Tag Archives: Tony Johnson

BELLATOR MMA INKS SERGEI KHARITONOV TO AN EXCLUSIVE, MULTI-FIGHT CONTRACT

February 4, 2016 FNU47 Leave a comment

SANTA MONICA (February 3, 2015) – Sergei Kharitonov (23-5) is the newest free agent by Bellator MMA, with the news that the Russian heavyweight has been signed to an exclusive multi-year, multi-fight contract. A veteran of both Strikeforce and Pride Fighting Championships, Kharitonov remains on active duty with the Russian Airborne Troops.

Doubling as a kickboxer at different points throughout his combat sports career, “The Paratrooper” has decided to parlay his recent five-fight winning streak and focus purely on mixed martial arts. Kharitonov’s resume is extensive, with the 35-year-old scoring wins against some of the sport’s most notable names including UFC Heavyweight Champion Fabricio Werdum, Andrei Arlovski, Pedro Rizzo, Murilo “Ninja” Rua, and Alistair Overeem.

“I have had the best seat in the house for some of Kharitonov’s heavyweight outings,” Bellator MMA President Scott Coker said, “and I know Sergei [Kharitonov] can come in and make an immediate impact on our heavyweight division. He is an extremely skilled and experienced fighter who can end a fight in the blink of an eye, and we look forward to having him do just that inside the Bellator cage. Plus, he’s already competed at one ‘Dynamite’ event before, maybe he could do so again in the future!”

Kharitonov joins a division that is currently championed by fellow Russian fighter Vitaly Minakov, other top names include Bobby Lashley, Cheick Kongo, Vinicius Queiroz, Kimbo Slice, Tony Johnson, Justin Wren, Dan Charles, and James Thompson.

Bellator, mixed martial arts, MMA, Spike TV

RYAN COUTURE-PATRICKY “PITBULL” FREIRE COMPLETES MAIN CARD OF ‘BELLATOR 148: DALEY VS. UHRICH’

January 13, 2016 FNU47 Leave a comment

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (January 12, 2016) – Ryan Couture (10-3) will face Patricky “Pitbull” Freire (14-7) during the main card of “Bellator 148: Daley vs. Uhrich” on January 29 at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, Calif.

Bellator officials previously announced two welterweight attractions featuring a main event pitting British slugger Paul “Semtex” Daley (37-13-2) against Andy Uhrich (11-5) and a rematch featuring Paul Bradley (22-6, 2 NC) against Chris Honeycutt (6-0, 1 NC), which will serve as the co-main event. Rounding out the Spike-televised main card will be heavyweights Raphael Butler (9-1) and Tony Johnson (9-2).

In addition, the preliminary portion of the card has been completed, with the news that Matt Perez (1-1) will meet Eugene Cancino, Nick Bustamante (3-0) takes on Salvador Becerra (4-2), Jermaine McDermott (1-0) fights Eric Huggins (1-0) and John Paul Elias (3-0) will also be in action.

“Bellator 148: Daley vs. Uhrich” 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 now at the Save Mart Center Box Office, as well as Ticketmaster.com and Bellator.com.

Currently engrossed in a four-fight winning streak, including his first two contests with Bellator MMA, Couture will look to start off 2016 on the right foot. The son of MMA legend Randy Couture, the former Strikeforce competitor has finished all of the aforementioned wins via rear-naked choke submission. Couture was slated to compete at “Bellator 143: Warren vs. Davis,” but his opponent missed weight by more than 16 pounds.

Standing opposite of Couture will be the elder “Pitbull” brother, who agreed to the fight on short notice after Derek Anderson was forced to withdraw due to injury. Freire competed during the last event of 2015 and will now make his 14^th appearance for Bellator MMA during the first event of 2016. It’s worth noting that 10 of Freire’s wins have come before reaching the judges’ scorecards.

Complete “Bellator 148: Daley vs. Uhrich” Fight Card

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

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

Bellator MMA Lightweight Feature Bout: Ryan Couture (10-3) vs. Patricky “Pitbull” Freire (14-7)

Bellator MMA Heavyweight Feature Bout: Raphael Butler (9-1) vs. Tony Johnson (9-2)

Preliminary Card:

Bellator MMA Featherweight Feature Bout: Mark Dickman (10-2) vs. Thomas Diagne (5-5-1)

Bellator MMA Flyweight Feature Bout: Ilima Macfarlane (2-0) vs. Amber Tackett (1-1)

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

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

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

Bellator MMA Welterweight Feature Bout: Mason Fowler (2-0) vs. TBA

Bellator MMA Bantamweight Feature Bout: Paul Ruiz (6-2) vs. Josh San Diego (5-1)

Bellator MMA Flyweight Feature Bout: Matt Perez (1-1) vs. Eugene Cancino (Debut)

Bellator MMA Featherweight Feature Bout: Nick Bustamante (3-0) vs. Salvador Becerra (4-2)

Bellator MMA Light Heavyweight Feature Bout: John Paul Elias (3-0) vs. TBA

Bellator MMA Light Heavyweight Feature Bout: Jermaine McDermott (1-0) vs. Eric Huggins (1-0)

Bellator, mixed martial arts, MMA, Spike TV

INJURY POSTPONES BELLATOR MMA DEBUT OF JOSH KOSCHECK, PAUL DALEY-ANDY UHRICH PROMOTED TO MAIN EVENT BILLING

January 7, 2016 FNU47 Leave a comment

RAPHAEL BUTLER-TONY JOHNSON SET TO CLASH ON MAIN CARD

ILIMA MACFARLANE-AMBER TACKETT ANCHOR ‘BELLATOR 148: DALEY VS. UHRICH’ PRELIMINARY CARD

SANTA MONICA, Calif. (January 6, 2015) – An injury sustained by Josh Koscheck (17-10) during training camp has derailed his Bellator MMA debut against Matt Secor (7-2), which was slated to be the main event of “Bellator 148” on January 29 at Save Mart Center in Fresno, Calif.

As a result, British knockout artist Paul “Semtex” Daley (37-13-2) against Andy Uhrich (11-5) will now serve as the headliner. Furthermore, a newly announced heavyweight encounter featuring Raphael Butler (9-1) against Tony Johnson (9-2) has been added to the main card.

The “Bellator 148: Daley vs. Uhrich” preliminary card is also continuing to take shape, with the news that Ilima Macfarlane (2-0) meets Amber Tackett(1-1) in flyweight action during a preliminary card that will stream LIVE on Bellator.com.

In addition to the aforementioned contests, Mason Fowler (2-0) meets Idrees Wasi (1-3) in welterweight action, Mark Dickman (10-2) takes on Thomas Diagne (5-5-1) at 145-pounds, and Paul Ruiz (6-2) fights Josh San Diego (5-1) in a bantamweight feature bout. Additional preliminary fights will be announced shortly, as will one final main card contest.

“Bellator 148: Daley vs. Uhrich” 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 Appat 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.

Macfarlane made a splash during her Bellator MMA debut back in August; defeating a game Maria Rios via split decision. The San Diego native is best known for her finish of Katie Castro during a regional event in the beginning of 2015, but she has made it clear during numerous interviews, as well as her performance inside the cage that she’s more than just some viral sensation. For a deeper dive on Macfarlane, look no further than these two pieces written by Bleacher Report and ESPN. Standing opposite of Macfarlane will be Tackett, who lives a short jaunt away from Save Mart Center in Fresno, Calif., and has fought twice professionally since 2008.

2015 didn’t go as planned for Raphael Butler. The former professional boxer was forced to sit idle after Lorenzo Hood withdrew from their scheduled bout at “Bellator 141: Guillard vs. Girtz” shortly before they were supposed to enter the cage. But now it’s 2016, and the 31-year-old has big plans, beginning with his “Bellator 148: Koscheck vs. Secor” foe, Tony Johnson. Fresh off a victory against former Bellator MMA Heavyweight Champion Alexander Volkov, Johnson will once again look to implore his standout wrestling pedigree against a known striker to secure another victory.

Updated “Bellator 148: Daley vs. Uhrich” Fight Card