Matt Horwich

UFC 90: Silva vs Cote Weigh-In Results

The official weigh-in results for tomorrow night’s UFC 90: Silva vs. Cote event, which takes place at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois, are below. All fighters successfully made weight with the exception of Josh Burkman, who weighed-in two pounds over the welterweight limit. He will be given one hour to shed the extra weight.

UFC 90 is headlined by reigning middleweight champion Anderson Silva defending his title against heavy-handed contender Patrick Cote. Rising welterweight sensation Thiago Alves will look to continue his winning ways against replacement opponent Josh Koscheck in the co-main event.

Main Card:

Anderson Silva (184 lbs) vs. Patrick Cote (183 lbs)
Josh Koscheck (170 lbs) vs. Thiago Alves (171 lbs)
Fabricio Werdum (256 lbs) vs. Junior dos Santos (234 lbs)
Sean Sherk (156 lbs) vs. Tyson Griffin (155 lbs)
Rich Clementi (156 lbs) vs. Gray Maynard (155 lbs)

Preliminary Bouts:

Thales Leites (186 lbs) vs. Drew McFedries (186 lbs)
Spencer Fisher (155 lbs) vs. Shannon Gugerty (156 lbs)
Dan Miller (185 lbs) vs. Matt Horwich (186 lbs)
Hermes Franca (156 lbs) vs. Marcus Aurelio (156 lbs)
Josh Burkman (173 lbs) vs. Pete Sell (170 lbs)

Almeida-Horwich Added to UFC 90 in Chicago

Along with a previously rumored bout between Thales Leites and Goran Reljic, the Ultimate Fighting Championship today announced the addition of a middleweight bout between Ricardo Almeida and former IFL middleweight champion Matt Horwich to the preliminary card of UFC 90: Silva vs. Cote.

Almeida returned to professional competition after a five-year hiatus and immediately reverted back to his winning ways, submitting last-minute replacement opponent Rob Yundt at UFC 81 in February. The victory earned Almeida a shot at rising contender Patrick Cote at UFC 86 last month, with a shot at current champion Anderson Silva on the line. However Almeida’s lack of cardio came into play and he ended up losing a split decision to the Canadian.

Horwich meanwhile, became the IFL’s first-ever middleweight champion after besting Brian Foster and Benji Radach in last year’s four-man tournament to win the vacant belt. Horwich was then defeated in his first title defense, dropping a unanimous decision to Ryan McGivern in February. Horwich most recently fought at the IFL’s last-ever event three months ago, winning a decision over Joey Guel.

Continue reading "Almeida-Horwich Added to UFC 90 in Chicago"

IFL Connecticut Weigh-In Results

The official weigh-in results for tonight’s International Fight League event at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut are below. All fighters successfully made weight on their first try with the exception of Josh Souder, who needed only a few minutes to cut his extra weight.

The event will feature a total of three title bouts. IFL heavyweight champion Roy Nelson will defend his title against last-minute injury replacement Brad Imes, who was the heavyweight runner-up on the second season of “The Ultimate Fighter”.

IFL middleweight king Ryan McGivern will also take on New Jersey native Dan Miller and lightweight champion Ryan Schultz will make his second title defense against submission artist Deividas Taurosevicius.

Championship Fights:

Roy Nelson (264.2 lbs) vs. Brad Imes (249.2 lbs)
Ryan Schultz (154 lbs) vs. Deividas Taurosevicius (154 lbs)
Ryan McGivern (181.2 lbs) vs. Dan Miller (180.5 lbs) 

Non-Title Fights:

Matt Horwich (185.7 lbs) vs. Joey Guel (185.5 lbs)
Zac George (155.2 lbs) vs. Josh Souder (155.2 lbs)
Lamont Lister (205.2 lbs) vs. Aaron Stark (205.7 lbs)
John Franchi (155 lbs) vs. Frank Latina (152 lbs)
Nick Calandrino (170 lbs) vs. John Howard (170.5 lbs)
Mike Massenzio (185.2 lbs) vs. Danillo Villefort (184.7 lbs)

IFL Announces Three Title Bouts for May

NEW YORK - Two IFL stars, Roy Nelson and Ryan Schultz will make their second respective title defenses and another, Ryan McGivern will make his first when the International Fight League returns to the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., with a minimum of nine bouts scheduled for Friday, May 16.

HDNet will have live television coverage of the event.

The night will also mark the IFL debuts for the Bomb Squad, a Northeast-based camp which will take on Mario Sperry’’s World Class Fight Center from Las Vegas, and for Team Prodigy, an Ohio-based camp which will battle Matt Lindland’‘s Team Quest of Portland, Ore.

In the title bouts, Nelson will defend his heavyweight belt against UFC veteran Branden Lee Hinkle. Nelson won the title in December at Mohegan Sun with a knockout of Antoine Jaoude, then defended with a decisive first-round TKO over Fabiano Scherner in Las Vegas in February.

Schultz will battle Deividas Taurosevicius for the lightweight crown. Schultz also won his title in his last visit to Mohegan Sun in December, bouncing Chris Horodecki from the ranks of the unbeaten, then earned a decision win over John Gunderson in Las Vegas in February to defend.

McGivern, one of the most improved fighters in the IFL, took the middleweight belt from Matt Horwich in February and has won three of his past four bouts.

Continue reading "IFL Announces Three Title Bouts for May"

CKA: Mar 4, 2008

If you have some free time on your hands, be sure to check out one of the more exciting fights from the IFL’s first show of 2008 this past weekend, Matt Horwich going up against Ryan McGivern for the IFL middleweight belt.

As always major props go out to the IFL for actually going out of there way to make their fights available for everyone to see.

“Iron Ring” Debuts March 18th on BET

Remember that mixed martial arts project BET was discussing a while back? Well it finally premieres tonight.

From a press release we received:

BET introduces Iron Ring, a half hour weekly series that showcases mixed martial arts, the fastest growing new sports format in entertainment. With $100,000 in prize money up for grabs, these skilled competitors go toe-to-toe using the combined fighting techniques of jiu-jitsu, judo, karate, boxing, kickboxing, and wrestling in teams owned and managed by Ludacris, Nelly, Floyd Mayweather, T.I., Lil Jon and Dipset.

CSAC Suspends Four

The California State Athletic Commission announced the suspension of four different fighters yesterday.

Three fighters who were slated to compete on World Cagefighting Organization’s disastrous San Diego show have all been suspended after testing positive for the steroid Nandrolone, the same steroid reportedly found in Sean Sherk’s system. Carlos Fuentes, Kyacey Uscola, and Gustavo Machado have all been suspended for a year and fined $2,500.

Fabio Costa, who last competed at Fist Series’ WinterFist 2008 last month, tested positive for marijuana. He’s been suspended until May and fined $500.

Jae Suk Lim Wins SpiritMC Middleweight Title

Jae Suk Lim regained his SpiritMC middleweight title with a decisive win over top prospect Yoon Young Kim Sunday night. After the event, Lim announced that he will now be headed to Hawaii to compete under the ICON Sport banner.

Complete results below courtesy of MMA Weekly:

Jae Suk Lim def. Yoon Young Kim - TKO (Strikes)
A Sol Kwan def. Takaaki Aoki - Unanimous Decision
Jae Young Kim def. Soichi Nishida - TKO (Strikes)
Jung Hwan Cha vs. Dong Hyun Kim - Draw
Hans Olson def. Chang Seob Lee - Unanimous Decision
San An def. Dong Yoon Shin - KO (Punch)
Ye Won Nam def. Seung Hwan Kim - Submission (Triangle)
Dae Gun Kim def. Ok Myoung Kim - Submission (Heel Hook)

Kang Still Without Opponent for DREAM Debut

Denis Kang, who is currently training in Montreal, Quebec, Canada along with Georges St. Pierre and Jackson’s Submission Fighting, has informed The Fight Network that he still without an opponent for his first fight inside the confines of DREAM in April:

“I’m just going to go to Montreal, do my thing and get ready for whoever I’m going to face,” Kang said. “I think the Japanese MMA promotions like to keep their fans in suspense, whereas with the UFC, they really saturate the market with advertising well ahead of their events. DREAM has not even finalized the March 15 card. They’ve only announced like five of the fights.”

Touch of gloves to TKO Xtreme for the find.

Radio Schedule

12-1 PM EST - TAGG Radio
3-5 PM EST - The Beatdown
3-4 PM EST - The Fight Network Radio
8-9 PM EST - The Lights Out Show
9-10 PM EST - MMAWeekly’s Sound Off
11 PM EST - Knockout Radio

Nelson, Schultz Defend IFL Titles in Vegas

LAS VEGAS - Lightweight Ryan Schultz and heavyweight Roy Nelson defended their respective International Fight League titles and middleweight Ryan McGivern won his first belt before 3,931 at the IFL event last night at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.

Schultz grinded out a unanimous decision over John Gunderson to retain his title, maintaining strong position throughout the match. Most of the bout was contested on the ground, with both fighters escaping potential chokes in the final two rounds.

Nelson earned a first-round TKO victory over Fabiano Scherner to defend his heavyweight crown. Nelson took Scherner down midway through the round and used a flurry of right hands to secure the stoppage at 3:20.

In what many felt was the best bout of the night, McGivern topped defending champion Matt Horwich by unanimous decision in a battle in which both fighters had strong moments.

Horwich nearly secured an armbar at the end of the second round, when McGivern was likely saved by the bell. In the closing seconds of the fourth round, McGivern delivered a series of strikes that staggered the former champion, but the champion held on until the bell.

Continue reading "Nelson, Schultz Defend IFL Titles in Vegas"

McGivern Likely to Replace Kennedy in Feb

Tim Kennedy will reportedly bow out of his scheduled International Fight League middleweight title bout against current champion Matt Horwich and will likely be replaced by Miletich Fighting Systems middleweight Ryan McGivern.

The fight is slated to happen at the IFL’s “New Blood New Battles” event on February 29th, which will take place at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas.

The news comes from Five Ounces of Pain, who also report that the IFL is expected to make a formal announcement concerning the change at some point this week.

McGivern fought and defeated Horwich by unanimous decision at the IFL Championship Finals in December 2006. While an official reason as to why Kennedy will be unable to compete at the event, it is speculated that he is tied in to a military commitment.

Three Title Fights Headline IFL in Vegas

NEW YORK - IFL titleholders Matt Horwich, Roy Nelson and Ryan Schultz will defend their belts when the International Fight League opens its 2008 schedule with an eight-bout card at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas on Friday, February 29.

In addition to the three Championship bouts, team competition will feature Matt Lindland’‘s Team Quest vs. Ken Shamrock’‘s Lions Den and Team Xtreme Couture vs. Mario Sperry’‘s MMA Top Team.

Horwich, who claimed the middleweight title with a victory over Benji Radach at the IFL World Grand Prix on December 29, will defend his crown against Tim Kennedy who won all three of his IFL matchups in 2007 with first or second-round finishes.

Nelson, who knocked out Antoine Jaoude to win the heavyweight crown, will take on IFL newcomer Fabiano Scherner, who trains with Lindland at Team Quest. Schultz, whose lightweight victory over Chris Horodecki raised eyebrows in the entire MMA community, makes the first defense of his lightweight belt against John Gunderson, who competes for the Lions Den.

““This card is a good example of how the flexibility of our new format makes for great matchups,” said IFL Commissioner Kurt Otto. “Fans will get to see three Championship bouts, plus some exciting team competition feeding some of our upcoming title fights.””

Continue reading "Three Title Fights Headline IFL in Vegas"

Schultz Stops Horodecki in Night of Upsets

UNCASVILLE - Ryan ““The Lion” Schultz” knocked out previously undefeated 20-year-old Chris ““The Polish Hammer"” Horodecki, capping off an exciting night of action with Schultz winning the lightweight championship at the inaugural International Fight League World Grand Prix finals, held tonight in front of 5,731 at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.

Four other championship fights also took place, including victories by Roy ““Big Country” Nelson at heavyweight, Wagnney Fabiano at featherweight, Jay Hieron at welterweight, and Matt Horwich at middleweight.

The five championships were the most ever contested on one night in North American MMA history.

Schultz took control early in the first round and continued to pound Horodecki before the referee stepped in late in the round to stop the bout. Schultz had been named a late replacement in the title bout after injuries to Horodecki’‘s previous two opponents.

Continue reading "Schultz Stops Horodecki in Night of Upsets"

IFL Grand Prix Finals Live Results

We will be going live at 7:30 PM EST with live results of the IFL World Grand Prix Finals which are taking place this evening at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT.

The event features three preliminary bouts and five title fights including a rematch between Ryan Schultz and lightweight phenom Chris Horodecki for the IFL Lightweight Title.

Be sure to leave comments throughout the night.

Live results are shown after the jump.

Continue reading "IFL Grand Prix Finals Live Results"