November 3, 2018

    UFC 230: Cormier vs Lewis live results

    Peter Knox 03/11/2018

    Saturday 3rd November 2018 at Madison Square Garden in New York, USA. UFC 230 is headlined by a  heavyweight bout between champion Daniel Cormier and Derrick Lewis. In the co-main New York’s own Chris Weidman takes on Brazilian Ronaldo ‘Jacare’ Souza. Also on the main card, Welshman Jack Marshman returns to Octagon to face Karl Roberson. Follow the results below as they happen.   Main Card (Live on BT Sport 2 from 2:00 am) Daniel Cormier vs Derrick Lewis Winner Daniel Cormier Via Rear Naked Choke Submission 2:14 Round 2 Chris Weidman vs Ronaldo Souza Winner Ronaldo Souza Via TKO Punches 2:46 Round 3 David Branch vs Jared Cannonier Winner Jared Cannonier Via TKO Punches 0:29 Round 2 Karl Roberson vs Jack Marshman Winner Karl Roberson Via Unanimous Decision 30-26 30-26 30-27 Derek Brunson vs Israel Adesanya Winner Israel Adesanya Via TKO Knees and Punches 4:51 Round 1 Prelims (Live on UFC Fight Pass and BT Sport 2 from 12:00 am) Jason Knight vs Jordan Rinaldi Winner Jordan Rinaldi Via Unanimous Decision 30-27 30-25 30-26 Sijara Eubanks vs Roxanne Modafferi Winner Sijara Eubanks Via Unanimous Decision  30-27 30-27 30-27 Julie Arce vs Sheymon Moraes Winner Sheymon Moraes Via Split Decision 29-28 29-28 30-26 Ben Sanders vs Lyman Good Winner Lyman Good Via KO Punches 1:32 Round 1 Fight Pass Prelims (Live on UFC Fight Pass from 10:30 pm) Matt Frevola vs Lando Vannata Decision Majority draw 29-28 28-28 28-28 Shane Burgos vs Kurt Holobaugh Winner Shane Burgos Via Armbar Submission 2:11 Round 1 Brian Kelleher vs Montel Jackson Fight canceled Adam Wieczorek vs Marcos Rogerio de Lima Winner Marcos Rogerio de Lima Via Unanimous Decision 30-27 30-27 30-27

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    Khabib ‘No Show’ Nurmagomedov refuses to attend NSAC hearing “I’m not guilty”

    Peter Knox 03/11/2018

    The impressive 27-0 Undefeated UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov is planning to not show at his hearing with the Nevada State Athletic Commission next month. The commission is expected to meet on December 10th, where they will officiate Khabib’s official punishment for his part in the post-fight brawl at UFC 229. If you missed the craziness last month, where have you been? Khabib lost his mind following his fourth-round submission win over Conor McGregor at UFC 229. The Russian champ blitzed over the cage immediately after his win and went on to attack Mystic Mac’s jiu-jitsu coach Dillon Danis. The actions of ‘The Eagle’ started a brawl both inside and outside the cage, it led to McGregor being punched from behind by fellow UFC fighters and teammates of Nurmagomedov. The next day both Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor were suspended indefinitely, while NSAC undergoes a full investigation into the incidents that took place at UFC 229.   On December 10th, the MMA world will have all eyes on deck, as the careers of McGregor and Nurmagomedov hang in the balance of NSAC. Despite the significance of the hearing, Nurmagomedov has been reported he will not be in attendance. Check out what he had to say in a recent interview with BeIN Sports: “On December 10[th] they will meet again and call me but I’m not going. I just defended my family and my religion. If they want to punish me, they can get all the money I earn, and they can give me 10 years ban. I don’t care.” Nurmagomedov continued: “On December 10[th] they will meet again and call me but I’m not going, I’m not guilty. I started the fight and I finished as a man. They’ll punish the initiator, I won the fight in the rules. After the fight, I showed him that what he did before the fight would not be unrequited.” What are your thoughts on Khabib Nurmagomedov’s decision to not show at the hearing? Comment below.

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    UFC 230: ‘Cormier vs. Lewis’ Main Card Preview

    Peter Knox 03/11/2018

    Daniel Cormier and Derrick Lewis are set to headline a huge card this weekend at Madison Square Garden, New York City. The critical pay-per-view event will determine the future of several fighters, including Brock Lesnar and Jon Jones. Both are looking to match up with Daniel Cormier for his final time in the octagon. UFC 230 is a massive event with the main card stacked with quality matches. The main card is predominantly filled with fights in the middleweight division, it’s only the main event being contested at heavyweight. The event has gone through a lot of ups and downs in the months building up to fight night. It started with a co-main event featuring Nate Diaz and Dustin Poirer. The two lightweight fighters were supposed to square off, until the fight was scrapped after Poirer pulled out due to injury. If that wasn’t enough, the event took another huge blow. The much anticipated rematch between Luke Rockhold and Chris Weidman was called off, after Rockhold picked up an injury. Weidman will now be head-to-head with Jacare Souza. Next up is a preview of each fight on the main card. So let’s take a look at the main card for the night: #1. Derek Brunson vs. Israel Adesanya: Derek Brunson and Israel Adesanya will open the main card. Brunson has been in and out of the middleweight top ten rankings over the last couple of years, while Adesanya has been storming up the rankings since joining the UFC in February 2018. This will be Adesanya’s fourth outing this year, coming off unanimous decision win and earning a performance of the night bonus against Brad Taveres. Brunson will be coming into this fight after losing to Jacare Souza. He will have to shake himself off and be ready for his clash with Adesanya. The undefeated Adesanya is 14-0 with his last three fights in the UFC. He holds one knockout victory, two decisions and two performance of the night bonuses. A win here for Adesanya could bring him closer to a title shot next year. Prediction: Israel Adesanya by knockout. #2. Karl Roberson vs. Jack Marshman: Karl Roberson won a contract after featuring on Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender series. What’s this? MMA on a school night what madness. Roberson looked good in his debut against Darren Stewart winning by rear-naked choke. His undefeated winning streak was cut short at UFC 224 when he got caught in a submission by Cezar Ferreira. Jack Marshman is a lot more seasoned, holding a record of 22-7 to Roberson’s 6-1. In the UFC he has two wins and two losses. This could be an early night for Roberson if Marshman takes it to the ground. Prediction: Marshman by submission. #3. David Branch vs. Jared Cannonier: In the third middleweight fight of the night we see David Branch take on Jared Cannonier. Branch hasn’t been in the UFC long but is coming into this fight off a big win over Thiago Santos. The knockout victory earned him a performance of the night bonus, and he holds an impressive 22-4 record. In fact, he has only lost once in his last 13 fights, which came at the hands of Luke Rockhold. Cannonier on the other hand has been in the UFC awhile but has lost 3 of his last 4 fights. He may not have got the wins but he’s been involved in some high profile fights against the likes of Glover Teixeira and more recently Jan Blachowicz. A win here for Branch would give him a solid case for a rematch with Rockhold. Prediction: David Branch by unanimous decision. #4. Chris Weidman vs. Jacare Souza: UFC 162: Anderson Silva v Chris Weidman Does anyone remember when Chris Weidman was a UFC Champion? If Weidman can get past Jacare Souza tomorrow night, it could catapult him back into title contention. Weidman suffered devastating back-to-back losses against the likes of Rockhold who stole his title, Yoel Romero who crushed his spirit and Gegard Mousasi who nearly ended his career. In his last outing he knocked out Kelvin Gastulem which set him up for a rematch with Rockhold, at least until he pulled out due to injury. Unfortunately he’s facing a deadly opponent in Souza. One of the best middleweights in the division who has racked up a string of performance of the night bonuses. Though he has lost some big matches against Robert Whittaker and Yoel Romero a win here will bring his name in the pot for title contention. This is a fight not to be missed with so much on the line for both fighters. Prediction: Chris Weidman by TKO #5. Daniel Cormier vs. Derrick Lewis: UFC 178: Daniel Cormier v Jon Jones Where did this fight come from? Daniel Cormier won the heavyweight title back in July. And in his post-fight talk with Joe Rogan, an unexpected guest muscled his way into the octagon. It was Brock Lesnar, and in a heated confrontation with the new champion, the next title fight was set. Things took a complete u-turn when UFC 230 suffered injuries, which saw the UFC take action and book Cormier vs. Lewis. It’s a quick turnaround for Derrick Lewis, who only fought less than a month ago. He’s coming into this fight after a last-minute knockout over Alexander Volkov at UFC 229. While Cormier has a had a few months since he took the title from Stipe Miocic. Being the fresher man and having a strong wrestling background Cormier is the favourite in this matchup. This should serve as a good tune-up fight ready for the Lesnar bout. Lewis has incredible knockout power and can never be written off. It could even be argued that he intelligently plays possum to land his big right hand. Prediction: Cormier by knockout

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    World Boxing Super Series Preview

    Mick Kane 03/11/2018

    The World Boxing Super Series has rolled into Glasgow and brought with them their famous lights. The event takes place at the SSE Hydro on Saturday 3rd November with tickets still on sale, starting at £35. With two massive main event fights, fans should be in for a treat. WBA Bantamweight world champion Belfast’s Ryan Burnett defends his title against one of boxing’s living legends, former 4 weight world champion Nonito Donaire. Whoever wins will face WBO champ Zolani Tete in the semifinals in another great bout. Tete booked his place in the semi by beating Mikhail Aloyan by unanimous decision in Russia a couple of weeks ago. In the other big bout, Prestonpans Josh Taylor will defend his WBC Silver Super Lightweight title against American Ryan Martin. Taylor returns to the scene of some of his finest victories, beating former world champion Viktor Postol and where he won gold at the 2014 Commonwealth games. Whoever wins this quarter-final tie faces IBF champion Ivan Baranchyk in the semi-final. Baranchyk won the vacant IBF strap last weekend beating Anthony Yigit in another quarter-final tie. Also on the card is a fight between two undefeated fighters for the vacant British Super Middleweight title. Zach Parker will take on Daryll Williams in what should be a good domestic affair. UK fight fans can watch the show for FREE, including the massive undercard, on the World Boxing Super Series YouTube channel, Facebook page and via SportBible’s Facebook page, IFLTV’s YouTube channel and Boxing News’ website. All the fighters have made weight and with a big crowd expected in Glasgow, we should have a great night of boxing and a good atmosphere. If the fans join in to make the event a spectacle expect the WBSS to make a return to Glasgow later in the tournament. Weigh in results and comments: Ali Trophy Super-Lightweight Quarter-Final & WBC Silver Title Josh Taylor (13-0, 11 KOs): 139.1 lb /63,09 kg “Listen, there is no one going to beat me here in Glasgow with these fans behind me,” said Taylor after weighing in. “I am in the best shape of my life. I am ready for Saturday, I can’t wait!” Ryan Martin (22-0, 12 KOs): 139.3 lb/63,18 kg “I am ready, I am prepared, I have trained my ass off,” said Martin. Ali Trophy Bantamweight Quarter-Final & WBA World Unified Bantamweight Championship Ryan Burnett (19-0, 9 KOs): 117,8 lb /53,43 kg “Nonito is an incredible fighter,” said Burnett. “His track record speaks for itself. I am grateful to share the ring with such a good fighter.” Nonito Donaire (38-5, 24 KOs): 117.7 lb/53,38 kg “This is what I have been dreaming about for a long time,” said Donaire. “The WBSS is what boxing should be. The best against the best. The belts put together. There can only be one! That’s it!” Kalle Sauerland, Comosa’s Chief Boxing Officer, who run World Boxing Super Series gave his thoughts through a press release. “Boxing is often about money and about going out there and earning a day, and that’s all well and good. It’s all part of the game, but the Ali Trophy brings a little bit more than that,” said Sauerland. “We believe that the people who step up and take part in this tournament, it’s not about taking a year out and doing three voluntaries and getting good paydays out of it, it’s about putting your, excuse my language, nuts on the line to find out who the best is. “It’s very easy as champion to sit it out and say I’ll fight the winner and I’ll take easy fights and then get one payday. The fighters in the World Boxing Super Series have chosen to be in this tournament. They’ve chosen to represent the Ali Trophy to find out who is best is in the weight class. “If you look at the two fights in Glasgow, Ryan Burnett vs Nonito Donaire and Josh Taylor vs Ryan Martin, you’ve obviously got amazing match ups. Nonito Donaire, someone who’s had such a story in this sport. An amazing story. Someone who’s coming down in weight to face who many believe is the favourite.  “I don’t want to say it’s a clash of generations, but for Nonito, it’s a big chance to resurrect his career and for Ryan Burnett to make a real statement in this tournament. We’ve seen some statements the last weeks. Look at Naoya Inoue in Japan. Rodriguez had a very tough win against Jason Maloney, which showed once again the depth in this tournament, also with Zolani Tete against Mikhail Aloyan. This is a fight where you have a real storyline outside of it.” Taylor vs Martin is the story of two young fighters, 27 and 25, both labelled rising stars. “Taylor and Martin, two guys much talked about either side of the pond,” said Sauerland.  “I’ve just come back from New Orleans and all the American press were telling me about Ryan Martin, and I arrive here in Scotland and everybody is telling me about Josh Taylor. In those famous words: someone’s 0 has got to go.  “We’ve got two undefeated gladiators. Two undefeated, young, hungry guys trying to make it to the top. They’re in this tournament for a reason,” said Sauerland concluding:  “I can’t wait for Saturday from a sporting level and from a personal level.”

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    MAS Fight: The Grand Prix featuring Mark Godbeer, Yi Long and a 7ft Korean Super-Heavyweight

    Peter Knox 03/11/2018

    MAS Fight: The Grand Prix is an upcoming MMA event with modified rules in effect taking place on Saturday 10th November. The venue is The Venetian Macao – the largest casino in the world and also the seventh largest building in the world. The rules of combat and are intended to push for finishes with victory only coming from KO. No ground fighting allowed. Throws are allowed, meaning the fighters can still clinch or sweep. Three knockdowns equal a KO and if neither fighter can finish the other the fight will be declared a draw. No points, no judges. That’s a lot of no’s but that doesn’t mean it’s restrictive. Having limited time, a singular goal and the threat of grappling removed will lead to high-intensity fights packed into a short time. These won’t be chess matches. The main fight of the evening is Yi Long – a Chinese Wushu and Sanshou kickboxer who usually competes around welterweight –  against 7ft 2-inch Super-Heavyweight Korean mixed martial artist Choi Hong-man.   English heavyweight Mark Godbeer is fighting despite announcing his retirement from MMA only in September. Training out of Scottish Hit Squad in Coatbridge he has a pro MMA record of 13-4 and made four appearances in the UFC. His opponent in MAS Fight will be Ismael Lazaar, a Moroccan heavyweight kickboxer with a record of 30-3-1. He fought once in Glory Kickboxing – a fight against Rico Verhoueven at Glory 41 in May 2017 which he unfortunately lost. Here are some other fights that have been announced: Steve Bank vs Freyded Rankyn Denis Puric vs Byatka Hao Guanghua vs Alcesar Meida Iraj Azizpour vs Wojciech Bulinski Akbar Karimi vs Ashati Haime Morais vs Aliakse Kudzin Check out the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/masfight/

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    Aaron Chalmers From ‘Geordie Shore’ Signs Six-Fight Deal With Bellator

    Peter Knox 03/11/2018

    Former cast member of reality TV show ‘Geordie Shore’ turned MMA fighter Aaron Chalmers has signed a six-fight contract with Bellator. https://twitter.com/AaronCGShore/status/1058309229562527744 Announcing the deal via Twitter, he tells us it’s a lucrative one for him. Chalmers has gained a lot of attention in MMA in a relatively short time due to being previously known from appearances on popular TV shows ‘Geordie Shore’ and ‘Ex On The Beach’. The 31-year-old welterweight from Newcastle, England is getting a hard time from some who claim he is ‘skipping the line’, comparing the situation to WWE star CM Punk singing for the UFC – getting offered a shot at the big time without putting the years of hard work involved in getting to that position, or even deserving it. However, this is a less extreme example and his success in MMA so far cannot be ignored – making his debut in May 2017 at BAMMA 29 against Greg Jenkins, he won in the first round by submission. Two more fights in BAMMA produced victories for him with a KO against Alex Thompson and a TKO against Karl Donaldson, both also in the first round. This caught the attention of Bellator who offered him a fight against Ash Griffiths at Bellator 200: Carvalho vs Mousasi in May 2018, just over a year since his debut. Perhaps they were giving Chalmers a test to see if he could hang with the calibre of fighter they have on the roster and if so, he passed – another first-round submission. If Chalmers keeps up this streak of finishes he could soon find himself facing some fierce opponents – Douglas Lima, Paul ‘Semtex’ Daly, Michael ‘Venom’ Page, Paul Bradley, Andrey Koreshkov and more will be waiting for him if he manages to climb that high up the ladder where he will be really tested. That’s not to say the fighters he has faced so far weren’t worthy opponents but as we all know, there are levels in this game and fighters with far more experience than Chalmers have come up short against the current top welterweights in Bellator. So let’s see if 2019 will be a successful year for him and find out if he can prove himself to not simply be ‘that guy from Geordie Shore’.

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