Posted by Stephen Rhodes on July 1st, 2009 under MMA Calendar
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Below is the tentative fight card for WEC 42: Torres vs. Bowles:

Main event:

135 lbs.: WEC Bantamweight Champion Miguel “Angel” Torres (37-1) vs. Brian Bowles (7-0)

Main card (Televised):

145 lbs.: Joseph Benavidez (10-0) vs. Dominick Cruz (13-1)
155 lbs.: Ricardo Lamas vs. Danny Castillo
135 lbs.: Jeff “The Big Frog” Curran (29-11-1) vs. Takeya Mizugaki (11-3-2)

Under card (May not be broadcast):

145 lbs.: Leonard Garcia vs. Jameel Massouh
145 lbs.: Fredson Paixao (8-3) vs. Cole Province (5-1)
155 lbs.: Marcus Hicks vs. Shane Roller
145 lbs.: Phil Cardella (8-3) vs. Ed Ratcliff (6-1)
135 lbs.: Rani Yahya vs. Kenji Osawa
145 lbs.: Diego Nunes vs. Rafael Dias

Posted by Stephen Rhodes on July 1st, 2009 under Octagon Buzz
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According to World Victory Road, Akihiro Gono will lock up with Dan Hornbuckle at Sengoku 9, which is scheduled to take place on August 2 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

After dropping two decisions, the UFC released Gono, losing to Dan Hardy and Jon Fitch; meanwhile, Hornbuckle last competed at Sengoku 2 in May 2008, losing to Mike Pyle.  Since then, he has notched two victories on the smaller MMA circuits.

Posted by Stephen Rhodes on July 1st, 2009 under Octagon Buzz
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Another fight has been added to the UFC 104 event, which is scheduled to take place on October 24 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA; Kyle Kingsberry and Razak Al-Hassan have agreed to link up in the Octagon, with verbal agreements in place and bout agreements soon to follow.

Al-Hassan, despite his loss to former WEC champion Steve Cantwell back in December in his UFC debut, seems to have built a following despite suffering a hyper-extended elbow; he has recently been cleared by doctors to begin training again.  Meanwhile, Kingsberry also fell short in his UFC debut as he suffered a loss to fellow TUF alumni Tom Lawlor.

Posted by Stephen Rhodes on July 1st, 2009 under MMA Calendar, Octagon Buzz Exclusive
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RAGE IN THE CAGE # 130 Gila River Casino (Wild Horse Pass)
Saturday July 18, 2009  

Doors Open: 5:00 PM, Fighter Introductions: 6:30PM, Fight Time: 7:00 PM

Tickets on sale at these locations:

Wild Horse Pass Gift Shop (800WinGila, 800-946-4452)

www.protixonline.com or 866-977-6849

Tickets starting at $35.00 and up with free parking and no
service charge. Tickets $5 higher if purchased on fight day.

Gila River Casino has requested that fans must be 21 or older to attend
this event.

Fight Card:

Robert Beraun ( 240 ) vs Richard Hale ( 220 ) RITC HW Title
Jesse Barrett ( 195 ) vs Bryan Pardoe ( 205 )
Eric Regan ( 170 ) vs Joe Cronin ( 170 ) RITC WW Title
Jade Porter ( 155 ) vs Chris Leyva ( 155 )
Mike Ashford ( 195 ) vs Rich Moss ( 195 )
Zack Surdyka ( 160 ) vs Alex Garcia ( 160 )
Tyler Bialecki ( 135 ) vs Derithe Harper ( 135 )
Chasman Shaw ( 280 ) vs Travis Scott ( 270 )

Vin Vallejo ( 205 ) vs Dave Connant ( 200 )
Roman Baca ( 160 ) vs Benny Madrid ( 160 )
Ray Romano ( 165 ) vs Brandon Spencer ( 165 )
Ben Monarrez ( 185 ) vs Michael Bailey ( 175 )
Jason Richey ( 185 ) vs Jake Ramsey ( 190 )
Justin Purcell ( 180 ) vs Kelvin Gastelum ( 170 )
Michael Parker ( 155 ) vs TBA
Gabe Rosa ( 165 ) vs Job Mills ( 165 )
John Moraga ( 135 ) vs Joey Lugo ( 145 )

Matt Mamolin ( 145 ) vs Bobby Thak ( 150 )Bash Saber ( 160 ) vs Tim Gidley ( 155 )
Elijah Muhammad ( 145 ) vs Nadeem Al-Hasan ( 155 )
Sam Yank ( 140 ) vs Jason Jones ( 145 )
Raymond Rita ( 155 ) vs Robert Gainey ( 155 )
Nick Rhoads ( 170 ) vs David Solorio ( 170 )
John King ( 150 ) vs James Fabbri ( 155 )
Rudy Rameriz ( 155 ) vs Graham Hookano ( 155 )
George Polynin ( 155 ) vs Orion Cowell ( 155 )

Fight Card subject to change

Gila River Casino
5550 W Wild Horse Pass Road
Chandler, AZ 85246

Posted by Stephen Rhodes on June 28th, 2009 under Fight Results, Octagon Buzz Exclusive
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On June 27, 2009 World Championship Fighting presented what many fans are calling their best fight card ever, live from the Shriner’s Auditorium in Wilmington, MA. While there was no marquee main event featuring fighters who already have national recognition, the card was filled with fighters ready to break into the national spotlight. As usual for WCF, the crowd was filled with a who’s who of MMA stars. UFC Fighters Jorge Rivera and John Howard joined Mark DellaGrotte, Sean Gannon and former Middleweight Boxing Champion Dana Rosenblatt were in attendance, along with actor Kevin James, who is filming a movie locally.
 
The night’s main event featured two of New England’s best middleweights in Woody Weatherby from Renzo Gracie NH and Dan Keefe, from Brickhouse Fight Team. The fight was a war from start to finish with Keefe controlling most of the action, and Weatherby landing the cleaner strikes. Keefe pushed the pace undeterred by the big shots from Weatherby, and was able to take the fight to the ground where he was able to grind on Weatherby and rough him up a little. As the fight wore on, it turned into battle of Weatherby attempting submissions, with Keefe escaping and making Woody pay with big shots from the top. The fight came down to the wire with Weatherby locking in his best submission of the night, an arm bar that looked to be enough to finish the fight, but Keefe was able to hold on and take the hard fought victory by decision.
 
The night also featured a pair of big lightweight fights that featured four exciting and popular fighters. Calvin Kattar took on undefeated Rodrigo Almeida in the night’s co-main event, and the crowd was going crazy for both fighters from start to finish. Rodrigo was able to get in tight on Kattar and avoid his devastating punching power, and for the first time Kattar was force to show his impressive wrestling and jiu-jitsu game. As Almeida was fighting hard for a takedown, Kattar was able to lock up a tight guillotine choke and pull guard for the submission victory halfway through round 1.
 
In the second pairing of top lightweights, John Benoit and Damien Trites put on the most exciting fight of the night, a thrilling back and forth battle that truly brought out the best in both fighters. Benoit was able to land more effective punches and kicks on their feet, and bloodied Trites up quite a bit. On the floor, both fighters had their moments, but the combination of Benoit’s submission attempts and big combinations were enough to earn a decision, and get him back on track for a title run.
 
Looking ahead, World Championship Fighting also announced a featured fight for WCF 8, which will take place this fall. Wilmington’s Dan Bonnell makes his return to the ring to take on the streaking Josh LaBerge in what promises to be an exciting match up. Stay tuned for big announcements about WCF 8 in the coming weeks.
 
Official Results from WCF 7:
 
Dan Keefe def. Woody Weatherby – Split Decision
Calvin Kattar def. Rodrigo Almeida – Submission (Guillotine Choke) 2:16 R1
John Benoit def. Damien Trites — Majority Decision
Greg Rebello def. Jerry Spiegel — Unanimous Decision
Tom Moreau def. Don Carlo-Clauss — Majority Decision
Elias Rivera def. Scott Rehm — Submission (Heel Hook) 2:43 R1
Travis Bartlett def. Guillermo Echuaca — TKO (Punches) 2:18 R1
Saul Almeida def. Dan O’Keefe — Submission (Peruvian Necktie) 1:16 R1
Nick Evangelous def. Matt McKusker — TKO (Punches) 2:41 R1
Aniss Anlhajjajy def. Aaron Petrucelli — Majority Decision
Marcos Escalante def. John Walsh — Submission (Rear Naked Choke) 1:24
Zack Burhans def. Jeff Silva — Unanimous Decision
Nelson Gaipo def. Ryan White — TKO (Punches) 1:07 R1
Noah Wiseman def. Steve Beck — Submission (Rear Naked Choke) 1:50 R1

Posted by Stephen Rhodes on June 27th, 2009 under Octagon Buzz
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After a year-long layoff, lightweight Roger Huerta will face Gray Maynard at UFC Fight Night 19 in Oklahoma City, OK from the Cox Convention Center on September 16.

Reliable sources close to the event have stated  that both fighters have agreed to the bout and agreements will be signed fairly soon.  Although the pairing is nearly set, there is the outside possibility that Huerta-Maynard could be moved to UFC 103 on September 19.

Maynard has had an interesting start to his career in the UFC; he was eliminated by Nate Diaz in the finals of The Ultimate Fighter 5 as the bout ended in a no-contest.  However, he has reeled off 5 straight wins in the UFC.  Maynard has defeated the likes of Joe Veres, Jim Miller, Rich Clementi, Frankie Edgar and Dennis Siver.

Meanwhile, Huerta’s last fight was in August 2008, a loss to Kenny Florian; prior to that loss, he had put together a string oif 17 consecutive victories.  This bout with Maynard would be the last fight under Huerta’s current contract as relations between him and the UFC have baan strained a bit due to Huerta turning down a fight with Joe Stevenson in February 2008.

Posted by Stephen Rhodes on June 26th, 2009 under MMA Calendar, Octagon Buzz Exclusive
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Featured Bouts:

Woody Weatherby (Renzo Gracie NH) vs. Dan Keefe (Brickhouse)
Calvin Kattar (Premier Fight Team) vs. Rodrigo Almeida (BMAC)
John Benoit (Renzo Gracie NH) vs. Damien Trites (Wai-Kru)
Scott Rehm (Pro-Elite/Florian MMA) vs. Elias Rivera (Dog Pound)
Greg Rebello (Sit Yod Tong) vs. Jerry Spiegel
Tom Moreau (Valor) vs. Don Carlo-Clauss (Bombsquad)
Travis Bartlett (Irish) vs. Guillermo Echuaca

Main Card:

Nick Evangelous (Fenix Fight Club) vs. Matt McKusker (Champions)
Ryan Luttrell (USMMA) vs. Aniss Alhajjajy (BTT)
Jeff Silva (Premier Fight Team) vs. Zack Burhans (Bombsquad)
Nelson Gaipo (Dragon Lair) vs. Ryan White (SSSF)
Steve Beck vs. Noah Wiseman (BJJ Revolution)
John Walsh vs. Marcos Escalante (BMAC)
Dan O’Keefe (MMAT Center) vs. Saul Almieda

*Fight card subject to change.*
Tickets on Sale Now. CLICK HERE for tickets. Or charge by phone at: 1-800-595-4849 Toll Free.

Posted by Stephen Rhodes on June 21st, 2009 under Fight Results
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Below are the official card results for The Ultimate Fighter 9, which took place Saturday at The Pearl at the Palms Casino resort in Las Vegas, NV:

Preliminaries:

• Jason Dent defeated Cameron Dollar (anaconda choke), 4:56 of Round 1.
• Nick Osiczak defeated Frank Lester (rear-naked choke) 3:40 of Round 1.
• Tomasz Drwal defeated Mike Ciesnolevicz (TKO - strikes) at 4:48 of Round 1.
• Brad Blackburn defeated Edgar Garcia, split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28).
• Melvin Guillard defeated Gleison Tibau, split decision.

Main Card

• Joe Stevenson defeated Nate Diaz, unanimous decision (29-28).
• Ross Pearson defeated Andre Winner, unanimous decision (29-28).
• Chris Lytle defeated Kevin Burns, unanimous decision (29-28).
• James Wilks defeated DeMarques Johnson (rear-naked choke), 4:51 of Round 1.
• Diego Sanchez defeated Clay Guida, split decision (28-29, 29-27, 29-28) 

Posted by Stephen Rhodes on June 19th, 2009 under Octagon Buzz Exclusive
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RAGE IN THE CAGE #129
Eastern Invasion

Saturday June 27, 2009
2115 US-60 Globe, AZ ( next to Fry’s )
Doors Open: 6:00 PM, Fight Time: 7:30 PM

Special Guest: Brigade Freestyle Motocross star Vince Morgan will
provide a spectular display of high-flying motorcycle stunts while
jumping over 100 feet ramp to ramp as intermission entertainment.
Rage in the Cage tickets start at just $25. $5 higher on fight day.
A spectacular card is in place for when RITC makes its Globe debut.
In the Main Event, local Super Heavyweight Adam Padilla fights rugged
veteran Vince Lucero for the vacant RITC SHW Championship. Padilla has
two quick first round submissions in the past two months. One of those
wins was against Lucero’s teammate and friend. Lucero has vowed revenge
is his quest for this coveted title.

In a featured show-down match up to unofficially determine the best
welterweight Arizona has produced, 7X UFC veteran Drew Fickett faces
Pride and K-1 veteran Shannon Ritch. Both combatants have been fighting
MMA for over 10 years and have over 150 fights between them.

Local fighter and former RITC MW Champion Jeff Horlacher takes on David
Barnes in a regional Championship bout.

Local fighter Robert Beraun, who has a decision win and a decision loss
against former UFC Heavyweight Champion Ricco Rodriguez takes on
fearsome Super Heavyweight JoJo Thompson.

Effective immediately the AZ Commission has approved kicking and
punching to the head for all RITC bouts !!!

Don’t miss this exciting hardcore show featuring up to 14 bouts and an
exciting FMX show as well.

Fight Card:
Adam Padilla ( 270 ) vs Vince Lucero ( 300 ) vacant RITC SHW Championship

Drew Fickett ( 170 ) vs Shannon Ritch ( 175 ) UFC veteran vs Pride / K-1 Veteran

Jeff Horlacher ( 170 ) vs David Barnes ( 170 ) RITC Eastern WW Championship

Robert Beraun ( 240 ) vs JoJo Thompson ( 275 )

Jeff Pelts ( 190 ) vs Kevin Moore ( 185 )

Andy Perez ( 170 ) vs Aaron Caryl ( 170 )

Jason Long ( 235 ) vs Mike Zanski ( 250 )

Keith Dixon ( 150 ) vs John Paul Valdez ( 150 )

Josh Stockman ( 190 ) vs Jake Ramsey ( 190 )

Robert Biggs ( 160 ) vs Carl Jones ( 160 )

Justin Fletcher ( 195 ) vs Mike Moritz ( 200 )

Ty Upshur ( 145 ) vs Manny Morales ( 145 )

Jordon Kinnison ( 185 ) vs Dellan Langellier ( 180 )

Brent Agee ( 135 ) vs Brandon Martinez ( 135 )

Alternates: Brian Ingram ( 180 ), Robert Patterson ( 135 )

Fight card subject to change.

Directions:
US 60 ( 70 miles East of Phoenix ). Approximate driving time from Phoenix is less than 90 minutes

Posted by Stephen Rhodes on June 18th, 2009 under MMA Calendar
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I think it is safe to say that UFC 100 will be almost like a superstar extravaganza of sorts as eight bouts have been confirmed for UFC 100, scheduled to take place on July 11 from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, NV.  With the additional bouts signed, below is the tentative fight card for UFC 100:

Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir

Georges St. Pierre vs. Thiago Alves

Dan Henderson vs. Michael Bisping

Jon Fitch vs. Paulo Thiago

Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Alan Belcher

Stephan Bonnar vs. Mark Coleman

Jim Miller vs. Mac Danzig

Dong Hyun Kim vs. T.J. Grant

Jon Jones vs. Jake O’Brien

CB Dollaway vs. Tom Lawlor

Matt Grice vs. Shannon Gugerty