Dec 1 2016
MMA News and Information
Dec 1 2016
Welterweights Paul Daley, Brennan Ward to Clash at Bellator 170 in Los Angeles
A battle of welterweight sluggers has been booked for Los Angeles, as Paul Daley and Brennan Ward will lock horns at Bellator 170 on Jan. 21.Dec 1 2016
UFC 207 Video: Amanda Nunes vs. Ronda Rousey — She’s Back!
(Video Courtesy of UFC)
Former champion Ronda Rousey returns to the Octagon to take on bantamweight titleholder Amanda Nunes at UFC 207 on December 30 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, live on Pay-Per-View.
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Dec 1 2016
Miesha Tate Explains Why She Retired
There comes a time for every athlete when they realize that they can no longer compete in their chosen sport. For Miesha Tate, that realization came on Nov. 12 during her UFC 205 bout against Raquel Pennington.
After losing to Pennington by unanimous decision, the former bantamweight champion announced her retirement before leaving the Octagon at Madison Square Garden.
“I’m announcing my retirement, you guys. I love you all so much. I’ve been doing this for over a decade. Thank you so much for being here. I love this sport forever. It’s not my time anymore. It’s the future’s time,” she said.
During a Q&A following the UFC Fight Night 101 weigh-in in Melbourne, Australia, Tate explained her decision to hang up the gloves.
“The problem is, I don’t want to give you guys half-ass performances. Unless I can go in there with a whole heart, I refuse to go back into that Octagon. That’s where it stands,” she explained.
Competing doesn’t feel the same as it used to for the 30-year-old Tate. As blues musicians Roy Hawkins and Rick Darnell penned in 1951, “the thrill is gone.”
“The competitive nature, it has to be there. I’ve been in contact sports over half my life. It doesn’t’ have the same thrill that it did when I was 22,” she said. “I won’t go in there and fight with half a heart.”
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With her fighting career behind her, Tate looks forward to other opportunities. She has experience as a commentator and analyst on television. While her fighting career is behind her, Tate believes we may see more of her now.
“I look at this as like the halftime of my life. It’s a transition-period. I don’t look at myself as retired because I’m going to be doing a lot more things,” she said. “It’s just a transition into something else. You guys may actually see more of me.”
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Dec 1 2016
Kelvin Gastelum Clears New York Hurdle En Route to UFC 206
Kelvin Gastelum has cleared a hurdle placed in front of him by the New York State Athletic Commission in his attempt to fight Tim Kennedy at UFC 206 on Dec. 10 in Toronto.
The NYSAC on Tuesday confirmed that Gastelum paid a $2,000 fine in lieu of a serving a six-month suspension for failing to appear at the UFC 205 official weigh-in on Nov. 11.
“The disciplinary action against Kelvin Gastelum has been settled prior to hearing for the payment of a $2,000 fine. The matter is now closed,” NYSAC representatives told FOX Sports.
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Gastelum had been expected to fight Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone in a welterweight bout at UFC 205, but when he realized he was going to be unable to make weight, he backed out of the fight and did not appear at the official weigh-in. The NYSAC didn’t take kindly to Gastelum’s failure to appear and issued a six-month suspension.
With the UFC 205 issue settled, Gastelum is now expected to face Kennedy in a middleweight bout at UFC 206 in Toronto. He now has to get the approval of the Ontario Office of the Athletics Commissioner, but that is considered a formality now that the suspension has been lifted.
An interim UFC featherweight championship bout between Max Holloway and Anthony Pettis headlines UFC 206.
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Dec 1 2016
Knockout Radio LIVE: Ryan Bader and Kamaru Usman, TUF 24 Finale Preview
Tune in Wednesday, Nov. 30, at 6 pm ET, for Knockout Radio LIVE! Randy Harris and the crew talk with special guests Ryan Bader and Kamaru Usman, preview Saturday’s TUF 24 Finale and review UFC Melbourne. Plus, they break down all the hottest MMA news!
As always, Knockout Radio has the best giveaways, prizes, surprises, and celebrity guests!
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Dec 1 2016
Paul Daley Bout Added to Bellator 170: Ortiz vs. Sonnen
A welterweight showdown pitting Paul Daley (38-14-2) against Brennan Ward (14-4) has been added to the main card of “Bellator 170: Ortiz vs. Sonnen” on January 21, 2017 inside The Forum in Los Angeles, Calif.
The fight joins a main card that is headlined by a legendary clash between veterans Tito Ortiz (18-12-1) and Chael Sonnen (28-14-1). In addition, Ralek Gracie (3-0) against Hisaki Kato (7-2) will also be featured on the main card. The event will be broadcast live and free on SPIKE at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT, while preliminary action will stream on Bellator.com and the Bellator Mobile App.
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Tickets for this monumental event start at $36 and are on sale now at Bellator.com, as well as Ticketmaster.com. Additional bouts will be announced in the coming weeks.
A 54-fight veteran of MMA Daley will now prepare to take on surging superstar Brennan Ward. A former member of the British Army, the 33-year-old “Semtex” competed for multiple promotions including Strikeforce and UFC before joining the Bellator MMA fray in 2012. Since then, Daley has made five appearances under the direction of the Scott Coker-led promotion, tallying four wins and a trio of fantastic knockouts. Hailing from Nottingham, England, the British phenom has recorded victories in nine of his last 11 bouts, and took current welterweight champion Douglas Lima to the limit in their last meeting. The former Cage Rage Welterweight Champion is known for his ruthless power and innate ability to end fights early, as 30 of his 38 career wins have resulted in a finish.
Ward enters the contest following a brutal knockout blow that he delivered just 1:26 into his bout with Saad Awad at “Bellator 163: McGeary vs. Davis.” The win was Ward’s ninth under the direction of Bellator MMA and fifth of his last six fights, dating back to 2015. A native of New London, Conn., “Irish” Ward seems to always deliver in front of his hometown fans at Mohegan Sun Arena, collecting five victories inside the venue, including four knockouts. Now, Ward takes his talents out West. The former NCAA All-American is widely regarded as one of the most feared brawlers in the welterweight division, as the 28-year-old has finished his opponent in 13 of his 14 career victories. Ward is now slated to tangle with another feared striker in Daley in a bout that hardcore fight fans won’t want to miss.
Updated “Bellator 170: Ortiz vs. Sonnen” Main Card:
- Light Heavyweight Main Event: Tito Ortiz (18-12-1) vs. Chael Sonnen (28-14-1)
- Middleweight Main Card Bout: Ralek Gracie (3-0) vs. Hisaki Kato (7-2)
- Welterweight Main Card Bout: Paul Daley (38-14-2) vs. Brennan Ward (14-4)
Bellator.com-Streamed Preliminary Card:
- Welterweight Preliminary Bout: Gabriel Green (3-0) vs. Jalin Turner (2-1)
- Catchweight Preliminary Bout: Christian Gonzalez (1-0) vs. Daniel Rodriguez (2-0)
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Dec 1 2016
AJ McKee ‘Making His Own Legacy’ at Bellator 166
After picking up three straight wins to start his pro career in 2015, featherweight up and comer AJ McKee has kept things rolling in 2016 with back-to-back wins in his first two fights of this year.
After getting himself in the mix last year, McKee feels 2016 has been a great year for establishing his own name as a fighter, coming out of the shadow of his MMA vet father Antonio.
“This was my year of growth, kind of. Just to grow and kind of get my name out there,” McKee told MMAWeekly.com. “Not just following my father’s career, but kind of making my own legacy and my own name for my own person.
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“Every fight I feel I’m a different fighter and I’m modifying something different. That’s why it’s hard for someone to train for me, because every fight I’m doing something different, my techniques and style are different. It’s hard to adapt to something that’s always changing.”
McKee (5-0) will look to duplicate his three-win success from last year, when he takes on late replacement Ray Wood (7-2) in a 145-pound co-main event at Bellator 166 on Friday in Thackerville, Okla.
Though Wood is the more experienced of the two fighters, McKee doesn’t believe the experience difference on paper will have much of an impact on the fight.
“It definitely factors in and plays a certain part in it, but when it comes to me, I’m a different breed,” McKee said. “If you watch my first fight, I was so composed in there that it looked like I had already had 10 fights.
“Everyone calls me a prospect, but in my eyes I’m not a prospect, I’m a young G.O.A.T. – I’m going to be the greatest of all time. I’m going to continue to live up to it and make sure that people recognize it and respect it sooner or later.”
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Now that he’s begun to make a name for himself, McKee has lofty goals for 2017, and becoming a record setting fighter in the process.
“In April is my 22nd birthday, so beginning in 2017 I’d like that belt around my waist before my birthday; beating Jon Jones as the youngest champ at 21,” said McKee. “I have to take it one fight at a time, with Emmanuel Sanchez being another step in this climbing of the mountain to the top.
“Hopefully I can get (Daniel) Straus after that, and if he’s still out hurt, I feel that belt should be up for grabs, and they should start throwing fights in there and let that belt move around. Because once McKee gets that belt, it’s going on lockdown and it’s not going anywhere.”
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Dec 1 2016
Reece McLaren Takes Inspiration From Eduard Folayang Ahead of ONE: Age of Domination
Reece McLaren will be the underdog when he faces Bibiano Fernandes at ONE: Age of Domination on Friday, but the 25-year-old is taking inspiration from a Filipino fighter who found himself in a very similar situation recently.
No-one gave Eduard Folayang much chance against Shinya Aoki, but he shocked the world to win the lightweight title. McLaren, who will need to do something similar if he is to become the first man to beat Fernandes in six years, is hoping to replicate this achievement.
“I saw the Eduard fight and I drew a lot of inspiration from it. Another fellow Filipino winning a world title shows that it can be done. It was such a massive opportunity for him and to see him walk away with the victory was just so inspirational.”
McLaren was born and bred in Australia, but his father is Filipino. This will be his third fight at the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila and he already has wins over top bantamweights Muin Gafurov and Mark Striegl in this venue.
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Since the win over Gafurov, he has earned a black belt in BJJ. However, his grappling credentials pale in comparison to those of Fernandes and McLaren knows he faces the toughest test of his career.
“Bibiano’s strengths are his ground game. He’s been a black belt since forever. He was the 2003, 2004, and 2005 world champion. He’s definitely bringing in a world champion Jiu Jitsu game.”
To become the best you have to beat the best and that’s exactly what McLaren is tasked with doing at ONE: Age of Domination. He’s up against the most dominant bantamweight in the history of Asian MMA and feels privileged to be sharing a cage with Fernandes,
“Bibiano Fernandes is an absolute beast. He’s riding an 11-fight win streak, four title defenses, the most dominant ONE Champion. This is a dream come true for me, an absolute honor.”
It was a surprise when McLaren beat Striegl, who is regarded as being one of the top contenders in the bantamweight division. He stepped up as a late replacement for that fight last year and the rest is history.
“The Mark Striegl fight was an absolute battle. It was hard for both of us, I’d say. I took it on eight day’s notice. We both went in there and I was lucky enough to come away with the result.”
Striegl certainly wasn’t expected to lose to McLaren, but the Australian has been pulling off upsets since the start of his professional career.
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“My very first upset or victory I remember was my very first fight. I was fighting in a country town and I had to fight the local boy down in the Gold Coast and I walked away with the victory.”
After going the distance in his first four ONE Championship fights, Fernandes has finished his last three opponents. The 36-year-old appears to be improving with age, but McLaren feels that whoever wins Friday’s fight will have to dig deep.
“Bibiano and I match well, we’re both black belts in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. I think it’s going to come down to a war of attrition.”
While Fernandes shows no sign of slowing down, the Brazilian surely can’t continue to compete at such an elite level indefinitely. McLaren is 11 years younger than the Brazilian and believes that at ONE: Age of Domination, youth will ultimately prevail over experience.
“I respect (Bibiano) a lot, but this is going to be a changing of the guard.”
(Follow @JamesGoyder on Twitter)
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Dec 1 2016
UFC Fighters React to MMA Athletes Association via Twitter
Following Wednesday’s announcement of the formation of the Mixed Martial Arts Fighters Association, UFC fighters reacted to the development on social media.
RELATED > UFC Stars Avoid Union Designation, but Announce Fighter Association
Today we are proud to announce the official launch of the Mixed Martial Arts Athletes Association. #UFC #MMA pic.twitter.com/NBp5rbmkR1
— Tim Kennedy (@TimKennedyMMA) November 30, 2016
This is the beginning. Hundreds of fighters have been waiting for the right team to get behind. This is it! Feel empowered and contact me. https://t.co/QoJ3WmdYyB
— Tim Kennedy (@TimKennedyMMA) November 30, 2016
Standing up for what’s right! Mixed Martial Arts Athletes Association #Repost… https://t.co/sEGaqCEmWx
— TJ Dillashaw (@TJDillashaw) November 30, 2016
The FIGHTERS are 100% in control of this. The board which Bjorn is NOT on will make all decisions. https://t.co/SxZfJ8RLCz
— Tim Kennedy (@TimKennedyMMA) November 30, 2016
It all sounded good but not enough substance. #loudnoises
— Will Brooks (@ILLWAVYBrooks) November 30, 2016
Scratching my head a little bit. I get not putting all your cards out on the table but I feel as though too much went unsaid.
— Will Brooks (@ILLWAVYBrooks) November 30, 2016
Anything that benefits fighters and fighter health is good. I am watching, reading and absorbing info before making any comments. https://t.co/xO5LBuHmx9
— The Spartan (@EliasTheodorou) November 30, 2016
A female presence on the MMAAA board will be a big display of looking for representation and representatives of all UFC fighters #yesImeanme
— Leslie Smith (@LeslieSmith_GF) November 30, 2016
Can someone ask how an agency will avoid the conflict between interests of represented fighters and the collective interests of fighters
— Leslie Smith (@LeslieSmith_GF) November 30, 2016
Already talked with @TimKennedyMMA !!!! https://t.co/Jgw7Jkbrdw
— Jocelyn J Lybarger (@mmajocelyn) November 30, 2016
I had a fantastic talk w/ @LeslieSmith_GF on the need for associations & unions. Hope all fighters get fair representation across the board.
— Julie Kedzie (@julesk_fighter) November 30, 2016
@TimKennedyMMA I have questions contact me.
— tim means (@MeansTim) November 30, 2016
For sure…. all the guys on that panel deserve every fighters respect. Regardless of what comes from it. #UFC #MMA https://t.co/eZncW6ZRJr
— Nik Lentz (@NikLentz) November 30, 2016
I’m 100% down !! Sign me up and send me the info. Lets see what we can get done #UFC #mma https://t.co/cHGFRuYrrq
— Nik Lentz (@NikLentz) November 30, 2016
This sounds too good to be true. I’d break down and cry if I had any emotion left for this game. @TimKennedyMMA @Cowboycerrone
— Cole Miller (@colemillerATT) November 30, 2016
Are you risking your job? Nah. Like I said there could and should have been more said. https://t.co/fnah75S4YR
— Will Brooks (@ILLWAVYBrooks) December 1, 2016
@TimKennedyMMA looking forward to hear more about it bud. Great move!
— Thiago Alves. (@ThiagoAlvesATT) November 30, 2016
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