Battle Xtreme Championship MMA Event Set for June 16th at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, MA

Springfield, MA – 5/3/12 — June 16th at the MassMutual Center, Battle Xtreme Championship, the Northeast’s rising mixed martial arts live entertainment provider, presents a 9-fight card of top level, UFC, WEC, Bellator, Bodog, Strkeforce and IFL Vets fighting fellow top contenders.
Tickets start at $32 and go on sale Friday, May 4th at 10am at all Ticketmaster outlets, charge by phone at 800.745.3000 , on line at ticketmaster.com or at the MassMutual Center Box Office. Battles Extreme Championships is slated to begin at 7 p.m. on Saturday, June 16th, 2012. A public weigh-in is set for 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. on Friday, June 15th at the MassMutual Center.
“It’s an exciting event because BXC brought top quality MMA athletes together to compete in expertly matched bouts, producing exceptional programming and exciting fights,” said Fernando Rivera, President and matchmaker of BXC. “The bar for each fight has been set so high that each fight could be a feature fight with opponents having almost exact fight records.”
“We are going to set a new standard for MMA in New England with the world’s top fighters, event after event, giving MMA fans exactly what they want when coming to see a live show,” says Rivera.
On Saturday night, the main event will feature Brazilian and American Top Team fighter Raphael “The Law” Dias fighting Team Quest’s Enoch “the Animal” Wilson.
Additional fighters scheduled for the event include UFC and IFL vet Rory Markham, who took a leave from fighting to take on roles in movies alongside Paul Walker, Bruce Willis and Forrest Whittaker. Rory has returned to the cage and will be taking on Michigan’s Brad Johnson in the Battle Xtreme Championship’s middleweight (185lb) class.
UFC vet, Roan Carneiro, will also be fighting in the night’s event. Carneiro, who also played the role of a MMA fighter in the powerful MMA based movie, Warrior, with actor Nick Nolte will be competing against WEC vet Blas Avena.
The event will also feature a female bout between Sara McMann, the first American woman in history to receive a silver medal in women’s wrestling at the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens, Greece and Anita “El Tigre” Rodriguez. “Both of these women have five wins each with Anita just coming off a decisive loss at Bellator. This is certainly going to be a grueling battle for the 135lb women’s weight class.” Rivera said.
The sport of Mixed Martial Arts, or MMA, has come a long way. MMA features one-on-one events with fighters experienced in wrestling, boxing, Brazilian jiu-jitsu as well as other martial arts fighting in a cage. With pay-per-view events, mainstream broadcasting on Fox, MTV, CBS, Showtime and Spike TV, and MMA themed nights at restaurants, mixed martial arts has become one of the fastest-growing sports in the U.S.

UFC on FUEL TV 3 Results

Chan Sung Jung def. Dustin Poirier, Technical Submission (D’arce Choke), Rd. 4, 1:07
Amir Sadollah def. Jorge Lopez, Split Decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Donald Cerrone def. Jeremy Stephens, Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Yves Jabouin def. Jeff Hougland, Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-27)
Igor Pokrajac def. Fabio Maldonado, Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-27, 29-28)
Tom Lawlor def. Jason MacDonald, Knockout (Punches), Rd. 1, 0:50
Brad Tavares def. Dongi Yang, Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Cody McKenzie def. Marcus LeVesseur, Submission (Guillotine Choke), Rd. 1, 3:05
T.J. Grant def. Carlo Prater, Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Rafael Dos Anjos def. Kamal Shalorus, Submission (Rear Naked Choke), Rd. 1, 1:40
Johnny Eduardo def. Jeff Curran, Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Francisco Rivera def. Alex Soto, Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

UFC On FUEL TV 3 Bonuses

Tom Lawlor earned a $40,000 “Knockout of the Night” bonus (on his 29th birthday!)

Chan Sung Jung earned a $40,000 “Submission of the Night” bonus

Chan Sung Jung and Dustin Poirier each earned a $40,000 “Fight of the Night” bonus

UFC On FUEL TV 3 Attendance and Live Gate

“UFC on FUEL TV 3: Korean Zombie vs. Poirier” event drew a reported 4,592 attendees to Patriot Center in Fairfax, Va., and generated a live gate of $343,175.

By Spencer Cunningham

Spencer Cunningham and Daniel Straus

Bellator 68 was held Friday May 11th inside Caesars Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. It featured some diverse talent. A mix of veterans, young talent, foreign and domestic. Two featured bouts that were scheduled did not materialize on the card: Seth Petruzelli vs Carmelo Marrero and Jeff Lentz vs Eddie Fyvie. These last minute fight cancellations altered the original order of the bouts and changed the televised bouts. The results and my thoughts overall are below.

Preliminaries

1. Francois Ambang defeated Gregory Milliard by Split Decision.
This bout was a cautious effort by Ambang and Milliard. It featured plenty of jabs and low kicks throughout the bout until the 3rd and final round when Ambang landed some vicious punches.
I agreed with the split decision because it was a hard bout to judge considering that the real action did not occur until the 3rd round.

2. Anthony Leone defeated Claudio Ledsma by Split Decision.
Leone got the rightful win in this bout but I believe that the decision should have been a unanimous one. Leone clearly landed the sharper strikes and pushed the pace of the fight. He also scored a few takedowns and submission attempts.

3. Aung La Nsang defeated Jesus Martinez by TKO at 36 seconds of the opening round.
This was fun while it lasted. Both guys really came out strong. Martinez initially hurt Nsang with some punches and scored a knockdown but the victory was not to be his on this day.
Nsang recovered well, got the fight standing and landed a knee and follow up punches to halt this contest.

4. Don Carlo-Clauss defeated Jacob Kierwan by Split Decision.
This was a good back and forth fight with both men trading punches throughout and bloodied. Clauss secured this win by scoring a few takedowns and landing the harder shots. Great effort by both men in this battle.

The MTV2 televised main card

1. Marius Zaromskis defeated Waachiim Spiritwolf by Doctor Stoppage in the corner at the end of Round 2.
Great fight that unfortunately was ended early because of a cut. The first round was evenly contested with a slight advantage to Zaromskis. Both fighters had there moments and heavy blows were sustained throughout the round. The second round was a war with both men bloodied and moving forward. Alot on exchanges in the clinch including a vicious knee by Zaromskis.
Spiritwolf was noticeably tired in the round but battled back. He rallied triumphantly to end the round, nearly finishing Zaromskis! Confusion seemed evident as round 3 was about to begin.
The cut that Spiritwolf had did not seem worthy of stopping the contest in my opinion and the opinion of many others in attendance. I would think a rematch of this exciting bout will happen.

2. Marcin Held defeated Derrick Kennington by a Heel Hook Submission at 2:08 of Round 1.
Derrick Kennington was easily winning this fight with the standup exchanges but as soon as this fight hit the ground it was all over. Held slapped on the Heel Hook and that was it!
Marcin Held is only 20 years old and this was already his 15th fight! This Polish brown belt in Brazilian Jiujitsu is one to watch. Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney himself stated in the post fight press conference that Held might be the “Polish Aoki”.

3. Marcos Galvao defeated Travis Marx by Unanimous Decision.
This fight was an entertaining one. The BJJ blackbelt Galvao threw punches with full commitment. Galvao scored a knockdown in round one but Marx recovered quickly. The second round was more even with Marx being more aggressive and attempting takedowns. Galvao showed very good takedown defense in the bout. The third round clearly belonged to Galvao due to superior standup. The crowd was really into this fight, and I sat next to the significant other of Galvao during the bout. She obviously was screaming throughout this contest….in Portugues.
Fun bout and great sportsmanship displayed at the end by both combatants.

4. Daniel Straus defeated Marlon Sandro by Unanimous Decision in the Featherweight Tournament Championship.
Straus completely dominated the first two rounds with slick standup and superior wrestling. Sandro did not lack in effort but he was outgunned this day. The third round also was dominated by Straus but Sandro secured a standing arm triangle on Straus. Straus escaped but he was very uncomfortable. Straus later admitted in the post fight press conference that if Sandro could have got him on the ground with the arm triangle that “it would have been a wrap”. I admired Straus’s honesty with this statement. Straus got the win he deserved and will eventually contest the champion for the featherweight championship belt currently held by Pat Curran.

Photo of, and picks by Mitch Raposo

Jason Macdonald vs Tom Lawler

These fighters are such entertainers. Their strengths match up which will make this fight a chess match. It will come down to who can oppose their ground game. I see Tom Lawler closing the distance and getting Macdonald onto his back, and Lawlers’ Jiu-Jitsue and wrestling is good enough in my opinion to grind out a Unanimious Decision 30-27, without getting submitted. It’s going to be good!

Igor Pokrajac vs Fabio Maldonado

I don’t really know much about these fighters but i know this, that it’s a potentiol knockout of the night fight. These fighters both have cardio for days and they are both well rounded Mixed Martial Artists. Igor will be able to oppose his ground and pound game in my eyes and his striking to earn a TKO in the second round.

Yves Jabouin vs Jeff Hougland

Yves is such a veteren here in the UFC and Jeff is inexperienced but a dangerous prospect. Yves has his ever improving striking and solid wrestling which I think will help him dictate where this fight goes. Jeff is a well rounded fighter but his submission game is where he can win this fight. In my eyes Yves takes this fight due to experience with a TKO victory late in the 2nd or early third round.

Donald Cerrone vs Jeremy Stephens

This fight is going to be a barnburner! Both fighters have so much heart but Cerrone has this fire where he will take into this fight and pick apart Jerermy. Stephens is a brawler which i think will be his flaw in this fight with Cerrone being a technical kickboxing phenom. If Stephens can turn this fight into a brawl and throw Cerrone off, he has a chance of taking the W. I dont even see him doing that, Cerrone will pick apart Stephens from the outside on the feet and knockout Stephens in the third round.

Amir Sadollah vs Jorge Lopez

Sadollah has a wealth of experience and that may be the difference in this fight. Lopez is a dangerous prospect, he is very fast and has great stand up. But unfortunatley his strengths lead into Amirs. Sadollah is to experienced and well rounded where he will pick this prospect apart to earn a Unanimious Decision 29-28 but I won’t be suprised if Lopez pulls off the upset.

Chan Sung Jung vs Dustin Poirier

It’s time for the main event of the evening! The Korean Zombie Chan Sung Jung vs Dustin The Diamond Poirier. This fight is going to be a war! Poirier has freak power in his hands and Jung has a granite chin. Both fighters are no slouch on the ground either though. I see the “Korean Zombie” walking through Poiriers striking with striking of his own, Chan will be able to use solid footwork to get his striking off on Dustin to get a hold of him and Take the fight to the mat. Jung takes this fight via submission in the 2nd round.

MAIN CARD RESULTS

Nate Diaz def. Jim Miller, Submission (Guillotine Choke), Rd. 2, 4:09
Johny Hendricks def. Josh Koscheck, Split Decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Alan Belcher def. Rousimar Palhares, TKO (Strikes), Rd. 1, 4:18
Lavar Johnson def. Pat Barry, TKO (Punches), Rd. 1, 4:38

PRELIMINARY CARD RESULTS

Michael Johnson def. Tony Ferguson, Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
John Dodson def. Tim Elliott, Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
John Hathaway def. Pascal Krauss, Unanimous Decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Louis Gaudinot def. John Lineker, Technical Submission (Guillotine Choke), Rd. 2, 4:54
Danny Castillo def. John Cholish, Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Dennis Bermudez def. Pablo Garza, Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Roland Delorme def. Nick Denis, Submission (Rear Naked Choke), Rd. 1, 4:59
Karlos Vemola def. Mike Massenzio, Submission (Rear Naked Choke), Rd. 2, 1:07

Bonuses Awarded

Lavar Johnson earned a $65,000 “Knock Out of the Night” bonus

Nate Diaz earned a $65,000 “Submission of the Night” bonus

Louis Gaudinot and John Lineker each earned $65,000 “Fight of the Night” bonuses

“UFC on FOX 3: Diaz vs. Miller” event drew a reported 10,788 attendees to IZOD Center in East Rutherford, N.J., and generated a live gate of $1.1 million.

Tacoma, WA (April 24, 2012) – When Julian Erosa battles Ryan Mulvihill and Jeff Hatton challenges Brandon Hempleman Saturday evening on the “CageSport XIX” card at the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma, WA, two title reigns will begin.

The four fighters have an outstanding combined record of 22-3 with 18 wins by stoppage, earning them the recognition as top-notch competitors. All four men also paid their dues by excelling in the octagon and partaking in grueling training camps, but that’s where the similarities end.

A submission specialist, Erosa is 6-0 with 5 wins by stoppage. The 22-year-old Yakima, WA based lightweight fought all six of his bouts under the CageSport banner and has been nothing short of spectacular thus far.

Hailing from Spokane, WA, Mulvihill’s career has seen both ups and downs. Since a disappointing 0-2 start as a professional, including a submission defeat against Erosa, Mulvihill is on a five bout winning streak. Three of his five opponents failed to make it out of the first round and he’s fresh off an impressive submission victory over CageSport favorite Chanti Johnson in February. With a solid win streak intact and momentum on his side, Mulvihill is gunning for revenge.

A dominant force, Hatton brings a perfect 6-0 record to the table. Five of his six foes tapped out in the opening round, while his other opponent was knocked out 12 seconds into the second. Hatton, who fights out of Aberdeen, WA, is one of the world’s fastest rising mixed martial artists.

Hempleman is the most-well traveled fighter of the bunch, competing in four different states during his pro career. He’s the owner of an excellent 5-1 record with three wins by submission. Unlike the other three fighters, Hempleman knows what it’s like to be a champion, as he collected the King of the Cage Bantamweight belt earlier this month by submitting David Frix in 46 seconds. The Idahoan’s lone defeat came to Chanti Johnson in 2010 and he’ll look to leave the Emerald Queen Casino as a victor this time around.

“This is going to be a night that everybody in attendance will remember for years to come,” stated promoter Brian Halquist “All four combatants have more than enough ability to headline most fight cards and their willingness to risk it all for the crowd is the reason mixed martial arts has boomed in popularity.”

The Erosa-Mulvihill lightweight title bout and Hatton-Hempleman bantamweight championship matchup are both scheduled for five rounds.

Appearing in separate undercard bouts are unbeaten welterweight Harrison Bevens, 6’6 heavyweight Richard Foster, Angel Diaz, David Courchiane, James Marohl, Coy Vombaur and Richard Steele protégé Mihai Cotruta.

Tickets for this action-packed card start at $35 and are available at the Emerald Queen Box Office or on ticketmaster.com. Doors for “CageSport XIX” open at 6 pm and the first bell is scheduled for 7.

For more information, go to HalquistProductions.com

Apr 24, 2012 - World-ranked middleweight Hector Lombard will leave his longtime home at Bellator and sign with the UFC.

Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney confirmed the move to MMA Fighting on Tuesday afternoon.

Lombard currently has one of the longest unbeaten streaks in MMA. He hasn’t lost a fight since December 2006. Since then, he’s gone 25 straight fights without a defeat.

Bellator had a right to match the UFC’s offer to the man who was their reigning middleweight champion, but Rebney cited differences between the two organizational models as the obstacle that could not be overcome when it came to matching the UFC’s deal.

“We have a business model where we make decisions based on analyzing data,” he said. “Since the first day we came into being, we made decisions based on real models, not hypotheticals. The UFC model is largely based on pay-per-view, and the offer they made to Hector is going to be monetized via pay-per-view. While pay-per-view could play a role in our future, today it doesn’t. So, we did our due diligence to review the UFC contract, analyzed it in terms of charging our audience to see Hector vs. putting him on free TV, and we decided to allow the UFC to sign Hector, where I am extremely confident he will win the UFC middleweight title on pay-per-view.”

Lombard, along with former lightweight champ Eddie Alvarez, were the first two fighters Rebney signed when he began the promotion in 2008. Because of their long bond, Rebney said he felt he owed it to Lombard to make a quick decision.

“There was no reason to make him wait,” he said. “We got the information. We got the very long UFC contract, looked at the data, did the analysis, and made our decision.”

Lombard, who is 31-2-1 overall with 1 no contest, went 8-0 with seven knockouts during his run in Bellator, capturing his championship in June 2009 with a fourth-round TKO of Jared Hess. He also successfully defended the belt in a unanimous decision win over Alexander Shlemenko, the only time in his last eight fights his opponent made it to the judges’ scorecards.

“He was a great fighter here, and there’s no doubt in my mind he’ll be a great fighter when he goes to the UFC,” Rebney said. “I’ve said for a long time he’s the best middleweight in the world, and I think he’ll win the UFC title in short order.”

Over the weekend, UFC president Dana White confirmed his interest in Lombard, saying, “I like him. I like him a lot.”

Now, it appears he has his man.

READ MORE: Hector Lombard (MMA)

Lewiston, Maine (April 24, 2012) – When former two-time UFC World Heavyweight Champion Tim “The Maine-iac” Sylvia (30-7, 19 KO’s, 4 submissions) fights in his home state for the first time, he will be faced with a tough challenge in Randy “The Wolf” Smith (14-10-1). The Sylvia-Smith heavyweight battle has been officially signed to headline New England Fights’ (NEF) Fight Night III on June 16th at The Androscoggin Bank Colisee in Lewiston, Maine.

Smith, who trains out of CNYMMA in Cortland, NY, is no stranger to the New England MMA scene, having competed extensively throughout the region, capturing several local titles and making a name for himself as one of the top heavyweights in the territory. “Randy Smith is ranked number five at heavyweight in the entire northeast right now,” said NEF co-owner and matchmaker Matt Peterson. “We were approached by so many fighters and teams that wanted the June 16 bout with Sylvia, but it was Randy who really stood out as the best opponent in our minds.”

NEF is expecting another huge crowd at the Colisee for the follow-up to their debut event at the arena back in February. “Over 3200 people attended Fight Night I at the Colisee earlier this year,” stated NEF co-owner and promoter Nick DiSalvo. “Now, with Sylvia fighting for the first time in his home state, we’re already seeing a marked increase in ticket sales over the first show. I’ve had the pleasure of sitting cage-side for several of Randy Smith’s fights in the past. This is going to be a great fight, and just another night of fights that Maine fans are not going to want to miss out on.”

“It’s an honor to fight Tim Sylvia, and it will be a huge win,” said Smith when reached for comment. “He was a guy I used to watch before I started training. He has been at the highest level in the biggest show, and he is a guy I always dreamed of fighting. I match up well with him. Our styles are a lot alike. This is my Super Bowl. We will put on a fight that people will talk about for years.”

For more information on this event, visit www.NewEnglandFights.com. You can watch NEF videos, including the Tim Sylvia interview, at www.youtube.com/NEFMMA, follow them on Twitter @nefights and join the official Facebook group “Fight Night Mixed Martial Arts”. Tickets for this event are on sale now at TheColisee.com or by calling the Colisee box office at 207-783-2009 .
About New England Fights!

New England Fights! (“NEF!”) is a Mixed Martial Arts promotions company. NEF!’s mission is to create the highest quality events for Maine’s fighters and fans alike. NEF!’s executive team has extensive experience in combat sports management, events production, media relations, marketing, legal and advertising.

UFC 145 Results

UFC 145 Bonuses

Ben Rothwell earned a $65,000 “Knockout of the Night” bonus

Travis Browne earned a $65,000 “Submission of the Night bonus

Eddie Yagin and Mark Hominick each earned $65,000 “Fight of the Night” bonuses

UFC 145 Attendance and Live Gate

“UFC 145: Jones vs. Evans” event drew a reported 15,545 attendees to Atlanta’s Philips Arena and generated a live gate of $2.2 million.

Photo UFC

Chael Sonnen’s rematch against Anderson Silva, for the UFC middleweight title, may not happen in hostile territory.

“O Globo” reported today that the bout will be moved to Las Vegas, and rumors indicate that it might happen in UFC’s July 7^th show (UFC 148).

Anderson Silva’s manager Ed Soares told TATAME on Monday that the bout is already signed for June 23, in Rio de Janeiro, but his Black House partner, Jorge Guimaraes, told TATAME today that the plans could change.

“This situation is already being discussed. There are some speculations. What you heard, I heard too. It seems like there are no hotels to fit everybody with UN’s event, Rio+20”, Guiamares said.

“(Silva vs. Sonnen’s venue and date) will be announced by Dana White in a press conference in Brazil. Nothing is confirmed yet”.

UFC president Dana White, along with Anderson Silva and Chael Sonnen, will host a press conference in Brazil next Tuesday.

The “Spider”, who demanded that the rematch needed to take place in Brazil, will accept to fight in Nevada?

“That you have to ask Anderson. I don’t know,” Jorge said. “First it has to be moved, than we’ll see”.