Wrestling Links (1-8-12)

Posted on | January 8, 2012 | No Comments

WRESTLING: Area grapplers earn four titles, McDowell claims team crown Meadville Tribune By Dan Walk Meadville Tribune January 8, 2012 7:00 am — It’s been nearly two decades — 1996, in fact — since the McDowell wrestling team last attended the Tool City Tournament. This other teams in this year’s tourney may have preferred if that trend … See all stories on this topic »

Solid day for county wrestlers at StitchCo Coshocton Tribune River View’s Brodie Scherer defeats Minerva’s Dalton Hartshorn in the 132-pound class Saturday at the StitchCo Wrestling Invitational at Coshocton. / Julie Ames/Tribune COSHOCTON — Saturday proved to be a successful one for all three Coshocton County … See all stories on this topic »

Wrestling roundup: Smerchek wins at Cheesehead Green Bay Press Gazette Mitchell Friedman of Oconto Falls, top, won the 132-pound championship at the Brawl in the Fallswrestling tournament Saturday at Oconto Falls. The Panthers had four individual champions and won the team championship. … See all stories on this topic »

SOU wrestlers advance to national semis Mail Tribune SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The third-ranked Southern Oregon wrestling team posted a strong opening day performance at the 2012 NWCA/Cliff Keen National Duals Saturday, dominating University of Cumberlands 39-12 in the opening round and knocking off … See all stories on this topic »

Berg: Cadott wrestling rolls 50 years into one day Chippewa Herald Past Cadott wrestling individual champions Cliff Ramseier, John Burns, Josh Spaeth, Lyle Jankee, Stefan Geissler, Greg Sonnentag and Roy Munroe pose for a photo after a Cadott wrestlingceremony on Saturday, Jan. 7, 2012 at Cadott. … See all stories on this topic »

Wrestling report: Lomira, Campbellsport make it look easy Fond du Lac Reporter 11:00 pm The Lomira High School wrestling team almost had a perfect day in a round-robin dual tournament Saturday at Plymouth. The Lions won all but one match, going 54-1 on the day to sweep five teams. Lomira sent a few younger wrestlers to a junior … See all stories on this topic »

Wrestlers get sixth place at St. Clairsville Tallmadge Express by MICHAEL LEONARD | SPORTS EDITOR Every year around the holidays, the Tallmadgewrestling team escapes the grind of the Northeast Ohio wrestling scene by heading south to St. Clairsville. Free from the pressure of wrestling in the Suburban League, … See all stories on this topic »

Prep wrestling tournaments: Local wrestlers fare well Appleton Post Crescent At Oconto Falls, Winneconne had three wrestlers finish in first place to help the Wolves finish in fourth place with 138 points. Joey Lefeber (106 pounds), John Roycraft (126) and Bryce Chaney (195) each went 3-0 and won their weight classes. … See all stories on this topic »

On a special day, Fort Collins High School’s wrestling team honored Arnold … The Coloradoan Rich Abrahamson/The Coloradoan On a special day, Fort Collins High School’s wrestling team honored Arnold Torgerson in a special way. The Lambkins won their own tournament Saturday, doing so for the first time since 2003 on the day it renamed the … See all stories on this topic »

Jackson-area high school sports roundup for Jan. 7: Manchester wrestling team … The Jackson Citizen Patriot – MLive.com By Jackson Citizen Patriot staff The Manchester High School wrestling team put its depth to good use Saturday in winning the Dave Elliott Invitational at Clinton. Manchester had just one champion but put 11 wrestlers in the semifinals to rack up 201 … See all stories on this topic »

 

Blogs

Iowa vs. Oklahoma State Wrestling LIVEGAMEOPENTHREAD … By RossWB Iowa vs. Oklahoma State Wrestling LIVEGAMEOPENTHREAD: Open thread for Iowa-Oklahoma State wrestling. Black Heart Gold Pants

SAT. UPDATE: Cyborg response to suspension … – Wrestling Observer By hsmeltzer@juno.com (Dave Meltzer) A look back at the MMA career and the debates over Brock Lesnar, as well as details on the return of Chris Jericho, is the lead story in the new issue of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that is on the site today. We have usually six new issues … WON/F4W – WWE news, Pro Wrestling…

Norristown PAL Wrestling Enters 8th Year – Norristown, PA Patch By Chuck Springer The names have changed but the goal is the same. Norristown Patch

 

Web

InterMat Wrestling – Former Olympian Deitchler ends wrestling career University of Minnesota head wrestling coach J Robinson announced today that redshirt sophomore Jake Deitchler will no longer be competing for the Gopher … www.intermatwrestle.com/articles/9447

‘Bandit’ primed to steal McKee’s title Cobb avoids verbal sparring with champ ahead of MFC 32 showdown

Posted on | January 8, 2012 | No Comments

By MFC Staff

Brian Cobb could have a lot to say, but he chooses to take a different path … a very different path from that of his boisterously talkative opponent Antonio McKee.

Cobb is quietly going about his business, working on a game plan, barely taking a break through the recent holidays to hone his craft and prepare for his shot at the Maximum Fighting Championship’s lightweight crown. While McKee has delivered verbal jabs along the way, with more surely to come, Cobb refuses to take a bite at any bait.

“The Bandit” loves the position he’s in – just one step away from stealing McKee’s title at MFC 32: Bitter Rivals.

“I have built a career off of being the underdog,” said Cobb. “I don’t expect many people to think I can win this fight either. But rankings don’t mean anything and talk doesn’t do anything. That’s why we fight the fights.”

The long-awaited showdown between Cobb (19-6) and McKee (26-4-2) happens on Friday, January 27 emanating live on HDNet Fights from the Mayfield Conference Centre in Edmonton, Alberta. The co-main event shares the spotlight of the televised card beginning at 10 p.m. ET/8 p.m. MT/7 p.m. PT (check local listings for channel designation).

Cobb, who is riding a four-fight winning streak, has had a few opportunities to jump up and fire some verbal volleys in McKee’s direction, especially when the reigning champ shot off snippets such as being able to beat Cobb quick enough to go shopping before heading home after the fight. Still Cobb bit his tongue, letting the comments fall on deaf ears, and keeping his cool.

“Nothing anyone does can get under my skin,” offered the 31-year-old Bakersfield, California, product. “He is doing what he feels is the best thing to do to promote himself and the fight. I’m obviously the target because I will be the one across the ring from him come fight night.

“I take Antonio as the type of guy who is doing his job improving and attracting attention to his brand. Hate him or love him, people want to see what he will say next and if he can follow through with his predictions. I am definitely more reserved than Antonio, but we both have similarities including our wrestling base, our work ethic, and our desire to win. I just want to make my family and fans proud.

“I just want to put on a great show for the fans in Edmonton, and I know Antonio and I can put together fireworks for them. I hope for the best showing from both of us.”

Cobb made quite a splash in his organizational debut, and just as he does for the title fight, entered that bout as a sizeable underdog. Little was known about him at the time. In fact, about the only thing that anyone mentioned was how a fighter with a vastly unrecognized name had immerged in the world’s top-20 rankings.

Cobb went out and proved he deserved such a ranking, overcoming an early dangerous predicament against then No. 1-ranked contender Drew Fickett to score a first-round TKO and the MFC’s Comeback of the Year for 2011.

That encounter was a constant battle for positioning – one which Fickett had early, but lost to Cobb who turned the tables in dramatic fashion to score the stunning victory. It’s quite likely a battle for position will again be the case when Cobb challenges McKee. Normally McKee has a considerable edge in this department as a result of his incredible wrestling prowess, but for a change the champ is facing someone who can contend right with him in scoring and defending the takedowns.

With wrestling abilities arguably assessed as a saw-off, the door is wide open for other attacks to come into play. Cobb boasts 12 submission victories on his resume, while McKee, who has suffered only one loss since 2003, has been tapped just once in 32 fights. McKee has fought three times under the MFC banner, successfully debuting and taking the vacant title in February 2009 against Derrick Noble. He then cruised past Carlo Prater eight months later, before putting together his most impressive outing in ages with a first-round destruction of Luciano Azevedo in September 2010.

On top of his stellar win over Fickett, Cobb holds key career wins over Kazunori Yokota and Diego Saraiva.

“I definitely respect Antonio’s wrestling and jiu-jitsu game,” noted Cobb. “I feel like I will be one of the better wrestlers he has ever faced but how we stack up will be a difference maker.

“I continue to work with Division I wrestlers on a daily basis but I know how dangerous his takedown shots and explosive finishes are.

“We both like to work the top game. I know he has had success beating people with good bottom games but I feel he can appreciate that a wrestler has a better ability to escape from the bottom than most jiu-jitsu players. I hope to not spend much time on the bottom but I think I can move well from the bottom to create some exciting scrambles if necessary.”

If it all falls into place according to his design, Cobb has the chance to take McKee’s title and become just the second MFC lightweight champion in the organization’s history.

“Becoming the MFC lightweight Champion would mean the world to me,” declared Cobb.

“I have trained very hard throughout my entire career to get a chance like this with such a big organization. Being the champ would give me the opportunity to build my brand and hopefully bring more attention to the caliber of fighters in the MFC to my fans in California.

“Mr. Pavelich has built an incredible organization and I hope to win the belt and represent myself, my family, the Lord and the MFC to best of my ability.”

 

Mixed Martial Arts Links (1-8-12)

Posted on | January 8, 2012 | No Comments

MMA: Worst Robberies of 2011 Bleacher Report 2011 was a milestone year for mixed martial arts. New champions were crowned, huge television deals were made and the notion of being mainstream is becoming more and more of a reality. But despite all the strides that the sport has made over the past… See all stories on this topic »      Bleacher Report

Dominant MMA fighter tests positive for steroids, gets stripped of title Reno Gazette-Journal Cristiane Santos, left, in action against Hitomi Akano during their fight in a Strikeforce mixed martial arts event on April 11, 2009, in San Jose, Calif. Santos won by TKO in round 3. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu) / ASSOCIATED PRESS Strikeforce star Cristiane … See all stories on this topic »

MMA charity event to help fighter whose family lost home in fire at Christmas Daily Press By Marty O’Brien, mobrien@dailypress.com | 757-247-4963 The first time Michael Phillips and Giovanni Lemm met was in the Octagon, in a Mixed Martial Arts bout almost seven years ago in Virginia Beach. Phillips made his debut against Lemm, … See all stories on this topic »      Daily Press

2012 World MMA Welterweight Scouting Report: #3 – Brandon Thatch Bloody Elbow At age 5, Brandon Thatch (6-1) had a life-altering moment that brought him to where he is today in the sport of mixed martial arts. He was adopted by Clarence Thatch, a seven-time Sabaki champion and ISK heavyweight contender, that his mother began … See all stories on this topic »

Strikeforce returns to Arnold Festival on March 3 USA TODAY By Sergio Non, USA TODAY The recent tradition of mixed martial arts at Arnold Schwarzenegger’s annual sports expo will continue. Strikeforce and broadcaster Showtime on Saturday officially announced a March 3 show in Columbus, Ohio, confirming earlier … See all stories on this topic »

MMA AWARDS: THE DON’S TOP TEN KNOCKOUTS FOR 2011 Sports Chat Place MMA for 2011 is now in the rear view mirror and 2012 is about to get off to a fast start. With the dust settled on all the New Year’s hoopla, we can glace back at 2011 and check out some of the moments that made it perhaps the best year ever in Mixed … See all stories on this topic »      Sports Chat Place

MMA Top 10 Welterweights: Where Does Johny Hendricks Belong? MMAFighting.com By Michael David Smith And Hendricks didn’t just finish Fitch, he obliterated Fitch with a knockout punch that completely shakes up the welterweight division in mixed martial arts. Fitch no longer even has a claim for the No. 2 spot in the Top 10, … See all stories on this topic »

MMA: What Draws People to the Sport of Mixed Martial Arts? Bleacher Report The sport of Mixed Martial Arts is the fastest growing sport, and one of the most popular. It is a phenomenon that has grown exponentially every year, and continues to establish itself among the sports that have been around for far longer. … See all stories on this topic »      Bleacher Report

Best of MMA 2011: Anderson Silva Delivers the Knockout of the Year Heavy.com Hit up the HeavyMMA Best of MMA 2011 Knockout of the Year picks. Then check out what we have coming in the next few days as we kiss 2011 goodbye and usher in 2012. UFC 126 | Feb. 5 | Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas Matt Brown: This seems to be … See all stories on this topic »

 

Blogs

UFC veteran Hermes Franca sentenced to over three … – MMA Mania By Geno Mrosko Hermes Franca was arrested in May 2011 for sexually abusing an underage girl. Now, his sentence has come down and he’ll be doing some time in the clink. MMAmania.com

Women’s MMA Responds to Cris Cyborg Positive Steroid Test on … By KJ Gould The Women’s MMA community has taken to social media to give their opinions on Cris ‘Cyborg’ Santos positive steroid test results. Check out a collection of Tweets from the fighters, at Bloody Elbow. Bloody Elbow

Douglin Kicks off 2012 with a Bang; Outpoints Unbeaten Martinez!

Posted on | January 7, 2012 | No Comments

Key West, FL (January 7, 2012) – Denis “Da Momma’s Boy” Douglin of Morganville, NJ scored his biggest victory to date by outpointing highly touted and previously unbeaten junior middleweight Steven Martinez Friday evening at Mallory Square in Key West, FL.

Boxing Links (1-7-12)

Posted on | January 7, 2012 | No Comments

Boxer Khan’s “mystery man” identified AFP LONDON — Promoters for British boxing star Amir Khan have claimed that he has been offered a world title rematch with Lamont Peterson after the International BoxingFederation revealed to them that the “mystery man” seen ringside at last month’s fight… See all stories on this topic »      AFP

Jail for boxer Mayweather delayed so he can fight Chicago Tribune LAS VEGAS (Reuters) – A judge granted a request from boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr to postpone until June his three-month jail sentence for domestic battery so the welterweight champion can compete in an upcoming bout, prosecutors said. … See all stories on this topic »

Weeping parents of Indian student gunned down on Boxing Day pay an emotional … Daily Mail By Liz Hull The parents of the gifted student gunned down on Boxing Day made an emotional pilgrimage yesterday to the spot where he died. Subhash Bidve and his wife Yogini travelled more than 4200 miles from their home in India to the Salford street … See all stories on this topic »      Daily Mail

The art of boxing clever Sydney Morning Herald The evening finished with a two-fisted display of the women’s art of boxing the ears of her boyfriend. He received an ambiguous text during a scrumptious dinner. Each blow to the face came from a hand launched from behind her hipline with a thud. … See all stories on this topic »        Sydney Morning Herald

BOXING: Ramos stays undefeated Press-Enterprise Perez started out well behind a tight defense, but once Figueroa landed some body shots, the East Coast boxer began to slow down. Figueroa took over the fight and dominated with more punching to the head and body. Perez just couldn’t match the Texan’s … See all stories on this topic »

Chasing boxing gold TheChronicleHerald.ca Lower Sackville’s Joey Laviolette starts his run toward the 2012 Olympics at the Canadian senior elite boxing championships beginning Tuesday in Membertou, Cape Breton. (TED PRITCHARD / Staff / File) JOEY LAVIOLETTE hopes the trail to London passes … See all stories on this topic »      TheChronicleHerald.ca

Q&A: Mickey Ward — a boxing legend due to grit, film Detroit Free Press The boxer from Lowell, Mass., was the subject of the 2010 movie “The Fighter.” / ELISE AMENDOLA/Associated Press By Mike Brudenell Actor Mark Wahlberg, left, as Micky Ward in “The Fighter,” with Christian Bale as Dicky Eklund. / JOJO WHILDEN/Special to … See all stories on this topic »

Local Boxing Notebook: Ortiz will have to convince commission to get license Ventura County Star Lightweight Javier Garcia, along with two unbeaten boxers from Oxnard, will fight in separate bouts on Friday, Jan. 20 at the Warner Center Marriott in Woodland Hills. Garcia, who is the nephew of former world champion Robert Garcia, will take on Juan … See all stories on this topic »

Dyah Davis defeats Alfonso Lopez ESPN Dyah Davis unanimously outpointed Alfonso Lopez to take the North American Boxing Federation super-middleweight title Friday night. Davis, from Boca Raton, Fla., and Lopez, from Huntsville, Texas, went the full 10 rounds during the main event of a … See all stories on this topic »

Friday’s Sports in Brief Washington Post The 50-year-old Wilson, in his fifth season with the Steelers, was taken to a hospital before being airlifted to UPMC Mercy Hospital for treatment. The cause of the fire has not been determined and remains under investigation. BOXING. See all stories on this topic »

 

Blogs

Floyd Mayweather Jr. — Boxing Officials Demand Explanation Before … By TMZ Staff Floyd Mayweather is NOT properly licensed to fight in Nevada on May 5 … despite having the judge’s blessing … and TMZ has learned state officials are… TMZ.com

Lil Wayne Tips Stripper $1000 For Winning Boxing Match By MTV News Rap & Hip-Hop Music News, Videos, Lifestyle & Interviews – RapFix.MTV.com. RapFix

EXCLUSIVE: Balotelli not boxing clever on night out – Mirror Football By Ryan Parry Mario Balotelli missed Manchester City’s New Year’s Day match due to injury – but was hammering an amusement arcade’s punchball the next night. The madcap striker was seen launching a flurry of powerful blows on the electronic boxing … Mirror Football

Top Rank Boxing on Spike TV: Tournament Format Being Discussed … By Scott Christ Bob Arum and Top Rank are negotiating with Spike TV, but will a tournament idea be effective? Bad Left Hook has more. Bad Left Hook

Spike TV Looking to Add Boxing to Strengthen Post-UFC Schedule … By Brent Brookhouse Spike TV is rumored to be in talks to add a 36 week boxing series to the network featuring Top Rank Inc. fighters. Bloody Elbow

LUIS RAMOS JR. SCORES TIGHT DECISION OVER RAYMUNDO BELTRAN TO REMAIN UNBEATEN

Posted on | January 7, 2012 | No Comments

Omar Figueroa Jr. Stops Michael Perez in All-Action Lightweight Co-Feature

Telecast Replay to Air on Thursday, Jan. 12 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on SHO EXTREME

 

INDIO, Calif. (Jan. 6, 2012) – During a weekend when SHOWTIME^® is available in more than 60 million homes as a part of the premium network’s Free Preview Weekend, a pair of lightweights took full advantage by capturing minor titles – and the adoration of fight fans – with impressive, entertaining performances from Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio, Calif. Luis Ramos Jr. won a close, 10-round unanimous decision over veteran Raymundo Beltran to take home the World Boxing Association (WBA) Fedelatin Lightweight title. In the opening bout of ShoBox: The New Generation,Omar Figueroa Jr. scored a knockout at the end of six to win the World Boxing Organization (WBO) Intercontinental Youth Lightweight title when Michael Perez told the doctor that he couldn’t continue before the start of the seventh.

 

Heading into the evening – after being on the losing side of many tight distance fights – Beltran declared, “The judges are my enemies.” Coming out of this evening’s fight, it’s doubtful that his position has changed.

 

Ramos (21-0, 9 KOs), of Santa Ana, Calif. and Beltran (25-6, 17 KOs), of North Hollywood, Calif. engaged in a crowd-pleasing, 10-round rumble that exemplified aggression and fortitude. The fight included swings in momentum where both fighters landed solid power shots – and demonstrated equally solid chins. But as the scores were announced, Beltran listened with disgust as Fritz Wernerawarded the bout to Ramos 96-94 while James Jen Kin and Daniel Sandoval scored the contest 97-93 to make the decision unanimous.

 

“I was a little nervous about the decision because I knew it was a tough fight,” said Ramos. “[Beltran] was a tough fighter with a great record but I proved that I could hang in there and take punches.”

 

Nevertheless, the victory was an important step and promising glimpse into Ramos’ future. The 23-year-old showed his mettle and maintained his composure against the rugged Beltran. Ramos sustained a cut above his right eye after a clash of heads in the third session. The younger Ramos fought through adversity, even seeming to fight with more fervor and urgency following the cut.

 

Said Ramos: “He got me with a few head butts, but the blood didn’t really bother me.”

 

The two men engaged in many exchanges full of hooks and headshots with Beltran staying busier but Ramos punching more accurately. The SHO Stats compiled by CompuBox listed Beltran as landing 156 of 522 punches to Ramos’ 190 of 418.

 

As SHOWTIME boxing analyst Steve Farhood said of the fight, “If I had to pick one word: intensity.”

 

In the night’s opening bout, the first punches thrown on SHOWTIME in 2012 arrived quickly as Perez(15-1-1, 9 KOs), of Newark, N.J. and Figueroa (14-0-1, 11 KOs), of Weslaco, Texas came out swinging at a quick pace. What seemed to be a competitive action fight for the first two rounds turned into a dominant performance for Figueroa as Perez struggled to deal with his constant pressure.

 

“It was my legs,” said Perez. “I had no power since round two. I’m disappointed.”

 

Figueroa moved forward throughout the bout, landing combinations and winging power shots to the body. In the end, body blows proved to be the difference as Figueroa outlanded Perez 78 to 48. Before the bell in round six, Figueroa sent a worn Perez back to his corner after connecting with a shot to the midsection that doubled over the Garden State native.  Perez stayed on his feet but never made it back out of his corner.

 

“I was a little disappointed. I hit him with all my best shots but he didn’t go down,” said Figueroa. “But I was confident. I never thought I was going to lose. I’ve been asking for tough opponents. I wanted to fight the best and I proved I can deal with this and much more.

 

“[Perez] was a tough opponent but that’s what I’ve been asking for.”

 

Tonight’s telecast will re-air on Thursday, Jan. 12 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME EXTREME and be available on SHOWTIME On Demand from Jan. 11 through Jan. 20.

 

Ramos vs. Beltran and Perez vs. Figueroa was promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, sponsored by Corona, DeWalt Tools and AT&T.

Curt Menefee called the action from ringside with Farhood and Antonio Tarver serving as expert analysts. The executive producer of ShoBox is Gordon Hall with Richard Gaughan producing andRick Phillips directing.

ShoBox returns with a championship edition on Friday, Jan. 20 at 11 p.m. on SHOWTIME when Rico Ramos (20-0, 11 KOs) makes the first defense of his WBA Super Bantamweight title against former amateur standout Guillermo Rigondeaux (8-0, 6 KOs).

 

SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING kicks off 2012 with the most anticipated rematch of the year. On Saturday, Feb. 11 (9 p.m. ET/PT), former world champions “Vicious” Victor Ortiz (29-3-2, 22 KOs), of Ventura, Calif., and Andre Berto (28-1, 22 KOs), of Winter Haven, Fla., will slug it out one more time after their 2011 bout earned Fight of the Year honors from USA Today and The RingMagazine.

 

Announced in tonight’s telecast, Paul “The Punisher” Williams will take on Nobuhiro Ishida on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING on Saturday, Feb. 18 (10 p.m. ET/PT).

 

For more information on tonight’s fights, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com,www.fantasyspringsresort.com, http://sports.SHO.com, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.twitter.com/fantasysprings, www.twitter.com/SHOSports, or visit us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing, www.facebook.com/fantasysprings orwww.facebook.com/shoboxing.

Guerrero Closing in on May 5th Fight With Floyd Mayweather, Jr.

Posted on | January 7, 2012 | No Comments

January 6, 2012 – Lem Satterfield of RingTV.com reports… according to Schaefer, the candidates other than Pacquiao appear to have been narrowed down to RING No. 2-rated lightweight Robert Guerrero, a five-belt winner over the course of three divisions, and RING No. 2-ranked junior middleweight Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, holder of his division’s WBC crown.

 

Guerrero went on to say, “I’m happy that Floyd Mayweather was able to work out his legal problems, giving him more time to spend with his family.  It’s been known that I’ve been seeking a fight with him since he announced his May 5th date at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.   I’ve done everything in boxing to garner a mega-fight with Floyd.  I’m undefeated in six world title fights, including a championship overseas.  Out of those six fights, four of them ended by KO.  Also I want to say, If I get this mega fight with Floyd Mayweather, I’m going to donate a sizeable portion of my purse to cancer research.”

 

Guerrero continued, “Cinco de Mayo is one of the biggest weekends for boxing throughout history.  I will represent the Mexican and boxing fans worldwide with honor and pride if Floyd chooses me.  Believe me when I say this, I will shock the world and be the first fighter to dethrone Mayweather.”

 

Lightweight and Welterweight Tournament Fields Nearly Complete for Bellator Season 6

Posted on | January 7, 2012 | No Comments

 

CHICAGO, Ill. (January 6, 2011) — As Bellator Fighting Championships prepares to make the jump to Friday nights, the tournament fields are beginning to take shape as the lightweight and welterweight tournament participants have been revealed. Bellator’s sixth season begins Friday, March 2^nd LIVE on MTV2 and in commercial-free HD on EPIX, with the preliminary fights being streamed LIVE and FREE around the world on Spike.com. Season 6 will feature tournaments in the bantamweight, featherweight, lightweight, welterweight and middleweight divisions.

Coming off a 50-second knockout victory over UFC veteran Kurt Pellegrino, Patricky Pitbull (@PatrickyPitbull)headlines an impressive group of 155 pounders looking to dethrone the newly crowned Bellator Lightweight Champion Michael Chandler. After a successful run at welterweight, former 2004 US Olympic judo team member Rick Hawn (@RickHawnMMA) has made the drop to lightweight and has his sights set on capturing a guaranteed title shot and $100,000 payday. The tournament will also be full of newcomers as Ricardo Tirloni (@TirloniMMA), Thiago Michael and J.J. Ambrose (@Superjjambrose) all make their Bellator tournament debuts and all come with high expectations. Joining Hawn in the weight drop is Brent Weedman (@Brent_Weedman), who will try his hand at lightweight after competing in the last two welterweight tournaments.  Fan favorite Lloyd “Cupcake” Woodard (@MMAcupcake) is back with Bellator and looking to get back to his winning ways after suffering a unanimous decision loss at the hands of the current Bellator lightweight champion.

In a field that holds a combined 122-29-5 record, Bellator’s Season 6 Welterweight Tournament is loaded with talent hungry for a title shot against undefeated Bellator Welterweight Champion Ben Askren. Bellator newcomers and UFC veterans Brian Foster (@BrianFoster170) and War Machine (@WarMachine170) will be looking to make strong first impressions, while Season 5 Welterweight Tournament Finalist Ben “Killa B” Saunders (@BenSaundersMMA) will be looking to finally secure his title shot. Bellator Season 2 Middleweight finalist and Season 5 semifinalist Bryan Baker (@BryanBeastBaker) has dropped down to welterweight and plans to stir up 170-pound class. David Rickels (@TheCaveman316) and Raul Amaya both bring identical 9-0 records into the tournament, while veterans Carlos Pereira and Karl Amoussou round out one of the deepest tournaments in Bellator history.

A full list of tournament participants is listed below:

Bellator Season Six Lightweight Tournament

Patricky Pitbull

Thiago Michael

Ricardo Tirloni

Brent Weedman

Rick Hawn

J.J. Ambrose

Lloyd Woodard

TBA

 

Bellator Season Six Welterweight Tournament

 

Ben Saunders

Brian Foster

Bryan Baker

Karl Amoussou

David Rickels

Raul Amaya

Carlos Pereira

War Machine

 

For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA, follow Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney @BjornRebney and check out Bellator on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Bellator

About Bellator Fighting Championships

Bellator Fighting Championships is a Mixed Martial Arts promotional company headquartered in Chicago. Bellator, Latin for Warrior, is partnered with entertainment industry leaders Viacom and Fremantle Entertainment, and is the world’s leading tournament-based mixed martial arts organization. Bellator’s Founder, Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney is an experienced fighting sports and entertainment professional with a deep commitment to the purity and integrity of the sport of MMA and its athletes. Bellator Fighting Championships’ executive team is comprised of top industry professionals in the areas of live event production, television production, fighter relations, venue procurement, sponsorship creation/development, international licensing, marketing, advertising, publicity and commission relations.

« go back — keep looking »

SEARCH OUR BLOGS

Search for:

SEARCH THE WEB

Subscribe in a reader



US Money Reserve

Bodybuilding fitness software: Gain weight & build muscle fast.

Photographers - Boston, MA



PRO-SEBLOG.COM: EMPOWERING ORDINARY PEOPLE TO PRACTICE LAW ON THEIR OWN BEHALF

CLICK HERE TO ORDER AN AWESOME SELF-HELP LEGAL COURSE

MARKETINGBOSS.INFO: MARKETING TIPS FOR YOUR SITE & BUSINESS

Boxing Live

RING GIRLS

OUR SPONSORS

Categories

Categories Select Category A.J. Vittone  (4) Affliction MMA  (60) amateur boxing  (12) Amateur MMA  (3) BAMMA  (4) Bareknuckle Boxing  (10) Bellator  (64) BJJ  (37) Blogroll  (9,763) Boxing  (5,785) Cage Fighting Xtreme  (39) Cage Rage  (2) Capiello Promotions  (2) CBS  (17) Charlie Schmidt  (7) CHARLIE WARD  (7) Clay Smith  (3) COMPANY PROFILES  (10) Darren McElligott  (5) Dissipline  (3) Dominic Lavin  (6) EliteXC  (172) Fight Previews  (178) fight videos  (7) Fighter Interviews  (80) Fightzone TV  (16) Full Force Productions  (7) Gina Carano  (8) gofightlive  (32) grappling  (91) Groupon  (1) HDNet FIGHTS  (130) Holli Yargo  (29) IFL  (38) IFO  (16) Investigative Reports  (44) Jack Bratcher  (46) Jerky.Com  (1) jiu jitsu  (17) Joe Ball  (8) John Martinez  (9) Judo  (6) K-1  (3) karate  (10) Keisha Morrisey  (2) kickboxing  (25) King of The Cage  (5) KNOCKOUT NATION  (4) Kristie L. Groves  (2) Kristin Van Zee  (2) M-1  (37) Mark McCoy  (3) martial arts  (80) Matt Yanofsky  (83) Matthew Brothers  (4) MaxFights  (13) Melissa Hatch  (2) MFC  (89) MFL  (3) Michael Fountain  (4) Midwest MMA  (41) MIKE INDRI  (21) Mixed Martial Arts  (3,406) MMA  (3,405) mma agents  (4) MMA RECRUITER  (59) Moosin: God of Martial Arts  (1) movies  (16) Muay Thai  (60) NAGA  (3) other interviews  (16) PALACE FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIPS  (54) PATRICK MCELLIGOTT  (46) Politics  (1) Post fight reports  (109) Predictions  (11) press conferences  (28) press releases  (298) Prizefighter  (86) ProElite  (136) Pure Combat  (9) Rage in the Cage  (48) Reality Fighting  (5) Rich Bergeron  (157) ring girls  (22) Ring of Fire  (43) Rocky Marciano  (2) Round 5  (9) Ryan Christensen  (6) seperated at birth  (4) Shaun McCoy  (5) SHOWTIME SPORTS  (177) SportFight  (6) Steele Cage  (16) Strikeforce  (395) Striking Technique  (14) submission fighting  (3) sun sports  (7) Tachi Palace Fights  (11) Takedown Radio  (413) The Ultimate Fighter Series  (21) Tony Penecale  (117) Tri-State Cage Fighting  (9) Tristan Yunker  (5) UFC  (478) Uncategorized  (75) Untamed  (12) USFL  (2) War  (7) WEC  (10) White Chocolate Management  (3) White Collar Brawler  (1) women’s boxing  (115) Women’s MMA  (16) World Championship Fighting  (23) wrestling  (1,117) WWE  (7) Xtreme Arm Wrestling  (1) Xyience  (75) Yamma  (3)

JOIN FIGHT SPACE ONLINE

About

This is an area on your website where you can add text. This will serve as an informative location on your website, where you can talk about your site.

Subscribe to our feed

Search

Admin

• Register
• Log in
• Wordpress
• XHTML