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English welterweight Paul Daley has been removed from Bellator MMA's upcoming Season 8 170-pound tournament, according to a representative for the promotion. Daley, 29, is barred from entering the U.S. after being charged with assault stemming from a bar fight, the promotion said. He faces up to two years in prison.

Daley's manager, Wad Alameddine, did not immediately return a request for comment.

Controversy followed Daley (30-12) throughout his nine-year MMA career, which featured stints in the UFC, Strikeforce and, since July, Bellator. Most notably, he was released from UFC in 2010 after punching Josh Koscheck after the bell.

The colorful striker, who moved to MMA after a successful kickboxing stint, was set to fight War Machine (formerly Jon Koppenhaver) in January after fans voted the bout Bellator's first match on SpikeTV in 2013. A fractured tibia and partially torn ACL sidelined War Machine, however, and the bout was postponed four to six months.

Cain Velasquez became the first Mexican to win the UFC heavyweight championship when he scored a first-round TKO at UFC 121 in 2010 at Honda Center. It proved to be a short-lived title reign because Brazilian bomber Junior dos Santos needed 64 seconds to knock out Velasquez at UFC on Fox 1 in the champion's first title defense.

Velasquez earned a shot at redemption when he scored a first-round TKO over Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva at UFC 146 in March. That victory landed Velasquez (10-1) a rematch against dos Santos (15-1) for the UFC heavyweight title at UFC 155 on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on pay-per-view.

"I got myself in this sport to be the best," Velasquez told UFC-com. "I'm not there right now. There's one guy I have to go through to be there."

Velasquez, a two-time All-American wrestler at Arizona State, has some of the best takedowns in MMA and his ground-and-pound can be vicious. Dos Santos has one-punch KO power in both fists and has yeat to be tested on the ground in his UFC career.

"His takedown defense is really good," Velasquez said. "As soon as he goes down, he pops back up or he doesn't even let you go to the ground. If he does get up, then we are going to fight on our feet.

"Going out there, taking him down and finishing him on top would be the ultimate thing for me. I'm going to prove I'm the best when I take my belt back."

Velasquez believes he has the skill set to dethrone dos Santos.

"The whole reason I'm here right now is to be the best, to be the champ," Velasquez said. "The only thing I want is the belt and to keep it and keep defending it. I'm going to go in and take what's mine."

NOTES

Dos Santos has a lot of respect for Velasquez, but not so much for fighters who choose to use performance-enhancing drugs such as Alistair Overeem, who was supposed to fight the champion in May before failing a pre-fight urine test with elevated testosterone levels. Overeem is expected to face the dos-Santos-Velasquez winner next year.

"I prefer to fight against clean athletes and real professionals," dos Santos said on a recent conference call "Cain is one of these guys. He's a real professional fighter and that's a good challenge for me. I know he's very tough and I know how hard I have to train to face him. The other guys, they just say things but there's nothing behind the words. Guys like me and Cain Velasquez, we are made at the gym. And guys like the other guy, they are made at the laboratory." ...

Here are the main card bouts for UFC 155 on pay-per-view at 7 p.m.: Dos Santos (15-1) vs. Velasquez (10-1); Jim Miller (21-4) vs. Joe Lauzon (22-7); Tim Boetsch (16-4) vs. Costa Philippou (11-2); Yushin Okami (27-7) vs. Alan Belcher (18-6); and Chris Leben (22-8) vs. Derek Brunson (9-2).

Here are the UFC 155 prelims on FX at 5 p.m.: Brad Pickett (22-6) vs. Eddie Wineland (19-8-1); Erik Perez (12-4) vs. Byron Bloodworth (6-2); Melvin Guillard (30-11-2) vs. Jamie Varner (20-7-1); and Michael Johnson (12-6) vs. Myles Jury (10-0).

Here are the UFC 155 prelims on Facebook at 3:35 p.m.: Phil DeFries (9-1) vs. Todd Duffee (7-2); Leonard Garcia (15-9-1) vs. Max Holloway (6-1); and Chris Cariaso (14-3) vs. John Moraga (12-1). ...

A flurry of bouts have been confirmed for UFC 157 on Feb. 23 at Honda Center in the last week. Caros Fodor vs. Sam Stout, Chad Mendes vs. Manny Gamburyan, Michael Chiesa vs. Anton Kuivanen, Brendan Schaub vs. Lavar Johnson, Court McGee vs. Josh Neer, Dennis Bermudez vs. Matt Grice, Kenny Robertson vs. Brock Jardine and Neil Magny vs. Jon Manley have been added to the Orange County card. Ronda Rousey and Liz Carmouche fight for the UFC women's bantamweight title in the main event of UFC 157. ...

CBS Sports Network has landed Japan's New Year's Eve combat sports spectacular. "GSI Presents DREAM 18 and GLORY 4 Tokyo: New Year's Even Special" will air on tape delay in two parts, starting at 7 p.m. on Monday. That broadcast will feature the Glory Grand Slam kickboxing tournament, which includes Sergei Kharitonov, Semmy Schilt, Gokhan Saki and Remy Bonjasky. The DREAM portion of the event airs at 7 p.m. on Tuesday.

The MMA portion of the card includes former DREAM featherweight and bantamweight champion Bibiano Fernandes vs. Yoshiro Maeda, DREAM lightweight champion Shinya Aoki vs. Antonio McKee, Melvin Manhoef vs. Denis Kang and Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Michihiro Omigawa. Phil Baroni and former Strikeforce women's bantamweight champion Marloes Coenen. ...

Strikeforce has been forced to cancel its last two events because of injuries to its main event fighters and the organization's final event on Jan. 12 in Oklahoma City has been hit by a rash of injuries. Tim Kennedy, who faces Trevor Smith on Strikeforce's final card, sees something else happening with the recent injuries.

"Well, I don't know (if they are really injured)," Kennedy told Bloody Elbow. "Maybe they are, maybe they aren't. It's pathetic and convenient for every single marquee fighter in all of Strikeforce, that we all know to be going over to the UFC, are pulling out of their fights, two weeks before the final card. It's like, are you guys fighters, or are you just a bunch of little (wussies)?" ...

English welterweight Paul Daley won't able to participate in the Bellator's Season 8 welterweight tournament due to problems with his travel visa, according to a report by ESPN. Daley is barred from entering the U.S. after being charged with assault stemming from a bar fight, the promotion said. He faces up to two years in prison. Daley stated on Facebook that he "was not involved in a bar brawl" and that he is awaiting a decision on his visa, which is expected in late April. ...


Velasquez out for redemption | ufc, velasquez, santos - MMA notes - The Orange County Register

A suspected shoplifter in Crestwood, Missouri, ran into an unexpected roadblock. He ran into Jesse Finney, a former mixed martial (MMA) arts fighter.

Finney saw the male suspect tussle with a female employee inside the Crestwood Schnucks. That got his attention. As the suspect tried to run out the entrance, Finney pinned the suspect to the ground until Crestwood police arrived.

“He was still trying to fight me saying some choice words,” said Finney. “He wasn’t getting up. I can promise you that.”

Finney says the suspect had seven bottles of vodka under his coat and one of them broke on impact.

Finney owns two MMA schools, one in Crestwood and the other in Granite City, Illinois. He started taking mixed martial arts classes when he was 9. Now his schools teach students as young as 4.

He says there are misconceptions about MMA fighters, “You’re a mean guy, you’re a tough guy or you’re a bully and a lot of times it’s just the opposite.”

The suspect could be charged with theft under $500.

MMA fighters are pretty tough dudes. I wouldn’t want to go up against one, but the shoplifter that Jesse Finney took down on Dec. 21 probably didn’t know who he was dealing with.

Patch reports that Finney was on his way to the local Schnucks grocery store when he saw a man running away from a female employee. The man had reportedly stolen multiple bottles of vodka and was making his escape. Finney didn’t know the man was shoplifting, but suspected something was up. He grabbed the man by the coat and slammed him to the ground.

The shoplifter really didn’t have a chance as Finney is not just an amateur. He’s a professionally trained boxer and MMA fighter. He holds an impressive 23-0 kickboxing record, an 8-2 boxing record, a 4-0 amateur MMA record, and a 6-1 professional MMA record. He has also coached for Chuck Norris’ World Combat League.

Finney says that his training helped to subdue the shoplifter without hurting him. Only one bottle stashed in the coat was broken. A less disciplined man may have broken more bottles and caused serious injury to himself and the shoplifter.

As for the experience, he says that the experience was “pretty amazing.” He was grateful that “nobody got hurt,” but said that he’s “not going to let a man push a woman.”

The store acknowledged that Finney took down the shoplifter, but stressed that they don’t condone acts of vigilantism.

Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos at UFC 155 doesn't qualify as a slugfest. For that to have been possible, dos Santos would have needed to, you know, do some slugging.

The heavyweight title fight is better described as a shellacking, a one-sided beating as bad as any I've ever seen in a high-level MMA fight. For 25 minutes, Velasquez pounded away at dos Santos. Perhaps it was karmic—after all, dos Santos once delivered a similar beating to poor Roy Nelson.

There have, however, been plenty of great heavyweight donnybrooks in MMA history. These are 10 of them. Whether they are the best 10 is open to dispute. Let me know what I missed in the comments.


Read More: Ranking the 10 Greatest MMA Heavyweight Slugfests of All Time | Bleacher Report

Dan Severn, one of mixed martial arts' true pioneers, has officially retired.

"The Beast" made the announcement via his Web site on Tuesday.

"Father time is telling me it's time to go," he wrote. "I have learned over time that the only constant factor is change. It will happen, and there is nothing we can do to stop it, so smile, hold on, and embrace it for all that it has to offer and hopefully you too will have the ride of your life."

Severn, 54, retires with a 101-19-7 pro MMA record. His last fight was a unanimous decision win over Alex Rozman in April.

A former two-time All-American wrestler at Arizona State University, Severn began his MMA career at UFC 4 on Dec. 16, 1994. Severn won two fights that night only to lose via submission in the finals of the tournament to Royce Gracie. The then 36-year-old Severn would rebound to win UFC 5 in 1995.

Other notable wins for Severn were the Ultimate Ultimate 95 tournament in Dec. 1995 and the UFC superfight championship. In addition to the UFC, Severn fought for PRIDE, WEC, King of the Cage, RINGS, Cage Rage, among many others. In fact, after fighting Kimo Leopoldo to a draw at PRIDE 1, he headlined and won the main event of WEC 1 against Travis Fulton in 2001. He was later inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2005.

Severn wrote that he tried to fight fellow legends Royce Gracie, Ken Shamrock and Mark Coleman in retirement fights, but for one reason or another, those fights didn't materialize

An accomplished pro wrestler, Severn added that he will also retire as a wrestler in 2013. The native of Coldwater, Michigan, wrote that he plans on remaining in the MMA world through training and seminars and he hopes to write a book about his illustrious career in the future.

Sean Peters has twice returned from the jungles of Brazil victorious.

And in March, the 19-year-old Billings Skyview graduate hopes to conquer the South American jungle again.

Peters, a rising star in the world of mixed martial arts, recently returned to Billings after claiming a three-round unanimous decision over Brazil’s Dimitry Zebroski (8-4) at Jungle Fight 47 in Porto Alegre, Brazil, on Dec. 21.

The decision improved Peters’ professional record to 5-0 with one TKO and three submissions.

In Peters’ previous fight, at Jungle Fight 43 in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Sept. 29, 2012, he won by TKO at one minute, 16 seconds of the first round against Carlos Alberto Bazan Rojas.

Those two fights were part of three-round, eight-man bracket tournament to decide who would fight for Jungle Fight’s 155-pound championship. The championship bout’s date has not yet been set, but Peters said it will be in Brazil in March. The match will consist of five five-minute rounds and will be against Lucio Fernandes of Brazil.

“From his last fight he is pretty technical and a good striker, but I think my ground game is better and I can take him down at will,” Peters said of Fernandes. “The plan will be to take him down and submit him.”

The first time Peters was in Brazil he was there for almost a month and a half and the second time for a week. While there, he spends time being instructed by his teacher, Master Sylvio Behring.

Peters said he has studied Behring’s teachings for four years. In the beginning, Peters met Peter Iacavazzi when he was an instructor in Billings. Iacavazzi is a student of Behring’s.

“Mostly I trained with the team at the X-Gym,” Peters said of his first trip to Brazil, noting the gym is a huge facility where Behring is the lead jiu-jitsu coach. “I stayed at a little house with four other fighters and at the end of the trip I fought the first round of the tourney.”

As an amateur, Peters fought to a 12-4 record, saying he won all of his fights with first-round finishes. His four losses were all by stoppage as well. That fact sums up Peters’ fighting style.

“You can tell when you watch me fight as soon as we touch hands we get going,” Peters said. “It’s like I’m just going the whole time and don’t stop. It’s just kind of how I fight.

“Even the last one (against Zebroski), I would have finished the guy in the first round. I had him in the arm bar, but he got saved by the bell.”

The 5-foot-8 Peters has been married to wife Dani for a year and the two have a daughter, 11-month old Rori. While Peters is busy with his home life and training under a personal trainer at Gym Jay, he also finds time to teach -- and work out a little more -- at the Grindhouse.

Somehow, Peters manages to attend school at Montana State Billings. While he does not have a full-time job, he has spent time working various jobs -- including the restaurant business and roofing houses. He explained the family spends money wisely and approximately 15 local sponsors have helped send him to Brazil.

“I don’t know,” wife Dani said of how Peters juggles his schedule. “I know I couldn’t do it. He’s a very determined man.”

Peters' ultimate goal is making the Ultimate Fighting Championship, which is the big leagues of mixed martial arts. He said Jungle Fight success has helped springboard the leap to the UFC for other MMA fighters.

“Right now it’s going good and the next step is to get into the UFC,” Peters said. “If I win my next fight, chances are I’ll get into the UFC.”

Read more: Peters a rising star in MMA world

Brian Beauchamp is a professional mixed martial arts referee and judge and has worked for Bellator, Maximum Fighting Championship, Super Fight League, Aggression, King of the Cage and various other organizations. He has an extensive combative sports background and is a double black belt in both Judo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He was a former member of the Canadian National Judo Team and recently won a gold medal at the 2012 IBJJF World Championships (Black Belt) in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Starting this year, he will blog regularly for Sportsnet.ca, giving his thoughts on the world of MMA from an insider's perspective of an official and judge. In this introductory piece, Beauchamp shares his experience in October and November working as a referee in India for the Super Fight League, which debuted in March 2012.

By Brian Beauchamp

In October, I set off on my journey to India to officiate at the Super Fight League, not sure what to expect. Despite having traveled around the world competing in Judo and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, India was still a country I had never visited, and certainly not one I would associate with MMA. I always look for new challenges and opportunities, and since the Super Fight League is getting a lot of promotion all over the internet, I decided to put my officiating skills to use in Mumbai.

The format for the Super Fight League is simple: To expose and develop the emerging Indian market to mixed martial arts. India is currently the second most populous country in the world with over 1.21 billion people which is more than a sixth of the world’s population. It is projected that by 2025 it will pass China as the world’s number one.

The key to those stats is that more than 50 per cent of India’s population is below the age of 25. In North America, most people under 25 have been exposed to MMA and have embraced it and the promoters in India are hoping for the same thing. These key numbers are some of the demographics used by the UFC in their plans for global expansion.

Bollywood and cricket are the two undeniable faces of the Indian entertainment sector and have always and will always remain the main focal point for passion for almost all Indians. The Super Fight League is owned by Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt and wealthy businessman and Cricket team owner Raj Kundra. They have a strong background in business and entertainment in India and are putting those skills to good use.

Part of exposing the Indian market involves some creative strategies. Anyone watching the fights notices that the fights are part MMA with some Bollywood entertainment thrown in. It’s a good combination because it allows Indian culture to become a part of the show and draws in more viewers looking for something they are familiar with.

The shows consist of a Friday night weekly fight card that operates out of a television studio and is shown on NeoPrime (a sports channel in India) and is simultaneously streamed around the world on YouTube. The goal is for mass exposure of their product. The studio has a cage with seating for about 200 people, some of which is VIP seating for actors and Bollywood stars.

India has developed their own athletic commission which oversees the events. The Unified Rules of MMA are used, and yes, there are doctors at ringside. In short, regulation is a part of their product.

The competitors are still in the early stages of development with respect to MMA. Fighters in India predominantly come from one signature style when they enter the cage although a high percentage of them have a wrestling or Wushu base.

Fans that have a strong background in MMA and witnessing this for the first time can be somewhat bewildered as the fighters are not as refined with MMA skills as they have been used to seeing. Some have compared it to the early days of the UFC where the object was to see which martial art was better than the rest.

Eventually fighters recognized that there was no superior style and that a combination of effective styles, combined with athleticism, seemed to be the ticket to becoming champion. Give these fighters time; I’m certain they will come to the same conclusions.

For anyone interested in seeing how one country is attempting to develop the fastest growing sport of MMA within their own country I would encourage you to give the Super Fight League a try. The SFL has a long way to go in both developing fighters as well as their business practices but that blog is for another day.



Beauchamp: MMA getting Super push in India - sportsnet.ca

Boxing and mixed-martial arts have had a gravitational pull on many of the same athletes, trainers, promoters and fans.

Now they are coming together on the same card.

Johnny Tapia Presents has put together a card that will include both boxing and MMA fights Feb. 1 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. It’s being promoted as the second part of the “Next Chapter Show,” a boxing card that was held in November. The headliners will be boxers Hector Muñoz (20-9-1, 13 KOs) and Josh “Pit Bull” Torres (9-2-1, 4 KOs), both of whom have yet to be paired with opponents, in co-main event eight-round fights.

Lynae Lovato (0-2) and Josh Lanier (3-6) have signed on for MMA bouts, also against foes to be determined. Boxer Yorden Hernandez (6-4-1, 2 KOs) also needs an opponent.

The pairings that have been set are two boxing matches: Santa Fe’s Paul Castillo (1-0-0, 1 KO) versus Albuquerque’s Saunitu Houge, making his pro debut; and Moriarty’s Brenda Gonzales (2-0-0, 1 KO) against Las Vegas, N.M.’s Amanda Crespin (6-4-1, 2 KOs).

Promoters have tried boxing and MMA on the same card before locally, but not on this scale, and not with Tapia involvement.

“Johnny loved MMA,” Teresa Tapia, the card promoter and widow of the late five-time world boxing champion, said at Friday’s news conference at the hotel to announce the card. “He said it was like street fighting, and he’d been a street fighter.”

The planned venue is a five-rope ring that otherwise will look much like the standard boxing ring – 24 feet squared on the outside, 22 feet squared inside the ring, said Lenny Lovato. He is the one making the pitch to the New Mexico Athletic Commission to get approval on the ring during its regularly scheduled monthly meeting next Tuesday.

“It’s a adjustment for the MMA people because they’re used to a cage,” said Lovato, father of Lynae and MMA fighter Lenny Jr.

“In Japan, they have an MMA league, and they’re the ones that started it off with a five-rope ring. It’s a little bit of an adjustment, but it’s competitive; it’s doable.”

Muñoz suggested that his “Next Chapter Show” appearance will tune him up for an ESPN-televised card in March. He likes being on the dual-sport card and, if presented with the right opportunity (read, UFC), could see MMA in his future.

There are a lot of things I love about mixed martial arts. One of the items near the top of the list is that there is no offseason. There is never a point where I have to wait out a three, four, five month stretch without the sport I love and, quite frankly, am completely obsessed with following.

No sooner is 2012 finished than 2013 is ready to begin in full force, as January offers a handful of events and a number of entertaining fights for our viewing enjoyment.

One of the fights that would have made this list – had it made it to print a couple days earlier – was last night’s Invicta FC 4 co-main event between Shayna Baszler and Alexis Davis. “The Queen of Spades” is the veteran gatekeeper in the women’s bantamweight ranks, while Davis is a talented Canadian on the rise, and, as expected, they threw down last night in Kansas City, Kansas.

With the ladies having started off the month in style, here’s a look at the rest of the fights from Strikeforce, Bellator, and the UFC you should definitely check out this month.

Ed Herman vs. Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza – Strikeforce: Marquardt vs. Saffiedine (January 12)

Herman, a former TUF finalist and long-time UFC vet, crosses over to face the former Strikeforce middleweight champion on the company’s final card. It’s a great move for “Short Fuse,” as a win over “Jacare” bolsters his standing back in the UFC.

This is a quality match-up for Souza from a recognition standpoint as well. Entering the competitive 185-pound ranks in the UFC following a victory over Herman proves he’s ready to add his name to the growing list of challengers in the middleweight division.

While the organization may be going out with a whimper, this fight should deliver excitement.

Nate Marquardt vs. Tarec Saffiedine – Strikeforce: Marquardt vs. Saffiedine

While there are more compelling and competitive match-ups on the calendar for the month ahead, this one makes my list because I think Marquardt – who should get by Saffiedine here – will be an interesting and dangerous addition to the UFC welterweight division later this year.

After 16 months without a fight, Marquardt claimed the Strikeforce welterweight title last July by stopping the previously unbeaten Tyron Woodley with a combination of strikes that looked straight out of Street Fighter.

Marquardt was a title challenger at middleweight during his first UFC run, and should be an instant contender in the welterweight ranks once he returns.

Michael Chandler vs. Rick Hawn – Bellator 85 (January 17)

2013 is a big year for Bellator as they move to Thursday nights on Spike TV. Headlining their first show on the former home of the UFC is this lightweight title fight.

Chandler won the title from Eddie Alvarez in a wildly entertaining fight in November 2011, but only competed once 2012, stopping overmatched Japanese veteran Akihiro Gono in 56 seconds back in May. Hawn, a former Olympic judoka and welterweight tournament finalist, looked fierce fighting at 155 pounds, earning consecutive knockout wins before defeated Brett Weedman by decision in the finals to earn his title opportunity.

This is an interesting stylistic match-up because Hawn’s judo base could stifle Chandler’s wrestling approach, producing a stand-up battle for the belt. Regardless, it’s a great way for Bellator to kick off their arrival on Spike TV.

Pat Curran vs. Patricio “Pitbull” Freire – Bellator 85

Curran took advantage of an injury to Freire to jump ahead of the Brazilian in line to challenge Joe Warren for the featherweight title, and then won the belt with a devastating third-round knockout last March.

“Pitbull” hasn’t fought since May 2011, when he beat Daniel Strauss to win the Season 4 featherweight tournament. Though “cage corrosion” is always a concern, the explosive 25-year-old with the 17-1 record should have enough experience to shake off the rust when the fight begins.

Vitor Belfort vs. Michael Bisping – UFC on FX 7 (January 19)

This one is pretty straightforward in its awesomeness.

A win for Bisping will set up a middleweight title fight between “The Count” and long-reigning champion Anderson Silva. In order to make that dream a reality, however, the UFC’s biggest British star has to first defeat Belfort, the heavy-hitting veteran who will have the full support of the crowd in Sao Paulo, Brazil behind him.

With the fate of the middleweight title chase resting in the balance, this is one fight you don’t want to miss.

Ben Askren vs. Karl Amoussou – Bellator 86 (January 24)

Askren, Bellator’s unbeaten welterweight champion, is a human blanket; a dominant top position wrestler who has simply stifled everyone he’s faced to date in the cage. Though he often draws the ire of fans, Askren has continued undeterred, stacking wins with his suffocating brand of grappling.

He’ll put his unbeaten streak and championship belt on the line against Amoussou, who earned his place opposite Askren with a first-round submission win over Bryan Baker in the Season 7 tournament finals. Amoussou has a well-rounded offensive arsenal, but it will be his takedown defense that decides this fight.

If he can stay upright, he has a chance. Otherwise, he’s in for 25 minutes of his back being on the canvas, just like everyone else who has shared the cage with Askren.

Erik Koch vs. Ricardo Lamas – UFC on FOX 6 (January 26)

The first of the four fights on the next FOX main card, these two featherweights are likely vying for the chance to challenge the winner of the UFC 156 title showdown between Jose Aldo and Frankie Edgar.

Koch was snake-bitten in 2012 as injuries forced him out of a February fight with Dustin Poirier, and then a summer title shot against Aldo as well. Healthy, “New Breed” is ready to return, and eager to show everyone why he was tabbed to fight for the belt in the first place.

While Koch has been out of action since September 2011, Lamas has used that same time to quietly make

All four of them are considered by many the 'Founding Fathers' of Mixed Martial Arts.

And earlier this week, it was announced one of those men is finally calling it a career.
On New Year's Day 2013, the 54 year old Dan "the Beast" Severn announced he was retiring from MMA. He ended his career with an astounding 101 wins and only 19 loses and 7 draws.

His 100+ victories is second only to Travis Fulton who registered a mind-blowing 247 professional victories.

Severn will also be best remembered for introducing one of the most dominant arts of fighting to MMA - wrestling.

Dan Severn made his professional debut in the 8-man single-elimination tournament at UFC 4 on December 16, 1994. In his first fight against Anthony Macias , he applied a series of suplexes that will forever be ingrained in MMA fans' heads. The suplexes would ultimately lead to a rear-naked choke submission victory. Severn went on to defeat Marcus Bossett and reach the finals where he'd meet Royce Gracie in one of the sport's most memorable fights.
In that final fight against Royce, Severn used his wrestling and gained top ground control for almost 15 minutes straight, but ultimately Gracie was to large a puzzle to solve and Severn would later be submitted by a triangle choke.
However, Severn rebounded and went on to win UFC 5 and UFC Ultimate 1995, two tournaments in which he dominated using his superior wrestling and grappling skills.
But at UFC 6, Severn suffered his second defeat by guillotine choke to MMA legend and foe Ken Shamrock.

The two re-matched at UFC 9 in Detroit on Dan Severn's home turf and this time Severn defeated his nemesis. The fight is often regarded as one of the worst in MMA history because it was fought under modified rules at a time when the U.S. Congress was closely monitoring the sport - a sport some considered human cockfighting.

Severn only fought in the UFC twice more, losing to rival Mark Coleman at UFC 12 and UFC 27 against Pedro Rizzo. But despite the losses, Severn left an incredible, long-lasting mark on the sport and is a true pioneer of the UFC organization. During the last 15 years, Severn fought in several different small MMA organizations. And believe it or not, he sometimes fought an astonishing twelve times annually. However, between 1997 and 2007, Severn fought only six or more times.

He went 3-2 in 2011 and won a unanimous decision over Alez Rozman on April 28, 2012 in what would be his final bout.
Outside of MMA, Severn professionally wrestled in several organizations including World Wresting Entertainment which was then the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and NWA. Dan Severn left a message on his official website saying, "I have learned over time that the only constant factor is change. It will happen and there is nothing we can do to stop it. so smile, hold on, and embrace it for all that it has to offer and hopefully you, too, will have the ride of your life."

To nobody's surprise, at UFC 52 in April of 2005, Dan Severn became one of the first fighters in MMA history to be elected to the UFC Hall of Fame.

Severn may be done fighting in mixed martial arts but insists he will continue as a pro wrestler.

Dan Severn Fun Facts:

Dan Severn was Forrest Griffin's opponent in his professional debut
He fought three UFC Hall of Famers (Royce Gracie, Ken Shamrock, Mark Coleman)
Mentored many fighters such as Sean Sherk, "Rampage" Jackson, and Rashad Evans
Severn's managed fellow fighter and friend Don Frye
In Dan Severn's 127 professional fights, he was only knocked out three times
Severn won the first ever UFC championship belt
-Severn fought in the Pride FC and the WEC's inaugural events





Dan Severn: MMA Legend Retires at 54

It is one thing to start up a company to promote women’s mixed martial arts, which is still developing as a sport, but it is quite another to expect people to pay for the product.

The Invicta Fighting Championships took a bold leap of faith on Saturday by charging a pay-per-view cost of $7.95 to watch its fourth event after providing its first three shows free of charge on its website.

But due to streaming problems, people couldn’t either buy the PPV or had problems seeing because the picture either froze or disappeared for periods. After numerous complaints via social media, Invicta decided to remove the paywall, provided full refunds for people who paid and replayed the entire card on its website immediately after it ended.

Mistakes happen, but why did Invicta feel the need to push its product so soon as a pay-per-view, even if the cost was minimal? Invicta might have been wise to simply continue to give away the product free of charge on its website or align with Facebook. There’s no way it can charge for its product now.

Women’s MMA is really only developing, largely because of Ronda Rousey, the 2008 American Olympic bronze medalist who has become a major star since turning professional. She has captivated audiences by her ability to finish off opponents quickly with her patented armbar submission move.

She is about to receive a tremendous push by headlining a UFC card, Feb. 23 in Anaheim in her home state. This is the first time the company has included a women’s fight in one of its shows, and making it the main event is a bold move, even though Rousey knows how to promote. Rousey will face Liz Carmouche, who has fought the last two times on Invicta cards, including the first one.

Invicta would seem to be a developmental company for women fighters, some of whom may find their way onto a UFC card. It will be a work in progress for the UFC, which has some 450 male fighters under contract and is showing some interest in women’s MMA. The UFC expanded its business in 2012 with more cards and adding a flyweight division, which will need some time to develop, both in terms of talent and acceptance.

The women’s division will require even more time because if you subtract Rousey there really isn’t a whole lot of top draws. Cris (Cyborg) Santos, the suspended Strikeforce women’s featherweight champion, is being pushed to drop down to bantamweight to face Rousey. That will be a super-fight for women’s MMA, but will it really matter for MMA overall?

Invicta has some talented fighters, some of whom have developed a following with their talent and charisma, but they are primarily in the 135-pound bantamweight class. That has become the marquee division, partly because of Rousey’s decision last year to drop down from the 145-pound featherweight class to take a run at the title. She didn’t take the traditional route, choosing instead to call out champion Miesha Tate. All of the pre-fight hype, much of it caused by Rousey trying to psychologically destroy Tate, helped turn the fight into something that created an attraction for women’s MMA and pushed it into the mainstream, if only for one event.

The fact Invicta happened to start at the same time as Rousey’s rise became the perfect storm. When the UFC purchased Strikeforce in March 2011, it was to essentially to remove it as a competitor and also build up its roster. Many women fighters in Strikeforce were worried that when the UFC bought the company they would be without a major promotion. So Invicta was created by two women with a distinct passion to push the distaff side.

On Saturday’s card, Invicta had its first-ever 115-pound strawweight title fight, which went the full 25-minute distance. American Carla Esparza defeated Australian Bec Hyatt, who took the fight on short notice after undefeated Brazilian Claudia Gadelha suffered a broken nose a week before in training. Esparza employed numerous takedowns and a solid ground game to win, stifling Hyatt’s striking game. It was somewhat frustrating to watch, unless you’re a fan of the grappling game. This was less about ground-and-pound and more of physical domination using strength.

Three of the six bouts on the main card involved bantamweights, and some of these fighters may in time establish themselves as future opponents for Rousey. At the very least, Invicta will have to create a title fight for the division, either by simply picking two fighters to battle for the belt or creating a tournament to produce the finalists.

This is what needs to be the focus, and an argument could have been made that the main event for Saturday’s card should have been a bantamweight fight, possibly a title fight, versus a strawweight title fight. Promote the stars in the division that has the most appeal. In its next card, scheduled in three months, Sarah Kaufman, a onetime Strikeforce bantamweight champion who lost to Rousey in her last fight, is slated to fight. Arbitrarily establishing a title fight with her as one of the competitors might be an idea worth considering. It wouldn’t necessarily be fair, but Rousey proved fairness isn’t a prerequisite for getting to the top.

Invicta has to be praised for doing just about everything right since it started, maintaining a consistent schedule of staging a card every three months at Memorial Arena in Kansas City. It took a misstep by charging a price to see its fourth card and ultimately had to go into damage control when Invicta president Shannon Knapp apologized for the streaming problems when she appeared on camera to promote the main card.

“Girls rock and girls rule, and if you don’t know that, you WILL when the card is over,”

she said once she had made her mea culpa.

Knapp’s passion is apparent in all that she has done to get Invicta to this point, and what happened on Saturday night can best be chalked up to experience. Going forward, however, Invicta needs to continue to improve its product, and might be wise to hav

Now that it is 2013, the slate has been wiped clean for MMA, and we have a whole year ahead of us for new developments. With each passing year, the sport of MMA has evolved. It has continuously grown by leaps and bounds, and it seems each week brings a new dynamic. Last year alone, many changes took place that have altered the course of MMA and continued to push it into the mainstream.

The UFC is the largest and most successful MMA promotion and thus has served as a pioneer for the sport. It has served as an ambassador into the homes of millions and inspired a new wave of athleticism. While the UFC is not the only promotion out there, it has shown the right business model to take a near-bankrupt company and turn it into what it is today.

MMA has made its way onto major television networks and has continued to do very well on PPV. It has branched into the video game market, the toy market and clothing, as well as the sports scene. Big endorsements, such as Bud Light, Harley Davidson, Nike, Burger King, Under Armour and many more, have embraced the MMA scene and its athletes. This support has helped us get to 2013 in great stride.

So what does 2013 have in store for us? We do not really know for sure, but there are certainly some things we would like to see happen.

The talk of the town recently has been superfights. With Georges St-Pierre back in action, Anderson Silva still doing his thing and Jon Jones establishing himself, superfights are of great interest. Some people are clamoring for them, others believe they won’t happen. Regardless, there are some great matchups on the way, especially with the Strikeforce roster migrating over to the UFC.

Everyone hopes 2013 is not plagued by injuries like 2012 was. Headliners and big fights were lost due to injuries, and rankings had to be worked around. An entire UFC PPV event even had to be canceled. It is inevitable that injuries will occur, but hopefully they will not be as frequent, ill-timed or severe.

As MMA has grown, the sport has indeed faced challenges. Most of the United States has sanctioned MMA events, but there are still holdouts, most notably New York. Once MMA is allowed in New York, the northeast can look forward to a huge UFC debut event at Madison Square Garden, with a Fan Expo to accompany it at the Javits Center.

The UFC had an incredible journey of growth last year, especially with the addition of the flyweights. 2013 will be the year that Women’s MMA makes its debut in the UFC, while promotions like Invicta FC have also breathed new life into female MMA fighters.

This year also brings the possibility of another wave of changing of the guard. Retirement has popped up for some of the big name fighters from the “old days,” and we may see official retirements from many more. BJ Penn has declined, and Rampage Jackson, Matt Hughes and others stand on the outskirts, determining what might be next for them. We saw the exodus of Chuck Liddell, Tito Ortiz, Randy Couture and more, and we can expect some other names to drop off the radar by this year's end as well.




What Does 2013 Have in Store for MMA Fans? | Bleacher Report

The Strikeforce era comes to an end after Saturday's final event in Oklahoma City, Okla. Scott Coker started the Strikeforce brand topromote kickboxing events on ESPN2 and it evolved into an MMA promotion in 2006. Two years ago, Coker's original business partners, Silicon Valley Sports and Entertainment, who own both the HP Pavilion in San Jose and the NHL's San Jose Sharks, sold complete ownership to Lorenzo Fertitta and Zuffa, the owners of the UFC.

The final Strikeforce event features Nate Marquardt defending his Strikeforce welterweight title against Team Quest's Tarec Saffiedine and Strikeforce heavyweight grand prix winner Daniel Cormier taking on Dion Staring.

After the show, all the major Strikeforce names will start making their debuts at UFC events, but what about some of the lesser known names?

"The winners go back to the UFC, and the losers get released, just like that," Jorge Gurgel, who faces Adriano Martins on the prelims, told MMAjunkie-com.

Pat Healy was scheduled to face Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez on the main card on Saturday before Melendez pulled out with an injury. That dropped Healy down to the prelims against Kurt Holobaugh. Healy said he has no guarantees about his future in the UFC.

"I think it’s really a must-win for me," Healy told MMAWeekly-com. "I think my future kind of relies on it.

"I know they’ve given other people some guarantees, including the last four guys I’ve beat, with three coming directly off losses to me, but I’ve gotten no confirmation or guarantee what my future will hold, so I need to go out there and win."

NOTES

Bellator has finalized its 11-bout card for Bellator 85 on Jan. 17 at UC Irvine's Bren Events Center. Michael Chandler (10-0) defends his Bellator lightweight title against Rick Hawn (14-1), Bellator featherweight champion Pat Curran (17-4) defends his title against Patricio "Pitbull" Freire (17-1) and former Strikeforce light-heavyweight champion Renato "Babalu Sobral (37-9) of Costa Mesa takes on Mikhail Zayats (19-6) in a light-heavyweight tournament bout to round out the main card, which airs on Spike TV.

Former Calvary Chapel wrestling star Joe Williams (7-1) of Huntington Beach and UFC veteran Mike "Joker' Guymon (14-5-1) of Lake Forest will be featured on the Bellator 85 prelims. Williams faces "The Ultimate Fighter 11" alum Jamie Yager (6-3) and Guymon takes on 15-year veteran Savant Young (10-9).

Tickets ($38-$128) for Bellator 85 are available on ticketmaster-com. ...

Here are the Strikeforce: Marquardt vs. Saffiedine main card bouts on Showtime at 10 p.m.: Marquardt (32-10-2) vs. Saffiedine (13-3); Daniel Cormier (10-0) vs. Dion Starin (28-7); Josh Barnett (31-6) vs. Nandor Guelmino (11-3-1); Gegard Mousasi (32-3-2) vs. Mike Kyle (19-8-1); and Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza (16-3) vs. Ed Herman (20-8). ...

Here are the Strikeforce: Marquardt vs. Saffiedine prelims on ShoExtreme at 8 p.m.: Healy (28-16) vs. Holobaugh (9-0); Roger Gracie (5-1) vs. Anthony Smith (17-8); Tim Kennedy (14-4) vs. Trevor Smith (10-2); and K.J. Noons (11-5) vs. Ryan Couture (5-1). ...

UFC officials announced Wednesday the names of the 28 middleweights who will compete on "The Ultimate Fighter 17," which debuts on Jan. 22 on FX. The reality series moves to Tuesdays at 8 p.m. this season.

"The quality of guys we have this season in unbelievable," UFC President Dana White stated. "From the fights to get into the house, to every single fight this season, I think the talent is some of the best I’ve ever seen on this show. We’re going to end up with some really good guys in the 185-pound division."

UFC light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones and Chael Sonnen will serve as the coaches. Mike Jasper (6-0) of Camarillo and Kevin Casey (5-2) of Hawthorne are the Southern California fighters in the cast. ...

Alistair Overeem's request for a license was unanimously approved by the Nevada State Athletic Commission during Tuesday's hearing. Overeem received a nine-month suspension after a he failed a drug test on March 27. The drug test revealed a 14-1 testosterone-to-epitestosterone ratio, more than double Nevada’s legal limit of 6-1. Overeem will face Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva at UFC 156 on Feb. 2 in Las Vegas now that he has been cleared to fight. ...

Yushin Okami is set to clash with former Bellator middleweight champion Hector Lombard at UFC on Fuel TV 8 on March 2 at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. Former Pride 205-pound champion Wanderlei Silva and former WEC light-heavyweight champion Brian Stann will meet in the headliner of UFC on Fuel TV 8. . ...



Strikeforce era coming to an end | strikeforce, ufc, healy - MMA - The Orange County Register

The popularity of women’s mixed martial arts has steadily been climbing over the past few years.

Come Feb. 23, women will have finally reached the pinnacle of the sport.

Not only will women be making their UFC debut, they will be in the main event of the show.

And leading the way will be Ronda Rousey, who was recently crowned the first woman champion in the UFC. She will be defending her title against Liz Carmouche.

The fact that women’s MMA is rising in popularity is not lost on 559 Fights promoter Jeremy Luchau.

“The fans want to see women’s bouts,” Luchau said. “The women’s bouts are what fans are asking about.”

And that is why 559 Fights will feature two women’s bouts Saturday at the Old Creek Mill in Bakersfield.

In one bout, Bakersfield’s Veronica Luna (0-0) will take on Delano’s Cerise Sanchez (1-0) in a featherweight attraction.

And the other will feature Bakersfield’s Kathy Solorzano (0-0) fighting Delano’s Cynthia Hernandez (0-0) in a flyweight bout.

“I am very excited about the four girls on this show,” Luchau said. “The gyms they’re coming out of, they’re gyms and coaches that work hard and train hard. Their fighters always put on great performances. They are coming from good, stable camps, which is great. All the girls have been very good about getting their medicals done, turning things in on time and checking in. When fighters do that, you can tell they are hungry and ready to fight.”

The level of the four fighters on the 559 Fights card will be a far cry from what a fan can see on UFC 159 on Feb. 23, but one thing Luchau doesn’t worry about is the effort they will put forth.

In his experience promoting MMA shows over the years, the one thing he’s never worried about is the effort the women display in their fights. There is a reason, Luchau says, women put on great shows.

“They’ve been getting their butts kicked in the gym because they have to train with males. They get beat up by the men, who don’t take it easy on them, every day. When they get to go out and fight someone at their level, they’re hungry and want to put on a good performance. They have a lot of drive and determination. They want to be pioneers of the sport and follow that Ronda Rousey-type lead. Fans like that. They want to see people who try and finish fights and girls always do that. You rarely see a boring girl fight at any level.”


Read More: www-visaliatimesdelta-com/article/20130110/SPORTS/301100048/Popularity-women-s-MMA-continues-grow-globally-locally

Spokane’s last look at Jamelle Jones was brief and riveting, a college wrestling match that went from lifeless to wham-bam-slam in a flicker and made him a national champion, again.

It was a moment that crackled with possibility, though maybe only Jones himself would see just what the possibilities were.

Tonight he tries to fulfill them.

The former North Idaho College wrestler is one of the principals in Arena Rumble: Rising Stars 2, a mixed martial arts production at 7 p.m. at the Spokane Shock Training Center in Spokane Valley where he’ll make his professional debut.

That should keep expectations modest. Except Jones’ aren’t.

“I’m a champion,” he said. “I expect nothing but the best. I expect to win and be dominant. I expect to fight my heart out.

“I expect success.”

Probably because he’s used to it.

Jones was one of NIC’s two champions when the Cardinals hosted the NJCAA national wrestling meet at the Spokane Convention Center in 2011, but his resume is considerably thicker. A two-time state high school champion in New Jersey, he won a first NJCAA title at St. Louis-Meramec in 2009 before taking a year off to help care for his newborn son. Meramec dropped its program in the interim, which brought him to Coeur d’Alene.

That 2011 match pitted him against Walker Clarke of Labette Community College, who had won the 197-pound title the year Jones sat out. It ended in a pin maybe seven seconds after Clarke had boldly tried for a takedown, Jones’ counter being both swift and lethal, more of an MMA-type finish than a wrestling one.

Then it was off to Campbellsville University in Kentucky, where Jones placed third in the 2012 NAIA nationals, losing a 4-3 decision in the semis.

And then he pulled the plug on college and wrestling.

There was still that young son, almost 4 now, to provide for. There was a girlfriend back in Coeur d’Alene and he “wanted to make it work with her.” He’d come to enjoy the pace of life there and the connections he’d made.

“I weighed it out and I had two national championships and been an All-American three times,” he said. “There’s no money in wrestling, no pro league for us to go to. It was time to go on to the next thing.”

College athletics has turned its back on wrestling so completely by abandoning programs that maybe it shouldn’t be a surprise that wrestlers are starting to do the same with college. One of the connections Jones had made here was with Trevor Prangley, a former NIC wrestler who’d ripped up a knee in his final junior college match. As he rehabbed and weighed opportunities at four-year colleges, Prangley discovered MMA competition and decided to forgo his remaining eligibility. He now runs his own gym in Coeur d’Alene where Jones trains.

“I think the level of competition and that you can make a living at this is very inviting for someone that has the genetic capabilities,” said Prangley. “There’s money to be made now. Jamelle sees that and he’s a great prospect.

“And wrestlers have the greatest advantage in transitioning to this sport,” Prangley insisted. “Wrestlers hold the option of where the fight goes, whether to keep it standing or take it down and win there. If you only have one spot to win, you’d better hope you can keep the guy there.”

But there are other skills that need to be learned, and old ones to relearn (“wrestlers need to understand that it’s better to go to your back rather than your hands and knees,” Prangley said). Jones, who’ll face Montana heavyweight Ace Gingrich tonight, has only been training full time since November.

Every day in the gym there’s a new trick to prepare for, a new technique to learn – all while trying not to be consumed with the anticipation of that first fight, or over-regarding its importance.

“Really, you don’t even start fighting until your fifth or sixth fight,” Prangley said. “It takes that long to know how to deal with the different set of nerves you experience.

“It’s not like fighting in a bar where you jump off a chair and hit a guy. You have weeks to think about the fact that you’re going to be in a fight on that night, and the fear of losing in front of people. It takes a while to harness that. That will be a challenge for Jamelle, and we’ll see how he does with that. For me, it was a long road to get over those nerves.”

And Jones has some.

“I’ve got jitters,” he admitted. “I know I won’t have as much experience. But you’re not going to see anybody more athletic than me on this show.”

And he’s accustomed to success.

Amid the herd of friends and family members waving and holding signs for Massachusetts Maritime Academy cadets aboard the T.S. Kennedy on Saturday, the Grozier family's poster stood out.

“Bon Voyage Stinky.”

The homemade poster was for Joshua Grozier, a freshman whose family gave him the nickname as a little boy, said his mother, Mary Beth Grozier of East Falmouth.
“We purposely didn't write 'Josh' because we didn't want to embarrass him,” Mary Beth Grozier said. “But he knows who he is.”

As generations of cadets before them, freshman students along with some sophomores and juniors embarked on MMA's annual sea term, a semester at sea that will take them from Buzzards Bay to New Orleans to Aruba and many places in between.

Several exotic locations are on the list of ports the cadets will visit during their scheduled 43 days at sea. But the mostly open-sea trip, which MMA requires all students to make, entails near-constant rigorous work generating electricity and maintaining all other facilities while attending classes onboard.

“There's a lot of work that goes to a village of 700 self-contained (cadets)”, said Adm. Richard Gurnon, the academy's president.

After coming aboard for 15 full sea terms and nine partial terms, Gurnon said experiencing the high seas this way fast-tracks cadets toward maturity.

Far from a cruise ship, the T.S. Kennedy was christened under the name Velma Lykes in 1968, when it was a freight boat. Since then, the ship was renovated into a floating classroom, complete with coffin-sized bunks where cadets sleep.

“The analogy is it's a 1968 Chevy pickup truck converted into a Winnebago,” Gurnon said.

Brian Grozier said while his son was excited for the journey, he was nervous about “the drudgery of the routine.”

“You're stripped of all your individuality,” Grozier said. “It's one big team.”

The grueling curriculum Ramon Espino will experience aboard the T.S. Kennedy doesn't worry his mom Juanita Espino of Oak Bluffs as much as the brief stints of free time at the four ports – one of which is New Orleans during Mardi Gras – where they will dock during the trip.

“Our kid just turned 18, so it's like, 'Please, no tattoos,'” Espino said of her freshman son.

Hundreds of family members and friends stood at the dock at MMA as cadets in their navy blue uniforms and fore and aft caps filed onto the several levels of the 540-foot ship, some standing at the rails, searching for loved ones.

Lori Bowen traveled from Boyertown, Pa., with her friend, Petra Leiby, to see off Bowen's son. “I don't think he's nervous at all,” Bowen said, holding a homemade sign that read “Bon Voyage Stephen” and bore a construction paper cutout of the T.S. Kennedy.
“He's just excited.”

As the ramp onto the ship was withdrawn, the Gibbons family of Sandwich held three poster boards that collectively read “Happy Birthday Rory.”

Karen Gibbons said the send-off for her son's second sea term coincided with the sophomore engineering major's 20th birthday.

“We said we're sending him off on a Caribbean cruise with 700 of his friends” for his birthday, Gibbons joked.

The three horn blasts from the ship were met with cheers and dampened eyes from those standing on dry land.

As the ship began pulling away from the port, many followed its path on foot, waving as if catching up with a parade float.

When the cadets return to Buzzards Bay and finish the term on Feb. 26, Gurnon said, their growth will likely be apparent.

“The true benefit to this is you grow up,” he said.

Maybe it was just Nate Marquardt's leg, but something this weekend got me thinking about the most dangerous fighters in MMA history.

Dangerous can mean different things, I suppose. But when I think about it in this context, I think about fighters who stand the biggest chance of doing two things: harming their opponent and wanting to harm their opponent. Someone for whom, as B.J. Penn has said, fighting is not a sport, but a fight. Someone you can see relaxing after the fight with a trank dart or two.

Records and statistics are certainly part of the equation, but recognizing someone as dangerous largely happens on a gut level. Do they fight with bad intentions? Are they dirty? Are they, eh, temperamental? The best or most effective fighters aren't necessarily the most dangerous.

Here are my top 25 examples, covering alllll of MMA history. With apologies to "Lightning" Lee Murray, this list only considers actions inside the cage. Did I miss one? Let me know in the comments. But hey, let's try to contain our aggression out there.


Read More: The 25 Most Dangerous Fighters in MMA History | Bleacher Report

Former World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) featherweight standout Javier Vazquez announced his retirement this week after compiling a 16-5 record in the sport of mixed martial arts (MMA), including just one win in his lone appearance inside the Octagon, a unanimous decision victory over Joe Stevenson back in June 2011.

Vazquez, who still has fights remaining on his ZUFFA contract, explains his decision to Sherdog-com:




"I don't see a need nor a want to fight anymore. I feel like whether you like me or you hate me, people respect me. I do have fights left on my contract, but I just don't want to do it. I didn't want to be that guy that everyone is begging to retire. I did everything in my career on my terms. When I got back to the locker room after the Stevenson fight, I just knew I had nothing left. I had nothing left to prove. I knew my knee and my body had definitely had enough. I didn't want to do it. I just didn't want to do it anymore. The fear of stepping into the cage is just the fear I didn't want to experience anymore. I felt that technically it was the best I had ever been, mentally the best I'd ever been. Physically I'd had better days, but I was making it work. I'd modified my game and made adjustments in my style so that the injuries were almost hidden. I just don't want to fight anymore. I (wanted) to officially announce my retirement. I knew, I just didn't know how to say it and when to say it. I had nothing left to give anymore. I had nothing physically left to give."

The 35 year-old Vazquez has been in the fight game for 13 years and holds notable wins over Jens Pulver and Mackens Semerzier back in the old days of WEC. In addition, the rugged veteran has never been finished in his professional career, with all five losses coming by way of decision (three of them split).

Godspeed, Mr. "Showtime."




Longtime featherweight veteran Javier Vazquez retires from MMA - MMAmania-com

Mixed martial artist Honorio Banario is looking to score a knockout in his first ONE FC main event match. Banario will be facing fellow filipino Eric Kelly in ONE FC’s first major event of the year, "Return of Warriors," which is slated for February 2 in Malaysia.

Banario holds a record of seven wins, against only one defeat, his latest win coming against Andrew Benibe last August. Banario and Kelly were supposed to fight for the ONE FC featherweight title late last year but it was scrapped as Kelly agreed to fight for URCC’s Dekada fight card.

“It is a huge honor and I am very thankful to ONE FC for giving me this opportunity. I feel like I have been training very hard and now I finally have the opportunity to shine,” said Banario in an interview with GMA News Online. “I will not disappoint and the fans will go home happy. This would just be my first main event but I expect to be in subsequent main events from now on,” he added.

Banario added that winning the ONE FC title will be the fruit of all his hard work. “It would be acknowledgement that I am the best featherweight in Asia and that is huge,” he said. “I not only want to win it, but also defend it against all challengers.”

His opponents, the undefeated Kelly, said he expects Banario to keep both fighters on their feet. Banario agreed wholeheartedly.

“I enjoy the stand-up part of MMA so I would definitely try to keep the fight on my feet. I want to knock him out resoundingly and win the title,” Banario said. However, the proud Team Lakay representative added that he is also confident with his skills elsewhere. “I am confident in my other aspects like wrestling and jiu-jitsu so I am confident that I can still beat him even if the fight goes to the canvas. He can try, but he would not be able to beat me,” said Banario.

The lightweight division was Banario’s hunting groud but he’ll move down to the featherweight division for a shot at the ONE FC title. The fighter sees no problem in making the 145 pound featherweight limit. “I have changed my diet and have started my weight cutting early and gradually, he said. “My weight cutting is going smoothly and I am comfortable in making the limit. It will not be a factor when it is time to fight.”

Kelly and Banario are both Igorots and while Kelly said he would have preferred not to be matched-up with a fellow Baguio native, Banario has no problem with it. “I’m not making it that big of a deal,” he said. “We may come from the same heritage, and might have trained together in the past, but at the end of the day, only one of us can emerge from the cage with a title around the waist.”



MMA: Confident Banario wants to knock out Kelly in ONE FC title match | Sports | GMA News Online | The Go-To Site for Filipinos Everywhere