The Fight Nerd » bellator

War Machine headed back to jail, out of Bellator lightweight tournament

The Fight Nerd — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:59:47 +0000

The Bellator season six lightweight tournament has just a wee snag, as one of their competitors has been forced to withdraw due to some jail time.

The fighter formerly known as Jon Koppenhaver, War Machine will be serving a year in the slammer, but not for new charges. “Seems my year in jail wasnt enough,” War Machine lamented on his twitter. “Just got sentenced to another year in Vegas for some old bullshit. Nevermind Im rehabilitated. Nevermind Ive been out for over 6 months now and doing great and am finally back on my feet. Nevermind all my students that will miss me. Do another year and rot n waste time. Make no money, pay no taxes. Whatever, I just hope my boy @bensaundersMMA wins @BellatorMMA tournament. Fuck the motherfucking system! Fuck the bullshit! Vacation time, back to jail in 2 weeks! Cant stop me, all you can do is delay the inevitable. War Machine will always be back! Oh ya the judge looked and me and said she can tell Im on steroids and that thats prolly why I got in so many fights and am angry..lol Bitch”

The Bellator lightweight tournament will indeed continue without War Machine, and will be a disappointment to many fans who wanted to see him back in the cage and on TV. 2013 will be the comeback of War Machine for sure, so start marking the days off on your calendar.

Via Middle Easy

Prindle VS Santos 2 set for Bellator 61 in Louisiana

The Fight Nerd — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:22:04 +0000

Bellator Fighting Championships returns to the Bayou State on Friday, March 16 for Bellator 61 live from Bossier City at the Horseshoe Riverdome. The night will feature the long awaited rematch between “The American Solider” Eric Prindle and “The Big Monster” Thiago Santos to determine a winner from last season’s heavyweight tournament, as well a host of local talent from the Louisiana area.

“Louisiana’s been an amazing home to Bellator. Our last two Louisiana events we’re spectacular sell outs, so bringing Bellator to Bossier City was an easy decision to make,” said Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney. “This Prindle-Santos fight has war written all over it and both of these guys have taken this huge fight very personally. March 16 should be a great night.”

Prindle meets Santos after last season’s Heavyweight Finals were declared a no contest as Santos delivered what was ruled an accidental illegal blow to the groin of Eric Prindle, which eventually halted the fight. The two will square off to determine who will earn the right to face current Bellator Heavyweight Champion Cole Konrad.

The night will also feature the quarterfinals of the Bellator Season 6 Middleweight Tournament. UFC veteran Maiquel “Big Rig” Falcao will make his Bellator debut against the dominant Norman Paraisy. Falcao enters Bellator with an astonishing 23 knockouts to his record and will look to keep that trend intact at Bellator 61.

In a match worthy of a Middleweight title fight, Brian “The Predator” Rogers battles Brazilian ace Vitor Vianna for a spot in the semifinals. For Rogers, the Ohio native wants to build off last season’s semifinals appearance and punch his ticket to a guaranteed title shot. Vianna put up a tremendous fight against eventual Middleweight Tournament Champion Alexander Shlemenko and is eager for another long tournament run.

Entering Bellator on a 14-fight win streak, explosive Russian Vyacheslav “Slava” Vasilevsky will be making his U.S. debut in a fight with Victor O’ Donnell. One of the most promising prospects in the world, “Slava” joins Bellator as two-time Sambo World Champion and will look to make his mark with Bellator.

Giva “The Arm Collector” Santana is back with Bellator and will be gunning for another victim when he takes on Bruno Santos. Always looking for the armbar, Santana has tapped 13 of his 17 career opponents with the hold.

“A lot of fighters like to go out there and try to knock their opponents out as soon as they can, and that’s the same way I am with my submissions,” Santana said. “For me, to tap a guy out is the same feeling as the knockout. When a punch lands and you know you knocked your opponent out, I feel the same feeling when I lock up a submission on my opponent. I know right away that he’s going to tap, and it’s a great feeling.”

Eddie Alvarez confirms Shinya Aoki fight in April, talks loss to Chandler

The Fight Nerd — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:00:08 +0000

Fight Nerd reporter Hiroko Yamamura caught up with former Bellator FC lightweight champion, Eddie Alvarez, at yesterday’s UFC on Fox 2 press workout to help with Michael Johnson during his last week of fight prep against Shane Roller. Eddie confirmed his bout against Shinya Aoki for us, saying the fight will be in April and is just waiting to sign the contract to make the rematch happen. Alvarez also talks about his loss to Michael Chandler at Bellator 59 and his outlook on MMA.

Bobby Lashley looking at Batista or Fedor as next opponents, Bellator more likely

The Fight Nerd — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 20:30:27 +0000

In an interview with Fighters Only, Lashley told them that Fedor’s management is looking for his next opponent, and his name is on the list of potential matchups. “I’m going to throw everything at him that I can. Of course, my wrestling’s there, I don’t give a damn what he’s doing. I’d put my wrestling up there with almost anyone right now.”

When asked about the sore topic of fighting another former WWE superstar, Dave Batista, Lashley has not ruled out the bout. “I know a lot of people are looking at that fight and saying I shouldn’t take it, but that’s the entertainment aspect of [MMA]. If the wrestling fans want that then it’s an opportunity for me to have a fight, which will probably warrant a good amount of money… I’ll take that fight, no problem.”

The real news from this interview was that Bellator had contacted Lashley with an offer to compete in their next heavyweight grand prix, which seems like the more realistic option. “It was a contract that was just put on the table… I got the call yesterday so I don’t even know any of the details of the deal. I think Bellator is a great company and I would love to be able to fight for them.”

Bellator Signs World’s Top Welterweight Prospect Andrey Koreshkov

The Fight Nerd — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 13:00:31 +0000

As Bellator Fighting Championships prepares for its highly anticipated sixth season, the promotion has once again added a premier talent from across the globe, this time signing undefeated Russian welterweight phenom Andrey “Spartan” Koreshkov. Last year, Bellator signed highly-touted Douglas Lima, who went on to win the Season 5 Welterweight Tournament and will face Ben Askren for the title.

Widely regarded as the top welterweight prospect in the world, Koreshkov joins Bellator under the tutelage of two-time Bellator Middleweight Tournament Champion Alexander “Storm” Shlemenko as the two dynamic strikers represent RusFighters in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Undefeated in nine professional fights, “Spartan” is a true finisher in every sense of the word. The 21-year-old prodigy has never had a fight move into the third round and is the owner of five knockout victories. While the competition will surely increase with Bellator, Koreshkov adds to an already dangerous welterweight field.

“The international market has produced some incredible talent for us, and Andrey is near the very top of that list,” said Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney. “Our Talent Development team, lead by Sam Caplan continues to be at the forefront of international scouting, and we’ll continue bringing the best talent from across the world to Bellator.”

Lightweight and Welterweight Tournament Fields Nearly Complete for Bellator Season 6

The Fight Nerd — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 15:00:33 +0000

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 2nd 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 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 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, Thiago Michael and J.J. Ambrose all make their Bellator tournament debuts and all come with high expectations. Joining Hawn in the weight drop is Brent Weedman, who will try his hand at lightweight after competing in the last two welterweight tournaments. Fan favorite Lloyd “Cupcake” Woodard 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 and War Machine will be looking to make strong first impressions, while Season 5 Welterweight Tournament Finalist Ben “Killa B” Saunders will be looking to finally secure his title shot. Bellator Season 2 Middleweight finalist and Season 5 semifinalist Bryan Baker has dropped down to welterweight and plans to stir up 170-pound class. David Rickels 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 after the jump!

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

Shinya Aoki talks about fighting his friend & his performance at DREAM NYE Show

The Fight Nerd — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 20:30:22 +0000

Shinya Aoki put a grappling clinic on Satoru Kitaoka at this weekend’s DREAM New Year’s Eve show, making his friend bleed and dominating him through the course of their bout. Impressing many with his new striking prowess from his training at Evolve MMA, Aoki’s harshest clinic has been himself.

“I am grateful for the win, but I am not satisfied because I did not finish the fight,” Aoki told MMA Weekly. “My coaches thought that I would be able to submit or KO him. My style of fighting is to finish my opponents. I don’t like decision victories. However, Kitaoka is a very tough opponent. He is my good friend and training partner for many, many years. I trained very hard for this fight and I tried to use new things.”

In regards to their relationship outside of the ring, Aoki is hopeful of his friend realizing it was just business and nothing personal. “I hope that our friendship will return back to normal. We practically grew up together. Only time will tell, but the victory was bittersweet for me. I wish that this part of our history becomes history. Kitaoka is a great guy and a great fighter.”

Aoki plans on taking place in a One FC event later this year, as his plans on working with Bellator to fight Eddie Alvarez have seemingly fallen through, courtesy of an upset from Michael Chandler.

Bellator to hold Open Tryouts on January 28 in Philadelphia

The Fight Nerd — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 18:00:01 +0000

Bellator Fighting Championships announced today that it will host an open tryout on Saturday, January 28th that will provide a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for an undiscovered professional fighter to possibly earn a spot in one of the organization’s upcoming events.

The tryout will take place at Daddis Fight Camps in Philadelphia on January 28th, with registration starting at 1 p.m. EST and tryouts beginning promptly at 2 p.m. EST. Tryouts are completely open to media.

“We’ve had tremendous success with our open tryouts in the past, and I expect the same type of talent to come out on January 28th,” said Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney. “This is an organization that rewards fighters that have earned their spot, and that’s what these tryouts are all about.”

Earlier this year, Ailton Barbosa realized a dream when he was discovered at Bellator’s open tryouts in Florida. Shortly after his impressive showing at tryouts, Barbosa was inside the Bellator cage, collecting a submission victory at Bellator 50 in Florida.

Daddis Fight Camps is located at 1719 Washington Ave Philadelphia, PA 19146. The tryouts are open to any fighters and they must be prepared to present their MixedMartialArts.com ID. Fighters must also be unrestricted free agents and cannot have any contractual obligations to another mixed martial arts promotion.

In addition to ID, fighters must also bring MMA gloves, boxing gloves, a cup and a mouth piece. The tryout will consist of a grappling session followed by a striking session. Pad holders will be provided but fighters are encouraged to bring their own pad holders for optimum performance.

Bellator’s open tryouts have produced a number of fighters that have appeared at Bellator events, including Kenny Foster, Bryan Goldsby, Giedrius Karavackas, Jeremy Spoon, Ailton Barbosa, Gregory Milliard, Tyler Stinson, James Krause, and many others.

Rick Hawn Hopes to be “Bigger and Stronger” at Lightweight Tournament

Peter Lampasona — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 22:30:25 +0000

Hawn in bout with Lyman Good

In March of 2012, former Judo Olympian and runner up in the Bellator season five welterweight tournament Rick Hawn will return to the Bellator promotion, this time at 155 pounds. While the tournament runner-up has had a great deal of success at welterweight, having only tasted defeat once in his MMA career with a razor-thin split decision against Jay Hieron, Hawn has noticed some disparity between himself and his opponents at 170 pounds.

“The other fighters [at welterweight] are very, very big,” Hawn said of his opposition at 170. “Most of them are over six foot tall and walking around at over 200 pounds. I walk around at 185.”

By the tale of the tape, Hawn has come in with a reach disadvantage against every opponent he has faced. Hawn noted that while he did notice his opponents’ advantage in size, he never felt that anyone in the cage had “the strength advantage” over him.

“Hopefully at 155 I’ll be bigger and stronger,” Hawn continued with a smile.

The former Olympian will still be avoiding any exorbitant weight cuts in his fighting career. He has already began a new nutrition regimen to bring down his walk around weight and has no intention of making his final cut more severe at lightweight than it was at welterweight.

One of the more interesting aspects of Hawn’s decision to drop down a weight class was that it came from his 11 fight undefeated streak, rather than his loss to Hieron.

“[The loss] had nothing to do with it,” Hawn said. “We were going to get a rematch.”

Even after the decision to drop to lightweight, Hawn was not opposed to a rematch with Hieron. However, his sights are now set on the next 155 pound tournament.

The pillars of the Bellator lightweight ranks were shaken at the end of last season, when young prospect Michael Chandler submitted the top ranked lightweight outside of the UFC, Eddie Alvarez, to capture the Bellator belt. Along with most of the MMA world, Hawn was a little surprised by Chandler’s upset victory.

“I didn’t really expect it,” said Hawn. “Chandler’s hungry and he’s young, and I think that’s what pushed him through to win.”

In spite of the recent lightweight shakeups, Hawn hasn’t given much thought to the potential field at the next lightweight tournament, instead focusing on being as prepared as possible at 155 pounds.

“I don’t really know who’s going to be in it,” Hawn mentioned candidly. “I know Eddie [Alvarez] will be there. But the others haven’t been set, yet.”

Season six of Bellator will debut on March 2, 2012 at a yet undecided venue, and will feature four other tournaments in different weight classes along with the lightweights.

Bellator Adds Elite Japanese Bantamweights Masakatsu Ueda and Hiroshi “Iron” Nakamura

The Fight Nerd — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 15:00:06 +0000

In a continuing effort to scout and sign the world’s best talent, Bellator Fighting Championships has added two dynamic bantamweights in Masakatsu Ueda (pictured left) and Hiroshi “Iron” Nakamura. Both will compete in the promotion’s upcoming Season 6 Bantamweight Tournament, joining Alexis Vila, Marcos Galvao, Ed West, Rodrigo Lima, Luis Nogueira and a yet to be named final participant.

Ueda joins Bellator already well established within the MMA community, holding notable wins over Royler Gracie and current Bellator Season 5 Bantamweight Tournament Champion Eduardo Dantas. With those victories Ueda is widely considered one of the best bantamweights in the world, holding rank in nearly every major Top 10 list. Armed with one of the best grappling pedigrees in the sport, Ueda should be considered a serious contender heading into the deepest bantamweight tournament in Bellator history.

“Iron” Nakamura should have no problem sustaining a long tournament run, as the scrappy bantamweight has fought seven times since the beginning of 2010, including a unanimous decision victory over Seiji Akao on December 16th. Holding a 3-1 record alone in 2011, Nakamura will look to keep the momentum going against a tournament field that currently holds an impressive 87-20-6 record.

Bellator’s sixth season kicks of Friday, March 2nd LIVE on MTV2 and in commercial-free HD on EPIX, while the preliminary fights are streamed LIVE and FREE across the globe on Spike.com. Bellator Season 6 will feature five eight-man tournaments in the bantamweight, featherweight, lightweight, welterweight and middleweight divisions.