Strikeforce: Diaz vs Daley RESULTS; Diaz stops Daily, Melendez storms past Kawajiri, Mousasi and Jardine draw
4/10/11 11:05AM ET
Posted by Enrique Olivieri
Photo Courtesy of Strikeforce

If you’re not a Nick Diaz fan by now, once you see his fight with Paul Daley you will be. Diaz did it again, this time it was Paul “Semtex” Daily the knockout artist from the UK who was thoroughly beaten up in this mixed martial arts classic fight.

I don’t think there’s another mma fighter fighting today who comes at you where your strengths are and still beats you up the way Diaz does and did in this fight.

This fight started the way Diaz starts all his fights, challenging who ever he’s fighting to bring it on and usually the opponent tries to bring it as happened in this fight. I don’t think anyone but the guys in Diaz’s corner expected to see Diaz totally outbox Daley, hitting the UK fighter with solid crisp punches and body shots that would stop a heavyweight.

You can’t take anything away from Daley, as he was being pummeled by a Diaz attack. he did what very few mma fighter ever do, he didn’t try to take it down or clinch he fought back and unleashed an attack of his own with a barrage of homerun hitting punches, one connected and dropped Diaz. Though clearly dropped, Diaz never lost his composure and kept moving though it was more than obvious he had been rocked really bad. If in this fight Daley had a chance to win, this was it and Daley just didn’t have the tools to capitalize on it.

The end for Daley’s title quest came next, after a classic exchange of bombs from both fighters where both landed and both seemed rocked, Diaz came true to his form and landed an uppercut that hurt and wobbled Daley and he found himself with Diaz on top. After numerous unanswered punches to Daley’s head, referee John MacCarthy stopped the fight. The end came at 4:57 of round 1.

Melendez stops Kawajiri
Strikeforce Lightweight Champion Gilbert “El Nino” Melendez succesfully defended his title by totaly blowing out Japanese superstar Tatsuya Kawajirir in what was expected to be Melendez’s toughest test so far.

In the first minute or so of the first round Melendez dropped Kawajiri with a well placed right and that set the tone for the entire fight though it didn’t go too long after that.

There was nothing that Kawajiri could do to stop the Melendez attack. “El Nino” seemed ready for whatever Kawajiri had to offer, if you’re a “Black Ops” player call it “beasting”.

When Kawajiri tried to take Melendez down, “El Nino” sprawled, took a top position and let his punches and elbows finish the job. The end came at 3:14 of round one.

Mousasi and Jardine fight to a draw
A draw? Former Strikeforce Champ Gegard Mousasi and Keith Jardine’s fight to a draw was more of an eye opener than anything else. The highly touted Mousasi stepped in against Jardine with the expectation by just about everyone but the Greg Jackson Camp that Jardine was going to get knocked out. This happens from time to time, It seems that they just forgot to tell Jardine who took this fight on a “gonna lose fore sure” notice the way the fight should have ended.

Jardine’s chin has always been questioned, Mousasi who’s a known knock out artist must have realized early in the fight that he just might be in for more than he really expected. Mousasi hit Jardine with hard accurate on target punches, bloodying Jardine, wobbling Jardine, but he just couldn’t put the former UFC fighter away. Even with an illegal up kick by Mousasi didn’t change a thing, well wait there was a point deducted which might have caused the scoring of the draw. What was very interesting was Jardines ability to take Mousasi down, time and time again.

For the “Dean of Mean” this fight should be hailed as a moral victory for him due to the extremely short notice in taking this fight and surviving three brutal rounds against Mousasi. Regardless of how the judges scored this fight, everyone who sees this fight will say Mousasi won the fight but lost a ton of credibility in him not being able to take Jardine out and make a statement for himself in the Strikeforce light heavyweight division.

In our great sport of mixed martial arts saying “it happens” as Mousasi said after the fight just doesn’t cut it, after all this is the same Mousasi who said in a pre fight video interview that he was going to make a statement. I’m yet to figure out what statement he made.

I honestly think that a trained and in proper shape Keith Jardine would have given Gegard Mousasi all he could have handled. At this writing a rematch is in the air as it should be to finish what was started.

Here are the complete Strikeforce Results:

• Nick Diaz defeated Paul Daley via TKO (strikes) at 4:57 of RD1
• Gilbert Melendez defeated Tatsuya Kawajiri via TKO (strikes) at 3:14 of RD1
• Gegard Mousasi and Keith Jardine fought to a Majority Draw
• Shinya Aoki defeated Lyle Beerbohm by Submission (neck crank) at 1:32 of RD1
• Robert Peralta defeated Hiroyuki Takaya by split decision
• Virgil Swicker defeated Brett Albee via TKO (strikes) at 1:46 of RD1
• Joe Duarte defeated Saad Awad by Submission (armbar) at 2:45 of RD2
• Herman Terrado defeated A.J. Matthews via TKO (punches) at 4:16 of RD1
• Rolando Perez defeated Edgar Cardenas by Unanimous Decision
• Casey Ryan defeated Paul Song by Submission (triangle choke) at 1:39 of RD1

Bellator 40 Results: Askren defeats Thompson, Hieron decisions Weedman
4/10/11 12:45PM ET
Posted by Enrique Olivieri
Photo courtesy of Bellator Fighting Championships


Bellator Fighting Championships landed at the First Council Casino in Newkirk, Okla., on Saturday night for Bellator 40.

Reining welterweight champ Ben Askren dominated against veteran Nick Thompson in a non-title bout in the main event. Welterweight Jay Hieron and lightweight Michael Chandler also punched their tickets to their respective tournament finals.

It was all Ben Askren against longtime MMA veteran Nick Thompson in Askren’s first fight since taking the title from former Bellator champion Lyman Good. Askren started round one with a spinning backfist, but quickly started a three-round grappling clinic, which left Thompson ineffective for almost the entire fight. At the very end of round three, a frustrated Thompson showed a glimmer of hope as he landed a few blows from the top with Askren on his back. It was not nearly enough to impress the judges, who awarded Ben Askren the unanimous decision victory.

“Tonight at Bellator 40 Ben Askren continued to show the world that he’s the best wrestler in all of MMA,” said Bellator CEO Bjorn Rebney. “Chandler looked spectacular and Jay put on a very solid performance as well.”

In the second lightweight semifinal of the season, All-American wrestler Michael Chandler met Lloyd Woodard in a tightly-contested match. In round one, Chandler outwrestled Woodard, displaying crowd-pleasing takedowns, which included a powerful belly-to-belly suplex. Woodard found his ground in round two, landing a big knee to the face of a crouched Chandler and, later, locking in a standing rear naked choke. Chandler came out fresh in round three, continuing his wrestling domination and throwing heavy shots from the top position to close out the round. Going the distance, the judges awarded Chandler the victory via unanimous decision, securing his place in a lightweight finals match-up with Patricky “Pitbull” Freire.

Fast-rising Brent Weedman faced MMA veteran Jay Hieron in a hard-fought welterweight semifinal fight. At the outset of round, Weedman landed a left hook, dropping Hieron to the ground. Hieron, an experienced wrestler, quickly took the top position, where he locked in D’Arce chokes on two occasions, but was unable to submit Weedman. An aggressive Weedman had Hieron backpedaling for the majority of round two, initiating powerful leg kicks and strikes. In round three, Hieron took Weedman to the ground, but was unable to remain in control as Weedman attempted a guillotine choke. Weedman continued the round by landing powerful thigh kicks. Hieron retaliated with a few superman punches. Hieron closed out the round from the top position, which made an impression on the judges, as they declared Hieron victorious via a unanimous decision. Jay Hieron advances to the finals where he will face Rick Hawn.

• Bellator 40 Official Main Card Results:
  Ben Askren def. Nick Thompson by Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-27, 30-27)
  Jay Hieron def. Brent Weedman by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
  Michael Chandler def. Lloyd Woodard by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 2

Bellator 39 Results: Alvarez Retains Bellator Lightweight title, Patricky Pitbull, Hawn Advance to Tournament Finals, and Saunders Shines in Bellator Debut
4/03/11 11:00AM ET
Posted by Enrique Olivieri
Photo courtesy of Bellator Fighting Championships

Bellator Lightweight World Champion Eddie Alvarez successfully defended his title against Season 2  Lightweight tournament champion Pat Curran in front of a full house at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. for Bellator 39, which aired LIVE on MTV2. The night also saw Patricky Pitbull advance to the lightweight finals via a highlight-reel flying knee TKO (Watch Here: http://bit.ly/dKaDJu), Rick Hawn defeat former champ Lyman Good and Ben Saunders' claim victory in his Bellator debut.  

Eddie Alvarez and Pat Curran did not disappoint MMA fans in the Bellator Lightweight World Championship fight. In front of a partisan crowd for Eddie Alvarez, the champ peppered Curran with punches in Round 1 but was unable to take him down, receiving a knee to the face on one attempt. Round 2 was similar, with Alvarez applying pressure and landing body shots but unable to overcome Curran's takedown defense. Alvarez dominated Rounds 3 and 4 with continuous body shots, continuing the trend for earlier rounds. At the end of Round 5, Curran took Alvarez down and landed blows from the top position, but it was not enough to impress the judges who awarded Alvarez the victory via a unanimous decision.

"Eddie put on another dominant performance and Patricky's Knockout was one of the best knockouts I've seen in the last couple years," said Bellator Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney.

In lightweight semifinal action, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Patricky Pitbull took on 2009 Submission of the Year Winner Toby Imada. After delivering several solid leg kicks in the first half of Round 1, Patricky landed a textbook flying knee to the face of Imada, followed up with a strong left hook. The referee quickly stepped in front of the relentless Pitbull and stopped the fight, awarding Patricky a TKO victory at 2:53 in Round 1, who now advances to the lightweight finals.

Former Bellator Welterweight World Champion Lyman Good met undefeated Judo Olympian Rick Hawn in the welterweight semifinal fight. Good slightly controlled Round 1 momentum, landing multiple uppercuts.  In Round 2, Hawn executed an outside trip and took Good to the ground, where he held position until the bell rang. Hawn applied the pressure in Round 3 but Good effectively landed strikes. However, neither was able to seal the deal, leaving it to the judges who declared Hawn victorious via a split decision.

In the night's special feature fight, UFC Vet Ben Saunders put on a devastating show against an impressively tough Matt Lee. Saunders set the tone of the fight early in Round 1, landing brutal knees and elbows, resulting in a bloody-nosed Lee. In Round 2, Lee attempted to change levels, but he was unable to take the bigger Saunders to the ground.  By Round 3, the crowd at the Mohegan Sun roared in support of the physically hurt Lee. The referee saw enough and stopped the fight to consult the physician, who awarded Saunders the victory via TKO at 1:24 in Round 3.

Official Main Card Results:
World Lightweight Title Fight: Eddie Alvarez def. Pat Curran by unanimous decision [49-46, 50-45, 50-45]
Welterweight Semifinal Fight: Rick Hawn def. Lyman Good by Split Decision [30-27 Hawn, 29-28 Hawn, 29-28 Good]
Lightweight Semifinal Fight: Patricky Freire def. Toby Imada by TKO [2:53, Round 1]
Catch Fight @ 175 lbs.: Ben Saunders def. Matt Lee by TKO [Doctor Stopppage - cut 1:24, Round 3]

UFC Fight Night 24 Results: Davis beats Nogueira, Johnson decisions Hardy, Jung twisters Garcia
3/27/11 3:00AM ET
Posted by Enrique Olivieri

If you’re asking does Phil Davis have what it takes to be in the UFC Light Heavyweight Title race, the answer is yes he does. The former NCAA champion had a tough way to go in earning a well deserved decision over Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. In the first round of there scheduled three rounder, Davis just couldn’t take Nogueira down after numerous attempts with the double leg take down, Nogueira stuffed double leg after double leg with little effort. After seeing Davis getting stuffed a few times, it was like “OH S#!T this doesn’t look too good for Davis”, but Davis kept his composure and changed the game plan and was able to take the PrideFC veteran down effectively using a single leg.

Towards the end of the second round Davis found his way to a decent top position and unleashed punches and thunderous knees to Nogueira’s exposed body sealing the second round.

In the third round it was Davis’s use of the single leg and a rather cautious approach to control the round from the top position that solidified the decision. All three judges had it scored the same, 30-27.

Not to take anything away from Nogueira but he just didn’t do enough or he just couldn’t do much against Davis. The question still remains even after this fight, “Is Phil Davis as good as many say he is?” I think it’s safe to say after neutralizing the ultra experienced Nogueira, Davis is an evolving fighter who comes with his own set of tools, he just needs to master the other tools of the mma trade, once he’s done that, he’s going to be a serious threat in the UFC Light Heavyweight Title picture.

In other action Anthony Johnson earned a unanimous decision over Dan Hardy by basically beating him up. This was a healthy strong and in shape Anthony Johnson who had his way for all three rounds of the fight. There’s not much you can do when a bigger stronger wrestler takes you down at will, and you don’t have the greatest ground game or even good takedown defense, that’s what happened to Dan Hardy.

After Hardy got dropped by a Johnson kick to the head in the first round and Johnson swarmed on him the tone of the fight was set. For the next three rounds Johnson took Hardy down like it was another day at the office and tried to pound him out. If Hardy had even good take down defense this would have been a way more entertaining fight. All three judges scored this fight 30-27.

In most UFC events there’s always a fight that defines the night, in the Leonard Garcia vs Chan Sung Jung it wasn’t the fight, it was the submission, “the submission of the night”, the Eddie Bravo Twister that earned Jung his first UFC victory. The last time these two met was at WEC 48 about a year ago, that fight was a classic brawl, this was was not.

Unlike the first fight where they both came out swinging for the fences, this time around they both seemed to have a game plan with both being a little cautious until Jung took Garcia down toward the end of the first round and unleashed some hard ground and pound on Garcia.

Towards the end of the second round Garcia found himself on his back and Jung took the fight to him using nasty elbows and punches after getting into Garcia’s guard. When Garcia tried to escape Jung took his back and with only seconds left in the round Jung found the opening and applied the Eddie Bravo Twister forcing Garcia to tap out. This was the first time in UFC history that a fighter had been submitted via a twister, it also earned Jung the Submission of the Night Bonus. The end came at 4:59 of the second round.

Here are the complete event results:
Phil Davis defeated Antonio Rogerio Nogueira by unanimous decision
Anthony Johnson defeated Dan Hardy by unanimous decision
Amir Sadollah defeated DaMarques Johnson by submission (strikes)at 3:27 of RD2
Chan Sung Jung defeated Leonard Garcia by submission (twister) at 4:59 of RD2
Mike Russow defeated Jon Madsen via TKO (doctor's stoppage) at 5:00 of RD2
Mackens Semerzier defeated Alex Caceres by submission (rear naked choke) at 3:18 of RD2
John Hathaway defeated Kris McCray via split decision
Michael McDonald defeated Edwin Figueroa by unanimous decision
Christian Morecraft defeated Sean McCorkle via submission (standing guillotine choke) at 4:10 of RD2
Johny Hendricks defeated T.J. Waldburger via TKO (punches) at 1:35 of RD1
Aaron Simpson defeated Mario Miranda unanimous decision
Nik Lentz defeated Waylon Lowe by submission (guillotine choke) at 2:24 of RD3

Bellator 38 Results: Hale, M’Pumba, Linderman and Carpenter Move on
3/27/11 3:00AM ET
Posted by Enrique Olivieri
Photo courtesy of Bellator Fighting Championships

Bellator Fighting Championships was LIVE on MTV2 tonight from Harrah's Tunica Hotel & Casino in Tunica, MS with Bellator 38.  The Season 4 event brought action in the quarterfinal round of the first-ever Bellator Light Heavyweight Tournament. 
Kicking off the evening was former Marine Chris "The Professional" Davis and Christian "Tonton" M'Pumbu. Both fighters put their technical ability on display in the back and forth fight, but it was M'Pumbu who was able to turn it up late in the third round.  M'Pumbu trapped Davis between his knees, landing crushing unanswered hooks to Davis' head, forcing the referee to step in and award M'Pumbu a TKO victory.
The second quarterfinal of the evening saw Richard Hale taking on Nik Fekete.  Fekete looked to rely on his wrestling skills early with a double leg takedown, but quickly found himself in a compromised position as the 6'4" Hale hung off his opponent's back, locking in an inverted triangle choke with Fekete still standing.  In a déjà vu moment that would make Toby Imada proud, Fekete dropped to his stomach, losing consciousness from Hale's Submission of the Year candidate inverted triangle choke. Check it out here: http://bit.ly/dGZg89

D.J Linderman took on submission specialist Raphael Davis in quarterfinal action at Bellator 38.  In a fight that moved from both the feet to the ground, it was Linderman who won the stand up battle, frequently finding a home for his heavy left hand.  Late in the third round it was apparent that the damage to Davis had accumulated as Linderman forced him to his knees with a jarring left hook, the referee had seen enough, awarding Linderman an amazing third round TKO upset victory.

Jiu-Jitsu legend Daniel Gracie met an undefeated Tim Carpenter in the final Light Heavyweight quarterfinal fight of the evening.  Carpenter surprisingly dominated both the Jiu-Jitsu and standup battle throughout the fight.  Gracie found his legs late in the second round but his efforts were not enough as the fight went to the judge's cards, whom ultimately awarded Carpenter a split decision victory and a spot in the Season 4 Light Heavyweight Tournament semifinals.

"I was hugely impressed with our Light Heavyweights tonight, I never would have imagined that we would see another inverted triangle, from a 6'4" Light Heavyweight," said Bellator Chairman and CEO Bjorn Rebney. "We're on a roll - I'm proud to say that we've strung together three back to back world-class, spectacular events, I couldn't be happier."