Tom, Tony and Rich break down the biggest year-ending fights of 2016 and look forward to what should be a phenomenal 2017. We discuss Ronda Rousey, Floyd Mayweather, Andre Ward and other fighters in the news. We recap UFC 207 and look ahead to some Friday night fights on January 13th.
|
M-1 Challenge 75, March 3 in Moscow, Russia
|
| ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (January 5, 2017) – Hot welterweight prospect Sergey “Streetfighter” Romanov is training hard to ruin the comeback of Russian veteran Magomed “The White Wolf” Sultanakhmedov in an interesting match-up March 3 at M-1 Challenge 75 in Russia.
The M-1 Challenge 75 main event, featuring a battle of undefeated welterweights between defending champion Alexey Kunchenko (15-0-0, M-1: 7-0-0), of Russia, takes on Kazakhstan challenger Shavkat Rakhmonov (7-0-0, M-1: 4-0-0),was previously announced.
M-1 Challenge 75 will be streamed live from Moscow in high definition on www.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.
Due to a series of injuries, Sulktanakhmedov (18-5-0, M-1: 10-1-0) has been inactive for the past five years, since he knocked out Tyson Jeffries in the second round of their 2011 fight at M-1 Challenge 24.
A former M-1 Selection champion, Sultanakhmedov is dropping down one weight class from middleweight to fight Romanov. During his MMA career, feared striker Sultanakhmedov has knocked out the likes of Dmitri Samoilov, Victor Nemkov, Pavel Kusch and Pliinio Cruz, among the more notables.
His tremendous flair and style makes him a fan favorite, especially his “one-shoot, one-kill” attack. The 32-year-old has fought outside of his native Russia, in the United States and Japan, and during his fighting hiatus he served as referee.
Although he isn’t looking past Sultanakhmedov, fellow Russian fighter Romanov hopes that an impressive victory over Sultankhmedov will position him for his first M-1 Challenge title shot against the Kunchenkp-Rakhmonov winner.
Romanov has had impressive victories in M-1 Challenge competition, including a decision over against Brazilian foe Carlos Pereira last October at M-1 Challenge 71, as well as a first-round stoppage via punches of Andreas Birgels this past June at M-1 Challenge 68.
“I’ve been working on my strength,” Romanov said from his training camp, “because the champion in my weight class, Alexey Kunchenko, is physically strong. I need to catch up. Not that I’m looking forward to a title fight, but I always have grandiose plans, so, we’ll see how that goes. Right now, I’m focused on Sultanakhmedov, and I think my fight with him would be no harder than a possible fight with Kunchenko.
“I started training camp with two workouts a day, but I felt sick and decided to cutback to only one workout a day until I soon return to full mode. I’ve been training at home (St. Petersburg) but will soon go to Ryazan to wrestling training camp. Then, I will go back to St. Petersburg to prepare at camp, and go to Borovaya for boxing. My opponent is left-handed, so I need appropriate sparring partners, but the guys in my camp are a great help.
“I know my opponent well having watched his fights as a youngster when he was champion. Now, we need to reevaluate him. He was a good fighter who trains at ‘Gorets’ where there is, in principle, guys there who are top level. It’s difficult to say what form he has now because he hasn’t fought in so long. Now, he is at the peak age for a fighter, 32, so we’ll see. I don’t think I’ll be favored in this fight, but I will go forward despite being the underdog.”
 Romanov (R) is a solid all-around MMA fighter
INFORMATION:
Twitter & Instagram:
@M1GlobalNews
@VFinkelchtein
@M1Global
Facebook:
M-1 CHALLENGE EVENT CALENDAR:
M-1 Challenge 74 – Feb. 18, 2017 – St. Petersburg, Russia
M-1 Challenge 75 – March 3, 2017 – Moscow, Russia
|
BATTLE OF UNDEFEATED ADAM PICCOLOTTI AND BRENT PRIMUS ALSO ADDED TO MAIN CARD
SANTA MONICA, CALIF — (January 4, 2017) – Cheick Kongo (25-10-2) will challenge Oli Thompson (17-9) during the main card of “Bellator 172: Fedor vs. Mitrione” on February 18, 2017 at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif. In addition, undefeated lightweights Adam Piccolotti (9-0) and Brent Primus(7-0) are also set to face off during the Spike-televised card.
In the main event of “Bellator 172: Fedor vs. Mitrione,” Fedor Emelianenko (36-4, 1 NC) will compete on American Soil for the first since 2011, when he meets Matt Mitrione (11-5). The event will air LIVE and FREE on SPIKE at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT. Tickets for the event start at only $30 and are available at SAP Center Box Office, Bellator.com and Ticketmaster.com. Additional fights will be announced in coming weeks.
Since joining the Bellator MMA fray in 2013, Kongo has strung together an impressive run that has seen him emerge victorious in seven of nine contests, including three consecutive victories. With 37 career fights under his belt, the Frenchman has tallied 25 professional wins, including 12 by way of knockout. The knockout artist hopes to build off his victory over Tony Johnson at “Bellator 161: Kongo vs. Johnson,” when he welcomes British sensation Oli Thompson back into the Bellator cage.
Hailing from East Sussex, England, Thompson enters the matchup in search of his first career win under the direction of the Scott Coker-led promotion. Dating back to 2015, “The Spartan” collected wins in five of his last six bouts, including a pair of brutal first round knockouts. Of his 17 career wins, the 36-year-old powerhouse has finished 13 of them, including seven knockouts. A former title-holder of Britain’s Strongest Man competition, Thompson will now look to add to that total when he and Kongo faceoff at SAP Center in San Jose.
Fighting out of Half Moon Bay, Calif., the undefeated Piccolotti is set to return to San Jose, where he has dominated competition over the past few years. Since signing with Bellator MMA, the 28-year-old lightweight has won all five of his bouts, including four consecutive victories in the “Capital of Silicon Valley.” Piccolotti dazzled in his most recent win over Brandon Girtz, ending the veteran’s three-fight winning streak while once again displaying his lethal combination of flawless jiu-jitsu and striking. Piccolotti has finished his opponent in six of nine career wins and three of his past four, making him one of the most dangerous weapons in the 155-pound division.
Primus also carries with him an undefeated target on his chest, as the battle to remain an unbeaten lightweights goes through SAP Center in 2017. Similar to Piccolotti, Primus saw immediate success in the world of mixed martial arts, recording first round finishes in each of his first five fights to begin his professional career. The five-time Bellator MMA veteran hopes to keep the ball rolling, as a win over the fan-favorite Piccolotti would certainly open a lot of doors. Hailing from Portland, Oregon, the 31-years-old Primus hopes to build off of a 2016 campaign that was highlighted by a key win over Brazilian veteran “Toninho Furia.”
Updated “Bellator 172: Fedor vs. Mitrione” Main Card:
Heavyweight Main Event: Fedor Emelianenko (36-4, 1 NC) vs. Matt Mitrione (11-5)
Heavyweight Feature Bout: Cheick Kongo (25-10-2) vs. Oli Thompson (17-9)
Lightweight Feature Bout: Adam Piccolotti (9-0) vs. Brent Primus (7-0)
Preliminary Bouts:
Welterweight Prelim Bout: James Terry (18-9) vs. David Douglas (9-6)
Lightweight Prelim Bout: Nikko Jackson (1-1) vs. Cesar Gonzalez (0-1)
Featherweight Prelim Bout: Juan Cardenas (1-0) vs. Luis Vargas (0-1)
Welterweight Prelim Bout: Danasabe Mohammed (5-1) vs. Carlos Rocha (9-4)
Flyweight Prelim Bout: Anthony Do (4-1) vs. Bobby Escalante (4-5)
Flyweight Prelim Bout: Matt Ramirez (1-2) vs. Jeremy Murphy (3-3)
Lightweight Prelim Bout: J.J. Okanovich (3-1) vs. Paradise Vaovasa (5-1)
Featherweight Prelim Bout: Justin Tenedora (Debut) vs. Roque Reyes (0-3)
About Bellator:
Bellator is a leading Mixed Martial Arts and Kickboxing organization featuring many of the best fighters in the world. Under the direction of veteran fight promoter Scott Coker, Bellator is available to nearly 500 million homes worldwide in over 140 countries. In the United States, Bellator can be seen on Spike, the combat sports television leader. Bellator is comprised of an executive team that includes top industry professionals in television production, live event orchestration, fighter development/relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity and commission relations. Bellator is based in Santa Monica, California and owned by entertainment giant Viacom, home to the world’s premier entertainment brands that connect with audiences through compelling content across television, motion picture, online and mobile platforms.
SANTA MONICA, CALIF. — (January 3, 2017) – Before the cage door closes at the Forum in Los Angeles, the main and co-main event fighters from “Bellator 170: Ortiz vs. Sonnen” participated in a media conference call. If you weren’t on the line, you can listen to it here, or read a couple of the quotes below.
In the main event of the evening, Tito Ortiz (18-12-1) takes on Chael Sonnen (28-14-1). In addition, Ralek Gracie (3-0) and Hisaki Kato (7-2) will meet in a middleweight feature fight, while Georgi Karakhanyan (26-6-1) and Emmanuel Sanchez (13-3) battle. Lastly, a fantastic welterweight co-main event pitting Paul Daley (38-14-2) against Brennan Ward (14-4) is also set for the Spike-televised main card.
Limited tickets for the mega-event start at $36 and are on sale at Bellator.com, as well as Ticketmaster.com. The event will be broadcast live and free on SPIKE at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT. The “Bellator 170: Ortiz vs. Sonnen” undercard, streams live on Bellator.com and the Bellator Mobile App beginning at 6:50 p.m. ET / 3:50 p.m. PT.
Q: For Paul Daley…We had a chance to talk before you were schedule to fight Derek Anderson at ‘Bellator 163.’ He made the weight, but the fight didn’t happen. So, what’s going to change this time? Are you going to do anything different in your preparation and what do you expect from Brennan Ward?
Paul Daley: Things didn’t go according to plan at the last event that I was scheduled to compete in. I made the weight, but it was what happened after that was the problem. Those problems have been ironed out and we should have everything back on track and I’m ready to compete in what is going to be the most exciting fight on the card.
Q: For Brennan Ward…Both of you have definitely delivered exciting knockouts in recent performances, so I want to know what your expectation of the fight is and if you think it will be a quick showcase.
Brennan Ward: They don’t just line two guys up like Paul and I for no reason — on a card like this, that is probably the biggest card of the year and one of the biggest Bellator cards of all-time == They’re putting our matchup on there for a reason. They know fireworks are going to go off and they know this fight isn’t going the distance. Paul and I end fights, it’s what we do. Like he said, we’re going to put on the most exciting fight of the night for sure.
Q: I know that clip of you and Tito wrestling in college has been going around, so what do you expect from Tito this time around compared to the Tito you saw back then?
Chael Sonnen: Look, Tito’s a great fighter. He was a hell of a wrestler…I caught him in one position in that match, I’m not hanging my hat on that. I’m pumped to be in there and compete against a Hall of Famer like Tito. I’m going to do everything I can to beat him, but I don’t dismiss how good this guy is.
Q: It’s been a while since we saw you in there with Liam McGeary in that title fight. So, from then to now, what’s changed and what are you going to show us?
Tito Ortiz: I’ve been at work now for three years. I came from the UFC and Bellator gave me a chance to reinvigorate my career and I want to leave on my own terms. I want to leave respectfully. Scott Coker has done an amazing job with the company already and I sat back, thinking about what would be my last fight. All of a sudden, I’m watching Bellator on Spike TV and Chael Sonnen comes screaming out, calling me a coward and saying that he wants to fight me and I swear there has never been a bigger smile on my face. I was already getting ready to fight in November. I wasn’t sure who my opponent was going to be, but I was getting in shape. I’ve been training now for almost four months and this is probably one of the longest camps I’ve had and it’s time to showcase my skills. Chael says he’s fighting because he’s jealous and that’s the wrong way to come into a fight. I’m going in to get redemption and to me Chael is my enemy. This is no game, this is nothing fun, this is what I do for a living. I train and I go out to try and hurt my opponent. I know what I need to do. I need to defend the takedown, I need to watch out for the punches, I need to watch out for the guillotine. I know all of the moves that Chael has done and my job is to go in and destroy him. On January 21, two days before my birthday, I want to get the ‘Fight of the Night.’ I hope Chael’s in great shape because when I’m on top of him, he’s going to shit himself. I’m going to throw my elbows through his face and like I said, this is no joke. This is serious to me because my family’s watching, my kids are watching, and all of my fans are watching. I’ve given so much for this and I’ve sacrificed everything. I sacrificed my Thanksgiving, Christmas, and my New Year’s for this.
Q: Of all the guys you’ve verbally dueled with in your career, how would you size up where Tito stands? How does he compare to other guys that you’ve gone back and forth with verbally?
Chael Sonnen: Man, it’s painful. It was painful just listening to him read through that list of notes. He just rattled off all of his bullets right there in one answer and I think he asked to go to the bathroom during it, which was a little weird. I don’t care, I never thought about Tito Ortiz. I didn’t come to this organization to fight Tito Ortiz. I’ve been chasing Wanderlei Silva around, but Wanderlei is busy until the summer. They called me and asked if I’d fight Tito on January 21 and I didn’t have anything else going on, so I said yes.
Q: Beyond this fight, what are your goals in Bellator?
Chael Sonnen: I want to compete at Bellator. I want to be a champion, get to the top, and compete with all the guys. I want to find a weight class. I’d like to do it at 205-pounds, but I think there’s an opportunity at 185 and now we have some big signings at heavyweight and catchweight too. I just think there’s a lot of opportunity over here. I can tell you as far as training, working hard and being prepared, that’s what I do. I do it every day. I will bring my skills to the fight and if they’re enough I’ll win; If they’re not, I won’t. That’s just the way that this sport is played and I’m just looking forward to competing with these guys.
Q: Coming back to compete in California, with your history with that athletic commission, you’ve already taken an out-of-competition test. How do you look at that process? Were you surprised by the test? Was there an understanding that it was going to be a part of the deal to get you back in California?
Chael Sonnen: I was surprised by it. That’s why the test works. I was not ready to be tested and I didn’t know that I was going to be tested and I haven’t thought about it a whole lot. You have to understand that when you’re a guy with my background that’s just coming off of a suspension, that’s the way it goes. You’re going to have more tests than other guys and that’s just fair.
Q: Finally, can you just size up the marketplace since you left UFC and since they’ve been purchased?
Chael Sonnen: Look, I’m brand new. I only know a few guys at Bellator. I know three people, that’s how new I am. I’ve been to two Bellator shows; one at Mohegan Sun Arena and one in San Jose. Both events were sold out! When I was in San Jose, I was sitting there and down the ramp comes the greatest heavyweight of all time, Fedor Emelianenko. Coker signed him and didn’t even say anything to anybody. The place was packed and the ratings were going higher. I wanted to come to Bellator when I saw Ken Shamrock walk the ramp and I thought this is awesome. Connecticut and then California, both sides of the country and both sold out. The household name that Bellator has become is amazing. I used to have to explain to people what UFC and what MMA was. When I tell people I’m with Bellator, they know exactly what it is. When Tito and I met in that college wrestling match, there was 80 people there tops, nobody cared. It was a big sacrifice just to show off in front of 80 people. To show off in front of a sold out arena, a record-breaking show, is fun. We get Paul Daley and Brennan Ward to entertain us before we have to go out and take care of business.
Q: Tito, do you have any comment to Chael’s comments earlier about you reading from a script and all?
Tito Ortiz: This guy knows that he bit off a little more than he can chew. I’ve been through 20 years of competition, won world titles, and stepped into that cage over and over again. The proof is in the pudding. I’m sitting here listening to the tone that Chael has and it sounds like he’s drowning and on January 21, he’s going to be drowning in his own blood.
Chael Sonnen: I told you he was out of bullets! I warned you ahead of time!
Q: Chael, congratulations on Celebrity Apprentice last night…great to see you on the debut there. How difficult is it for you to balance the Celebrity Apprentice, ESPN, your podcast, and training all together?
Chael Sonnen: I hate days off. I hate it more than anything. When I look at my calendar before I go to bed, I hate seeing gaps in there. So as far as training goes, I’m in the gym three hours a day. It’s an hour in the morning, maybe even less, two hours in the afternoon, I’m out the door in three in a half hours tops. So, that leaves me with another 20 hours in the day and I like to fill it. I don’t like to sleep a lot and that’s just the way it goes. I like to stay busy, but nothing interferes with preparation for the competition. I haven’t missed a practice, a run, a workout, a sparring session; I go every day. I go to practice every day no matter what, twice a day. There are parts when I’ll pick up the intensity and work a little harder and then there are parts when I’ll take a break to get a drink of water, but it doesn’t change for me. I’m ready to go, that’s it.
Q: Chael, I know you said that you had a little more of a looser camp, where you’ve trained with a lot of different fighters, especially due to all of the traveling. How has it been, having access to some elite fighters in other parts of the country?
Chael Sonnen: I love working out in other parts of the country and I love going to different gyms. And that’s something new to me, because I didn’t used to travel. I was just locked at home in Portland, Oregon, but we had a hotbed out there, with guys like Randy Couture and Evan Tanner, I could name drop for you and it would really impress. We had a really great system out there, but it dried up and some of those guys retired. Some of them moved away and some of the gyms closed down, so all of these new traveling has been great. I’ve got a lot of rounds in and worked out with Georges St-Pierre and a bunch of hammers out there that you’ve never heard of yet, but you will. I’m getting good work in and I’m learning from these guys. The one thing that I try to do, and I copied Randy Couture on this, is always train with the kids. He would be in high school workout rooms doing some wrestling practice and it was very hard for the next generation to ever get ahead of him because he always trained with that younger generation. So, I spend a lot of time with those kids and I have my own practices on top of that. I’m not positive that I can take Tito down, I’m not positive that I can out-box him; everything has to get better. I have to get stronger, faster, better with more technique and better strategy and it all takes time.
Complete “Bellator 170: Ortiz vs. Sonnen” Main Card:
Light Heavyweight Main Event: Tito Ortiz (18-12-1) vs. Chael Sonnen (28-14-1)
Welterweight Co-Main Event: Paul Daley (38-14-2) vs. Brennan Ward (14-4)
Middleweight Main Card Bout: Ralek Gracie (3-0) vs. Hisaki Kato (7-2)
Featherweight Main Card Bout: Georgi Karakhanyan (26-6-1) vs. Emmanuel Sanchez (13-3)
Lightweight Main Card Bout: Derek Campos (17-6) vs. Derek Anderson (14-2, 1 NC)
Bellator.com-Streamed Preliminary Card:
Featherweight Preliminary Bout: Chinzo Machida (4-2) vs. Jamar Ocampo (2-0)
Heavyweight Preliminary Bout: Jack May (8-3) vs. Dave Cryer (11-2)
Featherweight Preliminary Bout: Henry Corrales (12-3) vs. Cody Bollinger (19-6)
Middleweight Preliminary Bout: Kevin Casey (9-5-1, 2 NC) vs. Keith Berry (15-13)
Welterweight Preliminary Bout: Guilherme “Bomba” Vasconcelos (8-3) vs. John Mercurio (8-7)
Welterweight Preliminary Bout: Gabriel Green (3-0) vs. Jalin Turner (2-2)
Catchweight Preliminary Bout: Christian Gonzalez (2-0) vs. Daniel Rodriguez (2-0)
Lightweight Preliminary Bout: Jacob Rosales (4-2) vs. Ian Butler (3-2)
Welterweight Preliminary Bout: Johnny Cisneros (9-5) vs. Curtis Millender (9-3)
Lightweight Preliminary Bout: Mike Segura (4-4) vs. Tommy Aaron (2-1)
Bantamweight Preliminary Bout: Rob Gooch (4-3) vs. James Barnes (6-2)
Flyweight Preliminary Bout: Rebecca Ruth (6-2) vs. Colleen Schneider (10-7)
|
||
|
REBECCA RUTH-COLLEEN SCHNEIDER FLYWEIGHT SHOWDOWN ADDED TO PRELIMINARY CARD
SANTA MONICA, CALIF. — (December 28, 2016) – The stacked main card of “Bellator 170: Ortiz vs. Sonnen” has added even more ammo to its arsenal with the news that Derek Campos (17-6) and Derek Anderson (14-2, 1 NC) will compete in a lightweight feature fight on January 21, 2017 inside The Forum in Los Angeles, Calif. In addition, a female flyweight bout pitting Rebecca Ruth (6-2) against Colleen Schneider (10-7) has been added to the preliminary portion of the event.
The lightweight clash joins a main card that is highlighted by a legendary faceoff between superstars Tito Ortiz (18-12-1) and Chael Sonnen (28-14-1). In addition, Ralek Gracie (3-0) and Hisaki Kato (7-2) will meet in a middleweight feature fight, while Georgi Karakhanyan (26-6-1) and Emmanuel Sanchez (13-3) battle. Lastly, a fantastic welterweight co-main event pitting Paul Daley (38-14-2) against Brennan Ward (14-4) is also set for the Spike-televised main card.
Limited tickets for the mega-event start at $36 and are on sale at Bellator.com, as well as Ticketmaster.com. The event will be broadcast live and free on SPIKE at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT. The “Bellator 170: Ortiz vs. Sonnen” undercard, streams live on Bellator.com and the Bellator Mobile App beginning at 6:50 p.m. ET / 3:50 p.m. PT.
Campos enters the bout riding a recent string of success, as the 28-year-old lightweight put together a flawless 2016 campaign that included a pair of noteworthy victories over Djamil Chan and Melvin Guillard. “The Stallion” continues to provide entertaining fights, as the Lubbock, Texas native has finished opponents in 10 of his 17 victories, including five knockouts and three of the first-round variety. Campos will be searching for his first three-fight winning streak under the Bellator MMA umbrella since 2013.
Following an explosive start to his professional career, collecting victories in 11 of his first 12 bouts, including one no-contest, Anderson has continued his success under the direction of Bellator MMA. Since joining the Scott Coker-led promotion in 2013, “The Barbaric” has tallied five impressive wins, highlighted by two knockouts and a pair of victories over Patricky Freire. Hailing from San Diego, Calif., Anderson has finished 11 of his 14 victims, and will not have to travel far as he prepares for number 12. With back-to-back victories over the aforementioned Freire and most recently Saad Awad at “Bellator 160,” Anderson has quickly entered the mix as one of the division’s top contenders. The 26-year-old lightweight will now look to take down the Bellator MMA veteran Campos and add yet another big name to his admirable resume.
The 37-year-old Ruth will be making her third appearance under the Bellator MMA banner and first of her 2017 campaign, following a year in which she earned her first promotional victory over Ukrainian submission specialist Lena Ovchynnikova. Prior to joining the Scott Coker-led promotion in 2016, “Ruthless” strung together an impressive 5-1 record to begin her career, including five knockout victories and three first round finishes. With wins in four of her last five contests, Ruth will look to start the year off on the right foot and add to her already impressive MMA resume.
The recently signed Schneider will be making her Bellator MMA debut on Jan. 21, as she also enters the contest having won four of her last five bouts. With six of her 10 career wins coming by way of knockout or submission, look for Schneider to attack early and often in a flyweight clash that features two of the more dangerous opponents in the division. Standing at 5’9”, the 34-year-old Schneider will hold a significant height advantage over the veteran Ruth, who stands about five inches shy of the former Invicta FC product. Hailing from Los Angeles, Calif., Schneider will also not have to travel far for this incredible event, as the hometown crowd will surely be pulling for “Thoroughbred” at Inglewood’s famous Forum.
Ruth and Schneider will join a preliminary card that features the promotional debuts of Kevin Casey (9-5-1, 2 NC) and Jack May(8-3), as well as the return of Chinzo Machida (4-2), Henry Corrales (12-3), Guilherme “Bomba” (8-3), and Cody Bollinger (19-6).
Complete “Bellator 170: Ortiz vs. Sonnen” Main Card:
Light Heavyweight Main Event: Tito Ortiz (18-12-1) vs. Chael Sonnen (28-14-1)
Welterweight Co-Main Event: Paul Daley (38-14-2) vs. Brennan Ward (14-4)
Middleweight Main Card Bout: Ralek Gracie (3-0) vs. Hisaki Kato (7-2)
Featherweight Main Card Bout: Georgi Karakhanyan (26-6-1) vs. Emmanuel Sanchez (13-3)
Lightweight Main Card Bout: Derek Campos (17-6) vs. Derek Anderson (14-2, 1 NC)
Bellator.com-Streamed Preliminary Card:
Featherweight Preliminary Bout: Chinzo Machida (4-2) vs. Jamar Ocampo (2-0)
Heavyweight Preliminary Bout: Jack May (8-3) vs. Dave Cryer (11-2)
Featherweight Preliminary Bout: Henry Corrales (12-3) vs. Cody Bollinger (19-6)
Middleweight Preliminary Bout: Kevin Casey (9-5-1, 2 NC) vs. Keith Berry (15-13)
Welterweight Preliminary Bout: Guilherme “Bomba” Vasconcelos (8-3) vs. John Mercurio (8-7)
Welterweight Preliminary Bout: Gabriel Green (3-0) vs. Jalin Turner (2-2)
Catchweight Preliminary Bout: Christian Gonzalez (2-0) vs. Daniel Rodriguez (2-0)
Lightweight Preliminary Bout: Jacob Rosales (4-2) vs. Ian Butler (3-2)
Welterweight Preliminary Bout: Johnny Cisneros (9-5) vs. Curtis Millender (9-3)
Lightweight Preliminary Bout: Mike Segura (4-4) vs. Tommy Aaron (2-1)
Bantamweight Preliminary Bout: Rob Gooch (4-3) vs. James Barnes (6-2)
Flyweight Preliminary Bout: Rebecca Ruth (6-2) vs. Colleen Schneider (10-7)
Lewiston, Maine (December 22, 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 an amateur light-heavyweight title bout to the card. Ryan Glover (3-1) will defend his belt against the challenge of undefeated Victor Irwin (2-0).
Glover won the title one year ago at “NEF 21” with a second-round submission of Mike Williams (2-1). He would take the rest of 2016 off from MMA competition to deal with family obligations. Glover was a state wrestling champion out of Mountain Valley High School (MVHS) in Rumford, Maine where he also won a state championship in football. He began training in MMA two years ago, joining Berserkers MMA in Rumford, a team heavy in MVHS alum.
“I’m happy to get back in the cage after a long layoff and defend my belt,” said Glover. “I was busy taking care of my family, but now it’s time to remind folks why I am NEF’s best 205er.”
Like his opponent, Victor Irwin is also a former Maine state wrestling champion, having won a title while at Brewer High School in Brewer, Maine. In 2014, as a freshman, Irwin created a wrestling program at Eastern Maine Community College (EMCC). He went to Nationals that year and achieved All-American status. Irwin is a member of Young’s MMA in Bangor, Maine. His previous appearances in the NEF cage have been impressive – both first round finishes.
“I am really excited to have been given a shot at the title,” said Irwin. “Fighting Ryan will be a great challenge and opportunity for me to improve my skill set.”
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.”
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.
Lewiston, Maine (December 21, 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 a professional featherweight fight to the card. Aaron “Relentless” Lacey (4-0) will take on Chris “Game Bred” Jacobs (1-0) at a fight weight of 145-pounds.
Voted “Fighter of the Year” earlier this week by NEF fans, it would take a Herculean effort to argue that 2016 was not Aaron Lacey’s year. He made his professional debut in April at “NEF 22” defeating veteran Derek Shorey (4-8) and remained undefeated the rest of the year. Including his amateur career, Lacey is riding a seven-fight win streak. He has not lost a fight since the spring of 2014 (his only loss) – close to three years ago.
Most recently, Lacey struck down seasoned pro Taylor Trahan (6-7) with a vicious liver kick that made the entire crowd at the Colisee cringe. A win over Jacobs on February 11 would move Lacey that much closer to signing a contract with a major, national MMA promotion – a fate long predicted by many insiders for the product of Bangor’s Young’s MMA gym.
“I’m looking forward to 2017,” said Lacey when reached for comment. “2016 was a big year for me and I am looking forward to carrying that momentum into the new year on February 11th. Chris Jacobs is a seasoned opponent who is making the trip up from Florida, so he will be prepared. I live in the gym and have been making huge gains, and 2017 will be the year I get to showcase those gains!”
Jacobs is based out of DeLand, Florida. “NEF 27” will see him make his first trip to compete in Maine, but Jacobs is no stranger to the MMA cage. He put together an impressive record of 8-3 as an amateur, including capturing a regional title on a fight card in nearby Daytona Beach. Jacobs won his pro debut earlier this year in Tampa. He is looking forward to facing tough competition in the form of Lacey.
“I must give thanks and praise to the most high for putting me in this position to fight in Maine,” said Jacobs. “It’s a blessing. It’s an honor to fight someone of a high caliber and stature like Aaron Lacey. I look forward to coming up there and competing with a top level athlete.”
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.”
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.
JAMES GALLAGHER & SINEAD KAVANAGH SCORE WINS FOR THEIR HOMETOWN FANS WHO PACKED THE 3ARENA IN DUBLIN
CLICK HERE FOR ALL FIGHT NIGHT PHOTOS
DUBLIN, IRELAND. (Dec. 16, 2016) – In the evening’s main event, it was wrestler versus judo practitioner as Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal (20-5, 1 NC) returned to moneyweight to face Olympic Gold Medalist Satoshi Ishii (14-7-1). King Mo avoided Ishii’s crafty throws as he scored a couple takedowns of his own throughout the fight. The contest finished with a shutout unanimous decision victory (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) for “King Mo.”
Now, after yet another impressive performance during the main event of “Bellator 169,” Lawal looks to end 2016 in style by repeating his domination over Rizin Fighting Federation opponents, when the 2015 eight-man Rizin heavyweight tournament winner returns to grand prix action during the Japanese-based promotion’s New Year’s Eve weekend of events.
Fresh off his victory in Dublin tonight, Lawal now sets his sights on the fellow contestants competing in the quarterfinals of the open-weight grand prix on Dec. 29 at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan – the semifinals and finals are set for Dec. 31.
The 35-year-old former Strikeforce Champion defeated Brett McDermott, Teodoras Aukstuolis and Jiri Prochazka en route to winning the heavyweight tournament last year, now the “King” looks to retain his crown against the likes of: Shane Carwin, Amir Aliakbari, Mirko Filipovic, Kaido Hoovelson, Tsuyoshi Kosaka, Valentin Moldavsky, and Szymon Bajor.
With a second tournament victory in Japan, “King Mo” would cap off a stellar 2016 campaign, a 365-day run where in addition to Ishii, the American Top Team standout took current Bellator MMA Light Heavyweight Champion Phil Davis to the limit during their “Bellator 154” tussle back in May
Gallagher Sinks in RNC During Third Frame of Co-Main Event
In what many considered “the people’s main event,” the highly touted SBG prospect James Gallagher (5-0) kept his composure through the first two hard fought rounds against Anthony Taylor (1-2). The American threw several powerful strikes, connecting on multiple occasions as Gallagher fought from safe range. Not long after the start of the final round the “Strabanimal” took the back of “Pretty Boy” Taylor with a body triangle actively looking to find a choke. It looked as though Taylor had it under control, walking across the cage toward his corner, pandering to the camera with a smile but seconds later, he was on his stomach, where he succumbed to a rear naked choke at 1:52 of round three. At the time of the stoppage, the judges were split with the cards reading 20-18, 18-20 and 19-19 after the first two rounds.
Kavanagh Gets the Irish Crowd Started with UD Victory
Sinead Kavanagh (4-0) was determined to put one on the board for the home team and that’s exactly what she did when she defeated Elina Kallionidou (5-1) by unanimous decision (30-25, 30-26, 30-27). Kavanagh stalked the Greek regional champion around the cage and scored on a great deal of combinations up against the fence. Kallionidou showed impressive resiliance, toughing out firestorm after firestorm of punches and bouncing back as though unfazed.
“Drake” Weichel Wants Another Shot at the Title
In the first televised fight of the evening, the crowd was loud, hoping to propel their Irishman Brian “Pikeman” Moore (9-5) to victory against Daniel Weichel (38-9). Moore looked sharp on his feet, throwing crisp jabs before getting taken to the canvas. From the ground, Moore fought off several rear-naked choke attempts before rolling into a triangle choke 4:44 into the first frame, making it 0-2 for the Irish-born fighters to start the card.
Who Else but Cameron Else to Spoil Hot Prospect Dylan Tukes Night
An electric Irish partisan crowd was on hand at the 3Arena in Dublin, but it didn’t take long for Great Britan’s Cameron Else (4-3) to silence them all with a jaw-dropping knockout victory over the highly-touted hometown fighter Dylan Tuke (3-1) only 20 seconds into round one.
