MFC 28: Supremacy officially set

‘Hell Boy’ Whitson to face ‘Ragin’ Kajan in lightweight tilt

The Maximum Fighting Championship has officially announced its first show of 2011 – MFC 28: Supremacy, and has added a fast-paced lightweight bout to the card.


MFC 28: Supremacy will take place on Friday, February 25 at the River Cree Resort and Casino, just outside Edmonton, Alberta, and will air live on HDNet Fights throughout North America at 10 p.m. ET/8 p.m. MT/7 p.m. PT (check local listings for channel designation). The upcoming card will be the MFC’s 15^th event held at The Venue at River Cree and the MFC’s 13^th to be broadcast by HDNet.
Already claiming main-event status for MFC 28: Supremacy is a showdown for the MFC light heavyweight title between Ryan “The Big Deal” Jimmo (13-1) and Dwayne “D-Bomb” Lewis (13-6).
Bolstering what will be a six-fight main card is a lightweight encounter that will pit highly touted newcomer Richie “Hell Boy” Whitson (10-1), who recently signed a four-fight contract to join the MFC, against popular fireball “Ragin” Kajan Johnson (18-11-1).



“I am immensely excited to have Richie Whitson come into the MFC, and I expect his fight with Kajan Johnson to be something incredible to watch,” stated MFC Owner/President Mark Pavelich.
Whitson, who is originally from Sitka, Alaska, and now trains in Temecula, California, hopes his organizational debut will result in a perfect belated birthday present to himself. Whitson, a former reality show competitor, turns 25 just 14 days before the bout against Johnson. He has been a bit of a globetrotter throughout his career, with fights ranging in locales from Hawaii, Hollywood, and Mexico City to his most-recent bouts which were held in Sweden and Australia.


The five-foot-nine Team Quest product has rattled off four straight wins, both by KO/TKO, and has posted five first-round victories in his career – a testament to his finish-fast approach.
“I come out swinging. I like to be aggressive and put on a good show,” said Whitson, whose only career defeat came via a contentious split-decision.


“I like to try and break people. I’m always in shape so I can keep the pressure on and break guys. The fans are going to see what I can bring. I’m never in a boring fight.”
Whitson has targeted the MFC lightweight title in his immediate future, but first he’ll have to get past Johnson, who is coming off a thoroughly dominating decision win over Ryan Healy at MFC 27 back in November. Johnson, who hails from Burns Lake, B.C., and now splits his training between Las Vegas and Vancouver, is 3-2 under the MFC/Heat XC banners with his most-notable win coming by way of a second-round TKO over Josh Russell.

Bellator Officially Announces $100,000 Season 4 Welterweight Tournament, Confirms Hornbuckle as First Official Participant

CHICAGO, Ill. (January 3, 2011) — Bellator Fighting Championships officially announced today that it will hold a Season 4 Welterweight Tournament in the promotion’s highly anticipated fourth season airing on MTV2. Eight top 170 lb. fighters will face off for a chance at claiming the Season 4 Welterweight Tournament Championship, a check for $100,000, and a shot at Bellator Welterweight World Champion Ben Askren for the title later this year.

While announcements regarding confirmed participants for the Bellator Welterweight Tournament are forthcoming, Bellator veteran and Season 2 welterweight tournament finalist Dan “The Handler” Hornbuckle is confirmed for the upcoming competition. After suffering a defeat at the hands of current champion Askren by way of unanimous decision in the Season 2 finals, Hornbuckle is eager for another shot at the belt.

“The fact that Ben Askren is going to be there waiting for me after I win this tournament keeps me motivated,” said Hornbuckle. “It keeps me waking up every morning hungry. There's never a loss that is taken easily, so I definitely want to get back in there, win this tournament, and avenge that loss.”

Even with his sights ultimately set on Askren and the Bellator crown, Hornbuckle knows he can’t look too far ahead.

“My sights are definitely still set on obtaining that Bellator gold, but the way that this tournament is shaping up, I can't look past my next fight for a second,” Hornbuckle said. “This is going to be the toughest welterweight tournament that you will ever see in MMA.”

Known for his highlight reel head kicks and flashy submissions, Hornbuckle has finished 20 of his 22 victories by knockout or submission. In 2010, Hornbuckle compiled consecutive tap out victories over the likes of Tyler Stinson and Steve Carl before picking up a hard-fought unanimous decision win over dangerous UFC veteran “Bad” Brad Blackburn.

“While our first two welterweight tournaments have been great, based on the lineup, this tournament is stacked from #1 through 8 and should be our strongest to date,” said Bellator Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “Dan’s a significant talent and I know how motivated he is to earn his way to a rematch with Ben, it’s great to have him back in”

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Dana White talks Frankie Edgar/ Gray Maynard, 10-7 rounds and why he felt UFC 125 main event was a draw

George St-Pierre vs. Jake Shields to headline UFC 129 in Toronto-Couture vs.Machida as co-main

UFC president Dana White has often predicted that the company’s biggest show will be in Toronto on April 30 at UFC 129.

He announced Saturday that Georges St. Pierre would defend the UFC welterweight title against Jake Shields in the main event of that show. Former light heavyweight champions Randy Couture and Lyoto Machida are expected to meet in the co-main event.
“If the right fight came along and again, by the right fight, I mean, one of the two guys I’ve been interested in fighting for quite a while now are either Shogun or Machida,” Couture told MMAWeekly.com in December.

“If they offered me either one of those fights tomorrow, I’d take either one of them,” he added.

Well, the right fight came along, and he accepted.

Couture, 47, had been considering retiring since less-than-significant fights against Mark Coleman and boxer James Toney his last two times out. But by getting the match with Machida, as he requested, he’ll continue his career.


Fight Card:

• Champ Georges St-Pierre vs. Jake Shields (for welterweight title)
• Randy Couture vs. Lyoto Machida*
• Mark Bocek vs. Ben Henderson*
•  Ivan Menjivar vs. Charlie Valenica *
• Pablo Garza vs. Yves Jabouin*
• Rory MacDonald vs. James Wilks*
• Jonathan Brookins vs. John Makdessi*

UFC 125 post-fight videos

Frankie after fight



Gray After fight

UFC 125 recap: Maynard and Edgar fight to a split draw, Stann upsets Leben

By Mike Johnston

UFC 125 started off 2011 with both a bang and a controversial decision in the main event for the UFC Lightweight Championship. The two headlining combatants fought to a split draw, a rarity in MMA, which resulted in Frankie Edgar retaining his lightweight title.
In the first round Gray Maynard rocked and dropped Edgar on several occasions. Edgar showed tremendous heart and resiliency by not getting finished, but it was a 10-8 round if there ever was such a thing, and all three judges scored it that way. The second round saw Edgar rebound impressively by landing overhand rights and even slamming Maynard in the middle of the round. The third round was more even, though Maynard landed some good shots and took Edgar down late in the round. The fourth round saw Edgar push the pace on a slowing Maynard and take the round. The fifth and final round saw a stalemate as both men stuffed one another’s takedowns and landed an even number of shots. The judges scored the bout Maynard 48-46, Edgar 48-46, and 47-47. A rematch is likely in the works, which leaves Anthony Pettis in no man’s land as he was set to face the winner of Edgar/Maynard and unify the WEC and UFC lightweight titles.
Canadian fans were actively voicing their opinions of the fights online on Facebook and Twitter. “There is no way that Edgar won four of five rounds,” said Carlos from Toronto. “Sick fight, but the 10-8 first round by Maynard should have been the difference and Maynard should be the champ right now. A rematch is essential”
In the co-main event, Brian Stann pulled off the upset over Chris Leben with a first round TKO victory. The win improves Stann’s record at middleweight to 2-0. Stann looked quicker and crisper than Leben and landed several big shots that dropped ‘The Cripler.’ Stann became the first fighter to stop Leben with strikes since Anderson Silva did back in 2006.

In light heavyweight action Thiago Silva dominated Brandon Vera for three rounds and ended up severely breaking the nose of Vera in the third round. On the feet, Vera was getting the better of the exchanges at the beginning of each round, however Silva was able to take Vera down and control him on the ground. Canadian fans were impressed by Silva’s performance. “Looks like Thiago Silva is back among the top 205ers,” said Becky from Victoria, B.C. “And that is the worst broken nose I’ve ever seen. I hope Vera is okay.”
At welterweight, Dong Hyun Kim won a unanimous decision over Nate Diaz much to the displeasure of the fans in attendance. Kim controlled the first two rounds by maintaining top position, although Diaz was the more active fighter, constantly looking for submissions. The third round saw Diaz stuff takedown attempts and pepper Kim with punches along the cage. Canadian fans across the country on Twitter and Facebook were displeased with the decision. “Man, that decision was a bunch of garbage,” said Robert from Brampton, ON. “Sure, Kim controlled the first round, but Nate was way more active in the second and clearly won the third round. Judging in MMA should alter how they score rounds.”
Also on the main card, Clay Guida continued his win streak by defeating Takanori Gomi by submission (guillotine choke) in the second round. The win was Guida’s third straight submission victory.
In preliminary action, Dustin Poirier derailed the Josh Grispi hype train by winning a dominant decision in their featherweight bout. Poirier controlled the action on the feet, landing damaging punches and knees from the clinch. Grispi attempted many submissions, but his opponent thwarted his efforts. Jeremy Stephens knocked out Marcus Davis in dramatic fashion in the third round of their lightweight bout. Davis was ahead on the scorecards when Stephens landed a right hand that put the ‘Irish Hand Grenade’ to sleep. Also, Brad Tavares defeated Phil Baroni in the first round in middleweight action, and Daniel Roberts submitted Greg Sotto with a kimura.
For more info on UFC 125 visit ufc.com and follow @MikeyJ_MMA on Twitter.

MAIN CARD

• Champion Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard declared a draw (48-46, 46-48, 47-47) - lightweight championship fight
• Brian Stann def. Chris Leben via TKO (strikes) - Round 1, 3:37
• Thiago Silva def. Brandon Vera via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
• Dong Hyun Kim def. Nate Diaz via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Clay Guida def. Takanori Gomi via submission (guillotine choke) - Round 2, 4:27

PRELIMINARY CARD

• Jeremy Stephens def. Marcus Davis via knockout (punch) - Round 3, 2:33
• Dustin Poirier def. Josh Grispi via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Brad Tavares def. Phil Baroni via knockout (strikes) - Round 1, 4:20
• Diego Nunes def. Mike Brown via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
• Daniel Roberts def. Greg Soto via submission (kimura) - Round 1, 3:45
• Jacob Volkmann def. Antonio McKee via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)

32 MAN Grappling Tournament updated list

New Grapplers signing up daily, make sure to get on the list before it is too late!

1. ROWAN CUNNINGHAM, 190 LBS, LIGER JIU-JITSU, ADRENALINE TRAINING CENTER

2. JAMES HAOURT, 145 LBS, LIGER JIU-JITSU, ADRENALINE TRAINING CENTER

3. BRIAN FEDYNSZYN, 225 LBS, EXTREME COUTURE TORONTO

4. MATT DUNNING, 290 LBS,

5. ANDREW ELLIOTT, 185 LBS, ADRENALINE TRAINING CENTER

6. JASON FIGLIANO, 270 LBS, Team RGDA Bolton

7. ANTHONY ROMITA, 185 LBS, Team RGDA Bolton

8. CHRIS ROWAN, 155 LBS

9. THOMAS DOYLE, 195 LBS, LIGER JIU-JITSU, ADRENALINE TRAINING CENTER

10. JEFF MUIR, 180 lbs, BRUCKMAN MARTIAL ARTS ACADEMY

11. DAN TSATSOS, 230 lbs, TEAM NOVA UNIAO

12. ANDY BURWELL, 315lbs WOODSTOCK JUDO / IRON MONKEY MMA 

13. ANDREW WALMSLEY, 180 lbs

14. CHRIS ADAIR 180 lbs, LIGER JIU-JITSU ADRENALINE TRAINING CENTER

15. DANIEL DAVIS 155 lbs FRANCO BEHRING

16. YOU----Email peckerdpromotions@gmail.com if you are interested in competing. Sign-up is FREE!!