Middleweight

Bellator Adds Hess, Loeffler to 185 Tournament

CHICAGO, Ill. – Bellator Fighting Championships made two more noteworthy additions to its upcoming Season 2 middleweight tournament today with the signings of 9-1-1 Bellator Season 1 tournament finalist Jared Hess and 18-4 MMA veteran Sean “The Destroyer” Loeffler.

Hess and Loeffler are the fourth and fifth confirmed participants in the eight-man middleweight tournament, joining Bryan “The Beast” Baker, Matt Major and Eric Schambari. Overall, the group boasts a combined winning percentage of .859 (55 wins, 8 losses and 1 draw).

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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.

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Henderson Signs Multi-Fight Deal With Strikeforce

Strikeforce has officially announced that they’ve signed former PRIDE middleweight and light heavyweight champion Dan Henderson to 16-month, multi-fight contract.

“I’m very happy to be a part of Strikeforce and their partnership with CBS and Showtime,” said Henderson.

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Silva-Akiyama Rumored For UFC 111 in Australia

Former PRIDE light heavyweight champion Wanderlei “The Axe Murderer” Silva will make his first appearance at middleweight in February when he takes on top contender and K-1 veteran Yoshihiro “Sexyama” Akiyama.

The report comes of USA Today who states the bout is rumoured for UFC 111 on February 21 when the UFC makes its first appearance in Sydney, Australia.

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Linhares to Replace Sakara Against Palhares at “TUF 10 Finale”

It appears that M-1 veteran Lucio Linhares will be headed to the UFC. The Brazilian middleweight has reportedly been selected to replace an injured Alessio Sakara against Rousimar Palhares at “The Ultimate Fighter 10 Finale” on December 5 in Las Vegas.

Multiple outlets are reporting the news, including MMA Junkie, which cites sources close to Linhares. Nor M-1 Global or the UFC have yet to officially comment on the potential signing.

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DREAM.12 to Feature Six-Sided Cage

Fighting and Entertainment Group today announced details regarding DREAM.12, which will take place on October 25 at the Osaka Castle Hall in Osaka, Japan. For the first time in the organization’s short history, it will use a six-sided cage.

DREAM also released a promotional video for the event, which features eight of the nine announced participants for the fight card. The video can be seen above.

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Fight of the Day: Kennedy vs. Rivera

From the International Fight League’s World Grand Prix Finals event in December 2007, here’s Army veteran Tim Kennedy, who will be in action against undefeated prospect Zac Cummings at this weekend’s Strikeforce Challengers show, facing Elias Rivera.

Nansen Spoils Izumi’s Debut at Sengoku 10

New Zealand kickboxer Antz Nansen used superior striking skills to spoil the anticipated professional debut of 2004 Olympic judo silver medalist Hiroshi Izumi, knocking Izumi down three times en route to a first-round TKO win at World Victory Road’s “Sengoku Tenth Battle” event on Wednesday.

Izumi (0-1) did surprisingly well in the loss. Willing to stand with a dangerous Nansen (1-0) on the feet, Izumi caught his opponent on multiple occasions with a few straight left hands. The tide turned when Nansen hurt Izumi with a right hand midway through the round. Izumi stumbling backwards prompting Nansen to stalk his foe, dropping him twice before finishing him off with a final combination that left Izumi bloodied and seated in a corner.

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Sengoku “Tenth Battle” Live Results

We will be going live at 3:00 PM ET with live results of this morning’s “Sengoku Tenth Battle” event, which will take place at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. The show will air live on HDNet for those in North America.

2004 Olympic judo silver medalist Hiroshi Izumi will meet New Zealand kickboxer Antz Nansen in the professional debut for both fighters in the fight card’s main event. Additional bouts slated to take place include a heavyweight matchup pitting former EliteXC heavyweight champion Antonio Silva against Jim York and a welterweight bout involving Nick Thompson and Dan Hornbuckle.

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UFC 103 Notes: Belfort Moves to Forefront of Middleweight Title Picture

A win over Rich Franklin was expected to make Vitor Belfort an instant contender for Anderson Silva’s UFC middleweight title. But according to UFC President Dana White, Belfort may have positioned himself as the leading candidate for Silva’s next title defense, even before Dan Henderson and Nate Marquardt.

“You know, I think he might be ready now,” White said at last night’s UFC 103 post-fight press conference.

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