THE WEEK THAT WAS
Fighters of the Week:
1. Hector Lombard (CFC) - The Bellator middleweight champ defended his CFC Middleweight Championship against Art Santore in Australia, extending his winning streak to 13 in a row.
2. Nathan Coy (SportFight) - The SportFight welterweight champion destroyed SportFight lightweight champ Travis Bush in just 16 seconds to retain his title with a vicious knee.
3. Jake O'Brien (Fight Festival) - In the co-main event of Fight Festival 27 in Finland, the UFC vet defeated M-1 vet Toni Valtonen. O'Brien has won his last two fights since his release from UFC.
4. Bernard Magalhaes (CFC) - Upsetted Adrian Pang to capture the CFC Lightweight Championship via decision.
5. Yoshitaro Niimi (HEAT) - Defeated A Sol Kwan to nab the vacant HEAT Middleweight Championship in the main event of HEAT 13.
6. Marcus Aurelio (Fight Festival) - In the co-main event of Fight Festival 27, Aurelio, a UFC veteran himself who last fought at UFC 102, defeated Niko Puhakka with a second-round rear naked choke. He also has won two in a row since his parting from Dana World.
7. Tyson Nam (SportFight) - After Demetrious Johnson had to pull out, Nam TKO'd Nick Honstein in the second-round at SportFight 27.
8. Alexander Schlemenko (Fight Festival) - The 27-4 Russian veteran of Bodog and EliteXC took care of former Rashad Evans kickpad Sean Salmon in only 40 seconds at FF 27.
9. Marcin Held (Ring) - The 18-year old won his 8th pro fight without a loss with a win over Przemyslaw Zbiciak via first-round RNC in the main event of Poland's Ring 1. The kid is a prospect of the highest order and someone to keep an eye on.
10. Thomas Kenney (KOTC) - Defeated Scottie Merrit in the main event of KOTC: Uppercut by an arm-triangle in the second round.
Quote of the Week:
"I’d be upset if I had to face Rodrigo, Rogerio, Feijao, Lyoto or even Wanderlei or Shogun, but Vitor? He’s just another opponent like everyone else."- Anderson Silva
Upset of the Week:
Bernard Magalhaes def. Adrian Pang
Event of the Week:
CFC 12
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March 16-March 23
THE WEEK THAT WILL BE
[:: Jewels 7 ::]
March 19
Japan
Notable Fights:
Hitomi Akano (#20) vs. Hiroko Yamanaka (#25)
Mika Nagano (#47) vs. Mai Ichii
[:: TFC 10: High Voltage ::]
March 19
Shaw Conference Center
Edmonton, Alberta
Notable Fights:
Victor Valkimaki (LHW #39) vs. Martin Desilets (LHW #85)
Tim Hague (HW #70) vs. Tyler East (HW #143)
Ryan Ford (WW #79) vs. Tom Speer (WW #134)
[:: X-1 World: Champions II ::]
March 20
Blaisdell Arena
Honolulu, Hawaii
Notable Fights:
Falaniko Vitale (c) vs. Kalib Starnes (MW #117) (For X-1 Middleweight Championship)
Harris Sarmiento (LW #130) vs. Richie Whitson (for X-1 Lightweight Championship)
Bryson Hansen (BW #85) vs. Riley Dutro (for X-1 Bantamweight Championship)
[:: Warrior-1 Bad Blood ::]
March 20
Pierre Charbonneau Center
Montreal, Quebec
Notable Fights:
Jason MacDonald (MW #47) vs. Vernon White (LHW #134)
Chris Clements vs. John Alessio (WW #40)
Nabil Khatib vs. Shonie Carter
[:: XKL Evolution 1 ::]
March 20
Eastern Michigan University Convention Center
Ypsilanti, Michigan
Notable Fights:
Brian Ryan (HW #84) vs. Ricco Rodriguez (HW #43)
Jeff Monson (HW #19) vs. Scott Barrett (HW #138)
Corey Hill vs. Mark Holst
[:: Shark Fights 9: Phillips vs. Evans ::]
Shark Fights 9: Phillips vs. Evans
March 20
Amarillo Civic Center Coliseum
Amarillo, Texas
Notable Fights:
Douglas Evans (c) (FW #130) vs. Dustin Phillips (For Shark Fights Featherweight Championship)
Marcus Sursa (LHW #95) vs. Vinny Magalhaes (LHW #55)
[:: UFC Live: Vera vs. Jones ::]
March 21
1stBank Center
Broomfield, Colorado
TV: Versus
Notable Fights:
Brandon Vera (LHW #19) vs. Jon Jones (LHW #24)
Gabriel Gonzaga (HW #13) vs. Junior dos Santos (HW #5)
Cheick Kongo (HW #21) vs. Paul Buentello (HW #54)
[:: Dream 13 ::]
March 22
Yokohama Arena
Yokohama, Japan
TV: HDNet
Notable Fights:
Bibiano Fernandes (c) (FW #6) vs. Joachim Hansen (LW #23) (For Dream Featherweight Championship)
Katsunori Kikuno (LW #45) vs. Kuniyoshi Hironaka (LW #26)
Ikuhisa Minowa (HW #22) vs. Jimmy Ambriz (HW #91)
Josh Barnett (HW #8) vs. Mighty Mo
[:: Shooto: The Way of Shooto 2: Like a Tiger, Like a Dragon ::]
March 22
Korakuen Hall
Tokyo, Japan
Notable Fights:
Masakatsu Ueda (c) (BW #8) vs. Shuichiro Katsumura (BW #50) (For Shooto Bantamweight Championship)
Jesse Taitano (Flyweight #30) vs. Yuki Shojo (Flyweight #5)
Katsuya Toida (FW #113) vs. Yusuke Yachi
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Fighters I'm Rooting For This Week:
1. Joachim Hansen
2. Jon Jones
3. Clay Guida
4. Corey Hill
5. Ricco Rodriguez
Best Cards:
1. UFC Live: Vera vs. Jones
2. Dream 13
3. XKL Evolution 1
4. Shooto: The Way of Shooto 2
5. Jewels 7
Fights I'm Looking Forward To:
1. Brandon Vera vs. Jon Jones
2. Bibiano Fernandes vs. Joachim Hansen
3. Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Junior dos Santos
4. Cheick Kongo vs. Paul Buentello
5. Josh Barnett vs. Mighty Mo
In Closing:
Ahhhh. Muuuuch better. After an abysmal week in MMA, we're back to a very solid week. The Versus card is stacked, and Dream's card is up-and-down, but interesting nonetheless, which typical for a Dream card. If you're a fan of the Heavyweights, this is the best week in recent memory. Barnett, dos Santos, Gonzaga, Monson, Rodriguez, Kongo, and Buentello fighting this week. Great week for 265.
So saddle up, and this week begins a two-month stretch of a constant stream of MMA. And WAR HELLBOY!
