Bellator Fighting Championship is raining down blows on it competitors in the MMA industry. The promotion today announced the high-profile signing of welterweight star Dan Hornbuckle. The comes on the heels of Bellator’s signings last week of former Olympian Ben Askren and Jacob McClintock.
Hornbuckle (19-2), a Sengoku veteran, joins Bellator’s roster of fighters on a four match win streak. His last taste of defeat came at the hands of UFC’s Mike Pyle, a fight which Hornbuckle dominated before getting caught in a surprise triangle choke. Hornbuckle bounced back from the defeat in style, dispatching cage veterans Akihiro Gono and Nick Thompson in back-to-back fights.
“With the addition of Hornbuckle to an already steady tournament field that includes Askren and McClintock, we’ve created a great tournament field in a division that many experts said was thin when it came to available talent,” Rebney said. “What we now have is the beginning of a 170 lbs. field that has created a feeling amongst hardcore MMA fans that April can’t come soon enough.”
The signings for Bellator are coming quick and steady. The quality of fighters that are being signed are clearly beyond the expectations of most industry observers. The tournament approach and flexibility of the promoters fighter control are appealing to the top independent fighters that have chosen to pass on the UFC. Bellator’s welterweight division, perhaps its weakest in Season 1, is panning out to be the most competitive right now for Season 2.
Needless to say, Rebney stole the words right out of my mouth. I can’t wait for Season 2 to get here soon enough.
Strikeforce announced today they have signed the immensely popular former WWE superstar Bobby Lashley (4-0) to a multiple fight contract. Lashley will compete in the heavyweight division at Strikeforce, adding to a division group that includes Fedor Emelianenko, Alistair Overeem, Brett Rogers, Fabricio Werdum and former Olympian Daniel Cormier. Lashley is expected to debut on Strikeforce January 30, 2010 card.
The major signing comes on the heels of Strikeforce’s reported signing earlier this week of former UFC star Dan Henderson who will likely compete in the middleweight and light heavyweight divisions. Lashley bolsters the heavyweight division given his name recognition and solid start to his MMA career. Choosing to go with Strikeforce has the industry abuzz Strikeforce now has more talent depth than the UFC, a huge chink in the armor for the leading promotion.
Leading up to the Strikeforce signing, Lashley’s career has been more carnival than sport. In his bout under Maximum Fighting Championships, his opponent Mike Cook (7-5) donned a mask during his cage entry to mock Lashley’s former professional wrestling gig. Lashley went on to dispatch Cook in 24 seconds.
Lashley’s handlers made matters worse with his next MMA fight, pitting him against Bob Sapp under the Fight Force International promotion. Sapp is a Japanese fighting treasure due to unusually large size, but brings forward limited fighting skills. Lashley won the circus-natured fight by submission through punches at 3:17 of the first round.
Regardless of where Lashley has come from, he is a true athlete with real fighting skills. To date, he has just taken bad advisement from his management team and focused on quick money by utilizing his name recognition. In signing with Strikeforce, it shows Lashley is committed to the sport. It will be interesting to see how he fares against increasing competition and whether he can make a similar transition such as Brock Lesnar.
It has been a whirlwind week in the sport of MMA with a rash of signings of top talent. Strikeforce’s announcements of Lashley and Henderson coupled with Bellator’s announcements of former Olympian Ben Askren and Jacob McClintock have highlighted a big week of news. Interestingly, the UFC has been dropping fighters while losing out on major signings. A new day appears to be dawning and UFC’s grip on the MMA appears to be loosening.
Confirming rumors circling the MMA news boards, Bellator Fighting Championships officially announced the signing of mixed martial artist Jacob McClintock. The undefeated McClintock (6-0) recently fought under the Ultimate Warrior Challenge banner, a regional MMA promotion in the Washington D.C. area.
McClintock comes from the stable of fighters under the Arizona Combat Sports team. That outfit is home to other top MMA fighters that include WEC champion Jamie Varner, TUF 8 champion Ryan Bader, and UFC top contender Aaron Simpson. McClintock is consider by many to be the next future star coming out of that group.
“Jacob’s ability, coupled with his exciting and aggressive style, falls right in line with what we are looking for at Bellator,” said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “Last season, Joe Soto and Lyman Good went from anonymity to become world champions. Jacob has the tools to do the same. With his addition, welterweight is shaping up to be a great division for our Season 2 tournament.”
McClintock is the second major signing in as many days for Bellator, having announced the signing of former Olympian Ben Askren on December 9th. McClintock and Askren will both compete in the welterweight (170lbs.) division for Bellator. The winner of the 8-man tournament receives an automatic title shot at reigning undefeated champion, Lyman Good (10-0).
Bellator appears to be off to a great start in courting top-class fighters for its upcoming Season 2. With the format of controlling your own destiny in the tournament coupled with a live national broadcast, it seems to be generating the appeal to fighters ready for a breakthrough. Not to mention that MMA fans will now longer have to pay extra to see their favorite sport.
