As a fan of mixed martial arts, I admit I am a purist. I remember sitting down as a teenager with my dad and brother watching the very first UFC 1. I love the sport and catch as much action on television as I can. As I see it, the more successful promotions out there, the better for the MMA fan.
Joe Soto Is A Champion, Not A Prospect
So here’s my gripe.
All the supposed MMA fans and bloggers are out here cursing over not getting see the bouts they want to see. I’ve never seen this level of strife like this before online. We want Fedor vs Lesnar. We want BJ vs Aoki. Blah. Blah. Blah. There is a reason why we aren’t getting these fights. Because Dana White and Zuffa are blocking them from happening.
It is important to remember that the UFC is just a promotion, they are not a league. Their champions are actually paper champions, not real champions. Champions are crowned by sanctioning bodies, not the Don King of MMA. White has taken the purity of UFC 1 and turned the UFC into biggest sports entertainment rival to WWE.
What irks me most are bloggers and MMA columnists that push this drivel that a fighter can only earn his stripes by fighting under the Zuffa banner, either UFC or WEC. In a column I ran across yesterday on BleacherReport.com by correspondent Ken Foss, he pastes Bellator’s current champion Joe Soto as a prospect and that “Because Bellator has slumbered, Joe Soto’s stock has stagnated. Even so, he’s still arguably the top prospect at 145 pounds, and it’s only a matter of time before we see this 22-year-old beating up on WEC featherweights.”
BleacherReport’s Foss goes right for the jugular on Bellator, diminishing their accomplishments and asserting that Soto has made a mistake in fighting for them instead of WEC. As pointed out in a response comment to the story, Joe Soto was the highest paid featherweight fighter in the world in 2009. Needless to say, it impossible to be a prospect when you made more money than anyone else at your weight class.
Foss then tries to compare a salary paid to a failed NFL player to try and back up his point while sticking to his guns that Soto isn’t the best until he fights in WEC. Too bad that correlation makes no freaking sense at all since fighter pay is tied to success in the cage and NFL players get their first contract before they ever take the field and its based on their draft order.
It’s this kind of naivete that really hurts the sport. Bellator is one the bright spots in MMA. Guys like Foss, who hase probably never watched any of Bellator’s fight cards or attended one of their events are instantly experts that Bellator is bush league and piss all over it. In their minds, you are nothing until you kiss Dana White’s ring.
In my opinion, kudos to Joe Soto for controlling his fighting destiny and bucking the ranks. Bellator is primed for a great second season and Soto is the man to watch. And I’ll put my money down right now that next year, Foss will be eating his words, because money talks and bullshit walks. Bellator pays more and they will get the better fighters in the long run at featherweight.
Bellator today announced the signing of cage veteran Bao Quach (17-9-1) who will be added to the upcoming Season 2 featherweight tourney. Quach has reeled of 11 victories in his last 12 fights after a rocky start to his career. Quach has fought on some of the biggest names on the biggest stages, including Strikeforce, WEC, EliteXC and Shooto.
Quach Latest Bellator Signing
Quach is the lastest fighter to join Bellator’s upcoming eight-man 145 lbs. tournament. Bellator has previously announced the signing of Georgi Karakhanyan (12-1-1), undefeated William Romero (5-0) and undefeated Jiu-Jitsu black belt Patricio “Pitbull” Freire (12-0). Rumors are still circling that highly regarded Eric Marriott (17-2) will also be on tap for the tournament.
“During the last three years, Bao has established himself as a fighter with devastating world-class striking abilities. The level of his striking and kickboxing is at the highest level in MMA,” said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “With Bao, Georgi, Pitbull and Will, 145 should be a spectacular tournament.”
Quach’s career got off to an uneven start with some impressive performances against top-tier fighters and some disappointing losses. In some respects, Quach was unprepared for the training commitment required for elite fighting and his pure skill didn’t carry through each time.
Some of Quach’s career highlight include victories over Cole Escovedo and Chris David, a close majority decision loss to Jeff Curran, and a stoppage loss to Wagnney Fabiano. But the turning point in his career was a draw decision against the heralded Hatsu Hioki, considered by most industry insiders as one of the Top 5 featherweights in the world.
“Nobody thought I had a chance in that fight and, even though it was a draw, I know that I beat him,” Quach said. “At that point, I said to myself, “I don’t want to do this half-way anymore.” I realized that I really had the potential to do something in this sport. So I really changed my lifestyle and just dedicated myself to my career and nothing else.”
Since that point, Quach has been on fire. A victory in the Bellator tournament guarantees him a shot at Joe Soto, the current Bellator featherweight championship, not to mention the biggest payday for a featherweight in the sport of MMA.
Quach said he was drawn to Bellator for a variety of factors, not the least of which is what he called “some unfinished business” with fellow ’featherweight tournament competitor Karakhanyan. The two were recently slated to square off before a broken hand left Quach sidelined.
Bellator keeps snagging some of the best independent fighters in the marketplace, today announcing the signing of undefeated Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu specialist Patricio Freire (12-0). Freire holds a black belt level grade, the highest degree a fighter can earn in Jiu-Jitsu. While relatively unknown in the USA, Freire is considered one of the world’s best Jiu-Jitsu fighters in the world.
Picture Courtesy of Sherdog.com
Freire is another in the long-line of great fighters produced at Brazil’s famed Chute Boxe Academy. As he prepares for his first fight outside of Brazil, Freire looks to follow in the footstep of other Chute products such as Wanderlei Silva, Shogun Rua and Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos. With 10 finishes in his 12 professional fights, Freire brings a style to Bellator that is fitting to the tournament format.
“In Bellator Season 1, Joe Soto came from nowhere to win our featherweight tournament and a six-figure check in just 90 days” said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “I believe Patricio Pitbull has the chance to do the same thing in Season 2. While he may be undiscovered by most U.S. fans, I can tell you that he is the real deal. I encourage you to go to YouTube and check him out for yourself.”
Freire will compete in the featherweight and compete against previously announced signing of highly regarded prospects William Romero and Georgi Karakhaynan. The winner gets a crack at current champion Joe Soto and will earn one the highest payouts for a featherweight in the world in 2010.
“I have been waiting for the opportunity to make my international debut for a long time,” Pitbull, who speaks Portuguese, said through a translator. “Bellator has some outstanding featherweight fighters – particularly Joe Soto – and I am excited to have my chance to show America and the world what I can do in the cage.”
American fight fans will get their chance beginning April 8th, as Bellator kicks of Season 2. All fights for Season 2 will be aired live on Thursday nights on Fox Sports Network. Univision will air a Spanish-language replay and NBC will air a highlight package on Saturday nights.
Benson Henderson (11-1) scored a guillotine choke submission to unify the title with a victory over Jamie Varner (16-3). Henderson, coming off an electrifying victory over Donald Cerrone to earn the interim belt, adapted his style to caution and patience, refusing to be overly aggressive against Varner. His game plan paid off as he surprised Varner with a guillotine choke that quickly ended the fight in the third round.
Varner, returning to action after multiple injuries kept him on the shelf for 11 months looked rusty and slow throughout the fight. Henderson was able to easily dodge his boxing blows and lulled Varner to sleep and pulled him in to his clutches. The loss sends Varner back down the contender list to work his way back up.
Here is the play-by-play breakdown of the fight:
Round 1
Henderson Unifies WEC Lightweight Belt
The fighters feel each other out, with Henderson showing tentativeness. Varner goes for the takedown and gets it. Henderson goes for a knee bar, but gives up on it as Varner lands blows to body. Varner gains a front headlock and then tries for guillotine choke in standing position along cage wall. Varner lands a knee to the head, bringing Henderson to his knees. Varner continues to land knee blows. Referee stands the fighters up. Henderson lands a kick to body. Varner walks back to a neutral corner and Henderson bull rushes. The fighters scramble and both gain body locks along the cage wall. Henderson lands an overhand right and the bell sounds.
Solid and definitive round for Varner.
Round 2
Varner opens the round with a wild flying knee that misses and Henderson counters with his own knee to the body. Varner lands a leg kick which drops Henderson, but Henderson pops up quickly. Varner lunges and eats a combination. Henderson lands a left kick to the body. Henderson lands again with a kick to the body and Varner misses with a roundhouse kick to head. Another kick landed by Henderson. Varner catches a Henderson kick attempt to head and throws him to canvas. Henderson pops back up. Varner charges and lands a combination of body shots. Fighters clinch. Varner lands hammerfists to Henderson’s face as Henderson works of the cage wall. Henderson work of cage as bell sounds.
Close round that could go either way. Give it to Varner as Henderson still is tentative in the cage
Round 3
Varner charges Henderson and gains clinch along cage wall. Clinch is broken. Leg kick landed by Henderson. Varner lands kick to head, and follow that up with another which Henderson blocks. Varner goes for a body tackle and Henderson lands a knee as he comes in. Varner’s head drops and Henderson jumps on the opening, cinching a guillotine and crawling up Varner’s body to lock his legs. Varner quickly taps out to end the fight.
Result
Henderson by guillotine choke submission at 2:41
With the victory, a rematch of Henderson vs Cerrone should be soon in the making. Most cageside observers gave Cerrone the nod in a very close fight, but the final judges gave Henderson the fight which setup the unification bout with Varner.
With the first fight a finalist for Fight of the Year in 2009, a re-match will be even more exciting with so much more on the line.
Urijah Faber (23-3) returned to the cage in the co-featured match at WEC 46 and scored a thrilling submission victory in the closing seconds of the third round over Raphael Assuncao (14-2). Faber, sidelined for seven month after suffering a broken hand in his championship bout loss to former WEC champion Mike Brown. Fighting in front of his hometown fans in Sacramento, Faber put on an exciting display of technique in a defintive victory.
Faber Victorious In Return
Here is the play-by-play call of the bout:
Round 1
Faber scores first with a leg kick. Assuncao misses with a superman punch and grabs a clinch to back Faber into the cage wall. Assuncao has double underhooks, but Faber is able to work his way out of the clinch. Faber runs forward and misses with an overhand right. Assuncao grabs another clinch and pushes Faber into the wall again. Assuncao lands a few blows to the head and lets Faber off the cage wall. Faber comes forward and lands an overhand right and backs Assuncao into the cage wall. Back to the center, Faber lands a left uppercut. Faber lunges forward and loses his balance. Faber lunges forward again, Assuncao catches double underhooks again and pushes Faber into the cage wall. Faber breaks the clinch and the fighters exchange wildly. Faber lands a left uppercut on the chin. Faber goes for a flying knee, but Assuncao defends and counters with strikes.
Close round that goes to Assuncao. Faber was the aggressor, but his sloppiness cost him round.
Round 2
The fighters circle each other, with Faber scoring a takedown. Assuncao catches an arm bar during the takedown attempt, but Faber breaks the submission attempt. Assuncao has guard, but Faber is actively striking. Faber cinches a guillotine choke, but Assuncao counters submission attempt by rolling out. Fighters back to their feet. Assuncao lunges forward with lower leg kick and is caught flush by an overhand right. Assuncao is floored, Faber pounces, but Assuncao catches another arm bar. Faber break the submission and Assuncao take guard. Assuncao scores nice elbows from the bottom as Faber is conservative on top. Assuncao attempts a ogoplata, but Faber strikes Assuncao in face hard to break lock. Faber grabs sidelock along cage wall, but Assuncao breaks free as bell sounds
Clear round for Faber. Great strikes and clean scoring along with some great defense.
Round 3
Faber starts the round with a powerful single leg takedown. Assuncao scrambles and is back on his feet. Assuncao goes for a single leg, but Faber hits a whizzer to defend. Faber goes for kick to head and Assuncao sweeps his leg. Faber pops back up quickly and lands an overhand right that floors Assuncao. Faber pounces, but Assuncao claims guard. Faber is unable to break guard, but Assuncao moves for an escape with time dwindling. Faber grabs his back, gets his hooks in and cinches the rear naked choke. Assuncao fights it off for a short period but has to tapout.
Result
Faber by rear naked choke submission at 3:49 of the third round.
After the bout, post-fight interviews in the ring shed some light on Faber future dance card, as current WEC featherweight champion Jose Aldo came in for a promo. It appears that Aldo/Faber is likely the next feature title bout for these two fighters.
Given the electricity the fighters display, this could be fight of the year in MMA.
Former Olympic wrestler Kamal Shalorus (6-0-1) won a unanimous decision over Dave Jansen (14-1) in a battle of unbeaten fighters in a WEC 46 undercard matchup. Shalorus, an Iranian born fighter, dominated the bout for most of the fight, displaying a significant power advantage a neutralizing Jansen’s strength in wrestling. The fight was unexpectedly a standup affair despite both fighter’s wrestling background.
Shalorus Wins Battle of Undefeateds
Here is the play-by-play call of the bout:
Round 1
Jansen strikes first with a sharp kick to the body to start the round action. The fighters trade punches withansen getting the best of the exchange. Shalorus catches Jansen with a hard right to the head. Jansen goes for a takedown but Shalorus defends nicely. The fighters exchange blows to the head again, this time Shalorus getting the better of the exchange. Jansen goes for another takedown, Shalorus gets a front headlock and Jansen pulls out to get back to his feet. Jansen come in firing blows and Shalorus takes a body lock to the mat. Jansen scrambles back to his feet. The fighters exchange blows again. Jansen now has a cut above his left eye. Shalorus connects as Jansen comes in face first, buckling Jansen to his knee. Jansen recovers quickly, but Shalorus lands another left to the chin, buckling Jansen to his knee again. Jansen rebounds back to his feet with blood flowing heavier as the round comes to an end.
Round goes to Shalarous given his closing of the round
Round 2
The fighters meet in the middle and circle one another. The fighters exchange again with Shalorus getting the better of the exchange. Jansen plunges in again and takes another shot to the head from Shalorus. Another flurry with Shalorus getting the better of the exchange. Jansen comes forward again and Shalorus grabs a lock for a takedown. Jensen scrambles back to his feet. Jansen lands a knee to the midsection. Jansen lands a hard right that shakes Shalorus, but Shalorus regains his legs and fends of Jansen’s attack. Jensen again catches another shot on the chin from Shalorus as he drives in. Jansen now has a cut on the middle of his forehead. Jansen goes for a takedown as the round comes to an end.
Close round that goes to Jansen.
Round 3
Shalorus comes out firing with a combination to the head of Jansen. Another takedown attempt by Jansen that Shalorus stops with a front headlock. Jansen lands a kick to midsection and eats a right from Shalorus that floors him. Jansen pops back up quickly to his feet as Shalorus lets him back up. Shalorus lands a leg kick that buckles Jansen’s knee. Jansen eats another left as he goes in for another unsuccessful takedown attempt. Shalarus grabs another body lock and takes Jansen down. Shalorus lets Jansen back to his feet. Jansen lands a nice knee to the side of Shalorus’ head. Shalorus grabs a single leg for a takedown. Shalorus has Jensen pinned against the cage wall but is unable to score. Jansen works to a standup, but Shalorus holds on as the bell sounds.
Clear round that goes to a dominating Shalorus.
Result
Shalorus by unanimous decision with scores of 30-27, 30-27, and 29-28.
Kamal Shalorus put on an impressive showing in his second bout with the WEC. He showed impressive strength and conditioning as he pushed forward constantly for 15 minutes. Dave Jansen was an undefeated fighter, provide Shalorus a huge notch on his belt.
Shalorus looks primed a for a solid future in the WEC, although he has some improvements he needs to make in his standup. He consistently telegraphed his strikes throughout the bout with Jansen, lowering his head each time he threw leather. Against the top-tier fighters in WEC lightweight class, that telegraphing will result in a quick knockout for his opponent if he cannot improve his offensive stance.
Former WEC Featherweight Champion Mike Brown (23-5) scored a submission victory over Anthony Morrison (15-8) at 1:54 of the first round on the undercard of WEC 46. The victory by Brown returns him to winning column after a disappointing loss to current WEC featherweight champion Jose Aldo. Brown delivered as less the stellar outing against Aldo, showing a lack of speed and quickness as Aldo dominated the bout before earning a TKO.
Mike Brown Scores KO
Here is the play-by-play call of the bout:
Round 1
The fighters meet in the middle and feel each other out. Morrison connects with a few kicks to the body with follow up combination punches to the head. Brown goes for the takedown, backing Morrison to the cage wall. Brown brings Morrison to the canvas and takes full mount. Brown begins raining down punches, but Morrison defends well. Morrison works back to guard and Brown begins to land blows again, this time to the body. Morrison scrambles to his base and Brown takes his back, cinching in a rear naked choke. The lock is tight and Morrison taps out quickly.
Result
Brown by rear naked choke submission at 1:54 of the first round.
Obviously, Brown’s management team sought out some raw meat to chew on in Morrison. It was important that Brown bounce back strong from a very solid defeat. A smart strategy to get the fight back in a good rhythm.
With the victory, Brown inserts himself back into the featherweight contender conversation with a dominating victory. Brown will probably need two or three more wins before he gets an opportunity for a rematch against Jose Aldo.
Bellator made the second of its anticipated four fighter signing announcements today, bringing in undefeated Canadian fighter William Romero to join its featherweight tournament in April. Romero sports a 5-0 record and is coming off a highlight reel 17 second knockout victory over Guillaume Lamarche.
Bellator Inks Canadian MMA Star
Romero becomes the second fighter signed that will seek to gain a tournament victory for an automatic shot at current titleholder, undefeated Joe Soto (8-0). Bellator announced just two days ago the signing of former MISL soccer player and budding MMA star Georgi Karakhanyan (12-1-1). Rumors are also swirling that the remaining announcements for the featherweight division may include highly regarded fighters Eric Marriott (17-2) and Patricio Freire (12-0).
Romero was born in Canada but spent a large chunk of his childhood living in Ecuador, where his family traces its ancestry. At 17, he enlisted as an infantry soldier in the Canadian Armed Forces, became a paratrooper and served overseas in Bosnia. He was introduced to MMA by famed Canadian trainer Randy Grant. Once Romero left the military at the age of 25, he started fighting full time.
Romero said he’s relishing the opportunity to compete on an international stage. “I watched Season 1 of Bellator and I was very, very impressed,” Romero said. “The level of competition is just awesome. Now I’m hoping to make my mark and to show the world what people in Canada already know.”
“MMA fans north of the border know the name William Romero and now fans in the U.S. are going to have the chance to know it too,” said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “We are excited to welcome him to our organization.”
Rebney has reason to be excited given how Romero dispatched his last opponent seen here on YouTube:
And those Canadian fans will be able to see Romero make his run at the title thanks to Bellator recent broadcasting deal. Bellator’s 24 fights during Seasons 2 and 3 will be distributed live in primetime on Thursday nights on FOX Sports Net and its regional sports network affiliates. The top moments from each week’s live events will then be condensed into an action-packed 30-minute highlight show, broadcast every Saturday night, late night, on NBC. A one-hour highlight show will air in Spanish on Telemundo every Saturday night from midnight to 1 a.m.
In an interview with the Vancover Sun, the UFC has vowed to take legal action against both the companies broadcasting the pay-per-view events illegally across the web as well as the individuals who knowingly are watching these broadcast to avoid paying fees associated with the event.
UFC Preparing Piracy Crackdown
Zuffa head and casino magnet Lorenzo Fertitta recently testified in front of the US House Judiciary Committee during a referendum on internet piracy of sporting events. Fertitta shared on the record that his company monitored internet activity and uncovered 271 illegal streams of UFC 106, which aired on November 21, 2009. The streams had generated over 140,000 viewers.
Sites such as these have proliferated the web. One of the more visible players in this space is Justin.TV. Most of website are hosted in foreign companies, making it difficult for broadcast to bring legal suit in countries where copyright infringement is given a pass. These companies utilize blog boards to post comments and links to their websites that will air the fight illegally.
(At BenchwarmersUnited.com, it is our policy to delete comments promoting these illegal practices and we can share that we deleted more that 150 comment post over the last 2 weeks leading up to UFC 108 promoting internet piracy)
UFC President Dana White told the Vancouver Sun, “It’s going to be a battle, man, but I’m ready to [expletive] fight. We’re gonna go after them, we’re gonna go after them hard, and we’re gonna hurt them. When people start going to jail, people will stop doing it.”
The timing of UFC announcement that they plan to crackdown on internet piracy is interesting to say the least. The organization is struggling to generate the quality fight cards it once did, its top stars are aging and the UFC has been hit heavily by the injury bug.
While UFC boasts PPV sales in the six-digit neighborhood, most industry observers believe the numbers fall quite short of these figures given that UFC refuses to allow a third-party audit their books. Following a head-to-head competition in September between the Mayweather/Marquez boxing match and UFC 103, Golden Boy Promotions President Rich Schaefer challenged UFC to an audit of PPV sales after Dana White said the UFC would outsell them that night. The UFC declined the invitation as rumors circled that sales were less than 20% of the boxing card. That night’s headliner was a “contender” fight between soon-to-be-retired Rich Franklin and previously-UFC-banished Vitor Belfort,
More concerning are the inroads being made by other organizations in obtaining television deals that offer fans MMA fights for free or at less substantial costs. Strikeforce has struck a deal with Showtime and CBS to air its events. Bellator scored a major deal with FoxSports Network, Univision and NBC. And Dream and Sengoku have deals with HDNet to air their events. Free mixed martial arts is proliferating the television cable box.
The once mighty UFC is facing strong competition like never before and it has found itself in the middle of a struggling economy where consumers will choose free MMA rather than paying $50 per event, especially when the pay-per-view cards don’t carry a title fight. The announcement of fighting piracy comes about shortly after what most industry observers deemed a lackluster event at UFC 108.
Is the timing a coincidence. We shall know more as 2010 plays out and UFC is stuck with a second-tier TV broadcasting arrangement with Spike TV.
Bellator Fighting Championships began filling its tournament brackets for the featherweight division with the signing of Georgi Karakhanyan. The announcement comes after four major signing in the welterweight division and rumors that top-rated Eric Marriott and Patricio Freire will join the featherweight division tournament.
Karakhanyan, a 24 year old Russian-born fighter, sports a 12-1-1 record since he began his MMA career in 2006. His only loss came by split decision to Chris David, and since rattled off seven straight wins against some top-quality competition. Karakhanyan brings forward a specialization in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu that has helped him finish of 8 of his 12 victories by submission.
“With 12 wins and just one loss under his belt, Georgi is a proven winner” said Bjorn Rebney, founder and CEO of Bellator Fighting Championships. “He brings an explosive style to the cage that makes for great fights. We are excited to welcome Georgi to Bellator.” And Rebney should be excited given the highlight reel knockouts like the one featured below on YouTube.
Awaiting Karakhanyan after a victorious run in the Bellator Season 2 tournament is current undefeated champion Joe Soto (8-0) who rose from anonymity during the first season, knocking off former Elite XC champion Wilson Reis en route to the championship.
Bellator continues to roll with some very exciting signings that are priming it for an exciting follow-up season. Their focus on upcoming fighters is bringing a breathe of fresh air to the stale offerings being served up recently by other organizations.
