Category Archives: mixed martial arts

Bellator, mixed martial arts, MMA, Spike TV

DARRION CALDWELL SET FOR ‘BELLATOR MMA 151’ MAIN EVENT DEBUT AGAINST JOE WARREN AT WINSTAR WORLD CASINO & RESORT ON MARCH 4

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SANTA MONICA, CALIF. (December 18, 2015) – The main event of Bellator MMA’s return to WinStar World Casino & Resort in Thackerville, OK., on March 4 will feature undefeated Darrion Caldwell (8-0) challenging former two-division world champion and the self-proclaimed “Baddest Man on the Planet” Joe Warren (13-4).

Tickets for “Bellator 151: Warren vs. Caldwell” go on sale this coming Monday, December 21 and start at just $45. You can purchase tickets at the WinStar World Casino and Resort Box Office, as well as Ticketmaster.com and Bellator.com. Doors for the event open at 5:00 p.m. CT local time, with the first contest taking place one hour later.

“Bellator 151: Warren vs. Caldwell” airs live and free on SPIKE at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT, while preliminary bouts will stream live on Bellator.com and The Bellator Mobile App.. Additional bouts will be announced in the coming weeks.

 

With five impressive outings in a little over a year and a half under the Bellator MMA umbrella, it was only a matter of time before “The Wolf” found himself in a position to compete for a world title. There is still work to be done though, and the next stop on the road to championship gold goes through a man who has held Marcos Galvao’s belt already. A standout on the wrestling team at NC State University, the 27-year-old Caldwell most recently submitted Shawn Bunch via rear-naked choke in the first frame, adding to his tally of finishes (4). Initially a featherweight, Caldwell looks much more comfortable now at 135-pounds and as he proclaimed during a recent interview, “I foresee myself competing against Joe [Warren] with a No. 1 contender shot on the line, sooner rather than later.”

 

Warren has done just about it all under the Bellator MMA banner, winning titles at featherweight and bantamweight during his nearly six year promotional tenure. Now, Warren has his sights set on another run with the 135-pound title, a belt he lost during an intense encounter with Galvao early in 2015. A 2006 Pan American and World Champion in Greco-Roman competition, the 39-year-old will test himself against a young competitor who excels in the same skillset that Warren has used to his advantage for most of his career, wrestling. Will a win for “The Baddest Man on the Planet” propel him to a title shot against the winner of Galvao-Dantas 2 a week prior? Tune into SPIKE on March 4 to find out.

 

mixed martial arts, MMA

FOLLOWING NO-CONTEST IN THEIR FIRST MEETING, PAUL BRADLEY-CHRIS HONEYCUTT REBOOKED FOR MAIN CARD OF ‘BELLATOR 148: KOSCHECK VS. SECOR’

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THREE PRELIMINARY BOUTS ALSO ADDED TO THE JANUARY 29th EVENT

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (December 17, 2015) – Paul Bradley (22-6, 2 NC) and Chris Honeycutt (6-0, 1 NC) were in the middle of a great fight, when an accidental headbutt opened a gash on the head of Bradley, which led to the fight being called a no contest.

 

Now, the pair of welterweights will run it back during the main card of “Bellator 148: Koscheck vs. Secor” on January 29 at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, Calif.

 

Bellator officials previously announced two additional welterweight attractions featuring a main event of Josh Koscheck (17-10) versus Matt Secor (7-2) and a co-main event pitting British slugger Paul “Semtex” Daley (37-13-2) against Andy Uhrich (11-5).

 

Today, the preliminary portion of the card is filling up, with the news that Anthony Avila (12-4) will face John Reedy (11-6), Javy Ayala (8-4) battles Carl Seumanutafa (9-6) and Art Arcienega (14-5) versus Justin Smiley (9-7). Additional fights will be announced shortly.

 

“Bellator 148: Koscheck vs. Secor” airs live and free on Spike at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT, while preliminary bouts will stream live on Bellator.com and The Bellator Mobile App at 5 p.m. PT. Tickets for the event start at only $25 and are on sale at the Save Mart Center Box Office, as well as Ticketmaster.com and Bellator.com.

 

Aptly nicknamed “The Cutt,” the 27-year-old Honeycutt is a two-time NCAA Division I All-American wrestler out of Edinboro University. Following his collegiate wrestling career, which ended with a runner-up finish in the 2012 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championship, Honeycutt enlisted the help of fellow Edinboro wrestler Josh Koscheck, who he now trains with at the longtime MMA veteran’s Dethrone Base Camp in Fresno.

 

Honeycutt made his Bellator MMA debut in September 2014, scoring a TKO victory over Aaron Wilkinson. He picked up his second win for the promotion at “Bellator 133: Manhoef vs. Shlemenko,” scoring a TKO win over Clayton MacFarlane.

 

The 32-year-old Bradley is an Iowa native who also earned a pair of NCAA Division I All-American honors while competing at the famed University of Iowa. Bradley turned to mixed martial arts in 2006 and earned 11 consecutive victories to open his career, picking up the Ring of Combat middleweight title along the way.

 

Bradley made his way to the Bellator MMA cage in 2013, and in four appearances to date, has already picked up decision victories over Josh Neer and Karl Amoussou. While Bradley’s base is firmly in wrestling, he’s developed into a complete martial artist during his time in the sport and owns seven of his career wins by knockout with another seven coming by way of submission.

 

Updated “Bellator 148: Koscheck vs. Secor” Fight Card

 

Bellator MMA Welterweight Main Event: Josh Koscheck (17-10) vs. Matt Secor (7-2)

Bellator MMA Welterweight Co-Main Event: Paul Daley (37-13-2) vs. Andy Uhrich (11-5)

Bellator MMA Welterweight Feature Bout: Chris Honeycutt (6-0, 1 NC) vs. Paul Bradley (22-6, 2 NC)

 

Preliminary Card:

Bellator MMA Featherweight Feature Bout: Anthony Avila (12-4) vs. John Reedy (11-6)

Bellator MMA Heavyweight Feature Bout: Javy Ayala (8-4) vs. Carl Seumanutafa (9-6)

Bellator MMA Featherweight Feature Bout: Art Arcienega (14-5) vs. Justin Smiley (9-7)

 

Amateur MMA, boxing, mixed martial arts, MMA, New England Fights

FLYWEIGHT SCRAP PROMISES EXCITEMENT AT NEF 21

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Lewiston, Maine (December 17, 2015) – New England Fights (NEF), America’s number-one regional fight promotion, will hold its next event, “NEF 21: THE IMMORTALS” on Saturday, February 6, 2016 at the Androscoggin Bank Colisée in Lewiston, Maine.  The fight card is scheduled to feature both mixed-martial-arts (MMA) and professional boxing bouts.  Earlier today, NEF announced the addition of a professional flyweight bout to the “NEF 21” fight card.  “Sleepy” Norman Fox (0-0) will make his pro debut against Brandon Warne (0-1) at a fight weight of 125-pounds.

 

Fox put together an impressive 4-2 record as an amateur, starting his career in the NEF cage in the summer of 2013.  He won his first four in the NEF cage, all via stoppage prior to losing his bid to become NEF MMA Amateur Flyweight Champion to Dustin Veinott (4-4) last June.  The back-and-forth battle with Veinott ended in a split decision, and it has been nominated for “2015 NEF Fight of the Year.”  Later in 2015, Fox and teammate Jason Lachance (2-3) purchased the MMA Athletix gym in Bath, Maine from their former coach, Ryan Cowette (2-3).  The upcoming bout with Warne will be the first of a multi-fight developmental deal Fox signed recently with NEF.

 

“Brandon and I seem like a pretty even match up,” said Fox.  “Expect a fast-paced fight that could end at any moment.”

 

Brandon Warne is a member of Team Bombsquad based out of Ithaca, New York.  He excelled in the amateur ranks of the sport, amassing a record of 5-1 with three finishes.  Warne made his professional MMA debut this past October in Rhode Island in a losing effort to David Baxter (2-0).  He comes to Maine looking for his first win as a pro against Fox.

 

“It’s an honor to be coming to Maine and put on a show at what I love in front of the NEF crowd,” said Warne.  “Plus, it’ll be my parents first time back in Maine since their honeymoon.  As for the fight, I’m not much for trash talking.  Fighters fight and that’s I’m coming to do!”

 

New England Fights’ next event, “NEF 21: THE IMMORTALS,” takes placeSaturday, February 6, 2016 at the Androscoggin Bank Colisée in Lewiston, Maine.  Tickets for “NEF 21” start at just $25 and are on sale now atwww.TheColisee.com or by calling the Colisée box office at 207.783.2009 x 525.  For more information on the event and fight card updates, please visit the promotion’s website at www.NewEnglandFights.com.  In addition, you can watch NEF videos at www.youtube.com/NEFMMA, follow them on Twitter @nefights and join the official Facebook group “New England Fights.”

Amateur MMA, mixed martial arts, MMA, WMMAA

Three World Champions Capture top honors in 2015 Russian MMA Super Cup

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Living legend and WMMAA Honorary President Fedor Emelianenko served as color commentator for the broadcast of the recent 2015 Russian MMA Super Cup
CHELYABINSK, Russia (December 16, 2015) — Fresh off of their winning performances at last month’s 2015 World MMA Championships in Prague, a trio of individual winners from championship Team Russia also captured top honors at the recent 2015 Russian Super Cup, sanctioned by the World Mix Martial Arts Association (WMMAA), in Chelyabinsk, Russia
Bantamweight Bakhachali Bakhachaliev, middleweight Gamzat Khiramagomedov and light heavyweight Magomed Ankalaev were the three World champions who were also victorious at the 2015 Russian MMA Super Cup.
Internationally renowned “Big” John McCarthy served as referee.
Below find a breakdown of official results from each weight class with video links to corresponding matches:
2015 Russian MMA Super Cup
Bantamweights Championship (-61.2 kg, 135 lbs.)
Bakhachali Bakhachaliev WDEC3 Armen Gulyan
Featherweight Championship (-65.8 kg, 145 lbs.)
Nabi Ashurlaev WDEC3 Mansur Vitaev
Lightweight Championship (-70.3 kg, 154 lbs.)
Artur Zainukov WDEC3 Kamil Magomedov
Welterweight Championship (-77.1 kg, 170 lbs.)
Alibeg Rasulov WDEC3 Ramazan Kuramagomedov
Middleweight Championship (-84 kg, 185 lbs.)
Gamzat Khiramagomedov WDEC3 Ramazan Gamzatov
Light Heavyweight Championship (-93 kg, 205 lbs.)
Magomed Ankalaev WTKO1 Nadyr Bulkadarov
Heavyweight Championship (+205 lbs.)
Amirkhan Isagadzhiev WTKO1 Georgy Sakaev
 
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Bellator, mixed martial arts, Spike TV

‘THE YOUNG ASSASSIN’ VS. ‘THE GREEK ASSASSIN’   MELVIN GUILLARD TAKES ON HOUSTON’S MIKE BRONZOULIS AT ‘BELLATOR 149: SHAMROCK VS. GRACIE’

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SANTA MONICA, CALIF. (December 16, 2015) – A lightweight contest pitting Melvin Guillard (32-15-2) against Houston’s Mike Bronzoulis (18-9-1) has been added to the SPIKE-televised main card of “Bellator 149: Shamrock vs. Gracie” on Feb. 19 at Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. Bellator MMA President Scott Coker announced the new addition on his Twitter account last night.

 

The fight joins a card that already features a double main event — Ken Shamrock (28-16-2) meets Royce Gracie (14-2-3) for a third time and Kimbo Slice (5-2) will fight the man who has been calling him out since their friendship ended years ago, Dhafir Harris, better known as “Dada 5000.” In featherweight action, Emmanuel Sanchez (12-2) will look to continue his torrid pace when he meets Daniel Pineda (21-11). Preliminary contests will be announced shortly.

 

Tickets for this mixed martial arts extravaganza start at just $30 and are on sale now at Bellator.com, as well as HoustonToyotaCenter.com, the Toyota Center Box Office and Houston area Randall’s locations.

 

“Bellator 149: Shamrock vs. Gracie” airs live and free on Spike at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT, while preliminary bouts will stream live on Bellator.com and The Bellator Mobile App.

 

Guillard suffered a horrific broken hand during his Bellator MMA debut against Brandon Girtz earlier this year. “The Young Assassin” has made it clear that he intends on eventually fighting for the 155-pound title, and his road to the gold begins on Feb. 19 against a tough Houston, Texas native. Of Guillard’s 32 wins as a professional, 23 victories have come before reaching the judges’ scorecards.

 

Bronzoulis returned to the Bellator MMA fray against a debuting Josh Thomson at “Bellator MMA: Dynamite 1” this past September. “The Greek Assassin” has not shied away from tough opponents throughout his career, having competed against guys like Thomson, Joe Riggs, Gerald Harris and Jorge Patino during his 28-fight career. The Houston native hopes to have plenty of hometown support when he takes on Guillard inside the Bellator MMA cage on Feb. 19.

 

“Bellator 149: Shamrock vs. Gracie” Updated Fight Card

 

Bellator MMA Openweight Main Event: Ken Shamrock (28-16-2) vs. Royce Gracie (14-2-3)

Bellator MMA Heavyweight Main Event: Kimbo Slice (5-2) vs. Dada 5000 (2-0)

Bellator MMA Featherweight Feature Bout: Emmanuel Sanchez (12-2) vs. Daniel Pineda (21-11)

Bellator MMA Lightweight Feature Bout: Melvin Guillard (32-15-2) vs. Mike Bronzoulis (18-9-1)

Amateur MMA, mixed martial arts, MMA, New England Fights

MIDDLEWEIGHT BOUT ADDED TO NEF 21 FIGHT CARD

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Lewiston, Maine (December 16, 2015) – New England Fights (NEF), America’s number-one regional fight promotion, will hold its next event, “NEF 21: THE IMMORTALS” on Saturday, February 6, 2016 at the Androscoggin Bank Colisée in Lewiston, Maine.  The fight card is scheduled to feature both mixed-martial-arts (MMA) and professional boxing bouts.  Earlier today, NEF announced the addition of a professional middleweight bout to the “NEF 21” fight card.  Michael “The Mustache” Hansen (3-2) has signed to meet Zach “The Torch” Elkins (0-1) at a fight weight of 185-pounds.

 

Hansen is the head coach and founding member of Berserkers MMA based out of Rumford, Maine.  He won a state championship as a heavyweight wrestler for Mountain Valley High School (MVHS) in 2004.  Hansen began his MMA career shortly after his high school graduation, but put that career on hold to serve in United States Army as a combat engineer.  In early 2015, Hansen returned to the cage as a member of the NEF MMA roster.  He put together a record of 2-1 in his first year back, including a win over the “2014 Fighter of the Year” Crowsneck Boutin (1-2).  The fight with Elkins will be Hansen’s first foray into the middleweight division after having competed in the heavyweight and light-heavyweight ranks previously.

 

“Zach is a good fighter with a lot of experience in the cage,” said Hansen over his upcoming opponent.  “He’s probably looking to come up here and leave with his first pro win. It won’t be that easy, and he will have to earn it, ’cause I intend to send him back to Florida with another loss.”

 

Zach Elkins is no stranger to the NEF fans.  A member of Team Riot in Orange Park, Florida, Elkins appeared previously for the fight promotion headlining the amateur portion of the “NEF XIII” fight card in the spring of 2014.  That evening, Elkins made short work of the northeast’s then-top ranked amateur middleweight Buck Pineau (1-2), scoring a first-round TKO.  Elkins was ranked nationally as an amateur, and he held the ISCF Florida State Middleweight Championship for over a year.  He lost his professional debut in the fall of 2014, and now Elkins is looking to pick up the first win of his pro career.

 

“I want to thank Matt and Nick (Peterson and DiSalvo, NEF owners) both for having me back on their show in February,” said Elkins when reached for comment. “I will be ready to put on another exciting fight for the fans in Maine and bringing home another ‘W’ for my team in Florida, Riot MMA.”

 

New England Fights’ next event, “NEF 21: THE IMMORTALS,” takes placeSaturday, February 6, 2016 at the Androscoggin Bank Colisée in Lewiston, Maine.  Tickets for “NEF 21” start at just $25 and are on sale now atwww.TheColisee.com or by calling the Colisée box office at 207.783.2009 x 525.  For more information on the event and fight card updates, please visit the promotion’s website at www.NewEnglandFights.com.  In addition, you can watch NEF videos at www.youtube.com/NEFMMA, follow them on Twitter @nefights and join the official Facebook group “New England Fights.”

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

M-1 Global signs Heavyweight Alexander Volkov   Volkov vs. Smoldarev M-1 Challenge heavyweight title fight   M-1 Challenge 64, Feb. 19 in Moscow

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ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (December 15, 2015) – M-1 Global has announced its signing of Russian heavyweight sensation Alexander “Drago” Volkov (24-6-0, M-1: 8-3-0) to an exclusive promotional contract.
Volkov will battle Denis Smoldarev (11-1-0, M-1: 7-1-0) February 19 for the vacant M-1 Challenge heavyweight championship at M-1 Challenge 64 in Moscow, Russia.
The 27-year-old puncher from Moscow returns to the organization in which he made his professional mixed-martial-arts debut April 19, 2009, needing only 80-seconds to stop Nikolay Pleshokov in the second stage of the M-1 Challenge 2009.  Volkov went on to capture top honors in the finals of the M-1 Challenge 2009, defeating Ibragim Magomedov for the Russian Team Championships.
The 6′ 7″, 235-pound Volkov fought under the M-1 Global banner for the next two years, highlighted November 20, 2011 by his opening round punch-out of  in front of 20,000 fans at M-1 Global: Fedor vs. Monson.
At that point, Volkov had won 14 of 17 pro MMA fights and the popular Russian fighter opened 2012 with an impressive decision win over former UFC heavyweight champion Ricco Rodriguez.
Volkov had another victory before heading to the United States in order to test himself in Bellator competition.   He won his inaugural Bellator fight against powerful Brett Rogers, by decision at Bellator 75, in the Bellator Season Seven Heavyweight Tournament.
Two Bellator fights later, Volkov had extended his win streak to 10 in a row, improving overall to 19-3-0 via five-round decision over Richard Hale to capture the vacant Bellator Heavyweight Championship, as well as finish first in the Bellator Season Seven Heavyweight Tournament in Hammond, Indiana, USA.
In his first fight of 2013, Volkov lost his Bellator heavyweight title in his first defense, as fellow countryman Vitaly Minakov recorded a first-round knockout in Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA.
However, Volkov rebounded with three straight wins in the Bellator Season 10 Heavyweight Tournament, defeating Bulgarian great Blaygoy Ivanov in the final by way of a second-round rear-naked choke hold.  Ivanov is best known, perhaps, for defeating living legend Fedor Emelianenko in the semifinals on his way to winning the 2008 World Sambo Championships.
Feared as one of the most prolific strikers in MMA today, 17 of Volkov’s 24 overall victims to date were knocked out.
Volkov (pictured above to left) makes his M-1 Global return against Smoldarev, of Estonia, whose only loss as a professional was to Marcin Tybura (13-1-0, M-1: 7-1-0), who abdicated his M-1 Challenge heavyweight title to reportedly continue his career in the UFC.  Tybura made his first successful M-1 Challenge heavyweight title defense November 24, 2014, defeating Smoldarev by third-round submission (choke), at M-1 Challenge 54 in Beijing, China.
The 25-year-old Smoldarev (shown above in the black trunks) has impressive victories against Ante Delia, Maro Perak, Ahmed Sultanov and Shaban Ka.  Smoldarev is also a physical specimen, standing 6′ 5″ and weighing close to 270 pounds.
M-1 Challenge 64 will be streamed live from Moscow in high definition onwww.M1Global.TV. Viewers will be able to watch the preliminary fights and main card by logging on to register at www.M1Global.TV. Fans may watch all of the action on their computers, as well as on Android and Apple smart phones and tablets.
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mixed martial arts, MMA, Rizin FF

RIZIN FF: JEROME LEBANNER RETURNS TO MMA, WILL FACE FORMER SUMO STAR KAIDO HOOVELSON AT NEW YEAR’S KICK-OFF EXTRAVAGANZA IN TOKYO

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TOKYO – December 14, 2015 – RIZIN FF, the all-new fight promotion led by former PRIDE FC head Nobuyuki Sakakibara, announced today the return of all-time kickboxing great Jerome LeBanner, to Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) rules competition, in a super heavyweight matchup with former sumo wrestling star Kaido “Baruto Kaido” Hoovelson, on Thursday, Dec. 31.

LeBanner (3-2 MMA; 81-22-2, 1 NC (65 KO’s) kickboxing) of Etretat, Seine-Maritime, France will make his first appearance under MMA rules since 2010 when he lost a unanimous decision to Judo medalist Satoshi Ishii.  Prior to the defeat, LeBanner had scored three consecutive knockouts in MMA rules bouts, all under the promotion of K-1.

The 42-year-old LeBanner, who has faced and defeated every major rival of his generation in the kickboxing ring over the course of his 20-plus year professional career, was victorious in both of his starts this year, scoring a second round (:52) KO on Claudiu Istrate with a knee strike to the body to retain his I.S.K.A. world super heavyweight K-1 rules title on April 25, and earning a unanimous decision over Karl Roberson on August 4.

At 6-foot-6, 425 pounds, the 31-year-old Hoovelson (0-0 MMA, 431-213-102 sumo) of Estonia is a monstrous specimen who competed as a professional sumo in Japan between 2004 and 2013.  The bout with LeBanner marks Hoovelson’s MMA rules debut.

Just two years into his career, Hoovelson reached the top division in the sport, eventually winning a championship in 2012 and earning five awards for fighting spirit.

Follow RIZIN FF:

Website – http://www.rizinff.com/en/
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/rizinfightingfederation/
Twitter – https://twitter.com/rizin_PR
Fight Network, mixed martial arts, MMA, One Championship

Fight Network Presents ONE: Spirit of Champions &  RFA 33 LIVE this Friday, Dec. 11

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TORONTO (December 10, 2015)  – Fight Network, the world’s premier 24/7 television channel dedicated to complete coverage of combat sports, presents an additional pair of live mixed martial arts events this Friday, Dec. 11, beginning at 7:30 a.m. ET with ONE Championship: Spirit of Champions live from Manila, Philippines. Later at 10 p.m. ET, Fight Network presents RFA 33: Townsend vs. Chavez from Costa Mesa, Calif. Fight Network is currently available in free preview on most carriers across Canada for the month of December.
Airing live on Fight Network at 7:30 a.m. ET exclusively in Canada and Turkey, ONE Championship: Spirit of Champions is headlined by a five-round clash for the vacant ONE heavyweight championship as Filipino-American superstar Brandon Vera (13-7) battles Canada’s Paul Cheng (5-1). Other featured bouts include Mark Striegl (14-1) vs. Reece McLaren (7-3) in bantamweight action, Geje Eustaquio (6-4) vs. Jianbing Yang (5-1) and Eugene Toquero (7-2) vs. Li Wei Bin (3-0) in a pair of flyweight bouts, Ana Julaton (2-1) vs. Irina Mazepa (1-0) in a women’s flyweight tilt,Angela Lee (3-0) vs. Lena Tkhorevska (3-1) in a women’s strawweight bout, Bruno Pucci (3-1) vs.Anthony Engelen (3-0) in a featherweight duel, Ruel Catalan (2-6) vs. Alex Silva (2-1) at 125 pounds, plus Christian Lee (0-0) making his professional debut against David Meak (2-4) in featherweight action.
Airing live on Fight Network at 10 p.m. ET across Canada and globally in over 30 countries across Europe, Africa and the Middle East, RFA 33: Townsend vs. Chavez features the promotion’s return to Orange County, headlined by a showdown between Adam Townsend (14-3) and Ernest Chavez(9-2). In other action, Joey Merritt (6-1) returns to the RFA after taking a UFC fight on seven days’ notice this past summer and he’ll meet BJJ black belt Felipe Fogolin (7-2) in a welterweight contest.Jose Diaz (5-1) will take on Anthony Hernandez (5-0) in a welterweight bout. At bantamweight, Hawaiian KO sensation Boston Salmon (4-0) puts his undefeated record on the line against Keith Carson (6-2), Anderson Silva protégé Khalil Rountree (3-0) returns to welcome surging Justin Polendey (7-2) at middleweight, while UFC veteran Justin Jones (6-2) tangles with Luc Bondole (5-1-2) in light heavyweight action.
The live RFA 33: Townsend vs. Chavez will immediately follow a live Canadian broadcast of The Ultimate Fighter Finale: Team McGregor vs. Team Faber prelims at 8 p.m. ET, which includes heavyweights Gabriel Gonzaga (16-10) vs. Konstantin Erokhin (9-2), featherweights Tatsuya Kawajiri (34-8-2) vs. Jason Knight (16-1) and flyweights Joby Sanchez (7-1) vs. Geane Herrera(8-1). Fight Network will also televise the live post-fight press conference, which begins shortly after the event concludes.
But first, on Thursday, Dec. 10, Fight Network presents a live pre-show for UFC Fight Night™: Namajunas vs. VanZant, leading into the live main card at 10 p.m. ET exclusively in Canada. In the main event, No. 3-ranked women’s strawweight contender Rose Namajunas (4-2) battles surging superstar and No. 7-ranked Paige VanZant. (6-1). In the co-feature, No. 14-ranked lightweight veteranJim Miller (25-6, 1NC) looks to continue his ascent up the rankings against The Ultimate Fighter Livewinner Michael Chiesa (12-2). Rounding out the card, highly touted lightweight youngster Sage Northcutt (6-0) tries to keep his perfect record intact against Cody Pfister (12-4-1), while Canada’s undefeated Ultimate Fighter Nations middleweight winner Elias Theodorou (11-0) faces his toughest test to date against Brazilian Thiago “Marreta” Santos (11-3). Fight Network will also televise the live post-fight press conference, which begins shortly after the event concludes.
The action-packed fight week comes to a climax on Saturday, Dec. 12. At 2 p.m. ET, Fight Network presents an encore of UFC 189: Mendes vs. McGregor from July 2015, which featured Conor McGregor‘s memorable performance against Chad Mendes to capture the interim UFC featherweight title, plus a top candidate for “Fight of the Year” between Robbie Lawler and Rory MacDonald for the UFC welterweight title. The event is widely regarded as one of the best in promotional history.
At 7 p.m. ET, Fight Network presents a live pre-show for UFC 194: Aldo vs. McGregor, which features previews, predictions and analysis for the event, as well as on-the-scene reports from Las Vegas. Immediately following the pay-per-view broadcast, Fight Network presents a live post-show at approximately 1 a.m. ET, including highlights, reactions and the live post-fight press conference from Las Vegas.
All pre and post-fight shows will include exclusive interviews from Fight Network analysts JohnRamdeen and Robin Black on-site in Las Vegas, plus reports and analysis from Fight Network studios in Toronto. Canadian mixed martial arts pioneer and longtime UFC veteran Sam Stout will be in-studio for the live UFC 194 pre and post-fight shows.
For a full listing of Fight Network’s broadcast schedule, please visit www.fightnetwork.com, follow us on Twitter @fightnet, become a fan on Facebook and visit us on Instagram @fightnet.