David Bielkheden Meets Jack Mason at Cage Warriors Fight Night 8

Jack Mason set to Face David Bielkheden in May

TWO experienced welterweights will collide when Cage Warriors returns to the Middle East on Saturday, May 11, 2013.

David Bielkheden will take on Jack Mason on the main card at CWFC Fight Night 8, which is set to take place in Al Fujairah, United Arab Emirates.

The pair, who have clocked up over 60 professional bouts between them, will form part of Cage Warriors’ first event in the region since last September’s Fight Night 7 in Amman, Jordan.

Bielkheden (17-12 MMA, 2-1 CWFC) will be appearing on a CWFC card for the fourth time in his career, with the three-time UFC veteran keen to return to winning ways.

After starting 2012 with a win over Edgar Dayan, Bielkheden suffered decision losses to fellow UFC veteran Marcus Davis and recently-crowned CWFC welterweight champion Cathal Pendred - a bout that was nominated for Cage Warriors Fight of the Year.

The 33-year-old Swede said: “This is a very interesting match-up as we both have a lot of experience. Jack looks extremely strong and is more of a wrestler, which will make it a tough fight.

“He needs the win over me to go to the next level and I need to beat him to get back on a winning streak.”

Mason (23-11 MMA, 4-4 CWFC) comes into the bout on an impressive run that has seen him go 6-1 in the last 12 months.

The 30-year-old Englishman has been successful in his last two CWFC outings, earning a decision win over Florent Betorangal on New Year’s Eve before stopping Matt Inman by TKO at Cage Warriors 52 earlier this month.

“I’m in this sport to test myself against the best and that’s what I’ll be doing in this fight, so it’s an exciting opportunity for me,” said Mason.

“David is good in all areas and his wrestling is especially strong for a European fighter, but I’ll be looking to put him away inside the distance and make my mark on the Cage Warriors welterweight division.”

For more on Cage Warriors Fight Night 8, stay tuned to the Calendar section on our site

UFC on FUEL TV 9 weigh-ins set for April 5; Swanson, Watson host Q&A

UFC on FUEL TV 9 weigh-ins set for April 5; Swanson, Watson host Q&A

With less than 2 weeks to go until UFC on Fuel 9: Gusafsson vs Mousasi, weigh-ins have today been confirmed to take place at the Ericsson Globe Arena - the same venue where the fight will be held.

UFC on Fuel 9 features a six fight main card including UK stars Ross Pearson, Phil De Fries, and Brad Pickett, and will air live on ESPN at 7pm GMT following a seven fight prelim card featuring Irish sensation Conor McGregor making his UFC debut which streams live at 3.30pm on Facebook and Youtube.

The first fighter steps on the scale at 4 p.m. local time with doors open to the public at 3 p.m.

Prior to the weigh-ins, UFC Fan Club members are invited to attend an exclusive Q&A session with featherweight contender Cub Swanson, and The UKs own Tom Kong Watson, who will be answering fans questions at 2pm CET Local time, with the doors opening to the public an hour earlier.

As well as the Q&A session and weigh-ins, fans can attend an autograph signing featuring top 10 Heavyweight Stefan Struve and European UFC octagon ring girl Carly Baker between 1pm - 3pm CET local time.

The full UFC on FUEL TV 9 lineup includes:

Main Card
Alexander Gustafsson vs. Gegard Mousasi
Ryan Couture vs. Ross Pearson
Phil De Fries vs. Matt Mitrione
Mike Easton vs. Brad Pickett
Diego Brandao vs. Pablo Garza
Akira Corassani vs. Robert Peralta

Preliminary Card
Michael Johnson vs. Reza Madadi
Adam Cella vs. Tor Troeng
Adlan Amagov vs. Chris Spang
Marcus Brimage vs. Conor McGregor
Ben Alloway vs. Ryan LaFlare
Michael Kuiper vs. Tom Lawlor
Papy Abedi vs. Besam Yousef

Interview: Paul Daley Talks DFC, Ribeiro, Kickboxing, Michael Page, &More

Paul 'Semtex' Daley Talks to Kingdom MMA
By Chris Houten - @houts4thewin

Paul 'Semtex' Daley is one of the finest MMA fighters to come out of the UK. A former Cage Rage, and King of The Ring World Muay Thai Champion, Daley hold highlight reel victories over Martin Kampmann, Duane Ludwig, & Scott Smith just to name a few.

On Tuesday I caught up to with Daley to chat about his upcoming fight against Rodrigo 'Ximbica' Ribeiro for Dubai Fighting Championships, as well as his Bellator return. 

Chris: Firstly Paul, congratulations on becoming a dad, hows fatherhood treating you?
Daley: Yeah great, its a special experience.

I've read in other interviews you are hoping to return to Bellator around September, has there been any recent progress on getting you back, and are you still targeting the fall?
Yes, I will be back at Bellator this year 100%

Its great that Bellator are allowing you to fight for other promotions in the meantime, not only for yourself as we all know you like to stay active, and for the fans, but do you find it a little frustrating fighting on the 'local' scene? I mean your completely running through your opponents in these fights, does some one of your caliber want more?
Yes of course, but I can only deal with whats in front of me, I have no choice. When I return to Bellator its going to be great.

Your next fight will be for Dubai Fighting Championships against Rodrigo 'Ximbica' Ribeiro, what do you think of Ribeiro?
I think he is a BJJ Blackbelt, but has not been so successful in MMA. 

Going into the fight its likely Ribeiro will want to try and take you down and work for a submission, will you look to work on wrestling defense and your ju-jitsu for this training camp more than you normally would? 
No, not really, I always train to prepare for everything, I dont think his wrestling is of a high enough calibre to warrant specific training, but like I said I always prepare for everything.

Before the Ribeiro fight was announced your were looking for a fight on this past weekends Glory card, and was looking at a fight with Luke Sines for UCMMA at one stage. Is Kickboxing something you would like to go back to?
I would love to do some high level kickboxing, before I step away from the fight scene. I would love to win a Kickboxing tournament, Like K1 or GLORY.

Do you think you will likely take another fight before your return to Bellator, or do you expect DFC 4 to be your last?
I think this fight at DFC will be my last before returning to  Bellator. Yes, things seem to be working out nicely.

Last Thursday, fellow Brit Michael Page made his Bellator debut knocking out Ryan Sanders, in just 10 seconds. Have you had chance to see his fight yet, and if so what do you think of the Page's prospects? 
I have seen the fight, and I think Page is very talented, he can do alot in the sport. 

In between rounds at UFC 158, Nick Diaz can be seen deliberately throwing punches at GSP, and its appears he is going to escape punishment. What are your thoughts on this? 
It is what it is, I cant really comment, there is no governing to the UFC, its as business, and bosses always have their favorites. 

Finally is there any training partners, or sponsors out there that you would like to thank?  
Spirit Dojo and my coaching staff Team Semtex, Sponsors: banned fightwear, fearless fightwear, maximuscle, JACO baseball caps, my management/wad allamadine, and all my fans/supporters/ family and friends.
 
Thank you for your time Paul!

Don't forget to check out Semtex.tv and like Paul Daley on Facebook

Bellator 94 Weigh-in Results

Bellator 94 goes down on Thursday night from the South Florida Sun Dome in Tampa, Florida and will play host to Bellator season 8s Lightweight and Light-Heavyweight finals, where both sets of finalist made weight.

Saad Awad and David Rickels tipped the scales at 155.7 and 155.8 pounds, respectively, while Emanuel Newton checked in at 204.4 pounds ahead of his showdown with Mikhail Zayats, who weighed 205.6.

The evening’s Spike TV-broadcast main card will also see Luis Sergio da Fonseca Melo (169.8) take on Trey Houston (170.4) at Welterweight, while The UK's Ronnie Mann (135.7) makes his bantamweight debut against Rodrigo Lima (135.8) in a tournament qualifier.

The prelim card which streams live on spike.com features notable women’s bouts between Felice Herrig(115.7) and Heather Clark (115.9) as well as a rematch between Jessica Aguilar (114.6) and Patricia Vidonic (115). Former Cage Rage contender Tony Frykund (155.6) will return from a five-year absence to face 23-year-old prospect Patrick Cenoble (157.1) who has been give 2 hours to make weight.

Bellator 94 Weigh-in Results: 
David Rickels (155.8) vs. Saad Awad (155.7)
Emanuel Newton (204.4) vs. Mikhail Zayats (205.6)
Trey Houston (170.4) vs. Luis Sergio da Fonseca Melo (169.8)
Ronnie Mann (135.7) vs. Rodrigo Lima (135.8)
Tony Fryklund (155.6) vs. Patrick Cenoble (157.1)*
Joe Taimanglo (145.6) vs. Ronnie Rogers (146.9)**
Julien Williams (170) vs. Kenny Moss (171.3)***
Felice Herrig (115.7) vs. Heather Clark (115.9)
Jessica Aguilar (114.6) vs. Patricia Vidonic (115)
Augusto Sakai (261.3) vs. Rob Horton (242.2)
James Edson Berto (155.6) vs. Bruno Carvalho (155.3)

* Cenoble has two hours to make 156 pounds
** Rogers has two hours to make 146 pounds
*** Moss has two hours to make 171 pounds

Waachiim SpiritWolf Headlines European MMA 5 in Denmark

Bellator Vet Waachiim SpiritWolf will headline European MMA 5 in Denmark against Morten Djursaa.

Spiritwolf ( 9–11–1) a Native American, who has also fought for Strikeforce will be fighting for the first outside of the US against Danish Djursaa who will be defending his Welterweight title at EMMA 5 at The Falconer Salen in Copenhagen on April 19th.

Djursaa(11-4) defends his Welterweight belt for the first time having earned the title defeating Aslambek Saidov by TKO in the first round.

Also on the card are British fighters Harry Mcleman and Jamie Reynolds.

European MMA 5  Fight Card
Maria Djursaa Vs. Jorina Baars
Søren Bak Vs. Jamie Reynolds
Iwo Belak Vs. Harry Mcleman
Emil W. Meek Vs. Manu Garcia Nieto
Christian Colombo Vs. Bjorn Schmiedeberg
Mikkel Guldbæk Vs. Nicholas Musoke
Mark Madsen Vs. Amir Sheikh
Morten Hougaard Djursaa Vs. Waachiim SpiritWolf

For more on European MMA 5, stay tuned to the Calendar section on our site


 

Video: Gustavo Franca Breaks Leg at WOCS 24

 

Watch Out Combat Show 24 went down this weekend from Montes Claros, Minas Gerais, Brazil where Gustavo Franca lost to Magno Alexandre via perfectly checked leg kick causing Franca shine bone to snap and give way, stopping the fight.

Warning this is not for the Faint Hearted.

UFC Heavyweight Christian Morecraft Retires Age 26

Christian Morecraft retires from MMA
By Chris Houten - @houts4thewin

UFC Heavyweight Christian Morecraft, 26, has today announced his retirement from MMA.

Announcing his retirement via his facebook page, the Hyannis, Massachusetts native released the following statement:

“To anyone who still follows, competing in the UFC is a tough job on many different levels - getting better staying focused and all the other shit that life brings to you and not to mention I still have to work a full time job to support yourself in the mean time, there's plenty of "ex professional athletes" out there who are lost , broke, and jobless when competing is over, so with that being said trying to find an easier way to make a living and most importantly be happy so with that being said I'm saying GOODBYE TO THE FIGHT BUISINESS for right now. Nothing's set in stone because we all know that nothing in life is, but for now I've got some other matters to take care of. Thank you all for your support over the years. Thank you and god bless everyone.”

Beginning his career with six straight first-round stoppages, 6-foot-6, 255-pound Morecraft landed a UFC deal less than two years into his professional career. Although brimming with raw talent, Morecraft was less successful in the UFC than he was fighting on the local scene, going 1-3 with all 3 losses coming via TKO to Struve, Mitrione, and Pat Barry. His only victory came by submission against Sean McCorkle.

Kingdom MMA wishes Christian Morecraft best of lucky with any future endeavors. 

WSOF a Force To Be Reckoned With?

WSOF 2 Review
 By Tommy Strong - @stong_tea

The World Series of Fighting kicked off with its second event last night. With a solid first event and with some very positive reviews and feedback from MMA fans, people were eagerly anticipating the arrival of WSOF2.. 

With the main event being held Atlantic City between two ex UFC fighters:

Anthony 'Rumble' Johnson v Andrei 'The Pit Bull' Arlovski 

Anthony Johnson once a Welterweight contender in the UFC before being cut for failing to make the weight on numerous occasions, now finds himself fighting at heavyweight, weighing in at a staggering 230.5 pounds - A huge step up from the 170 pounds of the Welterweight division he once fought at.

Johnson and Arlovski came out swinging for the fences looking for an early KO, with each man landing his share of decent shots early in their encounter.
Johnson started getting the better of the striking exchanges and landing the heavier blows, at the end of the first round Johnson came very close to finishing Andrei off only to be saved by the clock. Johnson actually thought the ref had stepped in to stop the fight and walked around the cage with his hands raised, only to realise seconds later the ref had called an end to the round.

It was becoming obvious in the 2nd round to that Johnson's cardio was starting to fade. Changing his tactics from the striking and high head kicks to grappling with Arlovski and trying to take him down, much to the  disapproval of his corner!!  

Going into the 3rd round Johnson had 2 rounds in the bank. Will little energy left the natural heavyweight in Arlovski knew he had to take advantage of his fatigue and finish Johnson.  

Arlovski lands a few body shots but couldn't stop Johnson clinching and stalling for time. Neither fighter managed to take the round decisive but Arlovski edges it. 

From a very promising start to the fight, it somewhat petered out in the later rounds. 

The fight goes to the score cards and all judges score the fight the same 29/28 in favour of Johnson.

After the fight Johnson commented that the heavyweights are to big for him, prompting that a return back down to Light-heavyweight is likely to be his next destination. 

Marlon Moraes def. Tyson Nam (Bantamweight)

With Tyson Nam coming into the fight on a 4 fight winning streak and a knock out victory in his last fight ove the Bellator Bantamweight champion Eduardo Dantas in 1 round. Moraes enters the bout coming off a split decision win over Miguel Torres.

Moraes wasted no time finding his range with some leg kicks and a combination of strikes to put Tyson Nam on the back foot whilst Tyson was trying to find that one single knockout punch to end the fight. Moaraes was pressing the action and wouldn't let Nam settle into his stride. 

Moaraes was having great success switching his fighting style from kicks, combinations and take downs, until he lands a high head kick that grazes the top of Nam's head and drops him to the floor giving Moares the chance to finish the fight with a flurry of punches before Kevin Peterson stops the fight! 

David Branch def. Paulo Filho (Middleweight)

Branch put in a very dominant performance by beating Paulo Filho  30/27 , 30/27 30/26  on the judges score cards. 

The score cards don't really reflect the fight, it could've been 30-24 - Branch dictated the fight, striking and take down whenever he felt the need to do so. The only criticism you could aim at Branch was he didn't get the finish over Filho.

This wasn't one of Filho's finest nights, and will want to forget about this fight in a hurry!!

Josh Burkman def. Aaron Simpson (Welterweight)

Josh started very brightly , catching Simpson early on land a 1/2 combination in which Simpson responded by using his wrestling skills to clinch with Burkman up against the cage looking to take Burkman down. 

Burkman showed great clinching and take down defence up against the cage and Simpson seemed to have run out of ideas. Once the fight got back to the centre of the cage Burkman made the most of his opportunity and landed a combination of strikes to unbalance Simpson - rocking him, and up against the cage lands a final knee to the face prompting Dan Miragliotta to put a stop to the fight in the 1st round.

Josh Burkman now gets the opportunity of  fighting Jon Fitch at WSOF 3 .

Justin Gaethje def. Gesias Cavalcante (Lightweight)

Undefeated Justin Garthje got the chance to prove himself against veteran Gesias Cavalcante. 

Right from the off this was looked like it was going to be an entertaining fight whilst it lasted. 

Garthje came out from the bell throwing a leg kick which was countered by Cavalcante with a left & right then attempted a take down which Garthje stuffed and kept the fight standing! 

From there, the better and more accurate striking came from Garthje who started to land with perfect timing including vicious knees up against the cage. His work started to pay off when he opened up Cavalcante's forehead with what looked like an elbow. 

With the ref calling in the doctor to have a look at the cut it was deemed to severe to carry on. With 2.27 of round 1 the contest was over.  Handing Garthje his 8th straight victory with only 1 fight going the distance!

Prelim fight card results:

Danillo Villefort def. Kris McCray via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Rick Glenn def. Alexandre Pimentel via KO (strikes) – Round 3, 

Waylon Lowe def. Cameron Dollar via KO (punch) – Round 1, 

Richard Patishnock def. Igor Gracie via TKO (injury) – Round 1, 

Ozzy Dugulubgov def. Chris Wade via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Brenson Hansen def. Tom Marcellino via TKO (flying knee) – Round 2, 

Bill Algeo def. Frank Buenafuente via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 

Overal Verdict:

Whilst the fights on the card were very entertaining, it was outside of the ring that I felt WSOF struggled to impress. Bas Rutten & Todd Harris were the pairing that failed to connect most on Saturday night.

Play by play commentary is without doubt a very hard job to master and connect with the viewing public, but I felt the connection just wasn't there and at times cringeworthy. 
I don't want to give both of them a hard time seeing as its only their second show working together . But there were too many errors from play to play commentary/interviews to getting names mixed up. 

Hopefully this will be worked upon by the next event in March! 

I score the card overall a solid 7.5/10.

Simeon Thoresen Returns to the Cage at UWC 23 in July

Former UFC fighter Simeon Thoresen signs for UWC

By Chris Houten - @houts4thewin

Former UFC Welterweight Simeon 'The Grin' Thoresen will return to the cage on July 13th, at The South End Tennis and Leisure Centre, South End for UWC 23.

Thoresen (17-4-1) confirmed the news on his Twitter account earlier in the day, and Kingdom MMA later confirmed The Grin has signed a one fight deal with the promotion, and his opponent is expected to be announced on Monday. Thoresen said:

Its a one fight deal at this stage but Its great to start my journey back into the UFC with the show I last fought on before UFC

Opponent will be announced Monday

Norwegian, Thoresen will return to the promotion where he held and defended the welterweight belt, before vacating the title to join the UFC ahead of UFC on fuel 2 - the promotions first foray into the Scandinavian Market.

Part of a mass culling which saw the UFC release 16 fighters, Thoresen was cut from The UFC following back-to-back losses to Seth Baczynski and David Mitchell. His one UFC victory came in his debut at UFC on Fuel 2 in Sweden, where he submitted Besam Yousef.

For more on UWC 23, stay tuned to The Calendar section of our site.
 

Che Mills first fight for Cage Warriors since UFC release announced

Che Mills gets a welterweight title shot at Cage Warriors 55

By Ben Heather @benheather

Cathal Pendred (12-2-1 MMA) will put his Cage Warriors welterweight title on the line against Che Mills (15-5 MMA). This will be Pendred's first title defence and will be against Mills who has recently been cut from the UFC. Mills will fight for his first time since signing for Cage Warriors.

Promotion Officials announced the bout on Friday. The fight will headline the Cage Warriors 55 show which will take place on June 1st at The Helix in Dublin.

Pendred is 5-0-1 fighting for Cage Warriors and will look to defend the title for the first time in front of his hometown crowd. He won the title at Cage Warriors 52 where he won a unanimous decision over Gale Grimaud.

Pendred spoke about the announced fight "Fighting in my own backyard in a venue full of crazy Irish fans against a guy who was in the UFC until very recently, I couldn't have asked for a better way to defend my title for the first time, I can guarantee that the calibre of my opponent and the atmosphere the Irish fans will create is going to bring out the best in me."

Mills this past month was cut from the UFC following a loss to Matt Riddle at UFC on Fuel TV 7, although this fight was later changed to a no contest when Matt Riddle tested positive for Marijuana after the fight. Now Mills will return to Cage Warriors to fight for the first time in more than two and a half years, having last fought for Cage Warriors at Cage Warriors 38 in October 2010.

Mills stated "I'm really excited about the opportunity, this fight will be a war but I'm not leaving without the belt."

Along with the welterweight title fight as the main event, the co main event is likely to be the final of the recently announced four man one night flyweight tournament which will also be a title fight. The winner of this tournament will be the inaugural 125lb champion. The format of the tournament is likely to see two fights take place in the prelims with the winner of each fighting each other in the final.

Keep checking KingdomMMA for more news on Cage Warriors as well as all the latest news from the world of MMA.

Former UFC Fighter Charlie Brenneman & Joey Gambino Sign with CFFC

Former UFC fighters Charlie Brenneman and Joey Gambino have both signed multi-fight deals with New Jersey based promotion Cage Fury Fighting Championships.

Brenneman (16-5), a former UFC Welterweight who holders notable wins over Rick Story, and Jason High, has since dropped to Lightweight following his UFC release. In his 155lb debut, which came under the Valley Fight League banner 'The Spaniard' finished his first finish in 3 years, submitting Eric Irvin with a second round rear-naked choke. Brenneman's CFFC debut is expect to take April 12 from the Valley Forge Casino Resort in King of Prussia, Pa.

Gambino, 24, a former CFFC Champion before leaving for the UFC, entered The Octagon with a perfect 9-0 record before dropping fights to Steven Siller, and Diego Brandao. He was released following the loss to TUF winner Brandao at UFC 153.

TJ Dillashaw steps in again this time at UFC on Fox 7

Francisco Rivera injured, replaced by TJ Dillashaw who now meets Hugo Viana at UFC on Fox 7

By Ben Heather @benheather

For the third time this week a fighter who fought and won at UFC 158 will step in as an injury replacement on the UFC on Fox 7 card. Its only a five weeks turnaround between UFC 158 and the UFC on FOX 7 event. However for TJ Dillashaw (7-1 MMA 3-1 UFC) this is becoming a usual length for a fight camp. For the second fight in a row Dillashaw is stepping in as a short notice injury replacement for Francisco Rivera (9-2 MMA 2-0 UFC) to fight Hugo Viana (7-0 MMA 2-0 UFC).

UFC officials announced on Friday that Rivera was injured and the new match up had been made.

Dillashaw will be hoping he can emulate his performance from UFC 158 where he knocked out Issei Tamura in the second round. That win made it three in a row since his only loss of his career to John Dodson in the final of The Ultimate Fighter Season 14.

Viana who is still unbeaten in his professional MMA career made his way to the UFC through the Ultimate Fighter Brazil where he was a semi finalist. He picked up a split decision victory over John Teixeria before dropping to bantamweight to fight Reuben Duran at the TUF 16 finale. In this fight he picked up his first stoppage victory of his career by knocking out Duran.

This fight will make up part of the prelims for the UFC on Fox 7 event which is headlined by the lightweight title fight between champion Benson Henderson and challenger Gilbert Melendez. UFC on Fox 7 takes place on April 20th at the HP Pavilion in San Jose.

Keep checking KingdomMMA for all the latest news from the world of MMA.

Video: Bellator 93 - Results and Highlights

Bellator 93 - Results and Video Highlights

Bellator 93 went down on Thursday night from Lewiston, Maine taking only 9 rounds to get through the whole damn fight card - yeah it was that good!

For those who had work the next day, and weren't prepared to pull an all nighter, or brave enough to call in sick - not even for Britain Michael Page's Bellator Debut , we give you Bellator 93 highlights, courtesy of Spike TV below!

   

Results

Lightweight Tournament Final Fight: Dave Jansen defeats Marcin Held via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Dave Jansen:

“Thanks Bjorn and the entire Bellator staff. I have nothing but gratitude for Marcin. He’s phenomenal and getting to train to fight against him was a tough puzzle to put together, but it really improved my game.”
I want to keep the momentum going and I’m looking forward to fighting Michael Chandler and what a unique puzzle he is as a fighter.”

Marcin Held:

“Thank you to Dave. It was a really good fight. In the second round I tried to submit Dave and I lost all my power. I almost couldn’t move and I had no power left, which wasn’t good for me.”
“Dave is really good and it was pleasure for me to fight against him. I would like to say good luck in your next fight with Michael Chandler.”

Heavyweight Feature Fight: Ryan Martinez defeats Travis Wiuff via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 18 seconds
Ryan Martinez:

“Thanks Bjorn and Bellator for having me back. I was anxious to get back in the cage. Taking this fight, many people thought it was stupid, but I saw it as a window of opportunity. At this level you don’t get to cherry pick your fights and who you go against. We are fighters and that’s how we live.”

Welterweight Feature Fight: Marcus Davis vs. Waachiim Spiritwolf was declared a no-contest (illegal groin shot)
Marcus Davis:

“I want to thank everyone and I absolutely love this state and the people from here. To get the welcoming that I got when I came in the cage was overwhelming and I was swept away. I’ve never heard a crowd like that in this state- ever.”
“It was upsetting that I was unable to showcase my skills to the people of Maine and Bellator and I will continue to represent this company and MMA the best I can.”

Middleweight Feature Fight: Dave Vitkay defeats Dan Miragliotta via technical submission (guillotine-choke) – Round 1, 18 seconds

Welterweight Feature Fight:  Michael Page defeats Ryan Sanders via TKO – Round 1, 11 seconds

Middleweight Feature Fight: Jason Butcher defeats Jack Hermansson via submission (triangle-choke) – Round 1, 2:24

Light Heavyweight Feature Fight: Mike Mucitelli defeats Brent Dillingham via submission (armbar) Round 1, 2:48

Middleweight Feature Fight: Joe Pacheco defeats Pierre Pierry vis submission (keylock) – Round 1, 1:54

Featherweight Feature Fight: Vince Murdock defeats Jon Raio via TKO (strikes) –Round 3, 4:01

Lightweight Feature Fight: Jon Lemke defeats Jesse Erickson with a TKO (punches and knees) – Round 1, 2:50

Dan Hardy injured and out of UFC on Fox 7 fight

Dan Hardy out injured, replaced by Jordan Mein and now meets Matt Brown at UFC on Fox 7

By Ben Heather @benheather

Dan Hardy (25-10 MMA 6-4 UFC) has been replaced by Jordan Mein (27-8 MMA 1-0 UFC) for his fight on the UFC on Fox 7 event vs Matt Brown (16-11 MMA 6-5 UFC). No details have been released on the injury or how long it will be before we can expect to see Dan Hardy back in the octagon.

Hardy was looking for his third straight win following a four fight losing streak which had some fans questioning how he still had his job with the UFC. But the UFC were repaid for the loyalty they showed in him when he got the KO of the night against Duane "Bang" Ludwig. He then returned to his home town to win a unanimous decision win over Amir Sadollah. After his win against Sadollah he went on to call out Matt Brown during a Q and A session for UFC in Australia but for now that fight will have to wait.

UFC officials announced the changes overnight and now Jordan Mein is set to return to the Octagon five weeks after his fight less than a week ago at the UFC 158 event where he looked very impressive in his UFC debut against Dan Miller. He finished Dan Miller for a first round TKO giving him his third straight victory.

Brown will be returning to fight on Fox again after his impressive knockout of Mike Swick with a second round TKO at UFC on Fox 5. He has currently won four in a row and five of his last six fights now. This run is a great run for any fighter to have but when you think that before that he lost three in a row in 2010 and like Hardy was on the verge of being cut before changing his fortunes.

The new fight of Mein vs Brown will be on the main card of the UFC on Fox 7 fight which is headlined by the lightweight title fight between Benson Henderson vs Gilbert Melendez.

Keep Checking KingdomMMA for all the latest news from the world of MMA.

Cage Warriors to return to Liverpool

Cage Warriors 57 to take place in the Echo Arena Liverpool on July 20th

by Ben Heather @benheather

Cage Warriors officials announced today that it will be returning to Liverpool for the first time in seven years. Cage Warriors 57 will take place in the Echo Arena, Liverpool. A 12,000 seat arena which hasn't hosted a show since Cage Warriors 21 in 2006.

Cage Warriors CEO Graham Boylan is promising to deliver something special to CWFC fans in Liverpool. Boylan said: “Over the last couple of years we’ve been inundated with messages from fans looking for Cage Warriors to come to Liverpool. We’re delighted to be doing so on July 20 and it’s a privilege to be going to a fantastic venue like the Echo Arena."

“There’s a massive appetite for MMA in Liverpool and we’ll be bringing something special there this summer. Cage Warriors 57 will be a stacked card and as well as having top fighters from all over the world on the bill, we’ll also have some of Liverpool’s best, like Chris Fishgold and Danny Roberts.”

With several Liverpool based fighters recently having been released by the UFC, I would say it is quite likely that one may fight on this card. Cage Warriors 57 will be the fifth event of 2013.

Tickets for the Cage Warriors 57 event will go on sale tomorrow, with fight card details to be released in the future.

Keep checking KingdomMMA for the latest updates on the Cage Warriors 57 fight card and all the latest news from the world of MMA.

Update on UFC on Fuel TV 8 Failed Drug Tests

Fighters respond to the news of failed drug tests at UFC on Fuel TV 8

by Ben Heather @benheather

Following the news released yesterday that both Alex Caceres and Riki Fukuda both failed drug tests at UFC on Fuel TV 8 both fighters have released statements.

Riki Fukuda who has been cut for his failed drug test by the UFC has responded by apologising on twitter and saying that an over the counter cold medication prompted his failed test for banned stimulants. The japanese fighter said that he took the medicine a few weeks before the fight and forgot to disclose this in his pre fight medical.

Alex Caceres also released a statement in which he said he takes full responsibilty for his failed drug test which has led to him receiving a six month suspension from fighting. Caceres also must undergo a drug rehabilitation and pass a drug test before he will be cleared to fight again.

Alex Caceres released the following statement to MMA Junkie.

"I accept full responsibility for my actions and the consequences from those actions. I apologise to all that I have disappointed, including the UFC, my family, coaches, training partners and fans. I accept the sanctions from the UFC and I look forward to completing the necessary steps to getting back in the octagon following the suspension and assuring that this never happens again"

Keep checking KingdomMMA for all of the latest news from the world of MMA.

Lavar Johnson cut from the UFC

Lavar Johnson Suspended and cut from the UFC after failed drug test at UFC 157

 by Ben Heather @benheather

Lavar Johnson's week just got a lot worse, after news broke that he failed his drug test at UFC 157 earlier this week today it has been announced that he has been suspended from fighting for nine months. Also, in part of his recent two fight losing streak and the failed drug test he has been cut by the UFC.

Lavar Johnson started his octagon career with back to back wins and a lot of hype building but then in his last two fights he lost both giving him a 2-2 record in the UFC.

 An elevated testosterone to epitestosterone (T/E) ratio of 6.6-1 triggered a carbon isotope ratio (CIR) test that confirmed Johnson had testosterone in his system and that it was "consistent with the administration of a steroid"

Johnson though has now admitted that he was undergoing testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) however he did not disclose this on a pre fight medical questionnaire and has now been suspended. A representative for the fighter has said that in future Johnson may seek an exemption for the treatment.

Keep checking KingdomMMA for news on the future of Lavar Johnson.

Meet Cheick Kongo at Fearless Fightwear, Nottingham - April 13th

Top MMA clothing retailer Fearless Fightwear are at it again, this time bring French Heavyweight Cheick Kongo to their Nottingham City Centre Store just before his UFC 159 fight with Roy Nelson.

In only a few years since their opening, Fearless Fightwear have put on major signing events include Rampage Jackson, Clay Guida, Paul 'Semtex' Daley, Brad Pickett, Ross Pearson, Pat Barry, and Tom 'Kong' Watson, and have gone from strength to strength opening stores across The Midlands including Nottingham, Birmingham, and Leicester.

Now on Saturday April 13th 2013, they are please to bring French Heavyweight star Cheick Kongo, to their Nottingham City Centre store located at 8 Thurland Street, NR1 3DR:

Come and meet CHEICK KONGO at Fearless Fightwear Nottingham before he flies off to New Jersey to face Roy Nelson at UFC 159!

Between 1PM - 4PM, on SATURDAY 13TH APRIL, you can meet, chat and take a photo with the UFC Heavyweight Contender!

As always, entry to the signing is free, so there's no excuse to miss out on this explosive event!

Fearless Fightwear specialise in all the major Mixed Martial Arts Brands for Clothing, Fan Gear, Supplements and Accessories such as: UFC, Venum, MusclePharm, Affliction, Dethrone, Hayabusa, Xtreme Couture and many more. They also stock all the Professional Fightwear, Training Gear and Professional Protective Equipment from all the leading manufactures such as: Bad Boy, Booster, Punch Town, Rival, Twins, Tri-Coasta, and Punishment Athletics.

For more info check www.fearless-fightwear.com and RSVP yourself on Facebook now - hope to see you there! 

UFC to return to the UK in October 2013?

The UFC will return to Manchester on October 26th 2013.

by Ben Heather @benheather

Fighters Only magazine have revealed in the latest issue (issue 101) of the magazine that the UFC will be returning to Manchester in October. This will mark the third time Manchester has staged a UFC event (UFC 70 and UFC 105 the previous two) and the 13th time the octagon has landed in the UK. It will also be the second UK event of 2013, after UFC on Fuel TV 7 which took place in Wembley Arena London on 16th February 2013.

Fighters Only has learned from sources involved with the event that the date of the return to the UK is scheduled for October 26th 2013 and booked in the 21,000 capacity Manchester Arena. This will mark the long awaited return to Manchester as the last event UFC 105 was almost four years before this event is scheduled to take place in November 2009.

If the event sells out or gets an attendance of more than just over 17,000 people it will become the most attended UFC event in the UK. I believe with the right card and ticketing pricing strategy it could definitely happen.

With this being the second UFC event in the UK of 2013 it also shows a change to the past couple of years which have only seen one event in the UK in both 2011 and 2012. This will be welcomed by all UK fans as they have been calling for more regular UFC events in the UK.

As of going to print Fighters Only had no specifics regarding the potential bouts for the event, but the event could be shown in the US on the upcoming Fox Sports 1 channel.

While in the UK no news has been announced regarding a new tv deal yet, but I believe the current deal expires in August. If the UFC gets the tv deal in the UK that they have been looking to get for the past couple of years then this event could be one to reward both the new tv station and the UK MMA fans alike.

Keep checking KingdomMMA for the latest news regarding UFC Manchester 2013.

Another failed drugs test on UFC on Fuel TV 8

UFC has suspended Alex Caceres after failed drugs test at UFC on Fuel TV 8

by Ben Heather @benheather

Alex "Bruce Leeroy" Caceres (8-5 MMA 2-3 UFC) has been suspended by the UFC for failing his drug test at UFC on Fuel TV 8.

UFC officials today announced that Caceres failed the drugs test due to traces of marijuana metabolites in his sample. With the lack of a governing body in place UFC officials oversaw the drug testing for the event in Japan.

Caceres has been suspended for six months and also ordered to attend drug rehabilitation classes and will need to pass a drug test before he's allowed to continue his career.

At the event in Japan Caceres earned a split decision win over Kyung Ho Kang, which marked the third straight win for Caceres. This result however has now been changed to a no contest.

Rikki Fukuda Fails Drug Test, Released From UFC

Riki Fukuda released from UFC after testing positive for stimulants

Riki Fukuda (19-7 MMA, 2-3 UFC) has been released from the UFC after failing a post fight drug test after UFC on Fuel 8.

Middlewight Fukuda, who tested positive for the banned stimulants Phenylpropanolamine, norpseudoephedrine and ephedrine, took to Twitter on Tuesday to announce the organization had released him:

Im cut from UFC.I had a special experience.Thank you very much all my suport and @ufc @aka_hq @jonfitchdotnet
— 福田力 (@rikifukuda) March 19, 2013

Fukuda who trained for his most recent fight again Brad Tavares at AKA, in California, joins a growing list of fighters who have failed post-fight drug tests in recent months. Matt Riddle, Thiago Tavares, Rousimar Palhares, Joey Beltran, Thiago Silva, Stephan Bonnar, Dave Herman, Jake Shields and, most recently, Alex Caceres and Lavar Johnson, have all had issues after recent appearances.

Nick Newell vs Scott Holtzman Title Fight Targeted for XFC 24

Nick Newell vs Scott Holtzman targeted for XFC 24 

A lightweight title fight between Nick Newell and Scott Holtzman is expected to take place in June at XFC 24 in Tampa, Florida.

Congenital amputee Newell (9-0, 4-0 XFC) who will be defending his belt for the fist time, having earned the strap at XFC 21 in December submitting Eric Reynolds by rear-naked choke in the first round, has finished 8 of his 9 opponents despite missing his left hand and most of his left forearm.

His opponent, challenger Scott Holtzman (4-0, 4-0 XFC) who turn pro in February 2012 has finished 3 of 4 opponents, and recent earned his title shot at February's XFC 22 beating Jason Hicks by unanimous decision in a number one contender bout.

XFC 24 is likely to take place at Times Forum, formerly St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa, with the main card expected to air live on US fight network AXS TV.

For more on XFC 24, stay tuned to the Calendar section on out site.

3 Fights Added to Cage Warriors 53 Including Joanne Calderwood vs. Sally Krumdiack

A Strawweight bout Joanne Calderwood (5-0) and Sally Krumdiack (9-6) has been confirmed as the co-main event for Cage Warriors 53, which takes place April 13th at Kelvin Hall in Glasgow, Scotland.

Calderwood, a Muay Thai Vet who hold a 19-2 kickboxing record before beginning her career in MMA, will look to extend her Pro MMA record to 6 and 0 - which includes 2 wins under the Invicta FC banner, in her native Scotland when she takes on American Sally Kumdiack, who returns to the promotion for the first time since her TKO loss to Rossi Sexton.

Other additions to the card include lightweights Jason Ball (19-11) vs. Jason Cooledge (7-3) and flyweights Paul Marin (5-2) vs. Neil Seery (11-9).

Ball, who has faced the creme of the UK lightweight scene, enters the bout having just picked submission victory over Craig Allen at Bamma 12, snapping a 3 fight losing streak which included losses to Colin Fletcher, Andre Winner, and Leonardro Santos.

His opponent, Cooledge who is currently enjoying a 3-1 run, will be making his promotional debut at Cage Warriors 53.

Cage Warriors 53 also sees Paul Marin, a Romanian fighter, who returns to the cage following a loss to Paul McVeigh at Cage Warriors 52, take on Neil Seery, an Irishman who's is currently on a 4-1 run.

The latest Cage Warriors 53 card includes:
Jim Alers vs. Joni Salovaara - for vacant featherweight title
Joanne Calderwood vs. Sally Krumdiack
Mats Nilsson vs. Chris Scott
Jason Ball vs. Jason Cooledge
Paul Marin vs. Neil Seery
James Doolan vs. James Pennington

For More on Cage Warriors 53, stay tune to the Calendar section on our site.

Quarter final fights announced for TUF 17

With the first round of fights now completed the quarter final draw for TUF 17 has been announced

by Ben Heather @benheather

Now that all the first round fights have been battled out and the wildcard fight has given one fighter a second shot at achieving his goal of becoming the ultimate fighter we now know the draw for the next round of fights. With both coaches having four fighters each remaining in the competition it means as yet there will be no fights set between team mates.... just yet anyway who knows what the semi final matchups have in store for us.

The fights for the quarter finals have been announced as follows: (Team Jones fighters in Blue)

Collin Hart vs Kelvin Gastelum

Dylan Andrews vs Luke Barnatt

Josh Samman vs Jimmy Quinlan

"Bubba" McDaniel vs Uriah Hall

The next episode of The Ultimate Fighter 17 will be shown in the UK on ESPN and you will be able to see both the Collin Hart vs Kelvin Gastelum and Dylan Andrews vs England's very own Luke Barnatt.

This will be a episode not to be missed with two fights in one episode.

Two more fights added to UFC on FX 8

UFC on FX 8 adds Dias vs Gamburyan and Alcantara vs Vinicius

by Ben Heather @benheather

Two new fights have been reported as being added to the UFC on FX 8 event in Brazil by Brazilian media SportTV.com. UFC on FX 8 takes place on May 18th and is likely to be held in the Arena Jaragua in Jaragua do Sul.

A bantamweight battle between Yuri Alcantara (27-4 MMA 2-1 UFC) and Marcos Vinicius (20-4-1 MMA 1-1 UFC). Alcantara returns to action after his no contest fight against Pedro Nobre. This was the fight in which Dan Miragliotta deemed blows which landed legally as illegal and so what should have been a TKO 1st round victory for Alcantara was ruled a no contest. That fight also led to Pedro Nobre being released by the UFC.

Marcos Vinicius made his way in to the octagon through The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil. In his first appearance in the Octagon he walked away with a knockout of the night bonus for his fight against Wagner Campos. Then in December 2012 he dropped to bantamweight and was on the receiving end of a knockout loss to Johnny Bedford. 

The other match which is a battle between Hacran Dias (21-1-1 MMA 1-0 UFC) and Manny Gamburyan (12-7 MMA 3-5 UFC) both fighters had been scheduled to fight Chad Mendes before injuries prevented both of those fights and now will step in to the octagon to face each other. Dias fights for the first time since winning a unanimous decision over Alcantara in June 2012, he was due to fight Mendes in December but injury meant that fight was scrapped.

As I said Gamburyan was also due to fight Mendes but this time at UFC 157 in February. This time Gamburyan got injured during his camp and will now return to the octagon for the first time since his decision win over Michihiro Omigawa at UFC on FOX 4.

Both of these additions have yet to be made official by the UFC executives yet.

With the new fights added to the card, the UFC on FX 8 card now looks like this:

• Vitor Belfort vs. Luke Rockhold
• Constantinos Philippou vs. Ronaldo Souza
• C.B. Dollaway vs. Cezar Ferreira
• Rafael dos Anjos vs. Evan Dunham
• Mike Rio vs. Francisco Trinaldo
• Lance Benoist vs. Paulo Thiago
• Azamat Gashimov vs. John Lineker
• Roger Hollett vs. Fabio Maldonado
• John Cholish vs. Gleison Tibau
• Chris Cariaso vs. Jussier Formiga*
• Yuri Alcantara vs. Marcos Vinicius*
• Hacran Dias vs. Manny Gamburyan*

* - Not officially announced

Lavar Johnson gives positive drugs test at UFC 157

Lavar Johnson's UFC 157 drug test has returned showing elevated testosterone levels

by Ben Heather @benheather

A post fight drug test for UFC heavyweight Lavar Johnson (17-7 MMA 2-2 UFC) who lost a unanimous decision at UFC 157 to Brendan Schaub has been flagged for elevated levels of testosterone. According to CSAC Executive Officer Andy Foster an additional carbon isotope ratio test "confirmed the testosterone was consistent with the administration of a steroid"

Foster clarified to MMAJunkie.com that the initial failure was not due to an elevated testosterone to epitestosterone (T/E) level, but could not provide further details on Johnson's failure at the time they posted the article. All of the other drug tests for the UFC 157 fight card came back clean.

The loss to Schaub was Johnson's second straight after his loss first round submission loss to Stefan Struve at UFC 146.

This positive drugs test could see Johnson get his release papers from the UFC but as yet no comment has been made.

Please keep checking KingdomMMA.co.uk for further updates on this story.