Lossis Archives: UFC

UFC tua hmo ntuj: Dos Anjos vs. Alvarez Live Main Card Highlights UFC 200 Fight Week Coverage on Fight Network

Toronto – Tua Network, the world’s premier 24/7 multi-platform channel dedicated to complete coverage of combat sports, today announced extensive live coverage for UFC International Fight Week in Las Vegas, the biggest week in UFC history, highlighted by a live broadcast of the main card for UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: DOS ANJOS vs. ALVAREZ from the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Thursday, Lub Xya hli ntuj 7 tom 10 p.m. LI, plus the live prelims for THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER FINALE®: Team Joanna vs. Team Claudia on Friday, Lub Xya hli ntuj 8 tom 8 p.m. LI.

 

Fight Network will air the live UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: DOS ANJOS vs. ALVAREZ main card across Canada on July 7 tom 10 p.m. LI, preceded by a live Pre-Show tom 9 p.m. LI.

 

Nyob rau hauv cov kev tshwm sim loj, dominant UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos (24-7) puts his championship on the line in a five-round barnburner against top contender Eddie Alvarez (27-4). In other featured bouts, Roy “Big Country” Nelson (22-12) throws down with Derrick “The Black Beast” Lewis (15-4, 1NC) in an explosive heavyweight collision, Alan Jouban (13-4) takes on undefeated Belal Muhammad (9-0) in a welterweight affair, plus “Irish” Joe Duffy (14-2) welcomes Canada’s Mitch “Danger Zone” Clarke (11-3) back to action in a lightweight matchup.

 

Live fight week coverage begins on Wednesday, Lub Xya hli ntuj 6 tom 2 p.m. ET with a live presentation of the final UFC 200 pre-fight press conference, featuring UFC president Dana White and main card superstars Jon Jones, Daniel Cormier, Brock Lesnar, Mark Hunt, Miesha Tate, Amanda Nunes, Jose Aldo and Frankie Edgar.

 

On Thursday, Lub Xya hli ntuj 7 tom 2:30 p.m. LI, Fight Network presents a live broadcast of the official on-sale press conference for UFC 202: Diaz vs. McGregor 2, featuring Nate Diaz and Conor McGregor on the same stage for the first time since their heated encounter this past March.

 

Later, on July 7 tom 6 p.m. LI, Fight Network presents the live weigh-ins for THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER FINALE®: Team Joanna vs. Team Claudia, as headliners Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Claudia Gadelha weigh in ahead of their heated women’s strawweight championship rematch.

 

Following Thursday’s main card, Fight Network will broadcast the live UFC FIGHT NIGHT®: DOS ANJOS vs. ALVAREZ post-fight press conference in its entirety.

 

Txog rau hnub Friday, Lub Xya hli ntuj 8 tom 6 p.m. LI, UFC 200 fighters will come face-to-face during Fight Network’s live broadcast of the UFC 200: Cormier vs. Jones 2 weigh-ins, as all the stars from the biggest UFC event in history will tip the scale ahead of their highly anticipated clashes on Saturday night.

 

Fight Network will air the live prelims for THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER FINALE®: Team Joanna vs. Team Claudia across Canada on July 8 tom 8 p.m. LI. The main card airs live on TSN5 at 10 p.m. LI.

 

In featured preliminary bouts, Joaquim Silva (8-0) faces Andrew Holbrook (11-0) in a clash of unbeaten lightweights, former title challenger Gray Maynard (12-6-1, 1NC) makes his first appearance at featherweight against Brazilian Fernando Bruno (16-3), fiery flyweight contenders face off when John Moraga (16-4) takes on Matheus Nicolau (11-2-1), inaugural TUF Brazil winnerCezar “Mutante” Ferreira (10-5) meets fellow middleweight Anthony “Lionheart” Smith (25-11), highly touted Australian prospect Jake “The Celtic Kid” Matthews (11-1) faces dangerous lightweight Kevin “The Motown Phenom” Lee (12-2) and China’s Li Jingliang (10-4) takes on Australia’s Anton Zafir (7-2) in a welterweight bout.

 

Following Friday’s main card, Fight Network will broadcast THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER FINALE®: Team Joanna vs. Team Claudia live post-fight press conference in its entirety.

 

Leading into Saturday’s blockbuster pay-per-view, Fight Network presents an encore of the first meeting between Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier, raws li UFC 182: Jones vs. Cormier from January 2015 airs at 2 p.m. LI.

 

Later, on July 9 tom 6 p.m. LI, Fight Network presents a live UFC 200: Cormier vs. Jones 2 Pre-Show, featuring previews, predictions, analysis, exclusive interviews conducted on-site in Las Vegas and much more. Following Saturday’s event, Fight Network will broadcast the live UFC 200: Cormier vs. Jones 2 post-fight press conference in its entirety.

 

In addition to all the live events, Fight Network is the destination for UFC library content, specials and series, including The Ultimate Fighter, UFC Unleashed, UFC Now, UFC Ultimate Insiderand classic UFC PPV events.

 

This Sunday, Lub Xya hli ntuj 10 tom 9 p.m. LI, Fight Network presents UFC 87: Seek and Destroy from August 2009 in Minneapolis, Minn., featuring Georges St-Pierre vs. Jon Fitch for the UFC welterweight title, plus Brock Lesnar vs. Heath Herring and Kenny Florian vs. Roger Huerta.

 

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.

Topps announces plans for the UFC Fan Expo, including the launch of TOPPS NOW UFC; exclusive promo cards

 

Topps is bringing its popular TOPPS NOW™ program to the UFC beginning with UFC 200. The Topps.com-exclusive product will showcase amazing bouts and top moments. The physical trading cards will be available for a pre-sale for UFC 200 starting today.

The cards will feature the winners of the big fights, including two championship bouts. UFC 200 is the ideal time to launch TOPPS NOW UFC with the caliber of fights on the docket, including Daniel Cormier vs Jon Jones, Meisha Tate vs Amanda Nunes and Brock Lesnar vs Mark Hunt.

“UFC is the perfect fit to incorporate into the TOPPS NOW program immediately,” said Jeff Heckman, Director, New Product Development and eCommerce Marketplace. “Every weekend there are great fights happening; we have seen a number of title changes over the last several months. TOPPS NOW is the best way to capture these moments and give UFC fans a collectible they will treasure.”

Topps has a number of initiatives planned for UFC fans to participate in and enjoy. The Fan Expo will take place from Lub Xya hli ntuj 8-10 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Among those are Promo Cards, Make Your Own Card, Topps UFC Knockout digital cards and a variety of other UFC cards available at the Expo.

Topps began making UFC trading cards in 2009.

Art of War Fighting Championship 17 Update – Ashleigh Grimshaw replaces Injured Junior Assuncao in Main Event

BEIJING, CHINA – A welterweight matchup between UFC and Bellator veteran Waylon Lowe and British Mixed Martial Artist Ashleigh Grimshaw will headline Art of War 17 this Saturday night in Beijing China. Grimshaw is late replacements for UFC vet Junior Assuncao who suffered a training injury and had to pull out of his fight with Lowe on short notice last week.

Said Lowe, a three time NCAA wrestling champion who is currently 16-6 as a professional fighter, “It’s unfortunate that Junior had to drop out of the fight but I’m glad the promoters found another high caliber opponent for me to face. Ashleigh Grimshaw and I will put on a great show for all the Chinese MMA fans on April 30th Art of War 17.”

CEO and Chinese MMA pioneer Andy Pi had this to say about this weekend’s event and his company’s return as the dominant player in Chinese MMA, “We are very excited about this next event as it continues Art of War’s reemergence as the biggest force in Chinese Combat Sports.“

Mr. Pi, a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Brown Belt and noted entrepreneur in Beijing, says his visionary fighting league is the future of MMA in China. “Art of War Fighting Championships was the first Mixed Martial Arts event in Mainland China and is still the most prestigious. With every event our company will continue to develop the market for MMA in China.

Today China is the biggest untapped market for MMA and Mr. Pi says he knows why and, more importantly, how Art of War FC can capitalize.

“MMA is the most exciting sport in the world, but the way it’s promoted in the US often doesn’t connect with more traditionally minded Chinese sports fans. By combining the energy and excitement MMA with the ancient culture of honor and respect typical of traditional Asian Martial Arts AOW will bring the 21st century’s fastest growing sport to the world’s largest market of sports fan in a new and more powerful way…”

For tickets and fight card information, please visit: http://www.artofwarfc.com/

About Art of War Fighting Championship:

Established in 2004, the Art of War Fighting Championship is Mainland China’s premier mixed martial arts promotion. The Art of War Fighting Championship is broadcasted via satellite nationwide to network coverage of 300 million viewers. Featuring some of China’s best-mixed martial artists, including national champions and former Olympians, the Art of War Fighting Championship is the standard bearer for the future of China’s exploding mixed martial arts industry.

For Press Inquires Contact Al Yu- alyu@artofwarfc.com

WORLD SERIES OF FIGHTING SIGNS HEAVY HITTERS SHAWN JORDAN AND LORENZO HOOD

Heavyweight knockout artist Lorenzo Hood (pictured) has signed an exclusive, multi-fight promotional agreement with World Series of Fighting.

Hood to Make Promotional Debut at WSOF31: Ivanov vs. Copeland
rau Hnub vas Xuv, Rau hli ntuj 17, live on NBCSN

LAS VEGAS (Tim 28, 2016) – World Series of Fighting (www.WSOF.com) announced today that it has signed heavyweight knockout artists Shawn Jordan (18-7) thiab Lorenzo “The Dream Killer” Hood (9-3) to exclusive, multi-fight agreements.

Hood of Chicago, Ill. has been tabbed to make his promotional debut against an opponent to be announced soon, at the WSOF31: Ivanov vs. Copeland world heavyweight championship event at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Conn. rauHnub vas Xuv, Rau hli ntuj 17, live on NBCSN at 9 p.m. LI/6 p.m. PT.

“We are thrilled to welcome Shawn Jordan and Lorenzo Hood to our ever-growing roster of world-class athletes, and look forward to seeing both of them compete in our heavyweight division soon,” said World Series of Fighting President Ray Sefo.

Fighting out of Albuquerque, N.M., the 6-foot, 30-year-old Jordan is coming off a 4-year, 10 fight stint with the UFC, during which he compiled an overall record of 6-4, notching all of his wins, including a vicious, first round (:59) decimation of Pat “HD” Barry on June 15, 2013, by way of (T)KO.

A two-time veteran of the now-defunct Strikeforce, and a four-time veteran of Bellator action, Jordan has earned 14 of his 18 career victories by way of (T)KO, and another 3 via submission.

The 6-foot-3, 27-year-old Hood, a former professional football player turned MMA wrecking machine, has earned all 9 of his professional career victories to date by way of (T)KO inside the first round of action.

After an aggressive debut year in 2009 in which he competed 7 times and amassed a near-perfect record of 6-1, Hood walked away from the fight world for a span of 5 years to play defensive lineman in the Arena Football League and Canadian Football League, eventually returning to the cage in 2014.

‘STITCH’ DURAN SIGNS CONTRACT WITH REEBOK

April Fools..Stich is not getting a Reebok shoeHe’s the New Undisputed Bellator Hand-Wrapping Champion.

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Above: Stitch wraps the hands of “King Mo” Lawal at “Bellator MMA: Dynamite 1” (Credit: Bellator/Esther Lin)

MONICA RAUG (Lub peb hlis ntuj 31, 2016) – When watching any combat sports event, it’s odd not to see Jacob “Stitch” Duran as the professional cutman on duty. Today, Bellator MMA is pleased to secure his services as its lead cutman for the foreseeable future, after “Stitch” signed a multi-year contract with the Scott Coker-led promotion.

 

Starting with “Bellator 153: Koreshkov vs. Henderson” rau Tim 22 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in CT, the most famous cutman in the world will do everything in his power to get Bellator fighters prepped for entering the cage and helping them continue on once the bell rings, giving them “one more round.”

 

Stitch joins a great team of cutmen including Matt Marsden, Dean Lassiter thiab Paul Quiredos.

 

“Working with my old friend, Scott Coker and Bellator is a true honor,” said Duran. “I can’t wait to get started working for a great organization that respects their employees and truly makes their fighters the top priority!

 

While working for Bellator, “Stitch” will not be prevented from seeking sponsors to wear and will also continue to work boxing events, with high profile clients the likes of Andre Ward, Vitali Klitschko and Wladimir Klitschko.

COMBATE AMERICAS ACTION HEATS UP WITH WEEKLY MMA FIGHT SERIES ON NBC UNIVERSO, BEGINNING MONDAY, LUB PLAUB HLIS NTUJ 18

THIRTY FIGHTS IN THIRTY DAYS!

NEW YORK – March 28, 2015 – Combate Americas, the first-ever U.S. Hispanic Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) sports franchise founded by Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) co-creator Campbell McLaren, today announced the return of its epic, action-packed “Road To the Championship” fight series to NBC UNIVERSO, the modern entertainment and sports cable channel for Latinos, with a weekly, one-hour program, beginning Monday, Tim 18, tom 12 a.m. LI/9 p.m. PT, from Los Angeles, Calif.

A total of 30 bouts featuring the most fearsome, emerging Hispanic MMA fighters, including Imagen Award-winning Combate Americas reality series contestant and professional boxer Ricky “El Gallero” Palacios (5-1 MMA, 2-0-1 boxing), Urijah Faber protégé Erick Sanchez (6-2), John “Sexy Mexy” Castaneda (9-2) and women’s atomweight standout and Eddie Bravo pupil Kyra “Mogwai” Batara (4-3), will unfold over the course of a 30-day period.

“We are thrilled to be featured in a new, weekly slot that will allow us to continuously showcase the best and most exciting young Hispanic fighters and future world champions” said McLaren.

“Since we launched our franchise,” continued McLaren, “NBC Universo has played an instrumental part in helping Combate Americas engage a national Hispanic audience, so we look forward to returning to their incredible platform, and entertaining and inspiring new and existing MMA fans throughout the U.S.

Combate Americas is a great place for fighters of Latin backgrounds to shine in front of martial arts fans”, Hais Bilai Joa Silar, Senior Vice President of Programming and Production at NBC Universo. “It’s very exciting to have another season of Combate Americas on NBC Universo. We’re sure our audience will be thrilled with each fight scheduled since they will all feature top notch fighters.”

Additional participating fighters and matchups will be announced soon, as will the Los Angeles location for the kick-off event and host venues for subsequent events.

The first weekly show on Tim 18 will mark the third event in the “Road To The Championship” series. Following the sixth event in the series, which kicked off on September 17, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nev., the most successful competitors in each weight class will be placed in the first Combate Americas world championship bouts in history.

WSOF30: BRANCH VS. STARKS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP DOUBLEHEADER LINEUP RECEIVES FIVE PRELIMINARY BOUTS

PRELIMINARY FIGHT CARD TO STREAM LIVE ON
WSOF.COM PRIOR TO FOUR-FIGHT, LIVE NBCSN TELECAST

LAS VEGAS (Lub peb hlis ntuj 21, 2016) –World Series of Fighting (WSOF.com) announced today the addition of five preliminary card bouts to its highly-anticipated WSOF30: Branch vs. Starks world championship Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) doubleheader event at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas on Saturday, Tim 2, live on NBCSN at 11 p.m. ET/8 p.m. PT.

Topping the undercard bill that will stream live, in its entirety on an embeddable video player on WSOF.com, pib thaum uas muaj 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT, will be a welterweight (170 pounds) collision between Abubakar Nurmagomedov (11-1-1) thiab Matt “The Thunder From Down Under” Frincu (7-1).

The adopted brother and training partner of superstar Khabib Nurmagomedov, the 26-year-old Abubakar, who hails from Dagestan, Russia is riding a three-fight win streak, while Frincu of Tempe, Ariz. via Queensland, Australia will put a five-fight win streak on the line.

Nurmagomedov boasts an impressive 82 percent finish rate, while Frincu has earned six of his seven professional wins to date by way of (T)KO or submission.

In lightweight (155 pounds) preliminary card action, undefeated knockout artist Steve “Thunderbeast” Kozola (6-0) will make his World Series of Fighting debut against fellow fast-rising star Gil Guardado (5-1).

On fire since his professional debut victory in July 2013, Kozola of San Diego, Calif. via Chicago, Ill. comes to World Series of Fighting after producing back-to-back, devastating KO victories – each with a furious onslaught of punchesunder the promotion of Bellator.

On January 16, 2015, Kozola scored a second round (1:25) KO on Jonathan Rivera at Bellator 132 thiab, nyob tim 15, 2015, he scored a first round (2:22) KO on Ian Butler at Bellator 137.

Guardado of Las Vegas will look to notch his third consecutive win after two dominant performances inside the World Series of Fighting decagon cage.

The 30-year-old Xtreme Couture prodigy submitted Pete Martin with a guillotine choke in the first round (3:31) of action at WSOF22 on August 1, 2015, and closed out the year with a unanimous decision victory over Giga Chikadze at WSOF26 on December 18.

In a flyweight (125 pounds) scrap, Carlos Garcia (1-1) of San Bernardino, Calif. will make his professional debut against Jason Pacheco (1-0) of Las Vegas.

Adam Aquaviva (4-2) of Las Vegas will face off with Andres Ponce (3-2) of Tempe in a bantamweight tilt and, in the opening preliminary card matchup, Jeff Roman (1-2-1) of Las Vegas will square off with Nick Salantri (0-1) at welterweight.

A sixth, middleweight (185 pounds) preliminary fight featuring Clinton Williams(7-3) of Las Vegas will be announced soon.

Priced from $20, tickets for WSOF30: Branch vs. Starks, are available for purchase online at WSOF.com and AXS.com.

Doors at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino will open for the event at 4 p.m. PT, and the first preliminary bout will begin at 5 p.m.

Nyob rau hauv cov kev tshwm sim loj, reigning World Series of Fighting middleweight champion David Branch (17-3), the league’s first-ever, two-division title holder, will put his coveted crown on the line against top contender Clifford Starks (13-2).

In the co-main event, superstar Jon Fitch (27-7-1, 1 NC) will battle recent World Series of Fighting one-night, eight-man tournament runner-up Joao “The Brazilian Samurai” Zeferino (20-7) with the vacant World Series of Fighting welterweight championship at stake.

Elsewhere on the four-fight, live NBCSN telecast, submission expert Vinny “Pezao” Magalhaes (13-7) yuav square nrog Jake “The Honey Bear” Heun(9-4) in a light heavyweight (205 pounds) contest, while World Series of Fighting newcomer and knockout artist Abu “Gladiator” Azaitar (11-1-1) will lock horns with Danny “Dee1” Davis, ❏ Jr ❏. (11-10-1) at welterweight.

Mixed Martial Arts Legend George St-Pierre To Attend Wizard World Philadelphia June 4-5

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Hugely Popular UFC World Champion ‘GSP’ To Greet Fans, Sign Autographs, Pose For Photo Ops In First Wizard World Appearance At Pennsylvania Convention Center

 

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PHILADELPHIA, Lub peb hlis ntuj 8, 2016 – One of the most popular mixed martial arts fighters in the world, Georges St-Pierrewill attend Wizard World Philadelphia on Sunday, Rau hli ntuj 5, at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, it was announced today by the Quebec native and Wizard World, Inc. (OTCBB: WIZD). The three-time former UFC Welterweight champion, known by many as the best “pound-for-pound” MMA athlete ever, will greet fans, sign autographs and pose for photo ops at his first Wizard World comic con appearance.

 

Already a 2nd dan Kyokushin karate black belt at 12, Georges dedicated himself to martial arts and training throughout his teen years. After seeing jiu-jitsu legend Royce Gracie fight in 1993 at UFC 1, “Rush” knew exactly what he wanted to do with his life and how he was going to reach those goals: he invested all his energy and all his time at becoming a better version of himself. When he wasn’t training or at school, Georges worked as a doorman in nightclubs, or hung off the back of a garbage truck, hauling in refuse. He discovered a simple truth: never stopping helps reach goals.

 

He grew as a person and as a fighter, adding fighting disciplines such as boxing, wrestling, and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu to his karate background and competed in his first amateur bout at age 16. He won that match, and continued his steady improvement. Nyob rau hauv 2006 he became the UFC Welterweight Champion. He lost the title in 2007 but subsequently regained it in front of his hometown fans of Montreal in 2008 and hasn’t lost a single title defense since then.

 

Along his career, St-Pierre, 34, accomplished numerous firsts and awards including: the all-time most consecutive welterweight title defenses, three-time consecutive Canadian Athlete of the Year Awards (’08– ’10) by Rogers Sportsnet, Fighter of the Year Awards (’09) bySports Illustrated , World MMA Awards, MMAPayout, Inside MMA and MMAJunkie, the “Most Dangerous Man of the Year” by the Spike Guys Choice Awards (’10) and the MMA Fighter of the Year Award (’08) by Black Belt Magazine .

St-Pierre is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Way of the Fight. Released in 2013, the book shares the lessons he’s learned on the way to the top. Later that year, St-Pierre officially announced that he had decided to vacate the title and take some time off from MMA, taking a role in the 2014 blockbuster Captain America: Winter Soldier. He has not ruled out a return to the ring in the future. GSP is based in Montreal.

 

St-Pierre, who appeared in joins an amazing lineup of superstar entertainers scheduled to attend the pop culture extravaganza, including “Marvel” movie standouts Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston, David Duchovny (“The X-Files”), the Back to the Futuretrio of Michael J. Hma liab, Christopher Lloyd and Lea Thompson andThe Walking Deadstandout Norman Reedus , with many other headliners.

 

Wizard World comic con and gaming events bring together thousands of fans of all ages to celebrate the best in pop-fi, pop culture, tsos, graphic novels, cosplay, comics, television, sci-fi, toys, video gaming, gaming, original art, collectibles, contests and more. Philadelphia show hours are Hnub plaub, Rau hli ntuj 2, 3-8 p.m.; Hnub vas Xuv, Rau hli ntuj 3, noon-7 p.m.; Hnub vas xaum, Rau hli ntuj 4, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Hnub xya, Rau hli ntuj 5, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

 

For more on the 2016 Wizard World Philadelphia, sib ntsib http://wizd.me/PhiladelphiaPR .

 

About Wizard World (OTCBB: WIZD)

Wizard World, Inc. (www.wizardworld.com ) produces comic cons and pop culture conventions across North America that celebrate the best in pop-fi, pop culture, tsos, television, cosplay, comics, graphic novels, toys, video gaming, sci-fi, gaming, original art, collectibles, contests and more. A first-class lineup of topical programming takes place at each event, with celebrity Q&A’s, comics-themed sessions, costume contests, movie screenings, evening parties and more. Wizard World has also launched Wizard World Store ( www.shopwizardworld.com), CONtv, a digital media channel in partnership with leading independent content distributor Cinedigm™ (NASDAQ: CIDM), and ComicConBox™ (www.comicconbox.com), a premium subscription-based monthly box service. Fans can interact with Wizard World on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and other social media services.

 

The Wizard World 2016 schedule is available at: http://wizardworld.com/searchby/city/.

BELLATOR MMA IS THE NEW FIGHTING HOME OF WANDERLEI ‘THE AXE MURDERER’ SILVA

Bellator President Scott Coker and Wanderlei Silva (Credit: Bellator/Lucas Noonan)

 

MONICA RAUG (Lub peb hlis ntuj 2, 2016) –Bellator MMA is pleased to announce that one of the most popular, recognizable and beloved fighters in the sport of mixed martial arts, Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer” Silva (35-12-1), has signed an exclusive multi-year, multi-fight contract with the promotion. The 39-year-old publicly fielded offers from companies all around the world, but the former Pride FC Middleweight Champion made the decision to take his explosive style to Bellator MMA.

 

“The Axe Murderer” has fought in some of the most memorable feuds and battles the sport has ever seen. His wars with Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, Tito Ortiz, Mirko Cro Cop, Vitor Belfort, Dan Henderson, Kazushi Sakuraba, Chuck Liddell, and Michael Bisping are the stuff of legend – but Silva is far from ready to close the book on his illustrious career.

 

In addition to his Pride FC Middleweight World Championship, Silva’s packed trophy case of accolades includes awards for Fight of the Year (2003, 2004, 2007), KO of the Year (2008), and multiple Fight of the Night awards including one for each of his last three fights, just to name a few. He now looks to continue to provide his award-winning, entertaining fights inside the Bellator cage.

 

Silva has several options for his first fight with Bellator. Although he has spent the majority of his career at 185-pounds, one of the things that his fans love most about him has been Wanderlei’s willingness to fight the best of the best – even if it was up two weight classes at heavyweight – as proven by his heavyweight wars against guys like Mark Hunt, Gilbert Yvel, Kazuyuki Fujita and Cro Cop; Or, his battles against light heavyweights like Ortiz, and his most recent opponent, Brian Stann, who he knocked out in the second frame.

 

Silva is the latest in a long line of recent free agent signings made by Scott Coker and Bellator MMA. The former Chute Box competitor joins: Josh Thomson, Phil Davis, Benson Henderson, Sergei Kharitonov thiab Anastasia Yankova on a roster with champions the likes of: Marcos Galvao, Daniel Straus, Will Brooks, Andrey Koreshkov, Rafael Carvalho, Liam McGeary thiabVitaly Minakov,