Dan Henderson vs Daniel Cormier announced for UFC 173

Henderson vs Cormier set to decide the future number 1 contender

by Ben Heather @benheather

The UFC twitter account got everyone excited this afternoon when it tweeted that Dana White would today announce some "Breaking News" on Sports Center on ESPN in the states. As always this started all kinds of rumours being posted on Twitter but not long after all was revealed as Dana announced that Dan Henderson would meet Daniel Cormier as the Co Main Event of UFC 173.

Both men come in to the fight off the back of knockout victories, Dan Henderson knocked out Shogun Rua one month ago today and Daniel Cormier easily finished Pat Cummins back at UFC 170 in February.

Henderson (30-11 MMA 7-5 UFC) ended a three fight losing streak when he came back from the brink to knock out Shogun Rua in a fight he was easily losing. However, when you have the power Henderson does in his fists and manage to land a H-Bomb in a fight it changes everything.

Can Henderson get back to a title shot, which he already had until he had to pull out of the fight with Jones at the ill fated UFC 151, the event which never actually took place. The big thing to remember for this fight though is it will be the first time in a few years where Henderson will not have TRT to help him. What impact will this have on his game, only time will tell.

Cormier (14-0 MMA 3-0 UFC) comes in to this fight knowing a win will get him a shot at Jon Jones, who he has been chasing to fight ever since he came over to the UFC.

Since joining the UFC Cormier has improved in every performance. His first fight wasn't the best for the fans to watch but he got the better of Frank Mir. Next up for Cormier was a potentially tricky fight with Roy Nelson, again it may not have been the best performance for the fans but Cormier easily won the fight.

His most recent fight should have been against Rashad Evans as Cormier dropped down to light heavyweight for the first time, unfortunately Evans got injured and on short notice the fight was scrapped. That was when Pat Cummings stepped in, a former wrestling partner of Cormier who had talked his way in to the UFC to fight on about a weeks notice. Cormier however didn't ease up and cruise in the fight, he destroyed Cummings in just over a minute.

Fighting Henderson will be a first test for Cormier at light heavyweight and will be the name he needs to help justify a title shot.

With Gustafsson next in line for the winner of Jones vs Teixeira I think the more realistic option will be a fight between the winner of this fight and the winner of the Phil Davis vs Anthony Johnson fight this weekend at UFC 172. I know Dana said that the winner of this will be the next number one contender but that will involve sitting on the sidelines for a good 6 months, so I think one more fight will be required for either man before they get a shot at the title.

cage warriors 64 Fight Card Update

More Fight Announcements for Cage Warriors 64 



Photo: Dolly Clew | Cage Warriors

 The addition of the meeting of Matt Inman (pictured) and Gregor Weibel is one of several updates to the bill for Cage Warriors 64, which takes place at The Forum in Kentish Town, London, on Saturday, February 15.

The exciting welterweight contest is one of four bouts that officials have today announced for the card for CWFC’s opening event of 2014, while injuries have also led to two enforced changes.

After his scheduled CWFC 61 main-event clash against Bruno Carvalho last month in Amman fell through due to an injury to his opponent, Inman (12-5) is eager to return to action as he chases his fourth consecutive victory.

Currently ranked ninth in the UK, the 27-year-old SBG Manchester product has taken all 12 of his professional victories inside the distance, with six submissions and six (T)KOs on his record.

“I’m planning to start 2014 with another win over a good opponent, so I can’t wait to get back in the CWFC cage, especially in a fantastic venue like The Forum,” said Inman.

Weibel (8-1) will face Inman for his CWFC debut on the back of a 3-0 streak in 2013, with all three victories coming inside the very first round.

The 27-year-old Swiss prospect, who has taken all of his wins by submission, said: “I’m really excited about the opportunity to fight for the biggest promotion in Europe. It has been a dream for me and I’m looking forward to testing myself.”

Also added to CWFC 64 is a women’s strawweight bout between Kirsty Davis and Veera Nykanen, a lightweight clash between David Howell and Brad Wheeler, as well as the meeting of Andy Kerr and Charlie Watts, which will be contested at welterweight.

Meanwhile, an injury has forced Dave Lee out of his CWFC 64 bout against Nad Narimani, so highly-rated Swiss featherweight Benjamin Brander steps in to fill the vacancy.

Scott Pooley has also picked up an injury so Spencer Hewitt will now take on Cameron Else instead at a catchweight of 130lbs.

Tickets for Cage Warriors 64, priced from just £25 (plus booking fee), are available to purchase HERE.

CAGE WARRIORS 64
James Pennington vs. Cory Tait
Boubacar Balde vs. Jake Bostwick
Danny Roberts vs. TBA
Laura Howarth vs. Amanda Kelly
Benjamin Brander vs. Nad Narimani
Matt Inman vs. Gregor Weibel
David Howell vs. Brad Wheeler
Cameron Else vs. Spencer Hewitt
Kirsty Davis vs. Veera Nykanen
Andy Kerr vs. Charlie Watts
Daniel Crawford vs. Huseyin Garabet

Bisping vs Kennedy and Bocek vs Dunham announced for TUF Nations Finale

Bisping and Kennedy finally set to meet in the Octagon

by Ben Heather @benheather

Michael Bisping will finally get the chance to shut up Tim Kennedy when then meet in a 5 round fight which will headline the TUF Nations Finale in April.

For as long as I can remember Tim Kennedy has been calling out Michael Bisping, it didn't matter on the circumstances, whether Bisping was injured or not or even whether Bisping already had a fight lined up. To be fair though, in that time so has pretty much every other middleweight fighter who is trying to make a name for themselves.

Now finally it seems set for the English middleweight contender to get his hands on Tim Kennedy and make him back up all the talk. As Bisping has said himself, a win in this fight will not do much as far as push him towards the title shot he so badly desires but it will finally give him the chance to end all of the abuse he has been receiving from Tim Kennedy. That being said though it would put Bisping on a two fight win streak and with some big match ups in the division already announced could leave him fighting in a number one contender fight later this year.

As far as Kennedy is concerned a win over Michael Bisping will be one of, if not the biggest win of his career. Kennedy joined UFC in 2013 and in his debut picked up a win over Roger Gracie in a lacklustre display. He then got the opportunity to headline the UFC Fight for the Troops 3 event where he was scheduled to face Lyoto Machida before he got pulled from that fight to step in for Bisping and fight Mark Munoz in Manchester. Kennedy then easily defeated Rafael Natal via KO in round 1, but the fight had lost the big name opponent to really push Kennedy up the rankings. Now he will get the shot he has been asking for.

The question that remains to be seen is: Has Tim Kennedy talked himself in to a fight that he can't win?? We will find out in April.

Also announced on the card for the TUF Nations Finale is a lightweight clash between two UFC veterans as Mark Bocek and Evan Dunham are set to battle it out in the Octagon.

Both fighters will be looking to get back to winning ways after losing their last fights. Dunham faced off against Donald Cerrone and saw the Cowboy return to the old form we all know he can bring when he submitted Dunham. Before that fight Dunham also lost to Dos Anjos so a win against Bocek will be crucial if he wants to continue in the UFC.

Bocek did not feature in the Octagon last year and like Dunham lost to Dos Anjos in his last appearance back in 2012.

The TUF Nations Finale takes place on April 16th and will be shown on Fox Sports 1 in the USA but as yet there is no word on whether this card will be available on BT Sports in the UK.

Holloway vs Fili and Ellenberger vs Medeiros set for UFC 172

Two more fights added to UFC 172 in April

by Ben Heather @benheather

UFC 172 which is due to take place on April 26th has just added a couple of extra fights to the card and these should be sure to excite the fans.

Andre Fili will meet Max Holloway in a featherweight battle. Fili who made his UFC debut at UFC 166 taking the fight on less than two weeks notice and missed weight.... though this wasn't a massive shock as when he took the fight he weighed 178lbs. Fili managed to cut 30lbs but couldn't get down to the 146lb limit. However, when he got in to the Octagon he didn't disappoint again. He dominated the fight from start to finish when he picked up the win by TKO in the second round.

I certainly am looking forward to seeing him back in the Octagon again and I am pretty sure Dana White will be too after praising his performance last time out.

Fili's opponent at UFC 172 will be Max Holloway, who ended a two fight losing streak at UFC Singapore defeating Will Chope via second round. Before that he had lost to Conor McGregor and Dennis Bermudez but always comes to put on a show and with Fili's fighting style this should be a great fight for the fans.

Also added to UFC 172 is Joe Ellenberger who will be making his UFC debut at the same event as his brother Jake will be making his return from injury. Ellenberger, will meet Yancy Medeiros who defeated Yves Edwards by KO at UFC Fight for the Troops 3 last year and both men will be looking to continue up the ranks with a win in April.

Below you will find the current UFC 172 card

Jon Jones vs Glover Teixeira
Jake Ellenberger vs Tarec Saffiedine
Yancy Medeiros vs Joe Ellenberger
Max Holloway vs Andre Fili

Damien Brown vs Paul Redmond Added to Cage Warriors 65

Paul Redmond returns to action at Cage Warriors 65

by Chris Houten @mrhouts

Photo Dolly Clew | Cage Warriors

Australia's Damien Brown will meet Irish fan favourite Paul Redmond at Cage Warriors 65.

Cage Warriors 65 takes place March 1 at The Helix in Dublin Ireland. It is not known if Brown vs Redmond will feature on the main card of Cage Warriors 65 or the under card.

Damien Brown hopes to get back to amongst the wins having been edged out by Julien Boussuge via decision at CWFC 61 in Amman in his promotional debut.

Brown who joined Australian compatriot Ben Alloway in signing a 5 fight exclusive deal with Cage Warriors in late 2013 said:

“I’m looking forward to giving the Cage Warriors fans in Ireland what they want to see, but it won’t be in the hands of the judges this time as I’m coming to finish it.”

27-year old Paul Redmond (8-4) fights for Cage Warriors for the seventh time at Cage Warriors 65.

Making his Cage Warriors debut at Cage Warriors 47, the Team Ryano fighter put together a 5 fight win streak before losing by submission to rising Polish fighter Mateusz Theodorczuk.

The Irishman who has taken all 8 of his victories inside the distance says he’s eager to make amends and get back to winning ways:

“After my last performance I just want to get back in there again. I was back in the gym two days later fixing everything in my game, so I can’t wait for this fight now.”

With the addition of Brown vs Redmond, Cage Warriors 65 includes:

John Maguire vs. Saul Rogers
Benny Alloway vs. Jack Mason
Alex Enlund vs. Artem Lobov
Bryan Creighton vs. Damien Rooney
Damien Brown vs. Paul Redmond
Lew Long vs. Philip Mulpeter
Paddy Pimblett vs. Martin Sheridan
Lee Caers vs. Merv Mulholland
Myles Price vs. Peter Queally

Stay tuned to KingdomMMA.co.uk for all the latest on Cage Warriors 65

Two TUF champions set to face off in Brazil

Norman Parke set to meet Leonardo Santos at UFC Fight Night 38

by Sam Heard @SamHeard_

‘Stormin’ has become one of the most fitting fighter nicknames in the UFC, with Norman Parke (19-2 MMA, 3-0 UFC) on a nine fight streak.

Reports from Brazilian site MMA Informativo indicate that Parke’s next match-up will take place at UFC Fight Night 38 against fellow TUF winner Leonardo Santos (12-3 MMA, 1-0 UFC). The main event for this fight card is scheduled to be the second meeting of Dan Henderson and Shogun Rua, a rematch of what is considered to be one of the greatest bouts in MMA history.

Since winning The Ultimate Fighter: Smashes series with a decision victory over self-proclaimed oddball Colin ‘Freakshow’ Fletcher, Parke has added a further two decision wins to his record over Kazuki Tokudome and Jon Tuck. Though he is yet to pick up that important first UFC stoppage, Parke has distinguished himself with his crisp, technical kickboxing skills and super-human cardio. Indeed, in his last outing against knockout artist Jon Tuck, Parke’s cardio advantage was what allowed him to outwork Tuck on the feet enroute to getting the nod from the judges.
Parke’s next challenge comes in the shape of TUF: Brazil 2 winner Leonardo Santos. Santos is easily the most talented grappler to have crossed Parke’s path; of the Brazilian’s 12 wins, a whopping eight have come by submission. Santos became the TUF winner with a highly skilled arm-triangle victory over William Macario on UFC on FUEL 10: Nogueira vs Werdum. This was that card you may remember from last year which broke records for having the most wins coming by submission; eight out of 12 fights ended with the loser tapping, the same as Santos’ submission record – weird…
This fight looks to be the classic grappler versus striker affair. It will be a tall order for Santos’ first UFC fight as the TUF champion to be facing Parke who is already on a roll in the Octagon. However, the notorious home-field advantage of fighting in Brazil is likely to give Santos an edge. Moreover, Santos fought in the TUF Brazil 2 tournament at Welterweight but has since made the drop to his more natural Lightweight – this drop in division may well translate into a strength advantage. This match is certain to be highly competitive.
This clash of TUF champs looks to be an intriguing, well-balanced matchup. Over here at Kingdom MMA we’ll be backing Norman to keep Stormin and get the job done in Brazil.

Shogun vs Hendo rematch announced for UFC Fight Night 38

Shogun vs Hendo II announced as the main event for UFC Fight Night 38

by Chris Marzella @ChrisMarzella

A UFC fight for the ages is set be revisited as Dan Henderson (29-11) and Shogun Rua (22-8) get set to meet again at UFC Fight Night 38. It was announced on Thursday that the two veterans will square off in Brazil on March 23.

The pair first met in an instant classic back at UFC 139 in November 2011 in which Henderson came out on the right end of a hard fought decision in what many considered to be the fight of the year. Since then, both men have gone on to suffer a down turn of fortunes.

Henderson has lost three straight since then, most recently suffering the first knockout loss of his career to Vitor Belfort. Before that he lost two controversial decisions to Rashad Evans and Lyoto Machida.

Rua has similarly been struggling for form, failing to string a winning run together. He spectacularly knocked out James Te Huna in little over a minute back in December. Prior to that he lost successive fights to Alexander Gustafsson and Chael Sonnen.

The fight sees Henderson return to the UFC after entering free agency after his fight with Belfort. It also sees Henderson head south, back to Brazil, to have another attempt at picking up a win.

It remains to be seen how Henderson can bounce back after being brutally knocked out back in November.

Whilst Rua was victorious in his last outing, as always, it all depends on what kind of condition he can get himself into ahead of this rematch.

The fight is between the number six and seven ranked light heavyweights, but it would seem that both men, at least Henderson at 43-years-old, could very well be about to begin their final attempt at a run in the UFC.

If history has taught us anything it's that rematches of legendary fights very rarely live up to the expectation, but the fact is we will be getting Henderson vs Shogu II. All we can do is accept that and hope that the rematch gets close to the first fight in terms of excitement.

UFC Fight Night 38 takes place on March 23 from the Ginasio Nelio Dias, Natal, Brazil.

Davey Grant vs Roland Delorme set to face off at UFC Fight Night 37

TUF 18 Finalist Davey Grant returns home to fight at UFC Fight Night 37 in London

by Ben Heather @benheather

On Monday evening it was announced that Davey Grant's wishes had come true.

Ever since Davey Grant (8-2 MMA 0-1 UFC) missed out on being crowned The Ultimate Fighter back in December he had called to be a part of the UFC's return to England. On Monday it was announced by the UFC UK twitter account that this would happen.

By the time this fight takes place it will be close to 18 months since Davey Grant last fought in England. His last fight in England was back in October 2012 when he defeated Danny Welsh at M4TC 7 and I can tell you one thing, he will be supported by a lot more fans this time out as he walks out to the Octagon at The O2 Arena in March.

Davey Grant will face off against Roland Delorme (9-2-1 MMA 3-1-1 UFC) and like Grant the UK fans should be familiar with Delorme after his stint on The Ultimate Fighter: Bisping vs Miller. A member of Team Miller on the show, Delorme lost his place on the show when he was defeated by TJ Dillashaw. After the show has won 3 and lost two, although his KO loss to Francisco Rivera was later ruled a no contest when Rivera failed a post fight drugs test. His last fight was against Alex Caceres at UFC 165 and he will be looking to get back to winning ways as he fights outside of North America for the first time in his career.

A second TUF champion added to fight at UFC 171

Julianna Pena vs Jessica Andrade set to battle at UFC 171

by Ben Heather @benheather

After the recent announcement that the TUF 17 champ Kelvin Gastelum will face Rick Story at UFC 171 it has today been announced that he will be joined by the TUF 18 champ Julianna Pena will also fight on the card.

The first ever female TUF champion. Julianna Pena (5-2 MMA 1-0 UFC) is set to face Jessica Andrade (10-3 MMA 1-1 UFC) in her first UFC fight outside of the ultimate fighter tournament. Pena won the most recent series of The Ultimate by defeating Jessica Rakoczy by first round TKO after coming in to the tournament as team Tate's number 1 pick.

Her opponent at UFC 171 Jessica Andrade is very familiar to the UK fans after her one sided victory in her most recent fight against Rosi Sexton at UFC Fight Night Machida vs Munoz in Manchester this past October. In that fight she showcased her skills as a great martial artist, at just 22 and if it was not for the heart and determination of Rosi Sexton she would have won by TKO. I believe if she put the beating she did that night on anybody else, other than Rosi Sexton she would have been able to finish that fight but not that night in Rosi's hometown. Before that Andrade lost via TKO to Liz Carmouche in her UFC debut.

UFC 171 is headlined by the battle for the vacant UFC Welterweight Title between Johny Hendricks and Robbie Lawler.

Rick Story to meet Kelvin Gastelum at UFC 171

Welterweight battle added to UFC 171

by Ben Heather @benheather

On the 15th March 2014 the UFC will crown a new welterweight champion to follow in the footsteps of the greatest welterweight fighter ever. Georges St-Pierre's reign came to an end when he vacated the title at the end of last year and now another welterweight fight has been added to the card.

Kelvin Gastelum, the TUF 17 champion will return to the octagon as the UFC returns to Dallas where he will meet Rick Story.

Gastelum (7-0 MMA 2-0 UFC) capped off a real underdog story to be crowned The Ultimate Champion when he beat Uriah Hall last year. He then followed that up with a submission victory of Brian Melancon after dropping down to Welterweight and now remains at welterweight to meet Rick Story.

Story (16-7 MMA 9-5 UFC) will be looking to get his career back on track in 2014 after finishing 2013 on a high with a win over Brian Ebersole at UFC 167. The past few years he has bounced between wins and losses and a win over Gastelum would be a great way to do that.

UFC 171 is headlined by Johny Hendricks vs Robbie Lawler for the vacated Welterweight title and also on the card Carlos Condit will face off against Tyron Woodley in a fight which could see the new number one contender for the title.

If you enjoy Welterweight battles UFC 171 is the perfect event for you.

Brad Pickett Talks to Kingdom MMA About His Upcoming Fight with Ian McCall

Kingdom MMA caught up with Brad "One Punch" Pickett to discuss dropping to 125lbs and his next fight

by Ben Heather @benheather and Tommy Strong @Strong_tea

On Friday we caught up with the one and only Brad "One Punch" Pickett (23-8 MMA 3-3 UFC) to discuss the news which was recently announced on UFC Beyond The Octagon where he announced he was going to be dropping to flyweight and will fight Ian "Uncle Creepy" McCall (12-4-1 MMA 1-2-1 UFC) in his flyweight debut at the O2 Arena in his home town of London on 8th March 2014.

That fight certainly has already got a lot of buzz surrounding it and people are excited to see just how Brad gets on at flyweight. So we asked him:

Ben: Firstly, thank you for taking the time to speak to us today. What made you decide that it was the right time now to drop down in weight?
Pickett: I made the decision originally to drop down in weight when i was on my honeymoon. I had a lot of time to myself as it was really quiet in the Maldives and you start thinking about a lot of things.

For me being a fighter, I needed challenges. At the moment I am ranked number 5 in the bantamweight division. There are four people above me, I have fought three of them and lost to all of them so there wasn't really anywhere for me to go. The only people I had left to fight were people who were ranked lower than myself and for me that was something to not really be motivated for and I wanted motivating and I wanted to have a challenge.

With me not being the biggest bantamweight I thought it would be possible to go down a weight class, to reinvent myself and to have a new challenge so that's what I did. Also, the other factor in it is I have a win over the champion so that was another little factor but it wasn't the main factor. The main factor was to get a new challenge.

Ben: Had you thought about it at all before the McDonald fight?
Pickett: No, It was when I was on my honeymoon. I had the McDonald fight and if I had beat him I would have been in line for a title shot. You don't look to change things when you are winning its when you lose that you look to change things so I didn't even think about it until after I got married and was on my honeymoon.

Ben: Was it completely your idea to drop down in weight or had it been suggested to you beforehand which led you to consider it?
Pickett: It has always been loosely suggested because obviously I have beaten Demetrious Johnson so everyone would suggest it but I have never really looked at it as a possibility, as I wasn't doing too bad as a bantamweight. I was up there in the mix and with a win or two I was in line for a title shot so that's why I didn't want to lose another 10lbs and go down a weight class. As soon as there was no more challenges left for me at that weight class I wanted to make a new challenge for myself.

Ben: Have you done a trial cut or do you have plans to do a practise cut before your fight?
Pickett: I don't do test weight cuts, I don't believe in them personally. Its a really mentally tough thing to do weight cutting if you're cutting a lot of weight and I think unless you have something at the end of it, like a fight you're not really gonna mentally do it.

I will make the weight but I will do it when it comes to fight I've got everything in order. Obviously I walk around a lot lighter now, I walk around 10lbs lighter now because I've got to cut that extra 10lbs and now I am stabilised at this weight as well I don't have to diet to stay here.

Ben: Will Christmas have any impact on the weight and drop to flyweight? After all its a time when people tend to eat more unhealthy foods.
Pickett: Not too bad, my weight is quite good at the moment. I will eat over Christmas and I still got a lot of time next year to do it and I am going away in January to America and that's when I will concentrate a lot more on the weight cut.

Ben: Will you be going back to American Top Team for this camp?
Pickett: Yes I will be going back to Florida, that's always where I do my training camps so I am looking forward to going back there. I will be there for 8 weeks and come back a week before the fight

Ben: What do you think you gain by going to America and ATT that you cant get in the UK?
Pickett: one, there is a lot more full time training partners so I have a lot more full time people who are my size to train with.

The other factors and the reason I go to America is because I go away to train so I can get away from my day to day distractions. The lifestyle you are used to eating, diet, your friends and your social life. Its hard to concentrate on a training camp when you are still around everything. That's why I go to America because its so easy to switch on and focus on my diet, my training, everything and its all about me just training for this fight.

Ben: When you knew that you was going to be dropping down to flyweight did you ask to fight McCall or was this fight given to you?
Pickett: I like to look at fights that make sense and to me the McCall fight made sense. He was available as he was supposed to fight Scott Jorgensen and he got injured so timing wise he will be back in the right time and I wanted to fight a tough opponent within the weight class so Ian made sense.

Ben: What do you think McCall's main strengths are and how do you match up to them?
Pickett: His main strengths.... well he is very well rounded and I am very well rounded but I do believe I am a little bit better than him in every area.

Ben: How does it feel knowing you will be fighting in your home town for the UFC?
Pickett: Yeah I am excited, I have fought in London before and I have fought for the UFC before but I have never fought in London for the UFC and for me to do that at the O2 which in my eyes is the best arena in Europe let alone England. I can't wait I am so excited

Ben: What are your opinions of the other contenders to the flyweight belt. Guys such as Lineker, Benevidez and Dodson to name just a couple.
Pickett: They are all exciting fights and fighters to watch but to me at the minute I am just focusing on McCall. Hopefully I will be able to beat McCall and then I can look at other people after the fight. They are all exciting and well rounded and the division is getting more stacked all the time so its an exciting division to be involved in.

Ben: Do you believe a win over McCall and the fact you have beaten Demetrious Johnson before will be enough to get you a title fight off the back of this fight?
Pickett: I believe so. I think he has cleaned out most of the weightclass at the moment and there is no real contenders for him that he hasn't thought so I believe a win over McCall could potentially put me in line for a title shot.

Ben: Would you like to thank anyone?
Pickett: Yeah I would like to thank all my supporters and all my fans.
My two teams American Top Team and Team Titan and all of my sponsors who have supported me.

Thank you so much for your time to do the interview with us and we wish you a safe trip to America for the camp and can't wait to see you fight in your home town on March 8th. Also we would like to take this opportunity to wish a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you and all of your family.

Montague vs Campuzano announced for UFC 171

Darrell Montague vs. Will Campuzano Added to UFC 171 in Dallas

by John Haigh @JohnBJayHaigh

According to UFC officials Flyweights Darrell Montague and Will Campuzano have agreed to fight at UFC 171 on March 15th in Dallas.
Montague (13-3) enters the fight on the heels of a loss in his UFC debut. After winning four consecutive fights to earn his shot in the Octagon, Montague was knocked out by top contender John Dodson at UFC 166 in October.
Montague’s opponent, Campuzano (13-5), is in a similar situation. He exited the UFC in early 2011 following a 0-2 run, but recently returned following a five-fight winning streak.
Campuzano’s return didn’t go as smoothly as he had hoped, losing a unanimous decision to undefeated Sergio Pettis at UFC 167 in November.
Both fighters will see the fight as a path to redemption.
The UFC 171 fight card is slated for a headlining bout between Johny Hendricks and Robbie Lawler, as they battle for the vacant UFC welterweight title after former champion Georges St-Pierre relinquished the belt last week to take some much-needed time off.

Lineker vs Bagautinov and Trujillo vs Green Set For UFC 169

Lineker vs Bagautinov and Trujillo vs Green Set For UFC 169

by Tommy Strong @Strong_tea

UFC 169 has just got better, with the announcement that two of the top fighters in the flyweights division are due to face each other on the 1st February 2014 in New Jersey.

Lineker (23-6) has failed to make the 125lb flyweight limit in 3 of his last 5 fights. Most recently when weighing in at 128lbs when he faced Phil Harris in Manchester England at UFC Fight Night 30 winning via first round KO. He will be looking to make sure this doesn't happen again as he nears that title shot! Another failure making weight would put a massive dent in his title hopes if he was to win.

At the age of only 23, Lineker has amassed 29 professional fights already in his career, only losing 1 of his last 18 fights which came at the hands of Louis Gaudinot.

Lineker will be facing the highly talented Russian Ali Bagautinov (12-2) , who is unbeaten since May 2011 and currently on a 10 fight tear, with his most recent victory coming over Tim Elliot at UFC 167.

With fighting nicknames of 'Hands of Stone' and 'Puncher King' this is surely going to be a highlight of the night!

Also announced for UFC 169, lightweights Bobby Green vs Abel Trujillo are set to face off

Both fighters are coming off victories only last week at UFC Fox 9 and most arguably their best performances to date within the UFC.

Abel Trujillo (11-5-1NC) put on a stunning performance in defeating Roger Bowling via second round TKO in their rematch fight. Their first bout was deemed a no contest after Trujillo landed an illegal knee with Bowling unable to continue.

Bobby Green (22-5) put on a clinical display out pointing the very durable Pat Healy to earn himself a unanimous decision victory and extend his winning streak to 7 fights!

UFC 169 will see the long awaited return of Dominic Cruz who after 2 years out injured, will be putting his Bantamweight title on the line against the interim champion Renan Barao.

Assuncao vs Rivera set for UFC 170

Raphael Assuncao vs. Francisco Rivera added to UFC 170

by John Haigh @JohnBJayHaigh

On Wednesday UFC officials announced a bantamweight bout between Raphael Assuncao and Francisco Rivera at UFC 170 in Las Vegas on 22nd February.

Assuncao (21-4) appeared on his last legs in the UFC at featherweight, having lost three of his last four fights at 145 pounds before moving down to bantamweight. He is currently undefeated since dropping to 135 pounds, winning five consecutive fights and making an impact on the division’s Top 5.

Rivera (10-2, 1 NC) is unbeaten in his last six trips to the Octagon, although one of those fights ended in a no contest. Rivera had initially scored a knockout victory over Roland Delorme, but tested positive for a banned substance in the post-fight drug tests, thus the fight’s result was changed to a no contest. He has since won back-to-back fights over Edwin Figueroa and George Roop.

A win could see Raphael Assuncao continue to climb further into the top five whole a victory for Francisco Rivera could see him break into the top ten.

UFC 170 is headlined by a five-round, non-title fight main event with former light heavyweight champion Rashad Evans welcoming Daniel Cormier to the light heavyweight division.

Two Middleweight battles added to the UFC's return to London

Barnatt and Scott set to defend British pride as the UFC returns to the UK

by Sam Heard @SamHeard_

The already-juicy UFC Fight Night card billed to take place in our great capital’s 02 Arena this March had two additional middleweight fights added earlier this week. Cambridge’s Luke Barnatt has been matched against Sweden’s Mats Nilsson while Somerset-born Brad “Bear” Scott will fight Claudio Henrique da Silva.

Luke “Bigslow” Barnatt (7-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) vs Mats Nilsson (11-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC)

Team Sonnen’s first pick in the 17th season of The Ultimate Fighter, Bigslow has lived up to the outspoken American’s high expectations of him, already having been victorious twice in the Octagon as well as picking up that coveted Fight of the Night Bonus. Barnatt’s Fight of the Night against Andrew Craig was an amazing bout. On two occasions Barnatt dropped the American and thought the fight was finished only for Craig to make an unexpected recovery. Craig – who was as high as a 4/9 favourite going into the fight with big wins over fighters like Chris Leben and Rafael Natal – was finally overwhelmed by Barnatt’s slick ground game as Bigslow locked in a rear-naked choke. Bigslow has garnered a great deal of popularity for his charisma and direct nature. Comically he and fellow UK fighter Conor McGregor have become involved in a twitter beef after Bigslow criticised the Irishman’s unwarranted hype. It’s a wonder featherweight McGregor – who has been known to pick fights with people ridiculously far outside his weight class – hasn’t challenged the 6’6” Barnatt to a fight!
Bigslow’s opponent making his debut in the UFC is Sweden’s Mats Nilsson. Nilsson will be well known to UK MMA fans after stringing together wins in Cardiff and Glasgow for Cage Warriors in 2013. Having picked up wins in seven of his last eight fights, there is little wonder Nilsson has been enlisted by the UFC and he is certainly a tough test for Barnatt.

Brad “Bear” Scott (9-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) vs Claudio Henrique da Silva (9-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC)

Brad Scott looks to build on his success from UFC Fight Night 30 with his decisive first round submission victory over fearsome Dutch striker Michael Kuiper. Fighting in Manchester after a near-year hiatus following his loss to Robert Whittaker, doubters of Scott thought ring-rust combined with a dangerous opponent spelt the worst for Scott. He silenced the doubters dramatically with his first round victory and doubtless filled the wallets of shrewd MMA punters having been offered at tall 3/1 betting odds.
Like Mats Nilsson, Claudio Henriqeu da Silva will be welcomed to his Octagon debut by a Brit coming off a massive win. In very unusual circumstances, the Brazillian Da Silva may have more right to claim the home field advantage over Brad Scott as he trains full time in London with the Shootfighters gym. Da Silva has successively won nine fights with eight of the victories coming within the distance.

Both these fights are very welcome additions to an already brilliant card. Best of luck to Luke and Brad from Kingdom MMA in their preparations for the fights; we can’t wait to see them do what they do best on 8th March.

Rees vs Arthur set to open the show at BAMMA 14

Ben Rees vs Ed Arthur added to BAMMA 14 prelims

BAMMA have today announced the fight which will kick off BAMMA 14 and start the preliminary fights at Decembers event. That fight will be a Bantamweight battle between Ben Rees (1-0 MMA) and Ed Arthur (1-0 MMA). BAMMA 14 is headlined by the return of Paul Daley to BAMMA, he is set to battle Romario Manoel Da Silva in the main event at the LG Arena in Birmingham which takes place on 14th December.

19 year old Ben ‘Flubber’ Rees fights out of East Devon with a record of 1-0-0, having won ‘Submission of the Night’ for his professional debut in June. He also has 9 documented fights at Amateur level.  Described by his coach as a “free fighter”, Rees started training in MMA at the age of 15 and trains solely in MMA at Lion’s Den gym, which is renowned for its military membership and approach. Summarised by ex-army coach, Dave Matthews, as “a good, honest, young fighter who is tough as nails but very humble”, Ben Rees will be taking a big step up as he opens the show at BAMMA 14.

Rees said: “I am really honoured to be competing on BAMMA, as it is the top UK promotion and always has exciting match-ups. To be allowed to showcase my skills is like a dream come true. Ed Arthur is a tough worthy opponent he has a great skill-set and I feel this will be my toughest opponent yet. Who knows how the fight will go: Ed is strong, well rounded, older than me….Remind me why I’m taking this fight again? Also my Coach Dave says he’s possibly better looking. Anyway, the fans can expect a great bout from two of the best looking fighters in the division. It will be entertaining and one not to be missed.”

Opponent, 24 year old Ed Arthur presents a professional record of 1-0-0 and remained undefeated through Amateur level. Half of his fights have been finished in the first round. Fighting out of Hemel Martial Arts with Denniston Sutherland and Josh Bangert as training partners, Arthur is said to be strong in all areas of the fight game.

Arthur said: “I will drag my opponent into the deepest darkest waters and he will have nightmares forever after facing me. The opportunity to fight for BAMMA is one I am really looking forward to. The bigger the stage, the better for me.  I can show the world how good Hemel Martial Arts is. I deserve the win because I train harder, push myself further and mentally I am stronger than anyone out there. I know what it is to be a true mixed martial artist, not just a joker with a punch. This is my time to show everyone what I am about.”

For more on the build up to this fight follow both Ben Rees @1rees_Official and Ed Arthur @edarthurmma on twitter.


BAMMA 14 FIGHT CARD (so far)
More fights are still to be announced

Paul Daley VS Romario Manoel Da Silva (Welterweight)
Colin "Freakshow" Fletcher VS Mansour Barnaoui (World Lightweight title fight)
Scott Askham VS Ion Pascu (World Middleweight title fight)
Wayne Murrie VS Michael Johnson (British Welterweight title fight)
Wendle Lewis VS Leon Edwards (Welterweight)
Zi Shah VS Andy Craven (Featherweight)
Tim Wilde VS Jefferson George (Lightweight)
Tim Menzies VS James Samuda (Welterweight)
Matt Hallam VS Curtis Widner (Middleweight)
Ben Rees VS Ed Arthur (Bantamweight)

Frank Mir vs Alistair Overeem Added To UFC 167

UFC 167 MIR VS OVEREEM , EVERYTHING TO LOSE?

By Tommy Strong @strong_tea

There seems to be no signs of slowing up as the UFC continue to add big names and fights to the UFC's 20th anniversary show, UFC 167 which will take place at the MGM Grand on November 16th in Las Vegas. 

With the recent announcement that former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir will face former Strikeforce champion Alistair Overeem. With more than just a win or loss on their records this fight could determine whether its the end of the line in their UFC career for the loser. 

Mir (16-8) currently ranked 8th in the official UFC rankings has seen himself slide down the ladder since losing to Junior De Santos for the UFC heavyweight championship belt at UFC 146. Mir has since gone onto lose his next two fights, firstly to Daniel Cormier and more recently being stopped by Josh Barnett via first round TKO less than 2 weeks ago. With 3 straight losses on his record , Mir will know a loss to Overeem could well see his 12 year fight career in the UFC come to an abrupt end!

Overeem (36-13-1) came to the UFC as the Strikeforce heavyweight champion and on an 8 fight winning streak. Proving in his debut fight against Brock Lesnar putting on a clinical display defeating him inside the first round at UFC 141 and earning himself a shot at then heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos.

This is where Overeem's career has rapidly gone downhill. Firstly testing positive in a random pre fight drugs test for elevated levels of testosterone forcing the UFC to pull him from the fight and Overeem being handed a 9 month suspension. 

On his return from suspension at UFC 156 in February , he faced Antonio Silva dominating the first two rounds Overeem became over confident and showed a lack of respect for 'Big Foot's' punching power and in doing so paid the ultimate price by being knocked out in the third round.

Then against Travis Browne only last month, Overeem started out the better of the two fighters and on the verge of victory, only to gas himself out within the first round. Browne somehow recovered from the onslaught and took full advantage of Overeem gassing, to land a front kick and punches to win via TKO. 

Could the loser of this fight be heading for pastures new?

Already confirmed for UFC 167:

Welterweight:           Georges St. Pierre  vs  Johny Hendricks

Light Heavyweight:  Rashad Evans        vs  Chael Sonnen

Welterweight:           Rory MacDonald   vs  Robbie Lawler

Welterweight:           Josh Koshcheck     vs  Tyron Woodley

Lightweight:             Donald Cerrone     vs  Evan Dunham

Welterweight:           Brian Ebersole       vs  Rick Story

Chael Sonnen vs Rashad Evan Confirmed For UFC 167

SONNEN VS EVANS TO CO-MAIN UFC 167 IN LAS VEGAS

By Tommy Strong @strong_tea

If UFC 167 wasn't wetting your appetite enough already, then news of Chael Sonnen vs Rashad Evans being the co-main event of the evening, will surely have the desired effect?!

The bout will be at light heavyweight (205lbs) and take place on November 16th in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Sonnen (29-13-1) found himself fighting at light heavyweight after being the only fighter to step up at short notice to fight Jon Jones after Dan Henderson had to pull out due to an injury. Though it was Jones who refused to take the fight on such short notice forcing the UFC to cancel UFC 151.

With a heavy first round loss to Jon Jones at UFC 159 in April, when the pair met after being 'TUF' 17 coaches. Sonnen looked like he was fighting in the wrong division. Though a very impressive win over 'Shogun' Rua last month at UFC Fight Night 26, Sonnen managed to pull off a first round submission victory that earn't himself a top contender in Evans.

Though defeat for him here would more than likely see him return to the middleweight division, where he will be seeking to get another crack at the title or just possibly Anderson Silva!

Former light heavyweight Rashad Evans (18-3-1) has looked very poor since his defeat to Jon Jones in April 2012 when the pair squared off at UFC 145 for the light heavyweight title, losing via unanimous decision after 5 rounds.

Then going onto lose his next fight to Antionio Nogueira in a woeful performance and more recently getting back to winning ways with a split decision win over Dan Henderson at UFC 161 in June which wasn't easy to digest.

This could be just the type of fight Rashad needs to find his mojo, and climb his way back up to the top of the division where he belongs.

UFC 167 will be headlined by Georges St-Pierre when he puts his Welterweight belt on the line and faces the very dangerous and heavy handed Johny Hendricks.

Andy Ogle vs Cole Miller Scheduled For Manchester

FIGHT NIGHT 30 SEE'S THE RETURN OF ANDY OGLE! 

By Tommy Strong @strong_tea

HELS BELS Photography

The UFC has announced a featherweight bout in Manchester England that will see Englishman Andy Ogle pick his wits against American Cole Miller at next months event, Fight Night 30 on Oct 26th.

Ogle (9-2) hasn't fought since February 16th, where he defeated John Grispi via unanimous decision in London, England. He was expected to fight Conor McGregor at UFC Fox Sports 1 in August, but was forced to pull out of the fight due to an injury and was replaced by Max Holloway.

Miller (19-8) a former 'TUF' 5 contestant has been around the UFC a lot longer, making his debut back in 2007 at the finals defeating Andy Wang inside the first round, since then Miller has gone on to have a further 13 fights inside the octagon.

Miller returned to featherweight last year and is now (1-3) , he will coming into the fight on the back of a close decision loss to Manny Gamburyan only last month and will be eager to keep his UFC career alive.

UFC Fight Night 30 in Manchester, will be headlined by middleweight title contenders Michael Bisping vs Mark Munoz, with the co-main event which will see a lightweight clash between Ross Pearson vs Melvin Guillard.

Nate Diaz vs Gray Maynard III set for TUF 18 Finale

Diaz and Maynard Square Off For The Third Time!!

by Tommy Strong @strong_tea
 

The Ultimate Fighter 18 Finale, will see top lightweights Nate Diaz take on Gray Maynard for the third time of asking.

Though only officially the second time on record, as the first encounter was in 'TUF' 5 where both men would meet in the semi-finals with Nate Diaz submitting Maynard and then going onto be the winner of "TUF" season 5.

The pair would meet again in January 2010, at UFC Fight Night 20, but this time it would be Maynard who would take the win via split decision.

Maynard (11-2-1) went onto to beat Kenny Florian to earn himself a title shot at the Lightweight belt at UFC 125 when he took on Frankie Edgar, in what would end up being the fight of the night and year! In an epic back and forth battle the judges couldn't split the pair with the outcome being a draw (48-46, 46-48, 47-47) The pair would meet again 9 months later in a rematch that didn't disappoint. Though this time it was Edgar that managed to take the win via an emphatic 4th round KO.

Since then Maynard is (1-1) beating Clay Guida via split decision, and then losing to TJ Grant inside the first round in a lightweight title eliminator fight.

Diaz (16-9) since his loss to Maynard, decided to move back up to Welterweight which he had mixed fortunes going 2-2.

At UFC 135 Diaz returned back to Lightweight and went on to win three fights in a row beating Takanori Gomi, Donald Cerrone and then handing Jim Miller his first ever submission loss to earn himself a title shot against Benson Henderson.

Diaz is currently on a two fight losing streak, having lost a one sided fight in his title shot against Benson Henderson and more recently losing to Josh Thomson via TKO. In that fight Josh Thomson became the first fighter to knockout Diaz.

With so much on the line and the way both fighters like to fight, we could be in for a real treat! (touching wood)