alex Walker (2-1), respectively. They will look to redeem themselves on February 11.
“I’m super excited to get my sister back in the cage on the same card as me,” said Ryan Burgess. “She has always been a competitor and being able to train side by side with her throughout this fight camp will help me as much as it will help her. She is tough as nails and everything I will be helping her learn over the next two months will just reinforce the knowledge I have already obtained from my coaches. Her debut was against a seasoned fighter in Alex Walker and I can’t wait to see her take home her first win on February 11th.”
Ryan and Nicole are based out of the Berserkers MMA camp in Rumford, Maine. They grew up in neighboring Mexico, Maine. Ryan was a three-time state wrestling champion out of Mountain Valley High School, while Nicole, a multi-sport athlete, also wrestled and excelled in field hockey. She has continued her field hockey career at Plymouth State University. Ryan captured the NEF MMA Flyweight Title last year. Both siblings are confident that Nicole can replicate his success in the cage.
“Training with my brother is both a challenge and a blessing,” said Nicole. “We’ll get on each other’s nerves, but at the end of the day we want each other to succeed. Plus, he’s a good partner to have on your team.”
Ryan’s bout at “NEF 27” will be a rematch. In their first meeting, he defeated Justin Witham via unanimous decision at “NEF 18” in the summer of 2015.
“Rematching Witham will be a perfect opportunity for me to showcase the huge strides I have made over the last year and a half since the beginning of my MMA career. He is a really tough dude and I know he will show up for a war, but I have made huge improvements in all aspects of my game since adding Jason Bell to my corner and I will be the one to decide the outcome of this fight. I will control the pace of the fight and whether I want to take it to him on the feet or take him down and submit him, there is nothing he will be able to do to stop me. This fight will not go three rounds.”
Justin Witham is a member of the Shatterproof Combat Club. Since his loss to Burgess, Witham has gone 2-1 including an impressive submission win over Conner Murphy (1-1) in his most recent outing. Witham is certain that he can defeat Burgess in the rematch.
“I’ve been wanting this fight since the second our first fight was over,” exclaimed Witham. “I can and will win!”
As for Nicole, she will be taking on the debuting Sarah Ziehm. Ziehm is a member of Central Maine Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (CMBJJ) based in nearby Auburn, Maine.
“I’m looking forward to getting back into the cage,” said Nicole. “I think my first fight was a good learning experience and I got out all my nerves that I didn’t expect to have. Now, it’s my turn to come out with a ‘W’ for my team.”
NEF’s next event, “NEF 27: RESURGENCE” takes place on Saturday, February 11, 2017 at 7 p.m. Tickets start at $25 and are on sale now at www.TheColisee.com or by calling the Colisee box office at 207.783.2009, extension 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.”
MICHAEL FARENAS & MARC PAGCALIWANGAN SIGN PROMOTINAL CONTRACTS WITH STAR BOXING
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QUOTES AND PHOTOS FROM THE ‘BELLATOR 169’ & ‘BAMMA 27’ OFFICIAL PRESS CONFERENCE IN DUBLIN
OFFICIAL WEIGH-INS FOR INTERNATIONAL DOUBLE HEADER TO BE HELD AT 4 P.M. THURSDAY AT 3ARENA
DUBLIN (December 14, 2016) – Two of the top MMA promotions in the world, Bellator and BAMMA have joined forces to deliver an early Christmas gift for MMA fans everywhere with a unique doubleheader event at the 3Arena in Dublin, Ireland this Friday, Dec. 16.
Despite the cold and rainy weather in Dublin, the main and co-main event fighters turned up the heat at the Official Fight Week Press Conference for the co-promoted event inside the Gibson Hotel. Bellator MMA President Scott Coker took center stage alongside BAMMA CEO David Green, and the two were flanked by “Bellator 169” combatants King Mo(19-5, 1 NC) and Satoshi Ishii (14-6-1) along with James Gallagher (4-0), and Anthony Taylor (14-2), as well as BAMMA main eventers Tom Duquesnoy (13-1, 1 NC) and Alan Philpott (16-8), a Chris Fields (11-7-1), who takes on Andrew Clamp (8-1, 1 NC).
Below are several transcribed quotes from the press conference.
King Mo:
“The cold weather (in Ireland) gets me, you know what I’m saying. But it’s gonna be hot in the venue, because I’m gonna bring the heat.” It’s gonna be action packed. I’m ready to scrap.”
“I’m shocked (by the support from the Irish fans). I came here to do PR last time and everyone was cool, but this time around its been even better. I went to Nandos (chicken restaurant) and got hooked up with like $70 worth of food. If y’all haven’t eaten at Nandos yet I suggest you try it out because that place is good.”
(To Ishii)
“Don’t run around the cage. Fight me square, entertain the fans, and put on a good show.”
“All the people out there, ya’ll better tune in and watch me kick and beat Ishii’s a** out the cage.”
Satoshi Ishii:
“It’s an honor to fight in Dublin. I’m looking forward to the fight, I’m excited, and I will do my best.”
James Gallagher:
“At the end of the day I can say whatever I want and he can say whatever he wants, but, you step in there and none of that means jack s***. It’s a fight between me and him, and that’s all that matters, and I’ll come out the winner.
“I literally do not care about him. I just care about me and what I’m going to do. I’m just going to go in there and smash his face in and that’s that. Simple answer.”
“Everything he is saying is a load of old bullsh**. Tune in on Friday night and you’ll see who’s going to the hospital after.”
“It’s amazing to fight in your own country and right here in the 3Arena. Walking out into that crowd, that feeling of pride is something you will always remember for the rest of your life.”
Anthony Taylor:
“Oh man, everything is going my way. The fact that I’ve got him, one-on-one, with the pretty one, it’s going tremendously fine. The atmosphere in Ireland is so beautiful. The weather, the women…oh my gosh the women! This is cuddling season
and I’m on Tinder just swiping right.
“I’m excited for the opportunity to showcase my skills. Everyone is looking at me as the underdog and saying this is a test. This ain’t no test, this is finals, and guess what? He’s going to fail.”
“I’m going to shock the world on Friday, and let them know who the hell is Anthony Pretty Boy Taylor, the most electrifying man in Bellator MMA. That’s what’s up, and I’m going to put on a show for all the people out there.”
“I get a lot of criticism, but I’ve also got a lot of Irish fans, just as much as he’s got, so it doesn’t matter to me. I don’t have the pressure, it’s on him. I’m coming here to do my thing. If I lose, I suck it up like a man. But if I win, I’m gonna be a superstar. I already know I’m going to win, he can’t stop me.”
Scott Coker
“We’ve been on the road quite a bit this year with 25 fights, 28 if you include kickboxing. This is something that David and I started talking about a year ago. It’s been seamless and a lot of fun. David’s been a great partner to work with, BAMMA’s been great.”
“We’ve been following this league for a couple years now. We know that they’re the powerhouse here in the UK and were happy to team up with them and bring our top fighters.”
“This is going to be a great show that is going to be televised all over the world. It will be on SPIKE UK, which airs here in Ireland as well on Saturday at 11 p.m. local time, as well as on SPIKE in the United States at 9 p.m. ET. It will also air in 140 countries around the world, so this is an event that brings worldwide recognition to this event here in Ireland, and we’re very proud to be here.”
(Is this somewhat of a scouting mission for you on Friday?)
“The mission statement of the company is to bring the best fighters in the world to Bellator. So we’re going to be watching very closely I know there is some great talent here, and I’m excited to watch it and see what the future holds.”
(On the event coming together)
“David (Green) and I became friends a little more than a year ago, and has a big television producing background, and he’s done stuff for Spike and Viacom in the past. He’s a very big producer here in the United Kingdom. But as far as coming together, if you look at the background of Strikeforce or even before that in kickboxing, we were never opposed to having fighters in one organization against fighters in another organization. In the earliest parts of the Strikeforce career in MMA, we sent Gilbert Melendez and Josh Thomson (among others) to Pride against some of the Japanese fighters and they sent over (Shinya) Aoki, (Tatsuya) Kawajiri and some of the best fighters they had. To me, this is what martial arts is all about. We should have more events like this where top guys from different leagues compete against each other to find out who the best is. We’re not going to be opposed to that. That’s always been our philosophy
(On doing it again)
“That’s something David and I will talk about once this is over. We both individually have a big schedule for next year. We (Bellator) are going to go to more international events and more cities across the world. We are going to go to Latin America next year with shows on Mexico and Brazil.
“So we are going to have an exciting schedule to announce soon. This (Dublin event) is something that has worked out fantastic. The schedule and the timing was perfect. The door is always going to be open, these guys are a great partner and have been fantastic to work with and we look forward to doing more events.”
EVENT INFO
BAMMA and Bellator MMA will hold a unique doubleheader event in Dublin, Ireland this Friday, Dec. 16, which will feature multiple BAMMA world title bouts and an incredible Bellator MMA heavyweight main event rematch pitting “King Mo” against Satoshi Ishii. But before our ‘Bellator 169’ and ‘BAMMA 27’ competitors meet inside the cage, join us for an afternoon of verbal submissions at the official press conference inside The Gibson Hotel in Dublin.
Also on Friday night, Anthony Taylor enters enemy territory with a featherweight bout against Northern Ireland’s own James Gallagher. Also hailing from Ireland, Brian Moore will look to take advantage of the home crowd when he faces off against Daniel Weichel. The BAMMA bantamweight belt will be on the line at “BAMMA 27,” as Tom Duquesnoy challenges Alan Philpott for the division gold. Lastly, the stacked event features a featherweight world title fight pitting former Bellator competitors Ronnie Mann against Martin Stapleton.
B-Roll: