Bellator's Welterweight Tournament

Bellator Fighting Championships have announced their eight man 170 pound tournament and match-ups. The tournament is very stacked with numerous up and coming stars and UFC veterans.

The tournament champ will bank a cool 100 thousand dollars and fight the winner from season 1, Lyman Good. Bellator 14 takes place at the Chicago Theatre in Illinois, and will have featherweight and welterweight tournament fights.

You can catch Bellator on Fox Sports Net on Thursday nights, with highlight shows on NBC and Telemundo.

Here are a look at the tournament participants:

Ben Askren (3-0) Olympic Wrestler, 2X NCAA Champ
Ryan Thomas (10-3) UFC Vet, 7 submission W's

Dan Hornbuckle (19-2) W's over Akhiro Gono and Nick Thompson
Sean Pierson (9-4) W's over Steve Vigneault and Fabio Holanda

Jacob McClintock (6-0) 4 TKO's, 2 Subs, win over Beau Baker
Jim Wallhead (18-5) Judo Blackbelt, win over Che Mills

Steve Carl (12-1) W's over James Warfield and Victor Moreno
Brett Cooper (12-5) W's over Rory Markham and Conor Heun

(Dan Hornbuckle pictured)

The Rev Back From Russia

I was able to catch up with Midwest Cage Championship and Victory Cage Championship's 205 pound champ Chuck "The Reverend" Grigsby as he returned from his trip to St. Petersburg, Russia.

Chuck took part in this season's M-1 Challenge which can be seen on HDNet. He had a good run on Team USA East, traveling to the Bulgaria, Netherlands and Russia. In between his M-1 run, Rev also was able to defend his VFC belt in front of his home crowd in Des Moines, Iowa. Here is the interview:

MMA Blaster: Rev, since we last talked you have fought twice, how did your VFC title defense against Demetrius Richards go?

I won, but I really didn’t have my best performance. To be honest with you, and not to make any excuses, but I had an injury going in to the fight. It was my 2nd title defense for VFC and I really did not want to pull out at the last minute.

Looking back, I really loved the challenge of overcoming the adversity even though I should have probably pulled out. I basically only had one leg for the fight, and he forced me to find another way to win than what I am accustom to.

(Rev landing a left hand)

MMA Blaster: What is it like defending your belts in Iowa in front of your home crowd?

I’ve always felt that you need to take care of business in your own backyard before you can go out an try run the streets. I've held the VFC and MFC belts since 2007, and defended each of them twice. VFC treats me well, as well as MCC. Both organizations have supported my international ventures this year.

When I fight at home, I feel like I'm more under the microscope and feel as if I need to prove something to the people who have come out to support me. The pressure forces me to stay focused on the task at hand, so I don’t let anyone down. It’s a positive thing.

MMA Blaster: What was your game plan going into the fight?

Honestly, I wanted to get in and get out with a win as fast as I could. I had a fight lined up in Russia two weeks following. My opponent had other plans, and it ended up taking me over two rounds to finish the fight. I know how hungry fighters can be when they get a chance to fight for their first belt. I expect them to be in the best shape of their life, focused and determined when they have a fight with me.

MMA Blaster: What occurred in your last fight against Besiki Gerenava in M-1? I heard there was some controversy surrounding the fight, can you talk about that?

It was a split decision loss that myself, the media, corner, and the Russian crowd all disagreed with. I knew going into the fight that I needed to finish by submission, KO or referee stoppage in order to win. This is the international scene, and if you don’t do that, you have to expect they are going to give a decision to their countryman.

It could have been Finland, Spain, Germany, or Japan, any place in a country that is not your own you have to win with a stoppage. My only mistake other than not getting a stop, is that he may have won the first round of the three that took place. He was a good fighter, and I take responsibility for the loss.

(Rev lands a right hand)

MMA Blaster: What are your thoughts on the team taking 2nd place in the M-1 Challenge?

Honestly, it was a win win situation after making the semi finals. Nobody, except our team, believed that we would be one of the last two teams standing out of the 16 countries that participated in this awesome tournament. Winning silver instead of gold stung a little, but overall it was probably one of my biggest accomplishments as fighter, and I cherish the opportunity I had to represent our country.

(Team USA East)

MMA Blaster: How often do you plan on fighting in 2010?

Depends on who and where, I think. Fighting overseas exposed me to different skills and techniques I'm planning on incorporating into my skill-set. It will take some time to train to become proficient and effective with these new skills.

MMA Blaster: What organizations do you plan to fight in for 2009? Will you be fighting oversees? Europe? Japan? USA? Will you be defending any of your belts in Iowa?

I really can't speak specifically on that right now because my manager Reed Wallace is working on the international and national opportunities. But locally, I have another title defense for MCC that I wanna do. They have someone holding an interim belt while I have been away, so I would like to clear that up. Tentatively I have also talked to VFC about fighting for another title at 185. There is plenty of work out there for me if the contract is right.

(Rev and Reed Wallace)

MMA Blaster: Any shout outs?

I wanna thank my family: Xander, Sara, Berniece, Jaunette, Frank, Jan, and Carrie. They continue to be my core and foundation for success. My manager Reed Wallace of White Choclate Management. M-1 Global, Midwest Cage Championships, Victory Fighting Championships and all the wonderful people who are involved in making the shows tick. Big thanks to Des Moines Mixed Martial Arts, Des Moines Jujitsu Academy and Round Kick Gym.

Also wanna thank my inner circle of friends and training partners for helping me with my preparation and performance which include Anthony Porcelli, Josh Neer, Dwayne Cason, Kervin Veasly, Cardell James, Kevin Burns, Pete Peterson, Ed Spitzer, Chris David, Jeremy Stephens and Mike Ayers. Thanks to Joe at MMA Blaster for your time and support!

The wonderful fans that have followed and continue to follow my career. Thanks for being there with me. In this business I have learned there are only a few that truly understand loyalty, commitment and support with the ups and downs of the fight game. I couldn't do it without ya! Dreams Goals and Dedication.

Also like to thank my main sponsors, Joe Abbott of KOBC clothing, Joe Spenceri of Animal Instinct, Sophi Blocker of Rumors Tattoo and the 515.

Video of the Day - Cullum v. Ramage

Here is rising star Abel "Cowboy" Cullum fighting Jeremy Ramage in Desert Extreme - Tucumcari Pride which occured on 10/7/06 in New Mexico.

Abel is the reigning featherweight King of the Cage champion and made a nice debut overseas in Dream last year. Expect big things from the high energy young fighter.

Video of the Day - Sanchez v. Karalexis

Here is Diego Sanchez fighting Alex Karalexis on TUF season 1. Diego has gone from winning the title at 185, to 170, to losing a title fight at 155 to BJ Penn, and now will reportedly go back to 170. Diego has career victories over

TUF 1: Sanchez v. Karalexis

UltimateFighter.com

See More: Diego Sanchez • Alex Karalexis • MMA Blaster • fights

Video of the Day - Nakamura v. Kotani

Here is Daisuke Nakamura v. Naoyuki Kotani from ZST 22 which took place on 11/23/09 in Tokyo, Japan.

UFC 110 - Cain Delivers

As the dust settles on UFC 110, several fighters maneuvered closer to title shots in their respective weight classes. Most notably, Cain Velasquez threw some of his own thunder from down under, brutally knocking Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira out of the title picture.

Cain looked fast and explosive in his bout, throwing quick kicks to the leg, body and head of Nogueira, with most leg kicks finding their mark. As both fighters threw big hooks near the end of the first round, Velasquez' found its mark first and Nogueira was finished. With the win, Cain may get Brock Lesnar should the winner of Frank Mir v. Shane Carwin get injured. A potential fight with the winner of Gabriel Gonzaga v. Junior Dos Santos could be next for Cain.

(Cain Velasquez pictured)

Wanderlei Silva finally got back in the win column, defeating TUF 3 winner Michael Bisping in a 185 pound clash. Wandy was calm in his attack, looking pretty sharp with his kickboxing. Wandy was able to floor Bisping near the end of the third, and almost lock in an arm-in guillotine at the end of the second. Look for Wandy to fight someone like Alan Belcher, Nate Marquardt, Yoshiro Akiyama or Chael Sonnen next.

(Wanderlei Silva pictured)

George Sotiropoulos scored the biggest upset of the night as the native Australian dominated TUF 2 champ and former title contender Joe Stevenson. Sotiropoulos' reach and ground game proved too much for Stevenson. George now is 5-0 in the UFC and will look for a big test in his next bout. Perhaps the winner of Kenny Florian v. Takanori Gomi, or a bout with Tyson Griffin or Gray Maynard.

In other action, TUF 8 champ Ryan Bader kept his undefeated streak alive, tagging Keith Jardine in the third round to score a KO. Mirko Cro Cop also got in the win column, beating up an outclassed Anthony Perosh.

FULL RESULTS

Cain Velasquez def Antonio Nogueira via KO (punches) R1, 2:20
Wanderlei Silva def Michael Bisping via unanimous dec
George Sotiropoulos def Joe Stevenson via unanimous dec
Ryan Bader def Keith Jardine via knockout (punch) R3, 2:10
Mirko "Cro Cop" def Anthony Perosh via TKO (cut) R2, 5:00
Krzysztof Soszynski def Stephan Bonnar via TKO (cut) R3, 1:04
Chris Lytle def Brian Foster via sub (knee-bar) R1, 1:41
C.B. Dollaway def Goran Reljic via unanimous dec
James Te Huna def Igor Pokrajac via TKO (strikes) R3, 3:26

Video of the Day - Healy v. Hardy

Here is Pat Healy fighting former UFC title contender Dan Hardy at Absolute Fighting Championship 10 which took place on 10/30/04 in the War Memorial Coliseum in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

Healy defeated Lyle Beerbohm in his last fight via unanimous decision at Strikeforce Challengers 14.

Video of the Day - Khalidov v. Reinders

Here is Mamed Khalidov fighting Andre Reinders in MMA Sport 3 which took place on 10/15/05 in Warsaw, Poland. Khalidov is fighting Jorge Santiago for the 185 pound title in Sengoku on March 7th.

Video of the Day - Kitaoka v. Daley

Here is Paul Daley fighting Sataoru Kitaoka in Pancrase: Blow 6 from 8/27/06. Paul Daley is rumored to fight Josh Koschek at UFC 113.

Video of the Day - Mo Smith v. Renzo Gracie

Here is a fight from Rings - King of Kings tournament in 1999. This fight features Renzo Gracie v. former UFC heavyweight Champ Maurice Smith. Grappler v. Striker match-up to the finest. Renzo next fights Matt Hughes at UFC 112

UFC 110 Preview

UFC 110 airs from Sydney, Australia on February 21, 2010 in the UFC's first venture down under. There are numerous fights with title implications, though no belts will be on the line.

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Cain Velasquez- Expect Cain Velasquez, the two time All American wrestler from ASU, to look to get the fight to the ground early and often. He will look to throw punches and elbows in bunches from the guard. The explosive Velasquez (7-0, 5-0 UFC) has six TKO's on his resume, defeating Ben Rothwell, Cheick Kongo and Ben Morris in his last three fights.

(Cain Velasquez pictured)

Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (32-5-1, 3-1 UFC) is a legend of the MMA world after his epic run in Pride. Big Nog's UFC results have been somewhat mixed, as has battled staff infections and nagging injuries. In his last fight, Nog battled UFC Hall of Famer Randy Couture, defeating him via decision. Nog also has victories over Tim Sylvia, Sergei Kharitonov, Mirko Filipović, Mark Coleman and Dan Henderson in his career.

(Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira pictured)

Michael Bisping vs. Wanderlei Silva- This 185 pound tilt will push the winner one step closer to the title. Both are primarily stand-up fighters who will be swinging for the fences. TUF 3 champ Michael Bisping (18-2, 8-2 UFC) will be looking to get his second straight win after TKO'ing Denis Kang in his last fight. Bisping also has UFC wins over Eric Schafer and Chris Leben.

(Michael Bisping pictured)

Wanderlei Silva (32-10,2-5 UFC) was a legend in the Pride organization, known for his brawling Muay Thai arsenal. However, Wandy has been on a slide as of late, losing 5 of his last 6 fights. Wandy is the former Pride Middleweight Champ (205) having defeated Rampage Jackson, Kazushi Sakuraba, Guy Mezger and Minowaman in his career.

(Wanderlei Silva pictured)

George Sotiropoulos vs. Joe Stevenson- This fight pits two excellent grapplers against each other. Stevenson (31-10, 8-4 UFC) has the distinct experience advantage and has battled much better competition. Stevenson, a TUF 2 winner, has looked revitalized since joining Greg Jackson's camp, going 2-0 defeating Spencer Fisher and Nate Diaz.

(Joe Stevenson pictured)

George Sotiropoulous is a solid grappler who will be fighting on his home court in Australia. George was on Team Serra during TUF 6, KO'ing Jared Rollins and submitting Richie Hightower before getting KO'd by runner-up Tommy Speer. Since joining the UFC, he has gone 4-0 submitting Billy Miles, George Roop and Jason Dent.

Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic vs. Anthony Perosh- Ben Rothwell, Cro Cop's original opponent has withdrawn from the fight due to illnes. Cro Cop (25-7, 2-3 UFC) has not looked good in his UFC career, but should rebound against Perosh. Cro Cop is a former K-1 kickboxer and Pride superstar was on top of his game in 2006, winning the Pride Open Weight Grand Prix, defeating Josh Barnett, Wanderlei Silva, Minowaman and Hidehiko Yoshida.

(Cro Cop KO's Aleks Emelianenko)

Ryan Bader vs. Keith Jardine- This fight pits TUF 8 winner and All-American wrestler Ryan Bader (10-0, 3-0 UFC) against TUF 2 veteran and unorthodox striker Keith Jardine (15-6, 6-5 UFC). Expect Bader to utilize his wrestling to overwhelm Jardine. Bader has defeated Eric Schafer, Vinny Magalhães and Carmelo Marrero in his UFC career.

Jardine has been up and down in his UFC career, scoring monster wins over Chuck Liddell, Forrest Griffin and Brandon Vera, while being KO'd by Thiago Silva, Wanderlei Silva and Houston Alexander.

UNDER CARD

Stephan Bonnar vs. Krzysztof Soszynski
Brian Foster vs. Chris Lytle
C.B. Dollaway vs. Goran Reljic
Igor Pokrajac vs. James Te Huna

Strikeforce Challengers - Kaufman v. Hashi

Strikeforce Challengers will be airing live tonight from San Jose, California on Showtime. Sarah Kaufman (10-0, 2-0 SF) will fight Takayo Hashi (12-1) for the first ever Strikeforce Women's 135 pound title.

In other action, South African UFC veteran Trevor Prangley (22-5, 3-1 SF) will fight the dangerous Karl "Pycho" Amoussou (11-2). In a battle of elite grapplers, Paul Bradley (12-1, 1-0 SF) will take on Luke Rockhold (6-1, 5-0 SF).

MAIN CARD

Takayo Hashi vs. Sarah Kaufman
Karl Amoussou vs. Trevor Prangley
Paul Bradley vs. Luke Rockhold
Tarec Saffiedine vs. James Terry
Raul Castillo vs. Yancy Medeiros

(Sarah Kaufman pictured)

UN-AIRED CARD

Eric Lawson vs. Wayne Philliips
Samuel Bracamnonte vs. Chris Stewart (a)
Tristan Arenal vs. George Miller (a)
Phil Balducci vs. Jesse Tobar (a)
Renee Robinson vs. Lilia Salas (a)
Steve Dickie vs. Alan Lummel (a)
Ronald Carillo vs. Anthony De Los Santos (a)

(a)= amateur bout

Video of the Day - Chuck Liddell Punch

Here is Chuck Liddell teaching some punching techniques. He will be a coach alongside Tito Ortiz on TUF 11.

Video of the Day - Coleman v. Voorn

Here is Mark Coleman (16-10) fighting veteran Dutch fighter Milco Voorn (20-10) at Bushido Europe which took place in Holland on 10/9/2005.

Coleman, a UFC Hall of Famer and former UFC HW Champ, won the Pride Open Weight Grand Prix in 2000. As you'll see in the video, Coleman was an elite wrestler with uber strength. Coleman was at his best when he could land a power double, get side control, and reign down ground and pound, or work a submission.