MTV2 and Bellator return this evening with another solid card. Hector Lombard and Patricky "Pitbull" Freire highlight the show.
The ranked No. 11 middleweight in the world in the USA Today/Blood Elbow rankings, Lombard (28-2) faces veteran Falaniko Vitale (29-9). Pitbull shoots for the Season 4 lightweight title against Michael Chandler in Atlantic City, N.J. at Bellator 44.
Freire (9-1) pulled off a highlight-reel KO in the last round by smashing Toby Imada with a flying knee. Pitbull fights out of the same Soutern California camp as the Nogueira brothers, Lyoto Machida and Anderson Silva.
Chandler, a former Div. 1 wrestler at Missouri, is a tough matchup for Pitbull. Chandler (7-0) may be able to control the pace of the fight and nullify Pitbull's striking. He's also developing as a striker under the tutelage of Xtreme Couture's Gil Martinez.
"I'm still a young fighter and there is no reason to rush it when there are different avenues. I know I will be the best in the world at some point. I just want to push the pace but keep composed," Chandler told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "At the end of the day I don't want to squeak by."
Rising middleweight Alexander Shlemenko faces off against Brett Cooper and we may get to see TUF 12's Jeff Lentz against Anthony Leone. The Anthony Morrison-Bryan Goldsby fight was scrapped when Morrison missed with 135-pound bantamweight limit by weighing in at 146.5!
Bellator 44 betting lines:
Hector Lombard (-600) vs. Falaniko Vitale (+400)
Patricky Freire (+105) vs. Michael Chandler (-125)
Alexander Shlemenko (-165) vs. Brett Cooper (+145)
Jeff Lentz (+190) vs. Anthony Leone (-230)
"I don't talk much about game plans," Martinez said. "But we plan on putting (Freire) in some uncomfortable situations."
Source: http://www.fighters.com/05/14/a-look-ahead-part-3-bellators-season-five-middleweight-tournament
Now that's a night! Bryan Baker continued to climb up the middleweight ladder by destroying veteran Joe Riggs at Bellator 43 in Newkirk, Ok. The 25-year-old followed that up by winning Megan Vargas' hand in marriage.
"My heart is just doing back-flips right now," Baker told Sherdog. "I can't express how much this girl cares for me and how much I love her. I want to give world to her. That cage is hers as much as it is mine. We're going to conquer it together. There are a lot of good things in store for us."
Baker (15-2) drilled Riggs (34-13) with left hook at 3:53 of the second round to gain his way into Bellator's Season 5 middleweight tournament set to begin in the fall.
The last year has been a rollercoaster ride for Baker, who's battling chronic myelogenous leukemia.
"It's taken me into areas I could have never imagined," Baker told MMADieHards. "From all different angles, whether it be telephone or emails or Facebook. My doctor was talking with this patient who had testicular cancer and he heard my story, and he's a fighter as well. We connected with him and it's been crazy how much of an inspiration shined through. I want to continue that. It's a blessing that I have the responsibility to show people that no matter what your body may endure or trials you go through in life, you're able to correct it to the fullest. Its crazy that I can affect people in so many different ways"
Lorenzo Borgomeo Kyle Bradley Jai Bradney Ebenezer Fontes Braga
Source: http://www.ifight365.com/2011/05/backstage-update-on-tnas-name-change/
Mikey Burnett Murilo Bustamante Grant Campbell Gesias JZ Calvancante
If contracts mean anything it appears we're closer to Nick Diaz stepping away from MMA to try his hand at boxing. Press releases were sent out today saying the Strikeforce 170-pound champion has signed a deal to fight former 168-pound boxing champion Jeff "Left Hook" Lacy in October.
Lacy's publicist Bernie Bahrmasel said his fighter has signed the deal. ESPN.com's Josh Gross spoke with Diaz's mentor Cesar Gracie, who said the MMA fighter also put pen to paper.
Diaz didn't actually sign a contract to fight Lacy. He's signed a bout agreement with Don Chargin, the promoter, with the understanding that it's going to be Lacy.
It's a surprising matchup on both sides. Lacy, a pro boxer with 30 fights under his belt, has a lot to lose. Diaz, who hasn't lost an MMA bout since 2007, has only fought professionally on the boxing side one time.
"It's a challenge when somebody calls him out," Bahrmasel told Yahoo! Sports. "It's a personal thing when somebody says 'you're this, you're that. I can come and kick your butt.' And Jeff's like, 'I'm Jeff Lacy pal. I've been a successful boxer for a very long time. You want to step in with me under boxing rules and prove yourself, it's absolutely personal.'
Two weeks ago, Lacy (25-4-1) spoke about Diaz calling him out.
"Honestly, I was a little stunned. Nick has accomplished a great deal in mixed martial arts and is certainly one of the best in the sport. But getting in the ring with me for a boxing match is a path he needs to be very wary of taking. I'm willing to put it all on the line anytime, anywhere!" said Lacy.
"For the right price, I'm more than interested in heading to his turf and put my fist in his mouth and silencing him."
That kind of trash talk surprised his publicist.
"For Jeff to use that kind of language, it's not typically the way he talks," Bahrmasel said. "He's always been very respectful. But you throw a sword in his direction then you're going to get Jeff Lacy."
The Lacy Camp has no worries about losing to Diaz (1-0).
"He's never lost to a guy who's 1-0 in boxing. How's that for a line? I'll leave it at that," said Bahrmasel.
Is Diaz taking a negotiating position to ensure an MMA fight against Georges St. Pierre before the end of 2011 or will he really go through with this? That's what it sounded like when Gracie spoke with MMAFighting. Seems like a risky proposition for Diaz. If he gets destroyed by Lacy, we're not so sure he can just walk back to MMA and expect anyone to promote a mega-fight against GSP in the near future.
It's hard to believe that Georges St. Pierre could win his ninth straight fight, defending his welterweight title in front of 55,000 fans in one of the biggest events in UFC history, and have it feel like something of a letdown. But that is how St. Pierre's unanimous decision victory over Jake Shields felt to many fans: We've seen this so many times -- St. Pierre spending 25 minutes demonstrating that the other man in the Octagon is simply nowhere near as good as he is -- that it's starting to feel routine. And that's not how one of the greatest fighters in history stepping into the Octagon should feel. So are there any challenges remaining in the welterweight division? We'll look at that question as we run down the Top 10 welterweights in MMA.
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Source: http://mmafighting.com/2011/05/09/mma-top-10-welterweights-few-challenges-in-sight-for-gsp/
One kick changed everything for Ben Henderson. At WEC 53 in December, the former WEC lightweight champion was two minutes away from potentially locking up a shot against UFC champ Frank Edgar. Anthony Pettis landed his "Showtime Kick" and stole the fight. As a result, Henderson became a small fish in a huge pond awaiting his debut in the UFC.
Tonight, Henderson made a statement by dominating Mark Bocek over 15 minutes to take a unanimous decision, 30-27 on all three cards, in the pay-per-view opener of UFC 129.
Bocek (9-4, 5-4 UFC) has a sterling reputation as a ground fighter, but Henderson chose to clinch with him often. Sure the fight went the ground a few times with Bocek on top, but Henderson stayed away from danger against the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt.
When it was on the feet, Henderson (13-2, 1-0 UFC) was a class above Bocek. The American was very effective using a thai clinch along the cage. At times, he brutalized Bocek to the body. He also mixed in some nasty elbows and punches. An elbow towards the end of the second on the top of Bocek's head busted him open.
Source: http://forums.ufc.production.sparkart.net/showthread.php?t=86417&goto=newpost
Wesley Cabbage Correira Patrick The Predator Côté Randy The Natural Couture Dan Cramer
Melvin Guillard had just arrived in Las Vegas for the UFC Fighter Summit when he was told about the lightweight title bout at UFC 130 being cancelled. The Frank Edgar-Gray Maynard fight set for May 28 is off and could be re-scheduled for some time in August or September. Guillard hadn't been on the Internet and doesn't always follow MMA news, so he was shocked.
The cancellation is bad news for him. Guillard, a winner of four straight and 7-of-8, is one of the top lightweights battling for the next title fight. Surprisingly, Guillard said he's willing to wait a while until he gets his shot.
"I'd rather [Edgar and Maynard] go in healthy anyway because you don't want any flukes in a fight. You want to know who's the dominant guy. I wouldn't want somebody to win a belt and have someone say 'well that guy didn't really win. He only won because that guy got injured.' And then next thing you know I take a belt from one of those guys and then they say 'he wasn't the real champion.'"
Guillard also said he's fine if all the "champions" that UFC has brought on board recently get their shot first.
"They need to weed out all the champions because if you don't do that, then you still have a cluster[expletive]," Guillard said. "That was the best thing about Dana and those guys buying all those companies is to see who's the No. 1 guy on top."
Guillard thinks former WEC 155 champ Anthony Pettis should get the next shot followed by Strikeforce 155 champ Gilbert Melendez. He also knows that if he steamrolls a few more opponents there's always a chance he leapfrogs one of those champs into a shot at the UFC strap.
Guillard fights in July at UFC 132 against former WEC lightweight Shane Roller.
