Despite this, our coverage will continue. For all of your boxing and MMA needs, make sure to visit us at http://www.ocregister.com/sections/sports/mma-boxing/.

Also, make sure to follow Carlos Arias at twitter.com/PunchyMcGee and Damian Calhoun at twitter.com/DamianCalhoun

Thanks.

Keep Punching blog to be retired is a post from: Keep Punching

Lawler fought at 170 pounds early in his career and went 4-3 in his first stint in the UFC from 2002-04. After leaving the UFC, Lawler went on to win the Superbrawl, Icon Sport and EliteXC middleweight titles. Lawler, 30, of Granite City, Ill., has lost three of his past four fights in Strikeforce. Lawler is 19-9 with 16 KOs.

Koscheck (17-6), a former NCAA national wrestling champion and original cast member on the first season of “The Ultimate Fighter, is coming off a split decision loss to Johny Hendricks. Koscheck, 35, of Fresno, is 15-6 inside the octagon.

Ronda Rousey (6-0) and Liz Carmouche (7-2) will become the first women in UFC history to fight in the octagon when they meet for the newly-minted UFC women’s bantamweight championship in the main event of UFC 157.

In the other confirmed bouts for UFC 157, former Pride and Strikeforce champion Dan Henderson (29-8) faces former UFC light-heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida (18-3) and former WEC featherweight champion Urijah Faber (26-6) takes on Ivan Menjivar (25-9) in a rematch.

Follow me on Twitter @PunchyMcGee.

MMA: Koscheck vs. Lawler confirmed for UFC 157 is a post from: Keep Punching

She said she probably gets that quality from her mom, Ann Maria Rousey DeMars, a former Judo world champion who currently works as a professor at USC.

“My mom is the mean version of me,” the outspoken Rousey quipped. “She’s 6-feet of mean shoved down to 5-feet-2.”

Before Rousey, a 2008 Olympic bronze medalist in Judo, ever stepped into the cage as a professional fighter, she made it her mission to convert UFC president Dana White into a women’s MMA fan.

“It was a goal of mine from the very beginning actually,” Rousey said. “I just refused to be ignored pretty much. I said to myself, ‘What would work?’ I just thought, ‘I’m going to make myself so impossible to ignore and make myself into something that they didn’t even know that they needed.’

“Before I became a pro I was saying that, so when I was training for my pro debut at King of the Cage is when I first said it on camera. I said, ‘This guy is going to love me and there’s nothing he can do about it.’ I was so sure. You know, I never doubted it.”

Rousey, who will be part of the first women’s fight in UFC history when she faces Liz Carmouche in the main event of UFC 157 on Feb. 23 at Honda Center, has been winning over fans every time she fights. She is 6-0 with six victories via armbar submission. Only one fighter has made it out of the first minute with her.

“Gaining the respect of men who didn’t think women belong in a gym is something that I’ve become very good at over the years,” Rousey said. “He (White) wasn’t the first person to doubt me before he met me. I’m used to changing people’s minds. If you are a woman and you are training, every single time you go into a new environment you have to prove yourself all over again.

When White started paying attention to Rousey’s fights, he recognized something he likes in all his favorite fighters: She is a finisher.

“Everybody was saying, ‘Oh, he’s bringing her in because he has a crush on her and she’s so hot and this and that,’” White said. “You know, Gina Carano is hot too and you didn’t see me trying to get into women’s MMA with them. The difference between her and any other female fighter I’ve met is she’s cute and she’s out here interacting, but when she goes and fights she’s mean, she’s nasty and she likes to finish people. And that’s what I like in a fighter whether you are a man or a woman.

“What I always said is the women’s divisions aren’t deep enough. There’s not a deep enough talent pool to start bringing in all these weight divisions and get women into MMA. Well, the way that I look at this — I had this conversation a couple of weeks ago when the media was saying to me, ‘It sounds like this is the Ronda Rousey show.’ I said, ‘You’re (darn) right it is.’ I started watching her fights. I started watching her interviews. I met her one day at one of the fights and we talked and, obviously, I think that she can do it. It takes a certain type of person, not just personality, but a certain type of fighter to get people interested and to get people excited about women’s fighting, period. I think she’s got it.”

NOTES

White said Season 17 of “The Ultimate Fighter” is moving to Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on FX. TUF 17 debuts on Jan. 22 and will serve as the lead in for FX’s popular “Justified” series starring Timothy Olyphant. …

Tickets for UFC 157 go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. and are priced at $350, $250, $150, $100, $75 and $50. Fans can purchase tickets at www.ticketmaster.com, Ticketmaster retail locations and by phone at (800) 745-3000. Tickets will be available at the Honda Center Box Office beginning Saturday. …

The 11-bout card for “The Ultimate Fighter 16″ Finale featured five knockouts and three submissions, leaving UFC officials with plenty of candidates for bonuses. Pat Barry survived some early bombs from Irvine’s Shane Del Rosario before landing a crushing right hand that finished Del Rosario 26 seconds into the second round. Barry picked up a $40,000 knockout of the night bonus.T.J. Waldburger transitioned from a guillotine to a triangle choke for the finish over Nick Catone and a $40,000 submission of the night bonus. Tim Elliott survived am illegal knee in the opening round and came storming back to decision Jared Papazian. Both fighters received $40,000 fight of the night bonuses. …

The TUF 16 Finale at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas had a crowd of 2,500 for a live gate of $318,525. …

There were no submissions at UFC on FX 6 last Friday in Australia, so no submission of the night was awarded. But there were plenty of candidates for knockout of the night and fight of the night. “The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes” cast member Benny Alloway pocketed $40,000 for his first-round knockout over Manny Rodriguez. Alloway dropped Rodriguez with a front kick and finished him with punches that left him out cold. Nick Penner and Cody Donovan each received $40,000 fight of the night bonuses. Penner scored two knockdowns in the opening minute of the fight, but Donovan kept his composure and went for submissions. Donovan rallied late in the first round, dropping Penner and finishing him with a flurry of strikes. …

UFC on FX 6 at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre in Queensland, Australia, had a sold-out crowd of 5,133 for a live gate of $900,000. …

Hunting Beach’s Tony “Kryptonite” Lopez (32-9), who has held King of the Cage titles in three weight classes, takes on South African Trevor Prangley (26-9-1) for the vacant King of the Cage light-heavyweight title at King of the Cage: Vigilante on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. San Manuel Indian Bingo and Casino in Highland.

In the other featured bouts on the card, Sam Liera (7-3) of Fullerton challenges King of the Cage welterweight champion David Gomez (14-4) of Rancho Cucamonga and Justin Robbins (13-13) of Springfield, Ill., faces Marvin Garcia (9-2) of Riverside for the vacant King of the Cage flyweight title. …

Fuel TV has scheduled a two-day marathon of past UFC live events stretching from Christmas Eve through Christmas Day. All of the UFC on Fox, UFC on FX and UFC on Fuel TV are on the schedule, beginning with UFC on Fox 1, which featured the first Junior dos Santos-Cain Velasquez fight, on Dec. 24 at 3 a.m. …

The UFC Ultimate Fight Collection 2012 (Limited Edition), which covers the time period from UFC 132-UFC 147 and features 200 fights, 50 hours and 20 discs, goes for $134.95 at most stores, but the DVD collection goes for $84.99 on ufc.com. …

Follow me on Twitter @PunchyMcGee.

MMA notes: Rousey was determined to win over UFC president is a post from: Keep Punching

Floyd Mayweather

Both Alvarez (41-0-1, 30 KOs) and Floyd Mayweather Jr. (43-0, 26 KOs) have announced that they’re fighting May 4. One problem – neither has an opponent as of yet.

Mayweather said he wants to fight twice in 2013. If he sticks to his routine, that would mean Cinco De Mayo weekend and Mexican Independence Weekend in September.

That’s also Alvarez’s potential schedule.

With all that in play, Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer said he’s busy working on May.

“I’m working diligently on finalizing for Floyd his fight on May 4,” Schaefer said Saturday night. “And I’m working very diligently on finalizing a fight for Canelo.

“You guys are going to have to have a little patience until I’m done. Then we will announce who is going to be fighting who … I can tell you already, if I can deliver what I’m planning on delivering, it be one of the biggest boxing events of all time.”

Schaefer added that he might need “another two weeks or so” to finalize things.

Mayweather, 35, defeated Miguel Cotto in May and then went away to serve a two-month jail sentence. Alvarez, 22, went 2-0 this year, defeating Shane Mosley in May and Josesito Lopez in September.

Also figuring into the mix is interim WBC welterweight champion Robert Guerrero. Guerrero defeated Andre Berto in November and has been angling for a fight with Mayweather.

BOXING BACK ON NETWORK TV

Last Saturday, Leo Santa Cruz’s IBF bantamweight title defense against Alberto Guevara was aired live on CBS, following the Indiana-Butler college basketball game. That was the first boxing event on the network in 15 years.

Saturday, NBC steps in as it televises the Tomasz Adamek-Steve Cunningham bout,* a scheduled 12-round heavyweight fight from Bethlehem, Penn.

The fight will air at 1 p.m.

Adamek (47-2, 29 KOs and Cunningham (25-4, 12 KOs) met in 2008 when Adamek upset Cunningham by split decision, taking Cunningham’s IBF cruiserweight title.

The co-feature, eight-round heavyweight fight between Tor Hamer (19-1, 12 KOs) and Vyacheslav Glazkov (13-0, nine KOs) will also be televised

HBO’s BEST FIGHTS

Starting on Christmas, HBO will kick off its “Boxing’s Best” of 2012, replaying some of their memorable fights of the year.

All of the fights will be aired at 11 p.m., unless noted. Here is the schedule:

Dec.25: Floyd Mayweather-Miguel Cotto; Dec. 26: Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.-Sergio Martinez; Dec. 27: Robert Guerrero-Andre Berto; Dec. 28: Antonio DeMarco-Adrien Broner and Andre Ward-Chad Dawson (11:45 p.m.); and Dec. 29: Brandon Rios-Mike Alvarado and Manny Pacquiao-Juan Manuel Marquez 4 (11:40 p.m.).

NOTES

Victor Ortiz, who has been sidelined since he lost to Josesito Lopez in June, could return to the ring in either April or May, Schaefer said. Ortiz suffered a broken jaw in the fight and underwent two surgeries to fix his jaw. …

Bernard Hopkins, 48, is set to challenge IBF light heavyweight champion Tavoris Cloud, March 9 at Barclays Center, Schaefer said. Hopkins lost his last fight, a 12-round majority decision defeat to Chad Dawson in April …

Santa Ana’s Ronny Rios (19-0, nine KOs) will face former super bantamweight champion Rico Ramos (21-1, 11 KOs), Jan. 11 at Fantasy Springs Resort Casino in Indio. The fight will be for the NABF featherweight title.

Boxing notes: Mayweather and Canelo on same date? is a post from: Keep Punching

Click here to view the embedded video.

Boxing: HBO Sports 2012 recap is a post from: Keep Punching

By BRIAN KNAPP

SHERDOG.COM

Matt Mitrione was not ready for Roy Nelson.

Nelson (18-7, 5-3 UFC) dispatched the Blackzilians representative with a crushing three-punch combination and follow-up ground strikes in the first round of their main event at “The Ultimate Fighter 16” Finale on Saturday at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

It was over 2:58 after it began.

Mitrione (5-2, 5-2 UFC) did well for a time, as he belted the former International Fight League champion with heavy kicks to the arms, body and legs. However, Nelson’s punching power made its appearance a little more than midway through round one, as he floored Mitrione with a right uppercut-left hook-overhand right combination. “Big Country” — whose original opponent, Shane Carwin, withdrew from the event with a knee injury — finished it with a series of jackhammer right hands on his turtled adversary.

“I used to submit everybody when I first started, but when I got my first knockout, I said, ‘Man, this is so much easier than this wrestling and jiu-jitsu stuff,’” Nelson said. “I was looking to pick him apart in the second and third and show all the critics that a fat boy can go five rounds.”

Smith captures latest ‘Ultimate Fighter’ crown

Colton Smith utilized a spirit-sapping clinch game and excellent positional grappling to defeat Tristar Gym export Mike Ricci by unanimous decision in “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 16 welterweight final. All three cageside judges scored it for Smith (4-1, 1-0 UFC): 30-27, 30-27 and 30-26.

Ricci, a natural 155-pound fighter, entered the cage with all the fanfare, but had no answer for what he encountered. Smith delivered takedowns and transitioned to the Canadian’s back in all three rounds, threatening with chokes and peppering him with light but effective punches and elbows. The 25-year-old Des Moines, Iowa, native benefitted from an inadvertent low blow in the second round that went unnoticed by referee Steve Mazzagatti. It was an advantage he did not need.

Smith controlled virtually every minute of the bout. Ricci made one last bid for victory late in the third round, where he reversed into top position and transitioned to an attempted armbar. Smith defended, freed his arm and moved out of danger.

“It’s sweet. I wanted to finish the fight,” Smith said. “Ricci, first of all, is a 155-pound fighter. He’s tough as nails, and he whooped the crap out of everybody in the house. I knew he was a very dangerous opponent, and I had to be careful with him.”

Heavy-handed Barry victimizes Del Rosario

Pat Barry bushwhacked Team Oyama’s Shane del Rosario with a brutal multi-punch combination 26 seconds into the second round of their featured heavyweight matchup. An overhand left put del Rosario (11-2, 0-2 UFC) on shaky footing and a searing right hook resulted in a highlight-reel knockout.

Barry (8-5, 5-5 UFC) wandered into danger in the first round, as del Rosario struck for a takedown, transitioned to his back and threatened him with a series of submissions. The rear-naked choke, the armbar and the omaplata all failed, and Barry survived to see round two.

Once there, the New Orleans native wasted no time in getting down to business. He rocked del Rosario with a left, pursued him with more heavy artillery and finished him in violent fashion.

“It’s a rough ride coming out here,” Barry said. “Anybody who says they don’t get nervous before a fight is a liar, or they’ve never been hit in the head. There have just been a lot of ups and downs.”

Poirier choke submits Brookins

American Top Team’s Dustin Poirier submitted “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 12 winner Jonathan Brookins with a first-round brabo choke in an entertaining featherweight showcase. Brookins (13-6, 2-3 UFC) conceded defeat 4:15 into round one.

Poirier (13-2, 1-1 UFC) engaged in a wild early exchange with the Floridian and weathered several clubbing right hands. As the fight deepened, Poirier slowly established his superiority. He buckled Brookins with a right hand of his own with a little more than a minute to go in the first round, swarmed with punches against the cage and cinched the choke on an ill-advised takedown attempt.

“I knew Brookins had a solid cross,” Poirier said. “He hurt me early on against the fence, but, luckily, I clipped his chin and made him back up a little bit. I watched his last fight a lot, and he got caught against the fence with an anaconda. When he gave it to me, I thought, ‘This is unreal. He’s not doing it again.’ Sure enough, it was in there.”

Other Bouts

In preliminary action, former World Extreme Cagefighting welterweight champion Mike Pyle dismissed James Head with a knee strike from the Thai plum and follow-up punches 1:55 into round one; Bellator Fighting Championships veteran Johnny Bedford stopped Marcos Vinicius Borges Pancini on punches 60 seconds into the second round of their battle at 135 pounds; Jackson’s Mixed Martial Arts representative Rustam Khabilov wiped out the previously unbeaten Vinc Pichel with a belly-to-back suplex and follow-up punches 2:15 into round one their lightweight duel; T.J. Waldburger posted his seventh win in nine fights, as he choked Nick Catone unconscious with a triangle 64 seconds into round two of their welterweight clash; Champion Team export Hugo Viana knocked out Reuben Duran with an overhand right 4:05 into their matchup at 135 pounds; Mike Rio submitted fellow “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 15 alum John Cofer with an armbar 4:11 into the third round of their lightweight contest; and Tim Elliott captured a unanimous verdict over former King of the Cage champion Jared Papazian at 125 pounds, sweeping the scorecards by 30-25, 30-25 and 30-26 marks.

Story provided by Sherdog.com.

MMA: Nelson combo buries Mitrione in ‘The Ultimate Fighter 16’ Finale is a post from: Keep Punching

The aftermath. Photo courtesy of Top Rank

KO of Jorge Arce in Houston, Saturday night.

Donaire knocked Arce down in the second and then ended the fight with a left hook in the third, stopping the fight at 2:59 of the round.

After the fight, Arce (61-7-2, 46 KOs) announced his retirement.

Donaire’s 2012 started with a split decision victory over Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. in February in Donaire’s debut at super bantamweight. In July, he scored an unanimous decision victory over Jeffrey Mathebula and followed that with a ninth-round TKO victory over Toshiaki Nishioka in October.

As for what’s next for Donaire … he said he wants either Abner Mares or Guillermo Rigondeaux. Since Golden Boy Promotions and Top Rank don’t work together, it would be safe to assume that Donaire-Rigondeaux gets made.

Boxing: Nonito Donaire caps the year in style is a post from: Keep Punching

However, Santa Cruz certainly warmed to the occasion.

Santa Cruz (23-0-1) eventually wore down an extremely game Guevara, winning by unanimous decision, 116-112, 118-110 and 119-109 to retain his IBF bantamweight title.

The fight wasn’t as easy as the wide margin on the scorecard. Guevara’s last fight was at lightweight, when he lost to Raul Hidalgo in August. That strength caused some trouble for Santa Cruz.

“I couldn’t breathe right since the third round and I messed up my right hand during sparring, that’s why I turned to southpaw.”

This was the fifth fight of the year for Santa Cruz and his third title defense. He won the title in June when he defeated Vusi Malinga.

“I’ve been fighting a lot lately and I don’t think I’ve given myself enough time to rest,” Santa Cruz said.

Guevara, who fights for Erik Morales’ promotional company, has now lost two consecutive fights.

“I was very tough for him,” Guevara said. “He is a very good, tough and strong fighter.”

The fight was in some doubt after the sixth round on all three of the judges’ scorecards, but each scored every round, except one for Santa Cruz, over the second half of the fight.

The undercard was highlighted by the 2012 U.S. Olympic team, with Joseph Diaz of South El Monte making his pro debut.

Diaz’s Olympic dream ended in the second round when he was defeated by Lazaro Alvarez of Cuba.

His professional career got started on the right track with his four-round unanimous decision victory over Vicente Alfaro. All three judges scored the fight 40-35 for Diaz. There was one knockdown, by Diaz in the fourth round, but it appeared to come from a punch below the belt, but referee Tom Taylor ruled it a knockdown.

“It felt really good to turn pro,” Diaz said. “It was a great motivation to fight in LA in front of my hometown. Hopefully, I will be back in January or February.

In the first fight, Errol Spence Jr. (2-0) won his second consecutive fight to start his career with a third-round knockout victory over Richard Andrews. The ref stopped the fight 44 seconds of the round.

Also, Marcus Browne (2-0) scored an unusual first-round stoppage victory over Ritchie Cherry in their four-round cruiserweight fight.

Boxing: Leo Santa Cruz retains title is a post from: Keep Punching

By BRIAN KNAPP

SHERDOG.COM

George Sotiropoulos played with fire, and Ross Pearson made sure he got burned.

Pearson (14-6, 6-3 UFC) wiped out his Australian rival with third-round punches in the UFC on FX 6 main event on Friday at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 9 winner dropped the hammer on Sotiropoulos 41 seconds into round three.

An Alliance MMA representative, Pearson had the Australian in trouble in all three rounds. A right hook from the stout Englishman resulted in a wobbly-legged and glassy-eyed Sotiropoulos (14-5, 7-3 UFC) dancing across the Octagon in a desperate attempt to regain his bearings. Somehow, he weathered the assault, took down Pearson with less than a minute to go in the frame and nearly secured a rear-naked choke.

Sotiropoulos never again got the fight to the ground, and the Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt was a sitting duck on the feet. Pearson floored him with a left hook in the second round and then finished him in the third, as he put away Sotiropoulos with a heavy left jab-right hook combination that knocked the dazed Aussie off his feet.

“I was just patient. I knew shots that I wanted would land,” Pearson said. “It’s like I’ve said all along: I just needed to touch him. I set it up and listened to my coaches. I wasn’t too aggressive, like I usually am. I just took my time and made him miss and saw the openings.”

Lombard blitzes, levels Palhares

Former Bellator Fighting Championships titleholder Hector Lombard wiped out Rousimar Palhares with a series of savage punches 3:38 into the first round of their middleweight showcase. Lombard (32-3-1, 1-1 UFC) has recorded 21 wins in his last 22 outings.

Outside of a few leg kicks, Palhares (14-5, 7-4 UFC) wanted no part of the Cuban judoka on the feet. Lombard knocked down the Brazilian leg lock guru three times. His final salvo — an explosive left hook, right hook, left hook combination followed by thudding standing-to-ground punches — left Palhares unconscious at his feet.

“I started my career here, in this country, so all of my wins go to Australia,” Lombard said. “My first MMA fight was on the Gold Coast — in this city. Getting my first win in the UFC [here], it means a lot.”

Whittaker earns welterweight ‘Ultimate Fighter’ tag

Backed by a boisterous Australian crowd, the Sydney-based Robert Whittaker captured a unanimous verdict from Brad Scott in “The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes” welterweight final. All three judges scored it 29-28 for Whittaker (10-2, 1-0 UFC), who went the distance in victory for the first time as a professional.

“The [UFC] contract is a bonus,” Whittaker said, “but the real joy was just defending my country and making everyone proud.”

His game plan marked by short bursts of straight punches, Whittaker drove his counterpart to the ground with blows with roughly 90 seconds to go in the first round and swarmed for the finish. Scott (8-2, 0-1 UFC) defended well and bounced back in round two. There, he struck for a takedown and moved to Whittaker’s back, hooks in. A choke never materialized, and Whittaker eventually returned to his feet.

In the decisive third round, Whittaker again unleashed multi-punch combinations while moving forward. He mixed in standing elbows for good measure, one of them opening a cut near Scott’s hairline.

“I knew the second round could have gone either way, and I wasn’t going to [let it go] to a fourth,” Whittaker said. “I just wanted to seal that final round and let them know who won it.”

Parke outduels Fletcher in lightweight Final

Takedowns and positional dominance carried Norman Parke to a unanimous decision over Colin Fletcher in the lightweight final of “The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes.” All three cageside judges scored it for Parke (17-2, 1-0 UFC): 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28.

A judo black belt, Parke negated his foe’s eight-inch reach advantage by bullying into clinches against the cage. From there, the Northern Ireland export delivered his takedowns and built his lead. Parke did not do much damage on the ground, as he was content to pass guard and hunt submissions. His best chance to finish it came and went in the second round, where he mounted Fletcher (8-2, 0-1 UFC) and ultimately transitioned to his back in search of the rear-naked choke. Though Parke’s advances failed, he methodically tightened his grip on victory.

“Nothing has ever compared to this,” said Park, who finds himself on a seven-fight winning streak. “This has been the best experience of my life, apart from meeting my fiancé.”

Other Bouts

In preliminary action, Team Alpha Male’s Chad Mendes knocked out Yaotzin Meza 1:55 into the opening round of their featherweight matchup; Joey Beltran clinched, punched and kneed his way to a unanimous verdict against Croatian slugger Igor Pokrajac, prompting 30-27 scores from all three judges; Mike Pierce cruised to a unanimous nod over “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 11 alum Seth Baczynski in a three-round battle at 170 pounds, earning 30-27, 29-28 and 29-28 marks from the judges; Fiore MMA export Ben Alloway knocked out Manuel Rodriguez with a front kick and follow-up punches 4:57 into their welterweight duel; Mike Wilkinson kept his perfect professional record intact with a unanimous decision over “The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes” teammate Brendan Loughnane in a competitive lightweight tilt, sweeping the scorecards by matching 29-28 marks; and Grudge Training Center representative Cody Donovan put away Nick Penner with punches 4:35 into the first round of their light heavyweight clash.

Story provided by Sherdog.com.

MMA: Pearson topples Sotiropoulos down under at UFC on FX 6 is a post from: Keep Punching

By TRISTEN CRITCHFIELD

SHERDOG.COM

Alexander Volkov is the Bellator Fighting Championships new heavyweight king.

The Russian defeated Richard Hale via unanimous decision at Bellator 84 to win the promotion’s heavyweight tournament at the Venue at Horshoe Casino in Hammond, Ind., on Friday night. Judges Kelvin Caldwell, Robert Madrigal and Otto Torrerio all scored the contest 49-46 in favor of Volkov, who has now won 10 straight fights.

The tournament final became a championship bout after previous title holder Cole Konrad retired to vacate the heavyweight throne earlier this year.

“Please somebody pinch me, because I think it’s a dream,” Volkov said through a translator. “Right now I’m even more nervous than before the fight because it’s a great honor and a great responsibility.”

Both fighters were hesitant to engage for much of round one, but Hale appeared to have a chance at an early stoppage after he buckled Volkov with a big overhand right late in the period. The Russian quickly gathered his bearings, however, and tied up with his opponent to survive until the round expired. It would turn out to be Hale’s most significant offense of the fight.

Despite a perceived wrestling advantage, Hale was never able to initiate the clinch or shoot for takedowns – instead, it was Volkov who took the American down in both the first and second rounds. The Rusfighters Sport Club representative became increasingly comfortable as the bout progressed, keeping Hale at bay with crisp jabs and accurate kicks. While never totally dominant, Volkov landed consistently enough to bloody Hale’s nose and rack up points on the feet for the final 20 minutes of the contest.

Held not allowed in venue, Season 7 lightweight final postponed

For the second straight week, a last-minute cancellation left Bellator without one of its featured fights, as Marcin Held was not allowed to face Dave Jansen in the Season 7 lightweight tournament final due to his age.

According to multiple reports, the 20-year-old Held was not allowed into The Venue at the Horseshoe Casino by the state’s gaming commission because he is not 21. As a result, his scheduled bout with Jansen was removed from the Bellator 84 card. The bout is expected to take place sometime in Season 8.

Vizcaya holds off Hermansson, takes split verdict

Daniel Vizcaya used takedowns and withering top control to hand Jack Hermansson the first loss of his professional career via split decision in a middleweight scrap. Judges Pat Morley and Otto Torriero scored the bout 29-28 in favor of Vizcaya, while David Hinkel saw it 29-28 in favor of Hermansson.

Vizcaya dominated the majority of the bout’s opening 10 minutes, scoring multiple takedowns to neutralize his opponent’s offense. Hermansson began to rally late in round two by using a kimura to sweep into Vizcaya’s guard, and he finished the stanza landing a series of short right hands to his opponent’s head. The Norwegian fighter continued his assault in the final frame, executing a belly-to-back suplex early in the round while staying busy with ground-and-pound throughout. Hermansson was unable to do enough to overcome his slow start, however.

Herrig earns second 2012 triumph over Vidonic

Felice Herrig beat Patricia Vidonic for the second time in eight months, earning a unanimous decision in a women’s strawweight encounter. All three judges scored the fight 30-27 for Herrig, who also took a three-round verdict over Vidonic at XFC 17 on April 13.

Vidonic wanted to impose her will through takedowns and top control, but she was not able to attain top position until midway through the final frame. Instead, it was the more powerful Herrig who controlled every aspect of the fight. “Lil Bulldog” scored takedowns with ease and overpowered her opponent in the clinch. When Vidonic attempted to close the distance on the feet, Herrig responded by connecting with punishing combinations.

Story provided by Sherdog.com.

MMA: Volkov outpoints Hale to capture heavyweight crown at Bellator 84 is a post from: Keep Punching