Here is Eddie Alvarez fighting Michael Chandler from Bellator 58 which took place on 11/19/11 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Florida.
Michael Chandler and Eddie Alvarez will meet again at Bellator 106 this Saturday.
Epic finish.
Bellator 106 takes place on November 2, 2013 in Long Beach, California the card will be shown on Spike TV and Spike.com.
SPIKE TV MAIN CARD
Michael Chandler v. Eddie Alvarez - LW TITLE
Muhammed Lawal v. Emanuel Newton - INTERIM LHW TITLE
Pat Curran v. Daniel Straus - FW TITLE
Mike Bronzoulis v. Joe Riggs - FIGHTMASTER TITLE
Mike Richman v. Akop Stepanyan
SPIKE.COM PRELIM CARD
Jesse Juarez v. Joe Williams
Brandon Halsey v. Hector Ramirez
Mike Guymon v. Aaron Miller
Joe Camacho v. Cleber Luciano
Darren Smith v. Josh Smith
Showing posts with label Eddie Alavarez. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Eddie Alavarez. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Video of the Day - Aoki v. Alvarez
Here is Shinya Aoki v. Eddie Alvarez from K-1: Dynamite which took place on 12/31/08.
Aoki v. Alvarez II takes place this Saturday at Bellator 66.
Aoki v. Alvarez II takes place this Saturday at Bellator 66.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Bellator Season 4 Round-Up
Bellator Season 4 kicked off this past Saturday from the Tachi Palace Casino in Lenmoore, California. The welterweight tournament was wittled down to the final four, as Rick Hawn, Jay Hieron, Lyman Good and Brent Weedman advanced.
It appears that champions will fight mainly in non-title bouts this season. Women's champ Zoila Frausto won her return to Bellator with a unanimous decision win over Katrina Hallinan.
Featherweight Tournament - 1st Round BFC 37
Patricio Freire (14-1, 2-1 BFC) v Georgi Karakhanyan (14-2-1)
Kenny Foster (8-2, 1-0 BFC) v Eric Larkin (3-0, 1-0 BFC)
Zac George (20-3, 0-0 BFC) v Wilson Reis (11-2, 3-2 BFC)
Daniel Straus (14-3, 1-0 BFC) v Nazareno Malegarie (19-0)
LHW Tournament - 1st Round BFC 38
Daniel Gracie (5-2-1) v Tim Carpenter (6-0, 1-0 BFC)
Nik Fekete (4-0) v Richard Hale (15-3)
Chris Davis (10-2) v Christian M'Pumbu (15-3-1)
DJ Linderman (8-1) v Raphael Davis (10-1)
Lightweight Tournament - 2nd Round Qualifiers
Mike Chandler (6-0, 3-0 BFC)- Chandler deated the hyped European prospect Marcin Held in the first round via an arm triangle choke. Chandler posseses a solid ground game with 3 submissions and 3 TKO's, most due to ground and pound.
Toby Imada (29-15, 5-2 BFC)- After the odd last second withdrawl of his original opponent Ferrid Kheder, Imada bested the undefeated Josh Shockley via armbar just under 80 seconds into the first round. With a vaunted ground game, expect the Bellator vet to keep looking for submissions.
Lloyd Woodward (11-0)- The undefeated Woodward was able to win in his toughest test to date with a second round TKO of Carey Vanier. Showing excellent takedown defense throughout the bout, Woodward landed a left hook in the second before finishing off Vanier.
Patricky Freire (8-1)- Friere impressed in his MMA debut taking out the noted striker Razor Rob McCullough in the first round. Friere had a solid first round, but probably lost the second. In the third, Friere connected on a solid right hand, pushing him into the second round.
2nd Round Qualifiers following BFC 35
Rick Hawn (10-0, 2-0 BFC)- Hawn won a stand-up battle against fellow judo blackbelt Jim Wallhead. Hawn has improving boxing skills with high level grappling. Hawn finished 9th in the 2004 Olympics in Judo.
Lyman Good (11-1, 4-1 BFC)- Good maintained constant pressure on Chris Lozano in his opening round match-up for a unanimous decision victory. Good will look to use his power striking in a second round match-up against high level judo player Rick Hawn.
Brent Weedman (18-5, 4-0 BFC)- Weedman won a tough decision against Dan Hornbuckle that could have gone either way. Weedman suffered a cut above his right eye in the scrap. Weedman has solid grappling. Weedman will be looking for another solid performance in his second round match-up against Jay Hieron.
Jay Hieron (20-4, 1-0 BFC)- Hieron dominated Anthony Lapsley for the entire fight before an interesting ending. Ref Josh Rosenthal believed that Lapsley was out following a rear naked choke despite a protest. Regardless, Hieron's grappling proved too much for Lapsley in his 3 and a half minutes of action. Hieron did not suffer any damage in his fight.
Current Bellator Champions:
Cole Konrad - HW (7-0, 5-0 BFC)
Hector Lombard - MW (27-2, 6-0 BFC)
Ben Askren - WW (7-0, 4-0 BFC)
Eddie Alvarez - LW (21-2, 5-0 BFC)
Joe Warren - FW (6-1, 4-0 BFC)
Zach Makovsky - BW (12-2, 4-0 BFC)
Zoila Frausto - Women's 115 (11-1, 5-0 BFC)
Champions Fights:
Zoila Frausto won a unanimous decision over Katrina Hallinan
Eddie Alvarez fights Pat Curran (12-3, 3-0 BFC) at BFC 39
Ben Askren fights Nick Thompson (38-13, 0-0 BFC) at BFC 40
Zach Makovsky fights Chad Robichaux (11-0, 0-0 BFC) at BFC 41
Hector Lombard fights Falaniko Vitale (28-9, 0-0 BFC) at BFC 44
(Eddie Alvarez)
It appears that champions will fight mainly in non-title bouts this season. Women's champ Zoila Frausto won her return to Bellator with a unanimous decision win over Katrina Hallinan.
Featherweight Tournament - 1st Round BFC 37
Patricio Freire (14-1, 2-1 BFC) v Georgi Karakhanyan (14-2-1)
Kenny Foster (8-2, 1-0 BFC) v Eric Larkin (3-0, 1-0 BFC)
Zac George (20-3, 0-0 BFC) v Wilson Reis (11-2, 3-2 BFC)
Daniel Straus (14-3, 1-0 BFC) v Nazareno Malegarie (19-0)
LHW Tournament - 1st Round BFC 38
Daniel Gracie (5-2-1) v Tim Carpenter (6-0, 1-0 BFC)
Nik Fekete (4-0) v Richard Hale (15-3)
Chris Davis (10-2) v Christian M'Pumbu (15-3-1)
DJ Linderman (8-1) v Raphael Davis (10-1)
Lightweight Tournament - 2nd Round Qualifiers
Mike Chandler (6-0, 3-0 BFC)- Chandler deated the hyped European prospect Marcin Held in the first round via an arm triangle choke. Chandler posseses a solid ground game with 3 submissions and 3 TKO's, most due to ground and pound.
Toby Imada (29-15, 5-2 BFC)- After the odd last second withdrawl of his original opponent Ferrid Kheder, Imada bested the undefeated Josh Shockley via armbar just under 80 seconds into the first round. With a vaunted ground game, expect the Bellator vet to keep looking for submissions.
Lloyd Woodward (11-0)- The undefeated Woodward was able to win in his toughest test to date with a second round TKO of Carey Vanier. Showing excellent takedown defense throughout the bout, Woodward landed a left hook in the second before finishing off Vanier.
Patricky Freire (8-1)- Friere impressed in his MMA debut taking out the noted striker Razor Rob McCullough in the first round. Friere had a solid first round, but probably lost the second. In the third, Friere connected on a solid right hand, pushing him into the second round.
2nd Round Qualifiers following BFC 35
Rick Hawn (10-0, 2-0 BFC)- Hawn won a stand-up battle against fellow judo blackbelt Jim Wallhead. Hawn has improving boxing skills with high level grappling. Hawn finished 9th in the 2004 Olympics in Judo.
Lyman Good (11-1, 4-1 BFC)- Good maintained constant pressure on Chris Lozano in his opening round match-up for a unanimous decision victory. Good will look to use his power striking in a second round match-up against high level judo player Rick Hawn.
Brent Weedman (18-5, 4-0 BFC)- Weedman won a tough decision against Dan Hornbuckle that could have gone either way. Weedman suffered a cut above his right eye in the scrap. Weedman has solid grappling. Weedman will be looking for another solid performance in his second round match-up against Jay Hieron.
Jay Hieron (20-4, 1-0 BFC)- Hieron dominated Anthony Lapsley for the entire fight before an interesting ending. Ref Josh Rosenthal believed that Lapsley was out following a rear naked choke despite a protest. Regardless, Hieron's grappling proved too much for Lapsley in his 3 and a half minutes of action. Hieron did not suffer any damage in his fight.
Current Bellator Champions:
Cole Konrad - HW (7-0, 5-0 BFC)
Hector Lombard - MW (27-2, 6-0 BFC)
Ben Askren - WW (7-0, 4-0 BFC)
Eddie Alvarez - LW (21-2, 5-0 BFC)
Joe Warren - FW (6-1, 4-0 BFC)
Zach Makovsky - BW (12-2, 4-0 BFC)
Zoila Frausto - Women's 115 (11-1, 5-0 BFC)
Champions Fights:
Zoila Frausto won a unanimous decision over Katrina Hallinan
Eddie Alvarez fights Pat Curran (12-3, 3-0 BFC) at BFC 39
Ben Askren fights Nick Thompson (38-13, 0-0 BFC) at BFC 40
Zach Makovsky fights Chad Robichaux (11-0, 0-0 BFC) at BFC 41
Hector Lombard fights Falaniko Vitale (28-9, 0-0 BFC) at BFC 44
(Eddie Alvarez)
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Video of the Day - Alvarez v. Kawajiri
Here is Eddie Alvarez fighting Tatsuya Kawajiri in Dream 5 - Lightweight Grand Prix which took place on 7/21/08 in Osaka, Japan.
Eddie next fights Roger Huerta in a non-title fight at Bellator 33 in Philadelphia, PA.
Eddie next fights Roger Huerta in a non-title fight at Bellator 33 in Philadelphia, PA.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Video of the Day - Bellator 5
Bellator Fighting Championships has been flying pretty low under the radar during its first season. This past weekend, Eddie Alvarez won his second straight match, this time over Eric Reynolds to make the finals of the 8 man 155 pound tournament.
Another favorite in the 155 pound division, Jorge Masvidal, clashed with submission fighter Tony Imada. Unfortuantely, Bellator won't get the Masvidal v. Alvarez finale they probably wanted, but they got this awesome submission clip.
Another favorite in the 155 pound division, Jorge Masvidal, clashed with submission fighter Tony Imada. Unfortuantely, Bellator won't get the Masvidal v. Alvarez finale they probably wanted, but they got this awesome submission clip.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Bellator Fighting Championships
Bellator Fighting Championships is slated to debut on ESPN Deportes on April 4, 2009. The format of the show will consist of 12 episodes with a run time of 2 hours shown on tape delay. The shows will feature 8 man tournaments in the 145, 155, 170 and 185 pound divisions played out over 3 months. There will also be non-tournament bouts featured.
Here are five quality fighters that are rumored tourney participants:
Wilson Reis (6-0) is an intriguing prospect in the featherweight, 145 pound, division. Wilson is a BJJ blackbelt who grew up in Brazil and moved to the states a few years ago. The submission specialist has 3 submission and 3 decision victories on his resume with a 4-0 mark in Pro Elite's Elite XC and Sho XC organizations. His last two victories were over Abel Cullum (13-2) and Brian Caraway (10-3).
*Wilson is slated to face Henry Martinez on April 10th.
(Wilson Reis pictured)
Eddie Alvarez (15-2) made a name for himself last year by having an excellent run in the Dream Lightweight Grand Prix. His entertaining street brawling mixed with wrestling style thrilled the fight fans of Japan as he beat Andre Amade, Joachim Hansen and Kawajiri in the tournament. Eddie is a former BoDog 170 pound champ, knocking out veteran fighter Derrick Noble (23-11) in 1:01 of the first round for the title, he defended the title over UFC vet Aaron Riley. In his last fight, Alvarez was baited to the ground by submission wizard Shinya Aoki and submitted via heel hook in the first round.
*Eddie is slated to face Greg Loughran (18-11) on April 3rd.
(Eddie Alvarez pictured)
Jorge Masvidal (16-3) is a 155 pound American Top Team member fighting out of Miami, Florida. He has lighting quick hands and feet which have produced some outstanding knockouts. Jorge has fought in the Sengoku/World Victory Road, Strikeforce and Bodog promotions. His big victories have come over UFC vets Yves Edwards, Joe Lauzon and IFL champ Ryan Schultz.
*Jorge is slated to face Nick Agallar (21-5) on April 3rd.
(Jorge Masvidal pictured)
Hector Lombard (18-2) is a famous 185 pound Cuban fighter with an excellent Judo background. Hector brings a 10 fight win streak into Bellator. He won the Australian based Cage Fighting Championships MW belt in November of 2007 and has defended three straight times. In his last fight, Hector beat Brian Ebersole (37-15) in the fourth round via a submission due to punches.
*Hector is slated to face Virgil Lozano (6-1) April 17th.
(Hector Lombard pictured)
Dave Menne (42-15) was the first Middleweight Champion of the UFC when he defeated Gil Castillo at UFC 33. Menne has been competing since 96' and has many victories not listed among his official 42 victories. His other big career moments were winning tournaments in Hook and Shoot, Extreme Challenge, Gladiators and Shidokan. Menne has big victories were over Carlos Newton, Jose Landi-Jons, Chris Lytle, Roberto Traven and Dennis Hallman. He'll be competing in the 170 pound tournament.
*Menne is slated to face Norman Paraisy (5-0) on April 17th.
(Dave Menne pictured)
Here are five quality fighters that are rumored tourney participants:
Wilson Reis (6-0) is an intriguing prospect in the featherweight, 145 pound, division. Wilson is a BJJ blackbelt who grew up in Brazil and moved to the states a few years ago. The submission specialist has 3 submission and 3 decision victories on his resume with a 4-0 mark in Pro Elite's Elite XC and Sho XC organizations. His last two victories were over Abel Cullum (13-2) and Brian Caraway (10-3).
*Wilson is slated to face Henry Martinez on April 10th.
(Wilson Reis pictured)
Eddie Alvarez (15-2) made a name for himself last year by having an excellent run in the Dream Lightweight Grand Prix. His entertaining street brawling mixed with wrestling style thrilled the fight fans of Japan as he beat Andre Amade, Joachim Hansen and Kawajiri in the tournament. Eddie is a former BoDog 170 pound champ, knocking out veteran fighter Derrick Noble (23-11) in 1:01 of the first round for the title, he defended the title over UFC vet Aaron Riley. In his last fight, Alvarez was baited to the ground by submission wizard Shinya Aoki and submitted via heel hook in the first round.
*Eddie is slated to face Greg Loughran (18-11) on April 3rd.
(Eddie Alvarez pictured)
Jorge Masvidal (16-3) is a 155 pound American Top Team member fighting out of Miami, Florida. He has lighting quick hands and feet which have produced some outstanding knockouts. Jorge has fought in the Sengoku/World Victory Road, Strikeforce and Bodog promotions. His big victories have come over UFC vets Yves Edwards, Joe Lauzon and IFL champ Ryan Schultz.
*Jorge is slated to face Nick Agallar (21-5) on April 3rd.
(Jorge Masvidal pictured)
Hector Lombard (18-2) is a famous 185 pound Cuban fighter with an excellent Judo background. Hector brings a 10 fight win streak into Bellator. He won the Australian based Cage Fighting Championships MW belt in November of 2007 and has defended three straight times. In his last fight, Hector beat Brian Ebersole (37-15) in the fourth round via a submission due to punches.
*Hector is slated to face Virgil Lozano (6-1) April 17th.
(Hector Lombard pictured)
Dave Menne (42-15) was the first Middleweight Champion of the UFC when he defeated Gil Castillo at UFC 33. Menne has been competing since 96' and has many victories not listed among his official 42 victories. His other big career moments were winning tournaments in Hook and Shoot, Extreme Challenge, Gladiators and Shidokan. Menne has big victories were over Carlos Newton, Jose Landi-Jons, Chris Lytle, Roberto Traven and Dennis Hallman. He'll be competing in the 170 pound tournament.
*Menne is slated to face Norman Paraisy (5-0) on April 17th.
(Dave Menne pictured)
Sunday, December 7, 2008
FEG Fields Dynamite NYE Show
FEG, the same group behind Dream and K-1 will host an annual New Years Eve show on December 31st in Saitama Super Arena in Japan. The event will most likely be broadcast on HDNet at an odd time, so make sure to set your DVR. There are 4 bouts that will be fought under K-1 kickboxing rules. It will be interesting to see top ten fighters Kawajiri(155) and Mousasi(185) fight under K-1 rules. It has been interesting as fights keep getting added as we get closer to fight time.
MMA Fights
Hong Man Choi vs. Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic- Cro Cop is fighting for the first time since his notorious fight with Alistair Overeem. That was called a no contest after repeated Overeem knees to Cro Cop's groin. Cro Cop's career seemed to have peaked in 2006 when he won the Pride Absolute Grand Prix with wins over Josh Barnett, Wanderlei Silva, Hidehiko Yoshida, and Ikuhisa Minowa. Since then he has won over Eddie Sanchez and Tatsuya Mizuno, while not looking himself against Cheick Kongo, Gabriel Gonzaga and Alistair Overeem.
(Cro Cop KO of Don Caras, Jr.)
Hong Man Choi has not fought MMA since a loss last New Years Eve to Fedor. Choi at 7'2" 300 pounds or so will have a distinct size advantage. It will be interesting to see what Cro Cop's gameplan will be. It might be to take Choi down, but Cro Cop will have to take punishment to use that manuever. Interesting fight.
(Hong Man Choi throwing a kick in K-1)
Mark Hunt vs. Jerome Le Banner- Expect this fight to be a stand-up war. Both fighters excelled in K-1 kickboxing competition. Hunt will be carrying a weight advantage going into the fight. Le Banner beat Junichi Sawayashiki before losing to eventual winner Remy Bonjasky in the 2008 K-1 Grand Prix this year. Le Banner has a 3-1 MMA record and a 74-16 kickboxing record. Among his three MMA victories are Yoshihiro Akiyama and Jimmy Abriz.
*Le Banner has repordedly withdrawn at the last minute due to the flu. Melvin Manhoef will take his place.
(Jerome Le Banner pictured)
Hunt has a prior KO victory over Le Banner in K-1 during his championship run. Hunt is looking for his first win since 2006 as he has lost three MMA fights in a row to Fedor, Alistair Overeem, and Josh Barnett, all top competition. Hunt has notable wins in MMA over Tsuyoshi Kohsaka, Cro Cop, Dan Bobish and Wanderlei Silva. A highly decorated kickboxer, Hunt won the K-1 World Grand Prix in 2001.
(Mark Hunt pictured)
Eddie Alvarez vs. Shin'ya Aoki- This is the fight most fans are clamoring about as two of the best lightweights will tangle. Alvarez is generally ranked as the number 2 lightweight behind BJ Penn. Alvarez has had a breakout year, notching 4 wins including Joachim Hansen, Tatsuya Kawajiri and Ross Ebanez.
(Eddie Alvarez pictured)
Aoki, a submission wizard, has also had an excellent year, going 4-1 with a win over JZ Calvancante. Aoki has one of the top submissions of the year over Katsuhiko Nagata with a mounted gogoplata. Aoki also has wins over Joachim Hansen, Caol Uno, Jason Black and George Sotiropoulos.
(Aoki choking out Clay French)
Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Kiyoshi Tamura- Sakuraba is an MMA Legend having wins over Rampage Jackson, Vitor Belfort, Royce Gracie, Renzo Gracie, Masakatsu Funaki, Kevin Randleman and Carlos Newton. He had a three fight winning streak going before losing to knock-out artist Melvin Manhoef at Dream 4. This will be Sakuraba's first fight in 6 months.
(Sakuraba cartwheel guard pass on Vitor Belfort)
While Kiyoshi Tamura is not very well known in the United States, his resume speaks for itself. The 39 year old former pro wrestler, catch wrestler and mixed martial artist has gone 32-13 in his mma career. He is tough with wins over Ikuhisa Minowa, Pat Miletich, Renzo Gracie, Dave Menne and Maurice Smith.
(Tamura getting an armbar on Rony Sefo)
Gesias "JZ" Calvancante vs. Joachim Hansen- Calvancante's 2008 was not very spectacular as the lightweight was in a no-contest against Shinya Aoki, then lost a unanimous decision to Aoki in Dream 1 and 2. Calvancante is a strong stand-up fighter, and I would expect this fight to be nothing less. JZ has wins over Vitor Ribeiro, Nam Phan, Caol Uno and Rani Yahya. Hansen won a majority decision over JZ in 2004.
(JZ Calvancante pictured)
Joachim Hansen is always a fan favorite with his killer instincts and slug it out mentality. He recently defeated Shinya Aoki for the Dream lightweight tournament championship. Hansen has quick hands, notching him victories over Luiz Azeredo, Masakazu Imanari, Takanori Gomi and Rumina Sato.
(Joachim Hansen pictured)
"Kinniku Mantaro" vs. Bob Sapp- Wow is all I have to say about this match-up. With the Japanese crowd loving to be entertained, this match will feature Japanese wrester Akihito Tanaka wearing a mask of anime charater Kinniku Mantaro. Bob Sapp is already enough of a character. This match will be interesting to say the least.
Semmy Schilt vs. Siala "Mighty Mo" Siliga- This is a fight between two excellent stand-up oriented fighters. Schilt has won the K-1 Grand Prix, and Mighty Mo is renowned for his punching power. Schilt will have the size advantage as he stands 6'11".
Daisuke Nakamura vs. Hideo Tokoro - These are two veteran Japanese fighters. Nakamura (18-9) is a Pride, Dream, M-1 and Deep veteran who owns 11 submission victories. Tokoro (21-14) is a Dream, K-1 and Shooto veteran who owns 13 submission victories.
Hayato "Mach" Sakurai vs. Katsuyori Shibata
Andy Ologun vs. Yukio Sakaguchi
Ikuhisa "Minowaman" Minowa vs. Errol Zimmerman
K-1 Fights
Alistair Overeem v. Badr Hari- This fight was recently signed. Hari, an elite K-1 level kickboxer, advanced to the 2008 K-1 Grand Prix finals before getting DQ'd in a match against Remy Bonjasky. Hari, in a very strange sequence, took Bonjasky to the ground, threw some punches, and then a foot stomp. Hari, who completely disregarded K-1 rules, never fully explained the incident. Hari has around 78 kickboxing victories to around 8 defeats. He is a former K-1 HW champ.
Alistair Overeem has seen some controversy this year as well, when he had a fight ruled a no contest after repeatedly striking Mirko Cro Cop in the groin. Overeem had a sizable advantage on the judges scorecards when he used that tactic. Overeem has a 4 fight win streak, having beat Paul Buentello, Tae Hyun Lee, Mark Hunt and Gary Goodridge all before the end of the second round. His kickboxing record is around 4 wins to 2 defeats, but hasn't competed in professional kickboxing in a long time.
My guess is that K-1 wants to get these fighters for the publicity they will generate. Alistair has to be getting paid mega dollars to take this match under K-1 rules.
Hiroya vs. Shimada Shota
Kusakabe Ryuya vs. Urabe Koya
Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Kozo Takeda
Gegard Mousasi vs. Musashi
Artur Kyshenko vs. Yoshihiro Sato
MMA Fights
Hong Man Choi vs. Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic- Cro Cop is fighting for the first time since his notorious fight with Alistair Overeem. That was called a no contest after repeated Overeem knees to Cro Cop's groin. Cro Cop's career seemed to have peaked in 2006 when he won the Pride Absolute Grand Prix with wins over Josh Barnett, Wanderlei Silva, Hidehiko Yoshida, and Ikuhisa Minowa. Since then he has won over Eddie Sanchez and Tatsuya Mizuno, while not looking himself against Cheick Kongo, Gabriel Gonzaga and Alistair Overeem.
(Cro Cop KO of Don Caras, Jr.)
Hong Man Choi has not fought MMA since a loss last New Years Eve to Fedor. Choi at 7'2" 300 pounds or so will have a distinct size advantage. It will be interesting to see what Cro Cop's gameplan will be. It might be to take Choi down, but Cro Cop will have to take punishment to use that manuever. Interesting fight.
(Hong Man Choi throwing a kick in K-1)
Mark Hunt vs. Jerome Le Banner- Expect this fight to be a stand-up war. Both fighters excelled in K-1 kickboxing competition. Hunt will be carrying a weight advantage going into the fight. Le Banner beat Junichi Sawayashiki before losing to eventual winner Remy Bonjasky in the 2008 K-1 Grand Prix this year. Le Banner has a 3-1 MMA record and a 74-16 kickboxing record. Among his three MMA victories are Yoshihiro Akiyama and Jimmy Abriz.
*Le Banner has repordedly withdrawn at the last minute due to the flu. Melvin Manhoef will take his place.
(Jerome Le Banner pictured)
Hunt has a prior KO victory over Le Banner in K-1 during his championship run. Hunt is looking for his first win since 2006 as he has lost three MMA fights in a row to Fedor, Alistair Overeem, and Josh Barnett, all top competition. Hunt has notable wins in MMA over Tsuyoshi Kohsaka, Cro Cop, Dan Bobish and Wanderlei Silva. A highly decorated kickboxer, Hunt won the K-1 World Grand Prix in 2001.
(Mark Hunt pictured)
Eddie Alvarez vs. Shin'ya Aoki- This is the fight most fans are clamoring about as two of the best lightweights will tangle. Alvarez is generally ranked as the number 2 lightweight behind BJ Penn. Alvarez has had a breakout year, notching 4 wins including Joachim Hansen, Tatsuya Kawajiri and Ross Ebanez.
(Eddie Alvarez pictured)
Aoki, a submission wizard, has also had an excellent year, going 4-1 with a win over JZ Calvancante. Aoki has one of the top submissions of the year over Katsuhiko Nagata with a mounted gogoplata. Aoki also has wins over Joachim Hansen, Caol Uno, Jason Black and George Sotiropoulos.
(Aoki choking out Clay French)
Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Kiyoshi Tamura- Sakuraba is an MMA Legend having wins over Rampage Jackson, Vitor Belfort, Royce Gracie, Renzo Gracie, Masakatsu Funaki, Kevin Randleman and Carlos Newton. He had a three fight winning streak going before losing to knock-out artist Melvin Manhoef at Dream 4. This will be Sakuraba's first fight in 6 months.
(Sakuraba cartwheel guard pass on Vitor Belfort)
While Kiyoshi Tamura is not very well known in the United States, his resume speaks for itself. The 39 year old former pro wrestler, catch wrestler and mixed martial artist has gone 32-13 in his mma career. He is tough with wins over Ikuhisa Minowa, Pat Miletich, Renzo Gracie, Dave Menne and Maurice Smith.
(Tamura getting an armbar on Rony Sefo)
Gesias "JZ" Calvancante vs. Joachim Hansen- Calvancante's 2008 was not very spectacular as the lightweight was in a no-contest against Shinya Aoki, then lost a unanimous decision to Aoki in Dream 1 and 2. Calvancante is a strong stand-up fighter, and I would expect this fight to be nothing less. JZ has wins over Vitor Ribeiro, Nam Phan, Caol Uno and Rani Yahya. Hansen won a majority decision over JZ in 2004.
(JZ Calvancante pictured)
Joachim Hansen is always a fan favorite with his killer instincts and slug it out mentality. He recently defeated Shinya Aoki for the Dream lightweight tournament championship. Hansen has quick hands, notching him victories over Luiz Azeredo, Masakazu Imanari, Takanori Gomi and Rumina Sato.
(Joachim Hansen pictured)
"Kinniku Mantaro" vs. Bob Sapp- Wow is all I have to say about this match-up. With the Japanese crowd loving to be entertained, this match will feature Japanese wrester Akihito Tanaka wearing a mask of anime charater Kinniku Mantaro. Bob Sapp is already enough of a character. This match will be interesting to say the least.
Semmy Schilt vs. Siala "Mighty Mo" Siliga- This is a fight between two excellent stand-up oriented fighters. Schilt has won the K-1 Grand Prix, and Mighty Mo is renowned for his punching power. Schilt will have the size advantage as he stands 6'11".
Daisuke Nakamura vs. Hideo Tokoro - These are two veteran Japanese fighters. Nakamura (18-9) is a Pride, Dream, M-1 and Deep veteran who owns 11 submission victories. Tokoro (21-14) is a Dream, K-1 and Shooto veteran who owns 13 submission victories.
Hayato "Mach" Sakurai vs. Katsuyori Shibata
Andy Ologun vs. Yukio Sakaguchi
Ikuhisa "Minowaman" Minowa vs. Errol Zimmerman
K-1 Fights
Alistair Overeem v. Badr Hari- This fight was recently signed. Hari, an elite K-1 level kickboxer, advanced to the 2008 K-1 Grand Prix finals before getting DQ'd in a match against Remy Bonjasky. Hari, in a very strange sequence, took Bonjasky to the ground, threw some punches, and then a foot stomp. Hari, who completely disregarded K-1 rules, never fully explained the incident. Hari has around 78 kickboxing victories to around 8 defeats. He is a former K-1 HW champ.
Alistair Overeem has seen some controversy this year as well, when he had a fight ruled a no contest after repeatedly striking Mirko Cro Cop in the groin. Overeem had a sizable advantage on the judges scorecards when he used that tactic. Overeem has a 4 fight win streak, having beat Paul Buentello, Tae Hyun Lee, Mark Hunt and Gary Goodridge all before the end of the second round. His kickboxing record is around 4 wins to 2 defeats, but hasn't competed in professional kickboxing in a long time.
My guess is that K-1 wants to get these fighters for the publicity they will generate. Alistair has to be getting paid mega dollars to take this match under K-1 rules.
Hiroya vs. Shimada Shota
Kusakabe Ryuya vs. Urabe Koya
Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Kozo Takeda
Gegard Mousasi vs. Musashi
Artur Kyshenko vs. Yoshihiro Sato
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Elite XC Goes Under!
Story by MMA Blaster
It appears that the paperwork has been filed and Elite XC has kicked the proverbial bucket. Their assets will be sold at public auction shortly. I enjoyed the promotion as they had some great fighters and put on a decent card. There are quite a few top free agents that will hit the market in the short term. Here are some of the Elite XC fighter list.
Eddie Alvarez- After his performance in the Dream lightweight tournament, Alvarez will most likely continue to see big paydays in Japan. I wouldn't be surprised to see him fight on New Years Eve versus Joachim Hansen. Alvarez is an extremely exciting young fighters with wins over Tatsuya Kawajiri, Joachim Hansen, Andre Amade, Aaron Riley, Derrick Noble, Matt Lee and Ross Ebanez.
Nick Diaz- Diaz probably wants to remain fighting at a catch-weight of 160. He has many fights he can do in Japan against the aforementioned Alvarez, a rematch with Takanori Gomi in World Victor Road, Shinya Aoki or many others. His brother has been on a roll in the UFC, and it is unlikely the UFC wants to deal with him.
Jake Shields- Shields already has called out Georges St. Pierre at a press conference after a quick win against Nick Thompson to get the WW Elite XC belt. He may of eaten some punches, but he was also able to finish off Paul Daley in his latest defense. With few good opponents at 170 for Jake to fight, the UFC has intriguing match-ups. Shields holds wins over Yushin Okami, Carlos Condit, Nick Thompson, Mike Pyle, Dave Menne and Hayato Sakurai.
Dave "Pee Wee" Herman- Herman at (12-0) has destroyed his last three opponents in Elite XC, veterans Mario Rinaldi, Ron Waterman and Kerry Schall. At 6'5", the agile 245 pound heavyweight should be the coveted young heavyweight the UFC desperately needs. Herman could go to the new ESPN league or World Victory Road Sengoku as well.
Brett Rogers- The large 6'5" 265 pound heavyweight throws some heavy hands. At 8-0, it is unknown whether or not he can fight from the ground. He does have knock-out power and could be a big draw one day. I wouldn't be surprised to see him fight in whatever promotion offers the most cash. That could be Sengoku.
Robbie Lawler- The hard hitting Elite XC MW champ would fit in well in a UFC MW class looking for a striker to fight Anderson Silva. Lawler has 6 straight wins including KO victories against Scott Smith, Ninja Rua, Frank Trigg and Joey Villasenor. Strikeforce could also be a possibility for a match-up with Cung Le. Lawler was at the recent UFC 90 event in Chicago.
Antonio Silva- Bigfoot will more command more dollars than the UFC will give to him. He will either choose Affliction for the possible big fights or Sengoku. Silva also has had problems with athletic commissions in the USA, which might be a factor in seeing him go to Japan. Silva has wins over Ricco Rodriguez, Justin Eilers and Cabbage.
Gina Carano- A fight between Carano and Tara LaRosa would be a good fight for women's mma if Carano went to the AFL. Carano has looked impressive in all her 7 victories. 140 is not a good weight class for her. If Affliction starts women's mma, they may also be bidding for Carano's services. Strikeforce has some women on their roster, that might also be a logical choice.
Kimbo Slice- Kimbo has stated that he wants to fight in Japan. The Japanese love larger than life characters, and Kimbo fits that mold. While Kimbo may not have the best skills in mma, he is a legit draw. I wouldn't be surprised to see him fight in Dream or Sengoku against another larger than life character.
AFL
It appears that the paperwork has been filed and Elite XC has kicked the proverbial bucket. Their assets will be sold at public auction shortly. I enjoyed the promotion as they had some great fighters and put on a decent card. There are quite a few top free agents that will hit the market in the short term. Here are some of the Elite XC fighter list.
Eddie Alvarez- After his performance in the Dream lightweight tournament, Alvarez will most likely continue to see big paydays in Japan. I wouldn't be surprised to see him fight on New Years Eve versus Joachim Hansen. Alvarez is an extremely exciting young fighters with wins over Tatsuya Kawajiri, Joachim Hansen, Andre Amade, Aaron Riley, Derrick Noble, Matt Lee and Ross Ebanez.
Nick Diaz- Diaz probably wants to remain fighting at a catch-weight of 160. He has many fights he can do in Japan against the aforementioned Alvarez, a rematch with Takanori Gomi in World Victor Road, Shinya Aoki or many others. His brother has been on a roll in the UFC, and it is unlikely the UFC wants to deal with him.
Jake Shields- Shields already has called out Georges St. Pierre at a press conference after a quick win against Nick Thompson to get the WW Elite XC belt. He may of eaten some punches, but he was also able to finish off Paul Daley in his latest defense. With few good opponents at 170 for Jake to fight, the UFC has intriguing match-ups. Shields holds wins over Yushin Okami, Carlos Condit, Nick Thompson, Mike Pyle, Dave Menne and Hayato Sakurai.
Dave "Pee Wee" Herman- Herman at (12-0) has destroyed his last three opponents in Elite XC, veterans Mario Rinaldi, Ron Waterman and Kerry Schall. At 6'5", the agile 245 pound heavyweight should be the coveted young heavyweight the UFC desperately needs. Herman could go to the new ESPN league or World Victory Road Sengoku as well.
Brett Rogers- The large 6'5" 265 pound heavyweight throws some heavy hands. At 8-0, it is unknown whether or not he can fight from the ground. He does have knock-out power and could be a big draw one day. I wouldn't be surprised to see him fight in whatever promotion offers the most cash. That could be Sengoku.
Robbie Lawler- The hard hitting Elite XC MW champ would fit in well in a UFC MW class looking for a striker to fight Anderson Silva. Lawler has 6 straight wins including KO victories against Scott Smith, Ninja Rua, Frank Trigg and Joey Villasenor. Strikeforce could also be a possibility for a match-up with Cung Le. Lawler was at the recent UFC 90 event in Chicago.
Antonio Silva- Bigfoot will more command more dollars than the UFC will give to him. He will either choose Affliction for the possible big fights or Sengoku. Silva also has had problems with athletic commissions in the USA, which might be a factor in seeing him go to Japan. Silva has wins over Ricco Rodriguez, Justin Eilers and Cabbage.
Gina Carano- A fight between Carano and Tara LaRosa would be a good fight for women's mma if Carano went to the AFL. Carano has looked impressive in all her 7 victories. 140 is not a good weight class for her. If Affliction starts women's mma, they may also be bidding for Carano's services. Strikeforce has some women on their roster, that might also be a logical choice.
Kimbo Slice- Kimbo has stated that he wants to fight in Japan. The Japanese love larger than life characters, and Kimbo fits that mold. While Kimbo may not have the best skills in mma, he is a legit draw. I wouldn't be surprised to see him fight in Dream or Sengoku against another larger than life character.
AFL
Monday, May 12, 2008
Eddie Alvarez v. Joachim Hansen
This fight has the fight world buzzing as it is very entertaining. The bout went the full 15 minutes, and as you can see, was a grueling affair.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 1
Part 2
Friday, March 14, 2008
Dream LW Tournament
Since Pride's demise after being purchased by the UFC, 3 new promotions popped up to try to compete with K1 for Japan's top MMA promotion. World Victory Road, Dream and M1. So far M1 has been a one trick pony. WVR hasn't really come out in the US, I have been able to catch the Josh Barnett fight and the Gomi fight.
Dream is interesting because of the lightweight tournament they have staged. There are 14 fighters that have been all but confirmed for the 16 man tournament. There has been no word on how they were paired. It doesn't look like it was seeded because Aoki and JZ are probably the top two. Other favorites are Ishida, Kawajiri and Hansen.
Main Bouts:
Mirko Filipovic (22-6) vs. Tatsuya Mizuno (4-2)- After two straight losses in the UFC Cro-Cop desperately needs a win to get back on track. Mizuno has fought all his matches in Pancrase and is stepping in for Nakao.
*Cro Cop high kick
Hayato Sakurai (31-7) vs. Hidetaka Monma (14-7)- Sakurai is known for fights in Pride/Shooto/Deep and his title loss to Matt Hughes in the UFC. Two fights ago, Sakurai knocked out Mac Danzig prior to his TUF run. Monma will come into the fight heavy than Sakurai and doesn't have wins over the same level of competition.
Tournament Bouts:
Gesias Calvancante (14-1) vs. Shinya Aoki (14-2)- JZ's only loss was to Joachim Hansen, since winning 12 straight. He has fought mainly in K1. Shooto champ Aoki is a BJJ/Judo black belt who has fought mainly in Shooto and Pride. He has 9 victories in a row including a rare gogoplata of Joachim Hansen, and recent decision over tourney member Jung. I'd put both in the top 5 of the LW division.
Tatsuya Kawajiri (20-4) vs. Kultar Gill (9-6)- Kawajiri is a Shooto champion and Pride veteren who has a victory over tourney member Firminio and is regarded as a top five of the LW division. Gill's last fight was a KO win in K1. Prior to that he lost three straight.
Mitsuhiro Ishida (15-3) vs. Bu Kyung Jung (0-1)- Ishida is a Pride/Shooto veteren with a victory over tourney member Boku and is a top ten LW. Jung is a judo expert who lost a decision to Aoki in his only MMA bout.
Kazuyuki Miyata (5-6) vs. Luiz Firmino (11-3)- Miyata has fought his last 10 in K1, including a win over tourney member Gill. Firmino hasn't fought since a win in Pride in November of 2006. His biggest win is probably over Masakazu Imanari (14-5)in Pride.
Eddie Alvarez (12-1) vs. Andre Amade (6-2)- Alvarez has recently fought in Bodog and ShoXC with his only loss to Nick Thompson (35-9) at 170. Amade has fought his last four in K1, including a win against Caol Uno.
Artur Oumakhanov (7-2) vs. Katsuhiko Nagata (3-2) - Artur's two losses were in his last fight in Pancrase to Shoji and a K1 loss to Amade. All of Nagata's bouts are in K1, losses to Uno and Akiyama, wins against above .500 competition.
Kotetsu Boku (13-4) vs. Joachim Hansen (16-6)- Boku has wins in Shooto/K1/GCM. Hansen is a Pride/Shooto/K1 vet who just beat tourney member Miyata in K1, and is the only person to beat JZ Calvancante.
*Hansen v. Aoki in Pride
Dream is interesting because of the lightweight tournament they have staged. There are 14 fighters that have been all but confirmed for the 16 man tournament. There has been no word on how they were paired. It doesn't look like it was seeded because Aoki and JZ are probably the top two. Other favorites are Ishida, Kawajiri and Hansen.
Main Bouts:
Mirko Filipovic (22-6) vs. Tatsuya Mizuno (4-2)- After two straight losses in the UFC Cro-Cop desperately needs a win to get back on track. Mizuno has fought all his matches in Pancrase and is stepping in for Nakao.
*Cro Cop high kick
Hayato Sakurai (31-7) vs. Hidetaka Monma (14-7)- Sakurai is known for fights in Pride/Shooto/Deep and his title loss to Matt Hughes in the UFC. Two fights ago, Sakurai knocked out Mac Danzig prior to his TUF run. Monma will come into the fight heavy than Sakurai and doesn't have wins over the same level of competition.
Tournament Bouts:
Gesias Calvancante (14-1) vs. Shinya Aoki (14-2)- JZ's only loss was to Joachim Hansen, since winning 12 straight. He has fought mainly in K1. Shooto champ Aoki is a BJJ/Judo black belt who has fought mainly in Shooto and Pride. He has 9 victories in a row including a rare gogoplata of Joachim Hansen, and recent decision over tourney member Jung. I'd put both in the top 5 of the LW division.
Tatsuya Kawajiri (20-4) vs. Kultar Gill (9-6)- Kawajiri is a Shooto champion and Pride veteren who has a victory over tourney member Firminio and is regarded as a top five of the LW division. Gill's last fight was a KO win in K1. Prior to that he lost three straight.
Mitsuhiro Ishida (15-3) vs. Bu Kyung Jung (0-1)- Ishida is a Pride/Shooto veteren with a victory over tourney member Boku and is a top ten LW. Jung is a judo expert who lost a decision to Aoki in his only MMA bout.
Kazuyuki Miyata (5-6) vs. Luiz Firmino (11-3)- Miyata has fought his last 10 in K1, including a win over tourney member Gill. Firmino hasn't fought since a win in Pride in November of 2006. His biggest win is probably over Masakazu Imanari (14-5)in Pride.
Eddie Alvarez (12-1) vs. Andre Amade (6-2)- Alvarez has recently fought in Bodog and ShoXC with his only loss to Nick Thompson (35-9) at 170. Amade has fought his last four in K1, including a win against Caol Uno.
Artur Oumakhanov (7-2) vs. Katsuhiko Nagata (3-2) - Artur's two losses were in his last fight in Pancrase to Shoji and a K1 loss to Amade. All of Nagata's bouts are in K1, losses to Uno and Akiyama, wins against above .500 competition.
Kotetsu Boku (13-4) vs. Joachim Hansen (16-6)- Boku has wins in Shooto/K1/GCM. Hansen is a Pride/Shooto/K1 vet who just beat tourney member Miyata in K1, and is the only person to beat JZ Calvancante.
*Hansen v. Aoki in Pride
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