Category Archives: mixed martial arts

Bellator MMA continues to strengthen its roster with addition of Brazilian featherweight Gleristone “Toninho Furia” Santos

April 14, 2015 FNU47 Leave a comment

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (April 14, 2015) – Bellator MMA officials are proud to announce the addition of exciting Brazilian featherweight prospect Gleristone “Toninho Furia” Santos (27-4), who has signed an exclusive, multi-fight deal.

Santos’s debut date and opponent will be announced in the near future.

Long considered one of Brazil’s top prospects, the 26-year-old Santos debuted in 2005, when he was just 16 years old and earned victories in his first nine professional bouts. Born in Campina Grande, Paraiba, Santos currently boasts a nine-fight winning streak and is an incredible 16-1 in his past 17 appearances. “

Toninho” joins several other talented Brazilian fighters on the Bellator roster including Featherweight World Champion Patricio “Pitbull” Freire, Welterweight World Champion Douglas Lima, Bantamweight World Champion Marcos Galvao, Eduardo “Dudu” Dantas, Patricky “Pitbull” Freire, Rafael Carvalho, Neiman Gracie, Goiti Yamauchi amongst others.

Bellator, mixed martial arts, Spike TV

Two new fights featuring St. Louis scrappers added to “Bellator: Unfinished Business” at the Scottrade Center on June 19

April 14, 2015 FNU47 Leave a comment

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (April 13, 2015) – On the heels of this morning’s announcement of the Bobby Lashley vs. James Thompson rematch, “Bellator: Unfinished Business” adds a pinch of local flavor with the addition of welterweights Steve Mann (10-1) vs. Justin Guthrie (17-8) and strawweights Dan O’Connor (5-4) vs. Miles McDonald (0-1). The two fights will are the first announced fights of the preliminary card, which can be viewed on Spike.com starting at 4 p.m. PT.

The main card is headlined by a long overdue matchup between street-fighting legend and YouTube sensation Kimbo Slice and “The World’s Most Dangerous Man,” Ken Shamrock, which kicks off Live and Free on Spike at 9 p.m. ET/ 8 p.m. CT.

Tickets for “Bellator: Unfinished Business” start at $30 and go on sale to the general public on Friday, March 27, at Bellator.com, Ticketmaster.com and the Scottrade Center Box Office. Online presales begin on Wednesday, March 25.

Iowa’s Mann is an intriguing welterweight prospect who has never fought past the opening round in 11 career contests. Eight of his 10 career wins have come by way of submission, including five by rear-naked choke. Mann makes his Bellator MMA debut on this major stage.

“The Pain Train” Guthrie, a Colorado Fight Factory product, also fights under the Bellator MMA banner for the first time. Fighting professionally since 2007, Guthrie boasts past clashes with MMA notables Jesse Forbes, Jorge Santiago, Lumumba Sayers, Gilbert Smith and Bobby Voelker. Guthrie has shown a well-rounded approach in previous contest, earning five victories by knockout, six by submission and six by decision, including two 25-minute contests.

In strawweight action, both “Johnny Irish” O’Connor and McDonald make their Bellator MMA debuts. Interestingly, St. Louis’ O’Connor owns four of his five career victories by submission but has also been tapped out in three of his four defeats to date. Meanwhile, McDonald suffered an armbar loss in his May 2014 professional debut and now looks to rebound in his return to the cage.

“Bellator: Unfinished Business” – Friday, June 19, Scottrade Center, St. Louis, Mo.

Main Card on Spike (9 p.m. ET)

Bellator Heavyweight Main Event: Kimbo Slice (4-2) vs. Ken Shamrock (28-15)

Bellator Featherweight Championship: Patricio Pitbull (23-2) vs. Georgi Karakhanyan (24-4)

Bellator Heavyweight Feature Fight: Bobby Lashley (12-2) vs. James Thompson (20-14)

Bellator Lightweight Feature Fight: Michael Chandler (12-3) vs. Derek Campos (15-4)

Preliminary Card on Spike.com (7 p.m. ET)

Bellator welterweight prelim fight: Steve Mann (10-1) vs. Justin Guthrie (17-8)

Bellator strawweight prelim fight: Dan O’Connor (5-4) vs. Miles McDonald (0-1)

Bellator, mixed martial arts, Spike TV

“Bellator: Unfinished Business” gets a monster rematch with heavyweights James “The Colossus” Thompson vs. Bobby “The Dominator” Lashley

April 14, 2015 FNU47 Leave a comment

B138_PR_header2

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (April 13, 2015) – The most-watched MMA fight of all time was between Kimbo Slice and James Thompson, and on June 19, both men will be competing against different opponents at “Bellator: Unfinished Business” at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Mo.

Former WWE superstar Bobby “The Dominator” Lashley looks to avenge a 2012 split decision loss to James “The Colossus” Thompson (20-14). The unfinished business between the two giant heavyweights was originally scheduled to be settled at “Bellator: The British Invasion,” but an injury sustained by Lashley caused the fight to be rescheduled to June 19.

Thompson, a 6-foot-5 striking specialist, hails from England and has been fighting professionally since 2003. A former rugby player and bodybuilder, Thompson found his true calling in MMA and has been competing around the globe ever since. Fighting some of the best heavyweights in the sport, including Slice, Alexander Emelianenko, Don Frye, Alistair Overeem, Mariusz Pudzianowki, Brett Rogers, Bob Sapp, Dan Severn and Hidehiko Yoshida, among others, “The Colossus” has racked up 11 wins by knockout and seven by submission.

A 6-foot-3 wrestling standout, Bobby “The Dominator” Lashley (12-2) started training in the grappling arts at age 12 and would go on to win several titles including three National Championships at Missouri Valley College, an NAIA National Championship, a CISM World Championship Silver Medal and two Armed Forces Wrestling Championships during his time in the U.S. Army. In addition to a professional wrestling career with stints in the WWE, ECW and TNA, Lashley began his MMA career in 2008, and he’s built an impressive career mark that includes Bellator MMA submission wins over Karl Etherington and Josh Burns.

“Bellator: Unfinished Business” – Friday, June 19, Scottrade Center, St. Louis, Mo.

Main Card (9 p.m. ET)

Bellator Heavyweight Main Event: Kimbo Slice (4-2) vs. Ken Shamrock (28-15)

Bellator Featherweight Championship: Patricio Pitbull (23-2) vs. Georgi Karakhanyan (24-4)

Bellator Heavyweight Feature Fight: Bobby Lashley (12-2) vs. James Thompson (20-14)

Bellator Lightweight Feature Fight: Michael Chandler (12-3) vs. Derek Campos (15-4)

Fight Network, kickboxing, martial arts, mixed martial arts, wrestling

FIGHT NETWORK MMA & KICKBOXING PROGRAMMING SCHEDULE (Apr. 13-19, 2015)

April 14, 2015 FNU47 Leave a comment

Fight Network is a 24/7 television channel dedicated to complete coverage of combat sports. It airs programs focused on the entire scope of the combat sports genre, including live fights and up-to-the-minute news and analysis for mixed martial arts, kickboxing, professional wrestling, traditional martial arts, boxing, fight news, as well as fight-themed drama series, documentaries and feature films.

Below find highlights of this week’s programming:

Monday, Apr. 13

5:00 p.m. ET – Fighting Spirit MMA Season 4 – Compilation of international fights from SFL, Legend, FFC, M-1 and more.

6:00 – p.m. ET – USA Wrestling Weekly – Host Scott Casber gives weekly news and analysis centering around USA Wrestling, the sport’s national governing body, including interviews, features and a look back at the past.

6:30 p.m. ET – Judo Ulaanbaatar Grand Prix 2014 – Highlights from Judo Ulaanbaatar Grand Prix from July 4-6, 2014 in Mongolia.

7:00 p.m. ET – 5 Rounds – Hosts John Ramdeen and Robin Black invite special guests to break down the weekend of MMA action.

7:30 p.m. ET – Fight News Now Extra – The latest news, recaps, features and inside analysis of the fight game.

8:00 p.m. ET – GFC 4– Featuring Badr Hari vs. Arnold Oborotov on a stacked MMA/kickboxing card from Oct. 16, 2014 in Dubai.

Tuesday, Apr. 14

1:00 a.m. ET – Toe 2 Toe with Rashad Evans – Sit-down interview with former UFC light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans.

1:30 a.m. ET – Hip Show: Arena Combat – Tag-team MMA inside a 12m by 12m arena with three-level obstacle structures.

2:30 am. ET – XPTV – Coverage of regional U.S pro and amateur MMA.

7:00 & 7:30 p.m. ET – Xtreme Fighting Championship – Florida-based professional MMA featuring top American prospects, international stars and UFC veterans.

8:00 p.m. ET – 5 Rounds – Hosts John Ramdeen and Robin Black invite special guests to break down the weekend of MMA action.

8:30 p.m. ET — Fight News Now Extra – The latest news, recaps, features and inside analysis of the fight game.

9:00 p.m. ET – DEEP: DREAM Impact 2014 – Featuring Satotu Kitaoka vs. Yoshiyuki from Dec. 31, 2014 in Saitama, Japan.

Wednesday, Apr. 15

12:00 a.m. ET – BAMMA USA: Badbeat 10 – Featuring Jesse Newell vs. Chris Culley, Jesse Juarez vs.

3:00 a.m. ET – Texas Fight Night – MMA action from Texas featuring the Lone Star State’s top prospects in the cage.

6:30 a.m. ET — Fight News Now Extra – The latest news, recaps, features and inside analysis of the fight game.

6:00 p.m. ET – Best of Cage Rage – Featuring classic fights from the UK-based Cage Rage organization with Anderson Silva, Antonio Silva, Victor Belfort, Paul Daley and others.

7:00 p.m. ET – Fight News Now Extra: MMA Edition – Covering all the happenings in the MMA world with exclusive analysis and features.

7:30 p.m. ET – Fighting Spirit MMA – Compilations of international MMA fights from O NE FC, UCMMA, KSW, WFC, FFC, BAMMA, EFC Africa and others.

8:30 p.m. ET – Cage Warriors Fighting Championship 71 – Featuring Jack Hermansson vs. Deyan Topalski from Aug. 23, 2014 in Amman, Jordan.

11:00 p.m. ET – MMA Meltdown with Gabriel Morency – Gabriel Morency breaks down all the happenings in MMA, discussing odds, predictions, plus special weekly guests and exclusive interviews.

11:30 p.m. ET – TakeDown Wrestling – Extensive coverage of amateur wrestling events, including the latest news, behind-the-scenes coverage from events and exclusive interviews.

Thursday, Apr. 16

12:30 a.m. ET — Fight News Now Extra – The latest news, recaps, features and inside analysis of the fight game.

1:30 a.m. ET – Ultimate Challenge MMA 3: Unstoppable – Featuring Brad Pickett vs. Dino Gambatesa from Mar. 28, 2009 in London.

6:00 p.m. ET – Championship Fightling Alliance – Pro MMA from Florida featuring the likes of Josh Sampo, Mike Kyle, John Howard, Sean McCorkie, Luis Palomino and others.

7:00 p.m. ET – Fighting Rookies – Aspiring kickboxers climb the ladder of success in the sport as rookies compete for a chance to become professionals and get experience needed to succeed at a higher level.

8:00 p.m. ET – Fight News Now: MMA Edition – Covering all the happenings in the MMA world with exclusive analysis and features.

8:30 p.m. ET — Fight News Now Extra – The latest news, recaps, features and inside analysis of the fight game.

9:00 p.m. ET – M-1 Challenge 56 – Featuring Tyacheslav Vasilvesky vs. Ramasan Emeev for the M-1 Challenge middle title from Apr. 10, 2015 in Moscow.

Friday, Apr. 17

12:00 a.m. ET – It’s Showtime Special – The world’s premier kickboxing organization featuring Badr Hari, Melvin Manhoef and Giorgio Petrosyan.

1:30 a.m. ET — Fight News Now Extra – The latest news, recaps, features and inside analysis of the fight game.

2:00 a.m. ET – Pancrase Classics – Classic pioneering MMA battles featuring Ken Shamrock, Frank Shamrock, Bas Rutten, Nate Marquardt, Chael Sonnen and others.

4:00 a.m. ET – Best of DEEP – Featuring class fights from the historic Japanese DEEP promotion including Shinya Aoki, Hayato Sakurai and Gegard Mousasi.

5:00 a.m. ET – Best of Jewels – Classic fights from the all-female Japanese MMA league, Jewels.

11:00 a.m. ET – GFC 5: Saki vs. Ciobanu – LIVE professional kickboxing from Dubai featuring Gokhan Saki vs. Sebastian Ciobanu, plus Steve McKinnon vs. Zabit Samedoiv and Jafar Ahmadi vs. Danyo Illunga.

4:00 p.m. ET – UFC on FOX: Machida vs. Rockhold Weigin-Ins – LIVE coverage of the official weigh-ins for UFC on FOIX: Machica vs. Rockhold from Newwark, NJ.

6:00 p.m. ET – M-1 Challenge – Professional MMA from Europe featuring top rising prospects and international starts.

7:00 p.m. ET — Fight News Now. MMA Edition – Covering all the happenings in the MMA world with exclusive analysis and features.

7:30 p.m. ET — Fight News Now Extra – The latest news, recaps, features and inside analysis of the fight game.

8:00 p.m. ET – Toe 2 Toe with Luke Rockhold – Sit-down interview with current UFC star and former Strikeforce middleweight champion Luke Rockhold.

8:30 p.m. ET – Hip Show: Arena Combat – Tag-team MMA inside a 12m by 12m arena with three-level obstacle structures.

9:00 p.m. ET — KSW 13 – Featuring Mamed Khalidov vs. Ryuta Sakurai, Mariusz Pudzianowski vs. Yusuke Kawaguchi, plus Jan Blachowicz, Daniel Tabera, Konstan Gluhov and Attila Vegh from May 7, 2010 in Warsaw, Poland.

Saturday, Apr. 18

1:00 a.m. ET – SuperKombat: New Heroes Almere 2014 – Featuring Errol Konning vs. Mohammed El Boulahiati and Kenneth Susanna vs. Yakupa Kaya from Sept. 27, 2014 in Almere, Netherlands.

6:00 a.m. ET – Best of TKO – Featuring Brian Gassaway vs. Jose “Pele” Landi-Jones from TKO 32.

7:00 a.m. ET – Best of Gladiator Challenge – Featuring Jake Shields vs. Jeremy Jackson from Gladiator Challenge 6.

10:00 a.m. ET – Best of SportFight – Top quality MMA from the Pacific Northwest, hosted by UFC veterans Matt LIndland and Chael Sonnen. This episode features Dennis Hallman, Sean Sherk, Josh Burkman, Chris Leben and Benji Radach in action.

1:30 p.m. ET – UFC on FOX: Machida vs. Rockhold Pre-Show – LIVE pre-fight coverage of UFC on FOX: Machida vs. Rockhold in Newark, NJ.

4:00 p.m. ET — UFC on FOX: Machida vs. Rockhold Pre-Show – LIVE pre-fight coverage of UFC on FOX: Machida vs. Rockhold in Newark, NJ.

4:30 p.m. ET – Enfusion LIVE #27: Souwer vs. Risco – LIVE professional kickboxing from Tenerife, Spain, featuring Andy Souwer vs. Jonay Risco and Mohamed Boubkari vs. Moises Baute for the -95kg world title.

6:30 p.m. ET – MMA Meltdown with Gabriel Morency – Gabriel Morency breaks down all the happenings in MMA, discussing odds, predictions, plus special weekly guests and exclusive interviews.

7:00 p.m. ET – TakeDown Wrestling – Extensive coverage of amateur wrestling events, including the latest news, behind-the-scenes coverage from events and exclusive interviews.

7:30 p.m. ET — UFC on FOX: Machida vs. Rockhold Pre-Show – LIVE pre-fight coverage of UFC on FOX: Machida vs. Rockhold in Newark, NJ.

8:00 p.m. ET – GFC 5: Saki vs. Ciobanu – Pro kickboxing from Dubai, featuring Gokhan Saki vs. Sebastian Ciobanu, plus Steve McKinnon vs. Zabit Samedov and Jafar Ahmadi vs. Danyo Ilunga fromApr. 17, 2015 in Dubaia.

11:00 p.m. ET — UFC on FOX: Machida vs. Rockhold Post-Fight Press Conference – LIVE coverage of the official post-fight press conference for UFC on FOX: Machida vs. Rockhold in Newark, NJ.

Sunday, Apr. 19

6:00 a.m. ET – Pancrase Classics – Classic pioneering MMA battles featuring Ken Shamrock, Frank Shamrock, Bas Rutten, Name Marquardt, Chael Sonnen and others.

10:00 a.m. ET – Best of ADCC – Featuring compilations of the greatest grappling matches ever held, featuring Tito Ortiz, Matt Hughes, Eddie Bravo, Fabricio Werdum, Marcelo Garcia, Ronaldo Souza and Royler Gracie.

11:00 a.m. ET – Elite Muay Thai: Thailand vs. Challenger – The biggest Muay Thai series in the world featuring premium international stand-up fighters takingon the renowned Thai National team.

6:30 p.m. ET – Judo Tyumen Grand Slam 2014 – Highlights from the Judo Tyumen Grand Slam from July 12-13, 2014 in Russia.

11:00 p.m. ET – King of Kings: World Grand Prix 2014 Gdansk – Featuring Arrtur Kyshenko vs. Radoslaw Paczuski, plus a one-night, single-elimination-93kg tournament from Oct. 17, 2014 in Gdansk, Polan

Information:

www.FightNetwork.com

Twitter & Instagram @fightnet

www.Facebook.com/FightNetwork

ABOUT FIGHT NETWORK: Fight Network is the world’s premier combat sports network dedicated to 24/7 coverage, including fights, fighters, fight news and fight lifestyle. The channel is available in the U.S. on Cablevision in parts of New York, Connecticut and New Jersey, Texas-based Grande Communications, Armstrong Cable in Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio, as well as on Shentel Cable in Virginia, West Virginia and portions of western Maryland. Fight Network is also on Roku set top boxes in the U.S. and Canada, streamed live on website KlowdTV.com, and available on all major carriers in Canada and more than 30 countries across Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

Amateur MMA, mixed martial arts, New England Fights

NEW ENGLAND FIGHTS ANNOUNCES THE RESULTS OF NEF XVII

April 12, 2015 FNU47 Leave a comment

Lewiston, Maine (April 12, 2015) – New England Fights (NEF), America’s number-one regional fight promotion, held its seventeenth mixed-martial-arts event, “NEF XVII,” Saturday night at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee in Lewiston, Maine. A crowd of more than 2,000 was on hand to take in the action.

The co-main event of the evening saw Dennis “The Menace” Olson (13-7) win a split decision victory over Jarod “Last Minute” Lawton (4-2). Jamie Harrison (6-1) stopped NEF MMA Lightweight Champion Bruce “Pretty Boy” Boyington (10-8) via first-round submission in a non-title bout in the card’s main event. In a women’s amateur bout earlier in the evening, Boyington’s wife Randi Beth Knowles (1-0) defeated Alex Walker (0-1) via unanimous decision in a thrilling back-and-forth contest.

In addition, NEF announced that the promotion’s next MMA event would take place at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee on June 13, 2015. The event is titled “NEF XVIII: Made in America” and it will feature the professional debut of Crowsneck Boutin (6-7 amateur) as he meets “The Junkyard Dog” Ryan Cowette (3-2) in a middleweight contest. It was further announced that Ryan Glover(1-0) and Billy Leahy (2-1) will fight for the first ever NEF MMA amateur title in the heavyweight division on June 13.

The full results from Lewiston, Maine:

PROFESSIONAL

CATCH Jamie Harrison def. Bruce Boyington via rear-naked choke, round 1
170 Dennis Olson def. Jarod Lawton via split decision
CATCH Kaline Medeiros def. Calie Cutler via unanimous decision

150 Derek Shorey def. John Raio via TKO, round 1

CATCH Jesse Erickson def. Mark Deford via KO, round 1

CATCH Jay Perrin def. Elias Leland via TKO, round 2

AMATEUR

CATCH Norman Fox def. Dave Brown via guillotine choke submission, round 1
165 Connor Barry def. CJ Ewer via triangle choke submission, round 1
155 Matthew Hanning def. Rick Matthews via KO, round 1

S.HWT Dave Smith def. Ora Spratt IV via TKO, round 1

185 Heath Hanson def. Brandon Russell via TKO, round 1
CATCH Caleb Serra def. Clifford Redman via armbar submission, round 3
135 Sheldon Bang def. Mike Crespo via unanimous decision
115 Randi Beth Knowles def. Alex Walker via unanimous decision

155 Ricky Dexter def. Zenon Herrera via Kimura submission, round 1

185 Chris Rideout def. Ruben Redman via unanimous decision

185 Chris Smith def. Dan Meuse via TKO, round 1

135 Caleb Costello def. Wilmer Carrero via guillotine choke submission, round 1

150 Alex Johnson def. Dustin Shorey via guillotine choke submission, round 1

NEF’s next MMA event, “NEF XVIII: Made in America” will originate from the Androscoggin Bank Colisee in Lewiston, Maine on June 13, 2015. Tickets for “NEF XVIII” start at just $25 and are on sale now at www.TheColisee.com or by calling the Colisee box office at207.783.2009 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.”

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.

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

Emeev defeats Vasilevsky to recapture M-1 Challenge middleweight title

April 12, 2015 FNU47 Leave a comment

OFFICIAL RESULTS

Ramasan Emeev finishes off Vyacheslav Vasilevsky to recapture the coveted

M-1 Challenge middleweight title

MOSCOW (April 11, 2015) – Former M-1 Challenge middleweight championRamasan Emeev (12-3-0) recaptured the coveted title from defending championVyacheslav Vasilevsky (26-3-0) in last night’s M-1 Challenge 56 main event in Moscow, Russia.

Emeev used a perfectly executed rear-naked choke to defeat Vasilevsky by submission at the 1:47 mark of the first round.

Vasilevsky had taken title belt from Emeev this past September 7 in St. Petersburg atM-1 Challenge 51: Fightspirit with a fourth-round stoppage from punches in the first showdown between the two Russian fighters. A Vasilevsky-Emeev rematch was a natural from the moment their first fight ended and now there is a potential trilogy match.

The 27-year-old Emeev, who lives and trains in Makhachkala, Russia, originally won the vacant M-1 Challenge middleweight title April 9, 2012, recording a knockout (strikes) of Mario Miranda (14-4-0) in the third round at M-1 Challenge 38. Emeev successfully defended his title five months later with a five-round decision over Miranda in a rematch and he hadn’t fought since losing to Vasilevsky.

The 26-year-old Vasilevsky had his 10 fight win streaks snapped by Emeev. He had won 16 of his last 17 fights and was making his first M-1 Challenge middleweight title defense against Emeev. The loss also was Vyacheslav’s first in nine M-1 Global-promoted shows, including four M-1 Challenge events.

M-1 Challenge featherweight champion Ivan “Buki” Buchinger (29-4-0) knocked outAliyar “Tiger” Sarkerov (12-5-0), who was a late replacement Tural Ragimov (9-2-0) with a punch in the second round of their non-title fight.

Croatian light heavyweight Kristian “Klitschko” Perak (8-1-1) and former M-1 Challenge champion Valery “The Russian Hammer” Myasnikov (8-1-1) battled to a three-round draw.

Croatian heavyweight Ante “Walking Trouble” Delija (13-2-0) won a hard fought three-round decision over Latvian veteran Konstantin “Lacplesis” Gluhov (28-16-0).

Spanish lightweight Javier Fuentes (6-0-0) kept his perfect record intact, winning a second-round technical submission of Nikolay “Cat” Kaushansky (6-2-0), of Russia, by way of a triangle choke.

In preliminary fight action, Russian lightweight Ali Abdulkhalikov (3-0-0) needed only 34-seconds to knockout Spain’s Joel Alvarez Gonzalez (4-1-0) with a spinning heel kick in a battle of previously unbeaten fighters, Alexey “Ataman” Makhno (9-3-0) stopped fellow Russian lightweight Rakhman Makhazhiev (3-2-0) with a punch in the third round, Abukar Yandiev (3-0-0) locked in a rear naked choke hold to submit fellow Russian middleweight Gevorg Charchyan (1-1-0) midway through the opening round. Russian featherweight Zalimek Omarov (4-1-1) punched out countrymanArtiom Lobanov (2-2-0) in the second round, and Polish welterweight Michal Wiencek (5-2-0) defeated Russian opponent Rustam Gadzhiev (4-3-0) by way of a third-round submission resulting from a rear naked choke.

Complete results and picture gallery below:

MAIN CARD

MAIN EVENT – MIDDLEWEIGHTS

Ramasan Emeev (12-3-0), Russia WSUB1 (Rear-Naked Choke – 1:48) Vyacheslav Vasilevsky (26-3-0), Russia

(Emeev won M-1 Challenge middleweight title)

CO-FEATURE – FEATHERWEIGHTS

Ivan Buchinger (29-4-0), Slovakia WTKO2 (Punch – 1:54) Aliyar Sarkerov (12-5-0), Russia

HEAVYWEIGHTS

Ante Deliha (13-2-0), Croatia WDEC3 Konstantin Gluhov (28-16-0), Latvia

LIGHT HEAVYWEIGHTS

Valery Myashikov (8-1-1), Russia Draw3 Kristijan Perak (8-1-2), Croatia

LIGHTWEIGHTS

Javier Fuentas (6-0-0), Spain WSUB2 (Triangle Choke – 1:33) Niko Kaushansky (6-2-0), Russia

PRELIMINARY CARD

M-1 MEDIEVAL WELTERWEIGHT KNIGHT FIGHT

Evgeniy Bedenko (6-1-0), Russia Ivan Vasiliev (11-2-0), Russia

MIDDLEWEIGHTS

Abukar Yandiev (3-0-0), Russia WSUB1 (Rear Naked Choke – 2:30) Gevorg Charchyan (1-1-0), Russia

Gadzhi Gadzhiev (5-2-0), Russia WSUB2 (Armbar – 2:11) Yuri Yurchenko (1-2-0), Russia

WELTERWEIGHTS

Michal Wiencek, Poland (5-2-0) WSUB3 (Rear Naked Choke – 4:30) Rustam Gadzhiev (4-3-0), Russia

LIGHTWEIGHTS

Ali Andulkhalikov (3-0-0), Russia WKO1 (Spinning Heel Kick – 0:34) Joel Alvarez Gonzalez (4-0-0), Spain

Alexey Makhno (9-3-0), Russia WKO/TKO3 (Punch – 0:39) Rakhman Malhazhiev (3-2-0), Russia

FEATHERWEIGHTS

Zalimbek Omarov (4-1-1), Russia WKO/TKO2 (Punch – 2:51) Artiom Lobanov (2-2-0), Russia

Emeev is M-1 Challenge 56 middleweight champion again

Emeev consoles Vasilevsky after their fight

Buchinger nails Sarkerov

(L-R) Konstantin Gluhov & Ante Delija.

M-1 Medieval welterweight fighting knight Evgeniy Bedenko & Ivan Vasiliev

Gevorg Charchyan & Abukar Yandiev

Javier Fuentes mounts Nikolay Kaushansky

Joel Alvarez Gonzalez & Ali Abdulkhalikov

Kristijan Perak & Valery Myasnikov

Michal Wiencek locks rear-naked choke on Rustam Gadzhiev

Zalimbek Omarov & Artiom Lobanov

Rakhman Makhazhiev & Alexey Makhno

UPCOMING EVENTS: M-1 Challenge 57, May 2, 2015 in Orenburg, Russia.

Information

www.mixfight.ru

www.wmmaa.org

www.M1Global.tv

Twitter & Instagram:

@M1Global

@VFinkelchtein

@M1GlobalNews

Facebook:

www.facebook.com/M1GlobalNews

Bellator, mixed martial arts, Spike TV

WILL BROOKS RETAINS TITLE IN A STATEMENT 5-ROUND VICTORY

April 11, 2015 FNU47 Leave a comment

Bellator / Eric Coleman – Select Fight Photos / Scorecards

IRVINE, Calif. (April 10, 2015) – An energetic Southern Californian crowd was on hand tonight at the Bren Event Center enjoying a spectacular night of fights at Bellator 136.

With celebrities and MMA legends the likes of Tommy Lasorda, Charlie Hough, Jermaine Dye, Tito Ortiz, Ken Shamrock, Don Frye and Frank Shamrock cageside, the Scott Coker-led promotion emphatically returned to the arena for the first time since its debut on Spike at Bellator 85.

In addition to a lightweight title fight in the main event, 12 other exciting contests helped continue the trend of exciting cards on Spike TV thus far in 2015.

It took the full five rounds, but Will Brooks (16-1) made the first defense of his Bellator Lightweight strap, defeating Dave Jansen (20-3) via unanimous decision [49-46, 49-46, 49-46]. After a clear cut opening frame that saw “The Fugitive” surprise “Ill Will” with his explosive kicking and punching, Brooks slowly turned the tide in his favor, slowing the pace and using his world renown grappling to remain the 155-pound kingpin.

“Dave Jansen is exactly what people consider him to be,” said Brooks. “He’s got that warrior spirit and he’s really intelligent. He fought hard, I just fought harder. I’m still young in this sport, and there were definitely a lot of things that I wanted to do in the fight that he neutralized. I’m looking to stay busy and get back to putting on exciting fights for the fans.”

After 15 minutes of co-main event action, Rafael Carvalho improved to 11-1, earning a split decision win [28-29, 30-27, 29-28] against Joe Schilling (2-4). The young Brazilian slowed the fight down throughout, nullifying the striking of “Stitch Em’ Up.” One judge did see the fight in favor of the world champion kickboxer, but it wasn’t enough as Schilling drops to .500 inside the Bellator cage.

In a battle of submission specialists, Marcin Held (21-3) finished Tiger Sarnavskiy (30-3) via verbal submission caused by a knee bar at 1:11 of round three. With the win, Held has now won 12 of his 21 professional fights via submission.

The first televised scrap of the evening featured heavyweights Tony Johnson (8-2) and Alexander Volkov (6-1). After three grueling rounds, “The Hulk” remained undefeated in the Bellator cage. Johnson was awarded a [29-28, 28-29, 29-28] split decision. Overall it was the wrestling of Johnson that earned him the victory. Now, Johnson returns home to his two daughters and fiancée, where he doubles as a self-proclaimed “Mr. Mom.”

Joey Beltran (16-11) bounced back from a lackluster opening round to take rounds two and three, ultimately defeating Brian Rogers (11-8) via majority decision [28-28, 29-28, 29-27]. “The Mexicutioner” impressed in his Bellator MMA middleweight debut, while “The Predator” has dropped four of five scraps.

Saad Awad (18-6) handed Rob Sinclair (12-3) the third loss of his career, earning a unanimous decision [30-27, 30-27, 30-37]. With the win, Awad moves even closer to a trilogy fight with lightweight champion Will Brooks.

In the opening bout of the evening, John Teixeira (18-1-2) defeated Fabricio Guerreiro (20-4) via split decision [29-28, 28-29, 29-28]. Guerreiro has now dropped two of his last three bouts, while “Macapa” has won three straight.

AJ McKee (1-0) made a successful professional debut on Friday night, finishing Marcos Bonilla (1-2) with a deep rear-naked choke at 2:08 round one. The contingent that remained after the main card was heavily in favor of the Long Beach, Calif., native.

Chad George (16-8) finished Mark Vorgeas (5-3-1) with a head and arm choke at 3:37 of the first round. There was no tap or verbal submission, as George had to inform the referee that his opponent had gone unconscious. The Los Angeles native now has nine submission wins in his young career.

Laguna Hills, Calif., Justin Governale (4-2) submitted hometown boy Jay Bogan (6-5) via rear-naked choke at 2:09 of round two. It was an exciting end to a fight that was nearly finished by Governale with strikes.
Steve Ramirez (1-1) finished Jon Santa Maria (3-1) with a toehold at 3:29 of round one.

Cleber Luciano (11-5) finished Aaron Miller (14-10) with an arm bar at 4:36 of round two.

About Bellator MMA

Bellator MMA is a leading Mixed Martial Arts organization featuring many of the best fighters in the world. Under the direction of veteran fight promoter Scott Coker, Bellator is available to nearly 400 million homes worldwide in over 120 countries. In the United States, Bellator can be seen on Spike TV, the MMA television leader. Bellator MMA 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.

About Spike TV:

Spike TV is available in 98.7 million homes and is a division of Viacom Media Networks. A unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), Viacom Media Networks is one of the world’s leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms. Spike TV’s Internet address is www.spike.com and for up-to-the-minute and archival press information and photographs, visit Spike TV’s press site at http://www.spike.com/press. Follow us on Twitter @spiketvpr for the latest in breaking news updates, behind-the-scenes information and photos.

Amateur MMA, mixed martial arts, New England Fights

NEF MMA ANNOUNCES WEIGH-IN RESULTS FROM LEWISTON

April 11, 2015 FNU47 Leave a comment

Lewiston, Maine (April 10, 2015) – New England Fights (NEF), America’s number-one regional fight promotion, held weigh-ins for its seventeenth mixed-martial-arts event, “NEF XVII,” earlier today at the Ramada Hotel and Conference Center in Lewiston, Maine. “NEF XVII” will take place at the Androscoggin Bank Colisee located at 190 Birch Street in Lewiston tomorrow, Saturday, April 11 with doors opening at 6:00 pm. The first fight is scheduled to begin at 7:00 pm.

The professional NEF MMA Lightweight Title bout between Bruce Boyington (10-7) and Jamie Harrison (5-1) is now a non-title catchweight fight after Harrison was unable to make the lightweight limit of 155-pounds.

The weights from Lewiston, Maine:

PROFESSIONAL

CATCH Bruce Boyington (154.0) vs Jamie Harrison (156.3)
170 Dennis Olson (170.9) vs Jarod Lawton (169.4)
CATCH Kaline Medeiros (116.2) vs Calie Cutler (117.9)

150 John Raio (150.4) vs Derek Shorey (149.3)

CATCH Jesse Erickson (156.3) vs Mark Deford (155.4)

CATCH Jay Perrin (139.0) vs Elias Leland (134.0)

AMATEUR

CATCH Dave Brown (125.4) vs Norman Fox (126.2)
165 Connor Barry (165.2) vs CJ Ewer (164.7)
155 Rick Matthews (153.7) vs Matthew Hanning (154.7)

S.HWT Dave Smith (292.6) vs Ora Spratt IV (282.7)

185 Brandon Russell (186.0) vs Heath Hanson (176.6)
CATCH Caleb Serra (147.1) vs Clifford Redman (145.0)

S.HWT Ryan Glover (227.6) vs Jason Field (271.0)
135 Sheldon Bang (135.4) vs Mike Crespo (134.1)
115 Alex Walker (115.1) vs Randi Beth Knowles (115.8)

155 Ricky Dexter (154.7) vs Zenon Herrera (153.8)

185 Chris Rideout (182.7) vs Ruben Redman (181.1)

185 Chris Smith (185.6) vs Dan Meuse (181.2)

135 Caleb Costello (134.7) vs Wilmer Carrero (136.0)

150 Alex Johnson (149.2) vs Dustin Shorey (148.9)

Tickets for “NEF XVII” start at just $25 and are on sale now atwww.TheColisee.com, by calling the Colisee box office at207.783.2009 x 525, or by visiting the Colisee box office at 190 Birch Street, Lewiston, Maine 04240. 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

Fight Network, M-1, M-1 Challenge, mixed martial arts, RFA

M-1 Challenge 56 Live, RFA 25 Today on Fight Network

April 10, 2015 FNU47 Leave a comment

REMINDER – TODAY

TORONTO | NEW YORK (April 9, 2015) — Fight Network, the world’s premier 24/7 television channel dedicated to complete coverage of combat sports, presents a pair of exciting mixed martial arts events today, April 10, beginning at 2:15 p.m. ET with M-1 Challenge 56 from Olympic Stadium in Moscow, Russia, followed by a one-hour tape delay broadcast of RFA 25: Lawrence vs. Toomer from Sioux Falls, South Dakota at 11 p.m. ET.

In the M-1 Challenge 56 main event, a much anticipated rematch pits M-1 Challenge middleweight champion Vyacheslav Vasilevsky against challenger Ramazan Emeev, plus M-1 Challenge featherweight champion Ivan “Buki” Buchinger faces Aliyar Sarkerov.

Fight Network’s live broadcast of M-1 Challenge 56 will air on Cablevision’s Optimum TV, Grande Communications, Shentel Cable and Armstrong Cable in the U.S., nationwide in Canada, Roku devices across North America, and globally in over 30 countries across Europe, Africa and the Middle East. (Note: RFA 25 will not be available on Fight Network’s U.S. feed)

In their first fight last September, Vasilevsky captured the belt from Emeev by way of fourth-round stoppage from punches, while Buchinger captured the vacant title with a fourth-round stoppage of Tural Ragimov in the “Fight of the Night” this past October. Buchinger hasn’t lost a fight in nearly 3 ½ years, winning seven in a row and 10 of his last 11.

The fight card for M-1 Challenge 56 includes:

-Vyacheslav Vasilevsky (26-2) vs. Ramazan Emeev (11-3) – M-1 middleweight title
-Ivan Buchinger (28-4) vs. Aliyar Sarkerov (13-4) – M-1 featherweight title
-Konstantin Gluhov (28-15) vs. Ante Delija (12-2)
-Valery Myasnikov (8-1) vs. Kristijan Perak (8-1)
-Javier Fuentes (2-1) vs. Nikolay Kaushansky (6-1)
-Rakhman Makhazhiev (2-1) vs. Alexey Makhno (8-3)

Airing at 11 p.m. ET following Fight Network’s weekly Canadian premiere of IMPACT Wrestling, RFA 25: Lawrence vs. Toomer will feature a main event between RFA featherweight champion Justin “The American Kidd” Lawrence and No. 1 contender “Super” Sam Toomer, who will be looking to keep his undefeated record intact. In the co-main event, Gabriel “Zangief” Checco meets fellow Brazilian Francisco “Kiko” France for the middleweight title.

The fight card for RFA 25: Lawrence vs. Toomer includes:

-Justin Lawrence (6-2) vs. Sam Toomer (9-0) – RFA featherweight title
-Gabriel Checco (8-1) vs. Francisco France (11-3-1) – RFA middleweight title
-TJ Hepburn (4-0) vs. LaRue Barley (5-0)
-Khalil Rountree (2-0) vs. Cameron Olson (2-0)
-Jordon Larson (5-1) vs. Jarrod ‘LHeureux (7-1)
-Josh Rave (21-11) vs. Geane Herrera (6-0)

On Saturday, April 11, catch the UFC Fight Night: Gonzaga vs. Cro Cop 2 main card live on Fight Network in Canada at 3 p.m. ET. Live pre-fight coverage will lead into the main card on Saturdayafternoon with Fight Network’s UFC Pre-Show Live at 2 p.m. ET, featuring previews, predictions and analysis.

For a full listing of Fight Network’s broadcast schedule, visit tv.fightnetwork.com

, follow us on Twitter @fightnet, become a fan on Facebook and visit us on Instagram @fightnet.

Bellator, mixed martial arts, Spike TV

“BELLATOR: BROOKS vs. JANSEN” OFFICIAL WEIGH-IN RESULTS FOR FRIDAY NIGHTS FIGHT ON SPIKE

April 10, 2015 FNU47 Leave a comment

“BELLATOR: BROOKS vs. JANSEN” OFFICIAL WEIGH-IN RESULTS FOR FRIDAY NIGHTS FIGHT ON SPIKE

Champ Will Brooks (155) vs. Dave Jansen (154.6)

“I’m going to go out there and cut Dave Jansen down. I’m going to smoke him. I’m going to embarrass him.” – Will Brooks

“My mental edge is going to be key and me beating Will on Friday night. I’ve always believed it’s mentality before physicality, and it’s my mentality that’s going to lead me to the world title. It’s also going to be because of my experience, determination and laser focus. All of these things are just culminating into the perfect storm.” – Dave Jansen

Additional photos available here / credit to Bellator MMA / Eric Coleman

IRVINE. Calif. – April 9, 2015 – 25 of the 26 fighters competing on Friday’s “Bellator: Brooks vs. Jansen” took to the scales and successfully hit their targeted weights Thursday afternoon at the Radisson Hotel in Newport Beach, Calif. The stacked MMA card emanates from the Bren Events Center in Irvine, Calif., tomorrow, airing LIVE and FREE on Spike at 9 p.m. ET.

“Bellator: Brooks vs. Jansen” is headlined by a fight between Bellator Lightweight World Champion Will Brooks (15-1) and Dave Jansen (20-2). “Ill Will” has won six consecutive bouts, while “The Fugitive” has rallied off seven straight victories of his own.

The event also features the return of multi-combat sports star Joe Schilling (2-3), who faces Brazilian standout Rafael Carvalho (10-1) in a middleweight co-main event.

“Bellator: Brooks vs. Jansen” – Friday, April 10, Bren Events Center, Irvine, Calif.