August 31, 2011

Today's ceremonial first pitches: Franklin and Gurgel in Cincinnati, Lytle in LA

Originally posted on 8/31/2011 by MMAJunkie.com

A trio of UFC and Strikeforce fighters will be throwing out ceremonial first pitches at MLB games today.

To help promote next week's "Strikeforce Grand Prix: Barnett vs. Kharitonov" event, Ohio fighters Rich Franklin and Jorge Gurgel throw out first pitches at tonight's Reds-Phillies game in Cincinnati.

Additionally, following his recently announced retirement, UFC vet Chris Lytle throws out a first pitch at today's Dodgers-Padres game in Los Angeles.

The Reds game takes place at 7:10 p.m. ET at Great American Ball Park. The Dodgers game begins at 12:10 p.m. PT at Dodger Stadium.

Franklin and Gurgel don't fight at the Sept. 10 Strikeforce event, which takes place at Cincinnati's U.S. Bank Arena. However, as the region's two highest-profile fighters, they're doing the local media rounds this week. Today, they also visit the Cincinnati Bengals practice at Paul Brown Stadium.

Lytle, meanwhile, recently concluded a memorable MMA and UFC career with a UFC on Versus 5 main-event victory over Dan Hardy. The fan favorite, who won a record 10 UFC fight-night bonuses during a 13-year career, retired with five wins in his final six fights and now focuses on fatherhood, his firefighting career and a possible move into politics.

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August 25, 2011

Pairings announced for Bellator Season 5 Bantamweight Tournament

Originally posted on 8/24/2011 by FiveOuncesOfPain.com

Bellator Season 5 is right around the corner and today the company announced the pairings for the Season 5 Bantamweight Tournament which kicks off at Bellator 51 on September 24 in Canton, Ohio.

Among the eight fighters participating in the 135 lbs competition is the current Bellator featherweight champ Joe Warren. The self-proclaimed “baddest man on the planet” will make his bantamweight debut against the undefeated Alexis Vila. Despite holding the featherweight title, Warren last competed in Bellator at a catch-weight of 137 lbs, picking up a unanimous decision over Marcos Galvao.

Looking to avenge that loss to Warren, Galvao will also be in the tournament, taking on former WEC bantamweight champion Chase Beebe in the first round.

Also in the tournament will be former featherweight tournament contestant Wilson Reis. The 2004 Brazilian jiu-jitsu champion faces Eduardo Dantas, a 22-year-old prospect who trains at Nova Uniao with the likes of UFC featherweight king Jose Aldo.

Rounding out the field is Ed West, the only returning competitor from the season 3 Bellator bantamweight tournament. West finished as the runner-up in the tournament, losing to Zach Markovsky in the finals. He’ll be squaring off against Luis Nogueira.

“Canton is a city that truly appreciates champions,” said Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney. “Growing up a football fan and playing my college football in the great state of Ohio, I can definitely appreciate a football city. It’s an honor to bring the fastest rising sport and world-class fighters to a great city such as Canton.”

The fifth season of Bellator begins on September 10 with Bellator 49. All events will be aired live on MTV2.

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August 24, 2011

Former UFC Fighter Chris Lytle Now Puts Focus on Family and Politics

Originally posted on 8/24/2011 by MMAWeekly.com

UFC veteran Chris “Lights Out” Lytle has had his sights set on entering the political arena for several few months.  The firefighter has had a long illustrious career in MMA, and currently holds the record of 10 post-fight bonuses, but he’s finally decided enough is enough, hanging up his gloves.

Outside of the cage, Lytle is known as a father, a husband, and is universally well liked.

The humble 38-year-old believes that not only would entering the political arena be beneficial to him, but also it would be beneficial to his family, as he could work in the daytime when his kids are at school.

“The thing is, I’ve studied a little bit of the political realm around here,” Lytle told MMAWeekly Radio.

“The good thing about that is the Indiana legislature meets around four months out of the year and it’s usually during the day.  I’ve already been looking into doing that and if I were able to do that, that would still give me a lot of time with the family and time to still do everything I want to do.  It shouldn’t interfere with that too much, so I would look into that and it would take a lot less family time from me.”

In the next week or so, Lytle will begin planning for his political future and, at this time, he believes he will make a run in 2012.  With Lytle trading his TapouT shorts for a suit and tie, the former mixed martial arts fighter is looking forward to shifting gears.

“I’m going to sit down with my political people in the next week and talk about formulating what I want to do and see what direction I’m going to go in.

“I don’t have that much of that kind of stuff.  Everybody, whoever sees me, knows that I don’t dress real fancy.  I don’t know, I guess maybe I got to buy a couple of suits. I got a little bit of money laying around now.”

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August 23, 2011

Lytle Knew He Couldn’t Keep Fighting

Originally posted on 8/23/2011 by Sherdog.com

After his upset loss to Brian Ebersole at UFC 127 in February, Chris Lytle took some time off.

He had surgery on his knee, which he had injured before the bout, and also got the chance to spend some time with his family during his recovery. The opportunity opened his eyes.

“I enjoyed being home and spending time with my kids,” Lytle (Pictured, File Photo) said on the Sherdog Radio Network’s “Beatdown” show. “I just never really got to do that ever. That happened, and I had to go back to the gym and start training for my fight. Really quickly I learned I’d rather be at home than training for the fight. As soon as that came, I knew that I couldn’t keep fighting.”

Lytle had to change his focus as he prepared to face Dan Hardy in the Aug. 14 main event of UFC Live 5. He knew he was going to retire and he wanted to go out with a win.

“Everybody quits the UFC because they’ve been knocked out three times in a row or they’re on losing streaks,” Lytle said. “I was like, ‘Man, I want to do everything I can to go out … just kind of at the top of my game.’ I think it’s always good when you leave people wanting more. I think that’s hard for most fighters to do, to find the right time to leave. Everybody fights for too long. I want to be somebody that didn’t do that.”

Lytle pulled it off. In his final Octagon performance, he delivered yet another entertaining slugfest and capped it by submitting Hardy with less than a minute to go.

“When I thought about it in my head, that’s kind of exactly how it worked out,” Lytle said. “It usually doesn’t work out like that, you know what I mean? It was pretty cool.”

It was perfect, and Lytle said he’s not worried about the temptation to return because he can’t really beat the exit he just made.

“I can’t see anything topping that fight,” he said. “The only thing I could possibly see would be if they ever came and said, ‘Chris, somebody got hurt. We need you to do this title fight.’ Which you know, I would very, very doubt [it would happen]. I mean, there’s other guys, I would say, that are more deserving, so I doubt that they would do that. I’ll be honest: If they did and I was fortunate somehow and did win, I’d retire again. I don’t really want to go in the gym and train right now. I’d just rather be home.”

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August 23, 2011

TapouT’s Punkass talks UFC Fox Deal, Chris Lytle Retirement And Responds To Becoming A Mainstream Br

Originally posted on 8/23/2011 by Fighthubtv.com

Tapout has become synonymous with MMA. The brand has grown from friends starting a brand that was sold at smaller venues to the worldwide empire it has become today; 1999 saw the company generate $30,000 – when purchased by Authentic Brands in 2010, it was exceeding annual profit of $200 million. Fight Hub TV recently had the opportunity to speak with co-founder and current president of Tapout, Dan “Punkass” Caldwell and discussed the brand from its beginning to now, fighter sponsorship and relationship, where it goes from here.

FHTV: When you started the company, did you think it (the brand and MMA) would be at the level it is now?

PA: When we started to sit down and discuss the company – me, Charles and Skrape, we all knew it would be big from day one. As fast as it has grown to what it is now, we knew it would be this big but maybe not how fast it has. We look at things from all aspects: venues, fighters, locations and see how that expansion helps not only our brand but the sport/ industry as a whole. Example, when there is a new fighter on a card from Korea, we are looking at it as a chance to get behind someone like that, to help the fighter which can in turn open up possibilities for shows over there, promotions over there, more fighters, etc. There is more to it than just putting a shirt on someone.

FHTV: Watching the main event from UFC on Versus 5 how did that make you feel with Lytle retiring?

PA: It was great, it really was. It was hard to root for one against the other since I work with both guys and they are great people outside of this business as well. It is nice to see someone like Chris, who is so humble and respectful of everyone involved, do what he has done. We have been behind him for a long time and know he will go on to do great things and have a beautiful family life. I saw his wife in the front row and she always supports him but you could tell how happy she was that he has done what he did in the UFC.

FHTV: Fighters have started to make their walkout tees a commodity for each fight, how much are they involved in design?

PA: It is still something we are working on. There is some input from the guys if they come to us with an idea or we have something we think suits their style and personality. If we are designing a shirt for Dan (Hardy) we wanna make sure there is black & red for example; the main thing is just to make sure it is a representation of them.

FHTV: What about the trends now? What do you see more happening with the design of product?

PA: It looks like it is going to be more straight forward like it was in the beginning: simpler graphics, simpler design and fonts. A few years back everyone had a whole bunch of stuff crammed on a shirt, on the sleeves, back, front sides. There were flames and skulls and wings, everything (laughing) but now it seems that they want a simpler and bold approach. I like it how it is now and will do my best to provide the best.

FHTV: People were and some still are critical to how mainstream you have become as a brand. How do you respond to that?

PA: People who think that do not understand business in general. A company is owned by a bigger company. We started out small and had a vision of what we wanted to do with it and have done it; Authentic Brands is the best thing that could have ever happened to us. People can sit back and say we sold out or are money hungry and that’s the furthest from the truth. Who doesn’t wanna make money for what they do? Besides, we are exposed on a bigger scale and if someone doesn’t understand and thinks we sold out, I can explain it to them in five minutes and they’ll understand it was a wise business move.

FHTV: What about people who say that some people who wear Tapout are bad examples of the sport?

PA: That is exactly what they are, a few people who do dumb things in a Tapout shirt make the sport look bad. Just like people who do dumb things at a race or football game, baseball game, wherever – those people are the ones responsible; not the brand they are wearing. It just is easy for someone to make an excuse for something they do not understand or want to know about, to paint an entire sport and fan base from a couple bad fans.

FHTV: With the UFC partnering with FOX, what is your reaction to something like this?

PA: I think it is great, on many levels. UFC and Zuffa have done it and took their time and did it right, I think we are gonna see this continue to grow and become bigger than it already is.

FHTV: Do you think FOX knew what they were doing signing Zuffa? The same way they have signed NASCAR, a sport people criticize but is one of the most popular and profitable?

PA:  Absolutely. FOX made a great move and promotes what the people want, we all will benefit from it. Now for us (Tapout) we benefit because of fights being shown on the network but it also helps make our name known since we have partnerships with NASCAR drivers.

Thank you again to Dan and Tapout for all they do and continue to do for MMA and all involved.

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August 21, 2011

Win Streak History, but Ricco Rodriguez Vows 'I'm Not Done'

Originally posted on 8/21/2011 by MMAFighting.com

UNCASVILLE, Conn. -- After a personal best 12-fight win streak was snapped at Bellator 48, Ricco Rodriguez simply asked for another chance.

The former UFC heavyweight champion never got his game plan going and was knocked out by debuting Seth Petruzelli in the first-round of their fight. Rodriguez made no excuses for the loss, crediting Petruzelli for his execution in the cage.

And despite the loss, Rodriguez vowed that we haven't seen the last of him on the major MMA scene.

"I have to go back to the drawing board, but I'm not done," he said. "I'm definitely going to come back. Hopefully, Bellator gives me another opportunity."

Rodriguez's representatives were reportedly going to ask to have him included in the upcoming Bellator heavyweight tournament, which is slated to begin in early October.

Petruzelli knocked Rodriguez out with a step-back right hook that was similar to the punch that he used to floor Kimbo Slice. Against Rodriguez, he needed a few ground strikes to finish the fight off, but the stoppage win was all the more impressive when you consider Rodriguez hadn't been TKO'd since Tim Sylvia captured the UFC belt from him in February 2003.

"He hits hard," Rodriguez said.

But Rodriguez promised to get back on the horse. After all, this is a guy who many figured was done a long time ago, yet he managed to put his demons behind him and put together an impressive winning streak that got him to Bellator. While that stretch of success is history now, he says he has the tools to recover and rebuild.

"This is a tough job," Rodriguez said. "Every fighter can get knocked out, every fighter can get subbed. It's a fight. It's a way of life. You have to pick up the pieces when you're down. When you're up, you're up. But even when you're at the top of the mountain, everyone's trying to knock you down."

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August 21, 2011

Chris Cisneros replaces Rick Hawn against Ben Saunders at Bellator 49

Originally posted on 8/20/2011 by FiveOuncesOfPain.com

It didn’t take long for Bellator officials to find a replacement in their upcoming welterweight tournament. Chris Cisneros has agreed to step up and fill in for Rick Hawn, who injured his knee while training, and take on Ben Saunders at the upcoming Bellator 49 event.

Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney confirmed the replacement earlier today.

Rebney stated, “”Unfortunately, Rick suffered an injury that will keep him out for a few months, and I expect him back with Bellator in short order. I know Chris is going to come into this tournament hungry, and his fight with Ben should be a great one on Sept. 10 live on MTV2.”

“The Maverick” is currently one a five fight win streak and will be competing in Bellator for the first time when he meets “Killa B” in September. Cisneros holds an 11-3 MMA record and has finished nine of his eleven opponents in victory. He also has a 9-0 record as a boxer and a 18-2 record as a kickboxer. Needless to say, Cisneros will be very comfortable standing with the muay-thai specialist Saunders.

“This is a tremendous opportunity for me, and I’m looking to make some noise in this tournament,” Cisneros said. “It’s always a tough thing to see another fighter go down because of injury, but it happened, and now I have a chance to fight for an unbelievable promotion like Bellator.”

Bellator 49 is scheduled for September 10 at Caesars Atlantic City in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The event will include the entire first round of the season 5 welterweight tournament.

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August 19, 2011

Zhang-Elkins Targeted for UFC 136 in Houston

Originally posted on 8/18/2011 by Sherdog.com

Twelve bouts have now been announced for UFC 136, as promotion officials Thursday confirmed that Tiequan Zhang will lock horns with Darren Elkins in a featherweight affair at the Oct. 8 event.

Headlined by a lightweight title rubber match pitting champion Frankie Edgar against the only man to ever beat him in Gray Maynard, UFC 136 will emanate from the Toyota Center in Houston. Also featuring a featherweight championship showdown between Jose Aldo and Kenny Florian, the event's main card will air live on pay-per-view.

China's lone UFC representative, Zhang has tasted defeat only once in nearly six years as a professional. Known as “The Mongolian Wolf,” Zhang made his North American debut at WEC 51 last year. After quickly submitting Pablo Garza via guillotine choke in that matchup, the 33-year-old was defeated in his sophomore WEC effort by Danny Downes. Most recently, Zhang dropped to featherweight and rebounded from his lone defeat to earn a submission victory over Jason Reinhardt at UFC 127 in February.

Elkins has won four of his last five bouts. The Hoosier has posted a 2-1 record in his UFC career thus far, debuting successfully at UFC Live 1 last year. After earning a technical knockout over Duane Ludwig due to an ankle injury in that bout, Elkins was quickly submitted in his sophomore effort by Charles Oliveira this past August. The American made the cut to 145 pounds for his most recent outing in June, earning a controversial unanimous decision over Michihiro Omigawa at UFC 131.

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August 16, 2011

Bellator a ‘Final Calling’ for Ex-UFC Champion Rodriguez

Originally posted on 8/16/2011 by Sherdog.com

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. -- Ricco Rodriguez struggled to find work with prominent mixed martial arts organizations for a number of years, until he signed with Bellator Fighting Championships in February. 

Rodriguez (47-11) will meet Seth Petruzelli at Bellator 48 on Saturday at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., site of the most significant victory of his career -- his September 2002 triumph over Randy Couture, which netted him the UFC heavyweight crown. Rodriguez believes he has found a place where he can finish out his career while competing against some of the top heavyweights in the world. 

“Taking this opportunity to fight with Bellator is really my final calling,” he told Sherdog.com. “I don’t plan on going anywhere else. I plan to compete in the heavyweight tournament, see how I match up with the heavyweights, really push myself to be a champion and finish my career here.” 

While searching for a new professional home, Rodriguez grew tired of the unprofessional methods utilized by certain smaller promotions with which he had dealt. He has not competed in back-to-back bouts within the same promotion in more than three years, as he bounced from one regional stage to the next. 

“When you’re working for a smaller organization, you’re almost taking a chance in a circus act,” Rodriguez said. “It is awesome to work for an organization that treats you with class and respect.” 

Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney was admittedly hesitant to sign the heavyweight, who has had issues with substance abuse in the past. Historically, Bellator has not gone out of its way to sign UFC washouts and former champions, and Rodriguez was no exception. 

“A lot of people don’t understand the politics,” Rodriguez said. “Bellator is looking for their own champions. They aren’t looking for former champions. They are not the company that’s taking the leftovers from the UFC and making them their champions. They are producing guys that are in the Top 10 rankings.” 

Rodriguez believes Bellator provides a unique platform through which to showcase his talents. The opportunity to compete on national television via MTV2 intrigues the 33-year-old, along with the way Bellator raises and grooms its own fighters. 

“They have a different formula. They are coming at their demographics in a totally different way, and they are finding their own athletes,” Rodriguez said. “Look at [Bellator welterweight champion and 2008 Olympian] Ben Askren; you think that these guys couldn’t compete in the UFC? I’m happy with Bellator. I believe they care more about the fighters.” 

On a 12-fight winning streak, the longest such streak of his career, Rodriguez will lock horns with Petruzelli in his promotional debut. He has designs on competing in the next Bellator heavyweight tournament, a victory in which would lead to a crack at championCole Konrad. 

“I’ve been wanting to fight better opponents,” Rodriguez said. “Seth is very unorthodox, and he’s very elusive. He is a brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Everybody thinks I should win, but a fight is a fight. Anyone can get knocked out at any time. It’s just a great opportunity to come back to [the] Mohegan Sun, where I won my UFC heavyweight title, and show people I belong in Bellator.”

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August 16, 2011

Fans invited to Friday's Bellator 48 weigh-ins

Originally posted on 8/16/2011 by MMAJunkie.com

The official weigh-in ceremony for this weekend's Bellator 48 event are free and open to the public.

The festivities take place this Friday, Aug. 19, at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn.. The first fighter hits the scale at 5 p.m. ET, and MMAjunkie.com will carry a live video stream of the proceedings.

The same venue hosts the following day's MTV2-televised Bellator 48 event.

Bellator 48 features the finals of Bellator's "Summer Series" featherweight tournament, with Pat Curran (15-4 MMA, 5-1 BFC) meeting Marlon Sandro (19-2 MMA, 2-0 BFC). Additionally, Bellator heavyweight champion Cole Konrad (7-0 MMA, 2-0 BFC) meets Paul Buentello (29-13 MMA, 0-0 BFC) in a non-title affair.

Rounding out the main card are a heavyweight fight between UFC vets Ricco Rodriguez (46-11 MMA, 0-0 BFC) and Seth Petruzelli (13-6 MMA, 0-0 BFC) and a lightweight tilt between Rene Nazare (9-0 MMA, 2-0 BFC) vs. Juan Barrante (7-5 MMA, 0-0 BFC). 

The full Bellator 48 lineup includes:

MAIN CARD (MTV2)

• Pat Curran vs. Marlon Sandro (featherweight-tourney finale)
• Champ Cole Konrad vs. Paul Buentello (heavyweight non-title fight)
• Seth Petruzelli vs. Ricco Rodriguez
• Juan Barrante vs. Rene Nazare

PRELIMINARY CARD

• John Clarke vs. Dan Cramer
• Andrew Calandrelli vs. Matt Nice
• Brett Oteri vs. Ryan Quinn
• Nik Fekete vs. Mark Griffin
• Saul Almeida vs. Tateki Matsuda

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