Lightweight

Quick Hits: WEC 47 Gate, Karalexis-Pettis & More

- According to the Ohio Athletic Commission, WEC 47: Bowles vs. Cruz drew a live attendance of 8,700 and a gate of $401,000. The commission also announced that Brian Bowles, Dominick Cruz, Joseph Benavidez, Javier Vazquez, L.C. Davis, and Bart Palaszewski all passed their post-fight drug tests. [MMAWeekly.com]

- UFC veteran Alex Karalexis will battle Anthony Pettis in a lightweight affair at WEC 48: Aldo vs. Faber. Karalexis and Pettis were originally slated to fight at WEC 43 but the fight was scrapped due to an injury. WEC 48 will mark the promotions first foray on pay-per-view as they showcase a world class card that includes Jose Aldo vs. Urijah Faber, Benson Henderson vs. Donald Cerrone, and Mike Brown vs. Manvel Gamburyan. [Sherdog.com]

Continue reading "Quick Hits: WEC 47 Gate, Karalexis-Pettis & More"

Bellator Signs Roger Huerta

CHICAGO, Ill. — Roger Huerta, the top free agent in MMA and one of the sport’s brightest young stars, announced today that he has signed an exclusive contract with Bellator Fighting Championships and will compete in the promotion’s upcoming Season 2 lightweight tournament.

The 26-year-old Huerta (20-3-1) comes to Bellator in the prime of his career after a 3½-year run in the UFC, where he rose to international prominence with wins over top talents like Clay Guida, Leonard Garcia and John Halverson and became the first MMA fighter ever to be featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

Continue reading "Bellator Signs Roger Huerta"

Bellator Expected to Announce Signing of Roger Huerta

The Bellator Fighting Championships’ is expected to announced the signing of former UFC lightweight contender Roger Huerta. Huerta will compete in Bellator’s season two eight-man lightweight tournament.

According to MMA Junkie, Bellator has called for a video press conference Monday at 3 PM ET that will stream live at Bellator.com.

Continue reading "Bellator Expected to Announce Signing of Roger Huerta"

MMA on Tap March 2010 Rankings

Here are the latest MMA on Tap fighter rankings. We will be updating these every month or whenever an adjustment is needed, like after a major event for example. The rankings break down into seven different lists of ten, each of them by division.

This past weekend’s WEC results shook up the top of the bantamweight rankings pretty significantly.  Dominick Cruz and Joseph Benavidez both jumped up with their resounding wins in Columbus, Ohio.  The other significant move saw Paulo Thiago enter the welterweight rankings off his stoppage of previously ranked Mike Swick.

If you ever want to compare these with your own or just take a look at the latest update, you can find them under the Top 10 category in our features section.  The rankings were tabulated by the members of the MMA on Tap staff. Feel free to chime in with your own lists, thoughts, and suggestions via a comment.

Continue reading "MMA on Tap March 2010 Rankings"

Quote of the Day: Jens Pulver: “They’re all gone”

“How could I have a falling out?  Fallen out with who?  There is nobody.  They’re all gone.  There was Pat, but Pat is too busy trying to make cash, making a living.  He ain’t coaching people.  Everyone always thought Pat had a magical touch and was teaching us all these magical things.  No he wasn’t.  No. Never.  Never ever.  It was a great combination of things that left.  Jeremy left, Matt left, Robbie left.  Matt Pena left.  Everybody grew up more or less.  We weren’t there anymore.  And that’s why the great experiment is over.”

—Former UFC lightweight champion Jens Pulver tells ugo.com that there was no falling out with Team Miletich but that everyone moved on and the experiment is over.

WEC 47: Bowles vs. Cruz Weigh-In Results

All of the participants for WEC 47: Bowles vs. Cruz successfully made weight in preparation for Saturday’s card at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

WEC 47 will be headlined by a WEC bantamweight title bout between Brian Bowles and Dominick Cruz. The card will also feature the return of former WEC bantamweight champion Miguel Torres as he takes on Joseph Benavidez.

Main Card:
Brian Bowles (134.5 lbs) vs. Dominick Cruz (134 lbs)
Miguel Angel Torres (134.5 lbs) vs. Joseph Benavidez (135 lbs)
Jens Pulver (145.5 lbs) vs. Javier Vazquez (145 lbs)
Deividas Taurosevicius (145 lbs) vs. LC Davis (144.5 lbs)
Bart Palaszewski (155 lbs) vs. Karen Darabedyan (156 lbs)

Preliminary Bouts:
Scott Jorgensen (135 lbs) vs. Chad George (135.5 lbs)
Chad Mendes (145 lbs) vs. Erik Koch (144 lbs)
Danny Castillo (155.5 lbs) vs. Anthony Pettis (154.5 lbs)
Leonard Garcia (145 lbs) vs. George Roop (145.5 lbs)
Fredson Paixao (144.5 lbs) vs. Courtney Buck (145 lbs)
Ricardo Lamas (155 lbs) vs. Bendy Casimir (155.5 lbs)

Bellator Signs Two New Lightweights

An undefeated fighter from Cincinnati and a police officer from Scandinavia are the latest additions to Bellator Fighting Championships’ upcoming Season 2 lightweight tournament.

The two fighters — Janne Tulirinta (12-3) and Chad Hinton (6-0) — join Ferrid Kheder, Mike Ricci and Carey Vanier in the nationally televised tournament, which begins April 8th.  The last three 155 lbs. fighters will be announced later this month.

Continue reading "Bellator Signs Two New Lightweights"

Lauzon-Stout Slated For UFC 108

Lightweight contender Joe “J-Lau” Lauzon and former TKO lightweight champion Sam “Hands of Stone” Stout will meet at UFC 108 on January 8 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

In an interview with Sherdog.com, Lauzon said, “I’m very happy with this fight. Sam is very tough and has a great stand-up game. His wrestling and ground game have jumped with every fight and I expect nothing less from him in this one.”

Continue reading "Lauzon-Stout Slated For UFC 108"

Fight of the Day: Edwards vs. Ludwig

From Strikeforce’s “Destruction” event in November 2008, here’s longtime UFC fighter Yves Edwards taking on fellow seasoned veteran Duane Ludwig in a lightweight matchup.

Quick Hits: Strikeforce Inks Ribeiro, Thomson Injured Once Again & More

— Brazilian lightweight standout Vitor “Shaolin” Ribeiro has reportedly signed a multi-fight deal with Strikeforce. The promotion is expected to officially announce the signing shortly. While Ribeiro may actually still be under contract with DREAM, the two organizations share a talent-exchange program. Ribeiro returned to active competition earlier this year after an 18-month hiatus, defeating Katsuhiko Nagata and falling to Shinya Aoki thus far. [Sherdog.com]

—Strikeforce lightweight champion Josh Thomson will be sidelined until at least December after breaking his leg for the second time this year during training. The injury will now keep Thomson from a potential showdown against Gilbert Melendez at Strikeforce’s “Fedor vs. Rogers” event on November 7 in Chicago. According to Thomson, a return bout for him could be possible at a yet-to-be-announced event on December 19. [MMA Weekly]

Continue reading "Quick Hits: Strikeforce Inks Ribeiro, Thomson Injured Once Again & More"