Strikeforce – Diaz vs. Daley

April 9, 2011
Valley View Casino Center

San Diego, California, United States

Strikeforce Welterweight Championship

Welterweight (170 lbs)

Nick Diaz (25 – 7 – 0) extended his winning streak to 10 in his dazzling finish over Paul Daley (27 – 10 – 2) by TKO due to punches at 4:57 of the 1^st round.  Daley, who was just 3 seconds shy of being saved by the bell, protested the stoppage by “Big” John McCarthy.  However, Daley looked unsteady when he was helped up onto his stool, leading one to believe that the stoppage may have been justified.  Diaz and Daley rocked each other numerous times throughout the truncated tussle, but the legendary chin of Diaz allowed him to recover and prevail.  Daley has never been stopped by strikes in his career prior to this loss.  With this win, Diaz moved up 2 spots, eking past [#5] B.J. Penn and [#4] Jon Fitch to rest at [#3].  Diaz has more or less beaten everyone in the Strikeforce welterweight division except for unbeaten [#35] Tyron Woodley.  Paul Daley was on a 4 fight win streak prior to this loss, and is 8-2 in his last 10.  After suffering his first TKO loss due to strikes, he will want to come back with an emphatic victory to prove he is still a top tier welterweight.  A bout with fellow loser to Nick Diaz, [#32] Evangelista “Cyborg” Santos would most likely produce fireworks on the feet, propelling the victor back into title contention.  Daley drops 8 spots from [#8] to {#14].

Strikeforce Lightweight Championship

Lightweight (155 lbs)

Gilbert Melendez (19 – 2 – 0) brutalized Tatsuya Kawajiri  (27 – 7 – 0) and won via TKO due to elbows at 3:14 of the 1^st round.  Melendez truly made a statement by dominating fellow top ten competitor Kawajiri in such shocking fashion.  Ironically it was his elbows, which are newly allowed in Strikeforce, that forced the stoppage.   Melendez, like his teammate Nick Diaz, does not have a paucity of talent available for him to face.  A rematch with [#4] Shinya Aoki or a bout against [#28] Justin Wilcox could prove interesting. The cross promotional dream match between Melendez and Bellator lightweight champ [#5] Eddie Alvarez would always be appealing.  Melendez moves 2 spots up the ranks from [#4] to [#2], usurping [#3] Gray Maynard’s previous spot.  Melendez is on a 5 fight win streak.  Tatsuya Kawajiri has suffered two hard 1^st round defeats in the last year, and these have both shown sizeable chinks in his armor.  Kawajiri did not impress in his Stateside debut, and should look for bouts with [#13] Jorge Masvidal or [#50] Pat Healy.  Kawajiri drops 2 spots from [#9] to [#11].

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Bellator Fighting Championships 30
April 2, 2011
Uncasville, Connecticut, United States

 

Bellator Lightweight Championship

Lightweight (155 lbs)
Eddie Alvarez (22 – 2 – 0) won a unanimous decision over Pat Curran (13 – 4 – 0).  Alvarez stays ranked at [#5] with this victory.  Alvarez is on a 7 fight win streak, and is regarded as one of the top lightweights in the world.  Pat Curran drops 7 spots from [#38] to [#45].  Although he lost, Curran proved a lot by going the distance with Alvarez.  Curran, who is 4 – 1 in is last 5, hinted at a possible move down to 145 lbs after this loss.

Bellator Welterweight Tournament Semifinal

Welterweight (170 lbs)
Rick Hawn (11 – 0 – 0) defeated Lyman Good (11 – 2 – 0) by a razor thin split decision.  Hawn jumps 13 spots forward from [#60] to [#47].  He will face the winner of Jay Hieron vs. Brent Weedman in the finals of the season 4 welterweight tournament.  Lyman Good drops 3 spots from [#54] to [#57].  Good, who has now lost 2 of his last 3, is still a top welterweight prospect inside the Bellator cage.

Bellator Lightweight Tournament Semifinal

Light Heavyweight (155 lbs)
Patricky Freire (9 – 1 – 0) blasted Toby Imada (29 – 16 – 0) and won  by TKO due to a huge flying knee and punches at 2:53 into round 1.  Freire, who bounds 80 spots forward from [#132] to [#52], has to be the odds on favorite to win the lightweight tournament now.  Freire is on a 5 fight win streak, stopping 4 of his last 5 opponents.  Toby Imada falls 31 spots from [#42] to [#73].  Imada, who hasn’t suffered a TKO loss since 2006, will have to go back to the drawing board and come back strong.  He has been in this position before, and has proven capable to return from demoralizing defeats.

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In Episode 2, Keon Caldwell left the competition as he couldn’t stand to be separated from his family.  His replacement will be announced in the next episode.

In the second opening round fight, Team Lesnar’s Chris Cope defeated Team Dos Santos’ Javier Torres by a unanimous decision (29-28 on all scorecards) after an overtime round.

The current win tally is 1 Team Dos Santos, 1 Team Lesnar.

Here’s who remains:

[#113] Anthony Ferguson

[#179] Myles Jury
episode 1: forced to withdraw due to an injury

[#200] Ryan McGillivray

[#247 LW] Ramsey Nijem

[#289] Chuck O’Neil
episode 1: alternate taking place of Miles Jury

[#321] Charlie Rader

[#364] Shamar Bailey
episode 1: moved on to quarter-finals with a 20-18 unanimous decision win over Nordin Asrih

[#387] Clay Harvison

[#441] Chris Cope
episode 2: moved on to quarter-finals with a 29-28 overtime unanimous decision win over Javier Torres

[#475] Len Bentley

[NR] Nordin Asrih
episode 1: lost a unanimous decision (20-18) to Shamar Bailey

[NR] Michael Bowman

[NR] Keon Caldwell
episode 2: withdrew from competition

[NR] Zachary Davis

[NR] Javier Torres
episode 2: lost an overtime unanimous decision (29-28) to Chris Cope

 

 

Featherweight (145 lbs)

Janailson Kevin Pereira Lima (8 – 12 – 0) defeated Marcos Vinicius (7 – 1 – 0) by split decision.  Lima, who was previously unranked, breaks into the featherweight “Top 250” at [#161].  Lima has won 3 of his last 4 (not counting one No Contest).  Vinicius drops 64 spots from [#117] to [#164].

 

Heavyweight (265 lbs)

Leonardo Guimaraes (5 – 0 – 0) defeated Cassio Jacare (4 – 2 – 0) by TKO due to punches at 1:11 into round 2.  Guimaraes, who was previously unranked, breaks into the heavyweight “Top 250” at [#165].  Guimaraes has stopped all but 1 of his opponents.  Cassio Jacare, who remains unranked, has gone 2-2 in his last 4 fights.

 

Women’s Bantamweight (135 lbs)

Vanessa Porto (12 – 4 – 0) defeated Kalindra Carvalho Faria (1 – 3 – 1) by armbar submission at 3:57 into round 1.  Porto, who was previously unranked, breaks into the women’s bantamweight “Top 15” at [#9].  Porto won 5 of her last 6, 4 by armbar submission.  Faria remains unranked.

 

Iron Man Championship 4
March 31, 2011
Pan Amazon,
Belem, Para, Brazil

 

Heavyweight (265 lbs)

Dirlei Brundestuki (3 – 1 – 0) weathered the opening storm and upset the much larger Geronimo “Mondragon” Dos Santos (21 – 13 – 0) by TKO due retirement at 4:15 into round 2.  Brundestuki remains unranked.  Dos Santos, who was previously ranked at [#151], fell off the rankings.  Dos Santos is 4-2 in his last 6, losing both fights by TKO due to retirement.

 

Welterweight (170 lbs)

Marinho Rocha (3 – 4 – 0) won a suspect split decision over Luis Sergio da Fonseca Melo. (22 – 8 – 3).  Rocha, who remains unranked with his victory, broke a 4 fight losing streak with this win.  Melo, who drops 72 spots from  [#108] to [#180], is 5-1-1 in his last 7.

 

Middleweight (185 lbs)

Andre Lobato (11 – 2 – 0) defeated Alexandre Goncalves Alves Jr. (5 – 4 – 0) by submission due to heel hook at 0:34 into round 1.  Lobato, who jumped 26 spots forward from [#277] to [#251], has won 6 of his last 7 all by 1^st round submission.  Alves Jr, who remains unranked, has lost 3 of his last 4.

 

Welterweight (170 lbs)

Rafael Bastos (35 – 14 – 1) won a unanimous decision over Jamil Silveira (20 – 12 – 0).  Bastos, who jumps 108 spots from [#415] to [#307], is on a 4 fight win streak, stopping 2 of his opponents.  Silveira, who remains unranked, has lost 5 of his last 7 all via unanimous decision.

 

Middleweight (185 lbs)

Maurilio de Souza (4 – 4 – 0) upset Paulo Henrique Garcia Rodrigues (12 – 6 – 0) by guillotine choke at 0:27 into round 1.  De Souza, who remains unranked, is on a 2 fight win streak, stopping both of his opponents in under 30 seconds.  Rodrigues, who was ranked at [#259], has fallen off the middleweight “Top 350.”  Prior to two losses, Rodrigues was on a 4 fight win streak, all by armbar.

 

Lightweight (155 lbs)
Jose Ivanildo Lopes Souza (6 – 5 – 0) defeated Carlos Heide (9 – 6 – 0) by guillotine choke submission at 1:30 into the 1st round.  Lopes, who was previously unranked, enters the lightweight “Top 500” at [#447].  Lopes has won 5 of his last 6 fights.  Heide, who remains unranked, is 4-2 in his last 6.

 

Middleweight (185 lbs)
Marcio Henrique Castanheira (6 – 1 – 0) defeated Edilson Florencio (8 – 11 – 0) by TKO due to retirement at 1:42 into the 1st round.  Castanheira, who was previously unranked, enters the middleweight “Top 350” at [#275].  Castanheira has won all 6 of his fights by stoppage.  Florencio, who remains unranked, is 4-2 in his last 6.

 

 

Strikeforce – Challengers 15

April 1, 2011
Stockton, California, United States

 

Lightweight (155 lbs)

Justin Wilcox (11 – 3 – 0)  continued his march towards a Strikeforce lightweight title shot as he disposed of Rodrigo Damm (9 – 5 – 0) by stopping the bout due to doctors stoppage at the end of round 1.  Rodrigo Damm looked like he had little to offer Wilcox, who dominated the Brazilian with powerful head kicks and ground and pound including precision elbows (thanks to Strikeforce adopting the unified rules and allowing elbows).  In the post fight interview, Wilcox stated that he has his eye on the gold.  It is hard to argue against him after the performance he showed on Friday night.  Other than a title fight with the winner of [#4] Gil Melendez and [#9] Tatsuya Kawajiri (taking place on April 9^th), a bout with [#13] Jorge Masvidal would prove telling for Justin “The Silverback” Wilcox.  Wilcox jumps 12 spots forward, from [#40] to [#28] with this victory, and now on a 6 fight win streak.  Rodrigo Damm is in a tough spot , losing 4 of his last 5.  Perhaps scraps between he and [#78] Billy Evangelista, who is coming off the first loss of his career to Jorge Masvidal, or [#89] Carlo Prater would be worthwhile.  Damm drops 29 spots from [#92] to {#121].

Keep Reading

In Episode 1, Miles Jury was forced out of the competition when he tore his ACL in training. Jury was replaced on Team Lesnar by [#289 WW] Chuck O’Neil.

In the first fight, Team Dos Santos’ first pick Shamar Bailey defeated Team Lesnar’s last pick Nordin Asrih by a unanimous decision (20-18 on all scorecards).

The current fight tally is 1 Team Dos Santos, 0 Team Lesnar.

Here’s who remains:

[#113] Anthony Ferguson

[#179] Myles Jury
injured in training

[#200] Ryan McGillivray

[#247 LW] Ramsey Nijem

[#289] Chuck O’Neil
alternate taking place of Miles Jury

[#321] Charlie Rader

[#364] Shamar Bailey
moves on to quarter-finals with a win over Asrih

[#387] Clay Harvison

[#441] Chris Cope

[#475] Len Bentley

[NR] Nordin Asrih
lost a unanimous decision to Shamar Bailey

[NR] Michael Bowman

[NR] Keon Caldwell

[NR] Zachary Davis

[NR] Javier Torres

Bellator Fighting Championships 38
March 26, 2011
Tunica, Mississippi, United States

Bellator Light Heavyweight Tournament Quarterfinals

Light Heavyweight (205 lbs)
Tim Carpenter (7 – 0 – 0) won a split decision over Daniel Gracie (5 – 3 – 0).  Carpenter drops 2 spots from #114 to #116, since he only won a split decision over a much lower ranked fighter.  Carpenter will face Christian M’Pumbu in the semi finals of the tournament.  Daniel Gracie drops 7 spots from #192 to #199.  Who knows what the next move for the relatively inactive Gracie will be.

Light Heavyweight (205 lbs)
Christian M’Pumbu (16 – 3 – 1) defeated Chris Davis (10 – 3 – 0) by TKO due to punches at 3:34 into round 3.  M’Pumbu jumps 7 spots forward from #56 to #49.  M’Pumbu, who has now won 5 of his last 6 fights, will face Tim Carpenter in the semi finals.  Chris Davis plummets 44 spots from #89 to #133.  Davis was winning the fight early, but faded late and paid for it.  This breaks a 3 fight win streak for Davis.

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Titan Fighting Championships 17

March 25th, 2011

Heavyweight (265 lbs)
Former WWE Heavyweight champion Bobby Lashley (6 – 1 – 0) defeated John Ott (8 – 8 – 0) by unanimous decision. Lashley jumps 35 points from #161 to #126. Lashley faded late and his performance was underwhelming. John Ott falls 38 spots from #269MW to #307 MW.

Heavyweight (265 lbs)
Aaron Rosa (17 – 3 – 0) stopped Abe Wagner (8 – 4 – 0) by rear naked choke :35 into the 2nd round. Rosa jumps 24 points from #51 to #27. Rosa is on a 4 fight win streak, and has effectively usurped the momentum Wagner had coming out of his Sylvia win. Abe Wagner falls 20 spots from #29 to #49.

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UFC Fight Night 24

March 26, 2011
Seattle, Washington, United States

Main Card

Light Heavyweight (205 lbs)
“Mr. Wonderful” Phil Davis (9 – 0 – 0) continued his undefeated streak by winning a unanimous decision over Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (19 – 5 – 0). Davis moves up 7 spots from #20 to #13. Phil Davis continues to pass the tests put in front of him, but still has some room for improvement before he steps up to the top tier of the division. A fight against #12 ranked Rich Franklin, #11 Ryan Bader, or a step up against #7 Forrest Griffin could be good tests for “Mr. Wonderful.”
“Lil Nog” drops down 4 spots, from #15 to #19. Nog has lost 2 fights in a row, so the next could be a must win for him to stay employed by the UFC. The original match between Nog and #23 ranked Tito Ortiz could still be done at this point, or a match against a fellow loser to Phil Davis, #21 ranked Alexander Gustafsson.

Welterweight (170 lbs)
Anthony Johnson (9 – 3 – 0) came back after a 16 month layoff and won a unanimous decision over Dan Hardy (23 – 9 – 0). Johnson, who was previously unranked, moves into #19. Anthony Johnson surprised some fans by not standing and trading on the feet with Hardy. Although not popular with the people in attendance, Johnson showed previously unused tools in his arsenal to ensure victory against the poor takedown defense of Hardy. Johnson has a myriad of possibilities for next opponent. Match ups against #22 Chris Lytle, #20 Mike Pierce, #18 Brian Ebersole or #17 Jake Ellenberger could all be interesting.
Dan Hardy moves down 8 spots from #19 to #27. Hardy has now lost 3 in a row, and is in danger of being cut by the UFC. If he is to stay, matches against #29 Nate Diaz, #26 Ricardo Almeida, #25 Paulo Thiago or #24 Matt Serra would all prove to be do or die contests for the competitors involved.

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These are the results from this past Saturday and Sunday and how they effected the fighters rankings.

Ultimate Challenge MMA – Lights Out
March 26, 2011
London, England

Heavyweight (265 lbs)
Former Worlds Strongest Man competitor Oli Thompson (8 – 2 – 0) defeated Ben Smith (8 – 4 – 0) by rear naked choke in round 2. Thompson goes from #230 to #147, jumping 83 points.  Oli Thompson is now on a 4 fight winning streak.  Ben Smith falls off the top #250.

Fighters Arena Lodz 2
March 26, 2011
Lodz, Lodzkie Voivodeship, Poland

Catchweight (198 lbs)
UFC veteran Tomasz Drwal (18 – 4 – 1) broke a 2 fight losing streak and defeated Argentinian Leonardo Lucio Nascimento (8 – 8 – 2) by KO due to punches 3:37 into round 2. Drwal goes from #61 to #58, jumping 3 points. Leonardo Lucio Nascimento drops 8 points from #223LHW to #231LHW.

Heavyweight (265 lbs)
Latvian kick boxer Konstantin Gluhov (15 – 6 – 0) defeated Polish Bellator vet Michal Kita (8 – 4 – 0) by TKO due to retirement 5:00 into round 2. Gluhov breaks into the top 100, jumping from #116 to #67, moving up 49 points.  Kita drops 11 points from #72 to #83.  Kita is now on a 3 fight losing streak.

Keep Reading

These are the results from this past Thursday and Friday and how they effected the fighters rankings.

Heroes Gate 3
March 24, 2011
Tesla Arena,
Prague, Czech Republic

Light Heavyweight (205 lbs)
Francis Carmont (14 – 7 – 0) defeated Simon Carlsen (4 – 2 – 0) by TKO due to punches in the 2nd round.  Carmont moves up 23 spots from #82 to #59.  Carmont is on a 3 fight win streak, and has won 4 of his last 5.  Carlsen drops 50 spots from #101 to #151.  Prior to this loss, Carlsen was on a 4 fight win streak.

Light Heavyweight (205 lbs)

Attila Vegh (21 – 4 – 2) defeated Baga Agaev (20 – 11 – 0) by TKO due to corner stoppage in the 3rd round.  Vegh moves up 63 spots from #115 to #52.  Vegh is 3-1-1 in his last 5 fights.  Agaev drops weight classes and moves from #50HW to #74LHW.  Prior to this loss, Agaev was on a 5 fight win streak.

Lightweight (155 lbs)

Ivan Buchinger (16 – 2 – 0) defeated Maratbek Kalabekov (12 – 4 – 0) by unanimous decision.  Buchinger moves up 9 spots from #132 to #123.  Buchinger is on a 4 fight win streak.  Kalabekov drops off the top 500 list for 155lbs,  being previously ranked at #457.  Prior to this loss, Kalabekov was on a 3 fight win streak.

Middleweight (185 lbs)
Artur Kadlubek (10 – 8 – 0) defeated Milan Tomes (4 – 5 – 0) by TKO due to punches in the 1st round.  Kadlubek goes from being unranked to #273.  Tomes remains unranked.

Welterweight (170 lbs)
Matus Laincz (6 – 2 – 0) defeated Jaroslav Poborsky (15 – 25 – 0) by TKO due to punches in the 1st round.  Laincz goes from being unranked to #308. Laincz is on a 3 fight win streak.   Poborsky remains unranked.

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