Kaufman to Defend STRIKEFORCE Women’s Belt Against Coenen
Live on SHOWTIME® at 10 p.m. ET/PT; Ticket Pre-Sale Begins Today
SAN JOSE, Calif. (Aug. 25, 2010) – A grudge rematch that fans, media, and the confident fighters themselves have been clamoring for since the first fight ended in bloody controversy nearly three years ago, will take place on Saturday, October 9, when KJ Noons (9-1), fresh off a knockout victory last Saturday, challenges STRIKEFORCE World Welterweight (170 pounds) Champion Nick Diaz (22-7, 1 NC) in the main event at HP Pavilion here, live on SHOWTIME® (10 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the West Coast). [Read more →]
CHICAGO, Ill. (August 24, 2010) — Bellator Fighting Championships announced today that top welterweight prospect Tyler Stinson will have a second shot at Bellator tournament action this Thursday night, officially replacing a non-medically cleared Rory Markham. Stinson will take on Iraq War Veteran Steve Carl in a Season 4 Welterweight Tournament qualifier at Bellator 26, taking place at the Kansas City Power & Light District in downtown Kansas City, MO on Aug. 26th.
Stinson, a Kansas City native himself, has come a long way since winning a Bellator Season 2 open tryout in his hometown earlier this year. This will be the 24 year old’s third appearance under the Bellator banner. He was a late addition to the Season 2 Welterweight Tournament replacing an injured Sean Pierson. Although he lost his quarterfinal match-up with eventual tournament finalist Dan “The Handler” Hornbuckle, he showed tremendous heart and resilience throughout the fight. [Read more →]
CHICAGO, Ill. (August 24, 2010) — Mike “300” Hayes came out with his hand raised in victory at Bellator 21 last June at the Bellator Season 2 finale in Hollywood, Fla. Not only did the hard-hitting Washington state-native earn a convincing unanimous decision over South Carolina native Steve Banks during the event, but he was also granted entry into the Bellator Season 3 Heavyweight tournament. While this would normally be viewed as a major achievement for an up-and-coming heavyweight, Hayes was left with a bad taste in his mouth and was admittedly not happy with his performance and inability to finish the fight.
“I was very disappointed with how the fight went down that night, I felt very flat and wasn’t able to stick to my game plan,” said Hayes. “This was my first fight in a large arena and I was caught up in the moment, it won’t happen again.” [Read more →]
Although unknown to the five-year-old or those around him as he ran the South Florida streets, Jose Vega’s destiny to become a fighter was laid out for him virtually at birth.
“When I was a kid living in Florida my uncles and my dad used to get drunk together a lot,” said Vega. “One night we were outside, and there was this kid next door that always used to fight with my cousin, and they said, “We’ll give you a dollar if you go over there and punch that kid in the face”, so I went over there and punched him in the face and we got to fighting.”
Close to 15 years later Vega found himself pouring over MMA fight videos, while at the same time going on a tear through the amateur and professional ranks in his backyard of Missouri with literally not a single day of formal training under his belt.
All-in-all, Vega somehow managed to string together seven victories as a professional prior to ever stepping foot inside an MMA gym with all of his wins coming by way of submission, before a call from Bellator Fighting Championships recently gave the naturally gifted Vega the incentive he had been looking for to completely change his approach to the sport. [Read more →]
CHICAGO, Ill. (August 23, 2010) — Bellator Fighting Championships today announced the signing of heavyweight prospect D.J. “Da Protege” Linderman to its rapidly expanding roster. The California native brings an impressive 8-1 record to the promotion and is currently riding a three-fight win streak.
Although Linderman was signed after the completion of the Season 3 Heavyweight Tournament roster, he remains ready and available should there be complications with any of the remaining fighters.
“D.J. Linderman is a great addition to our heavyweight talent-pool,” said Bellator Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “He is a powerful heavyweight that has a tremendous amount of potential. We’re happy to have him on board and look forward to see what he does in our steadily growing heavyweight division.”
Standing at 6′2” tall and tipping the scales near the 250 lb. mark, Linderman has made use of an impressive wrestling base to rack up eight impressive victories in the heavyweight division during his two years spent as a professional in the sport. A skilled ground fighter, Linderman works for the takedown and looks to control his fights on the canvas before utilizing brutal ground and pound or making use of his dangerous submission arsenal.
At just 26-years-old, Linderman currently trains out of Team Do Somethin’ in Yreka, CA. Da Protege holds an impressive victory over Bellator Season 3 Heavyweight Tournament participant Mike “300” Hayes as well as a KO win against American Top Team veteran Mario Rinaldi last November.
Sept 10th eight-man, single-elimination Grand Prix Tournament
FAIRFAX, VA (August 23, 2010) – In their quest to mold Shine Fights Promotions into MMA’s most fan-friendly organization, CEO Devin Price and COO Jason Chambers have taken the unprecedented step of allowing Shine fans to play matchmaker for the company’s upcoming Lightweight Grand Prix Tournament, which will be televised nationally on Pay Per View. Eight of the fight world’s best 155-pound competitors have been selected to put their skills to the test against one another on Sept 10th at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, VA. History will be made, as fans have never been given the opportunity to actually choose the fights they want to see. Now, they can mix and match those eight fighters in order to create the four opening-round bouts that they want to see. The combinations with the most votes will be selected as the official bouts. Suggestions should be emailed to GrandPrixPick@Shinefights.com. [Read more →]
CHICAGO, Ill. (August 23, 2010) — Bellator Fighting Championships today announced the Local Feature Fights for Bellator 26 taking place in Kansas City, MO. at the Kansas City Power & Light District on August 26th. Headlining the local main event are Kansas City native and Bellator veteran Rudy Bears (11-5), who looks to avenge his 2008 submission loss to Springfield, MO’s own Zak Cummings (10-2).
The Kansas City rivalries continue with KC knockout artist Brian Davidson (5-2) taking on Columbia, MO’s Kevin Croom (1-1) in the Local Co-Main Event. Both Davidson and Croom will be looking for their first Bellator victories, so fans should expect an impressive display. [Read more →]
Toney makes UFC debut live on pay-per-view on Aug. 28
Against Hall of Famer Randy Couture
Las Vegas, NV (USA) – With the sports world buzzing about the UFC debut of former world boxing champion James Toney, some of the biggest names in boxing and MMA have come together to offer their opinions on his epic fight with Hall of Famer Randy Couture on Aug. 28. Before the two legends lock horns inside the Octagon® at TD Garden in Boston live on Pay-Per-View, we take a look at the thoughts, opinions, and predictions of some of the world’s finest fighters and personalities.
UFC light heavyweight Phil Davis
Prediction: Couture by Decision
“It would be great for a guy like James Toney to build a name for himself in MMA but I’m going to have to go with Couture because of the cage experience that he has. It should be an entertaining fight. I feel like it could go the distance. I’m going to say it will go three rounds and Couture will win 29-28.” [Read more →]
Las Vegas, NV – UFC President Dana White will give his keynote speech at the UFC® FAN EXPO™ on Saturday, Aug. 28 at 1pm ET at the main stage inside the John B. Hynes Convention Center in Boston. Immediately following the keynote speech, White will take part in a Question and Answer session with fans.
With strong ties to the Boston area, White is excited to return to his roots and present the East Coast with an event featuring some of the sport’s most influential fighters, brands, and sponsors.
“It has always been my dream to bring an event to Boston,” White said. “With UFC 118 and the Fan Expo, we’re delivering a weekend fans in the Northeast won’t want to miss.”
This year’s UFC Fan Expo leads into UFC® 118: EDGAR vs. PENN 2 Presented by TAPOUT®, featuring the lightweight title rematch between champion Frankie Edgar and former division kingpin BJ Penn. For more UFC Fan Expo information and to purchase tickets, visit UFCfanexpo.com. For companies interested in reserving space at this premier event, contact Ed Gallo, Event Director at 1-203-840-5546 or email egallo@ufcfanexpo.com.
SAN JOSE, CALIF. (Aug. 21, 2010) – The STRIKEFORCE men’s and women’s Welterweight World Champions Nick Diaz (170-pounds) and Sarah Kaufman (135-pounds) will return to the cage on Saturday, Oct. 9 at HP Pavilion in San Jose, LIVE on SHOWTIME® (10 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the west coast).
Diaz will face an opponent to be named in the coming week while Kaufman will defend her title against Dutch superstar Marloes Coenen.
Also on the explosive card, emerging star from the Strikeforce Challengers series Luke Rockhold will risk his six-fight win streak against MMA superstar and former Olympic wrestling silver medalist Matt “The Law” Lindland in a featured middleweight (185 pounds) contest. [Read more →]
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