Last Updated on Saturday, 23 June 2012 08:38 Written by PunchDrunkGamer Saturday, 23 June 2012 05:16

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Weekly Mixed Martial Arts & Kickboxing News – 06/23/2012

By PDG Staff

 

 

Dana White – UFC 147 Video Blog

 

 

 

 

 

 

20-0 Russian Phenom Alexander “Tiger” Sarnavskiy Joins Bellator Fighting Championships

 

 

Bellator’s  Season Seven Lightweight Tournament just got its #1 seed, as Bellator Fighting Championships has signed undefeated lightweight Alexander “Tiger” Sarnavskiy. Only 23, “Tiger” brings a spotless 20-0 record into Bellator, including 17 finishes. Training under Bellator Middleweight World Title Challenger Alexander “Storm” Shlemenko, Sarnavskiy is looking to continue the tradition of Russian excellence inside the Bellator cage.

 

“Alexander Shlemenko has put a high standard of Russian dominance in Bellator by winning two middleweight tournaments,” Sarnavskiy said. “Now my teammate Andrey Koreshkov fights for Bellator as well and he recently won two fights by spectacular KO’s. Vitaly Minakov also just signed with Bellator, and I expect him to become Bellator’s next Heavyweight Champion. I want to follow in the footsteps of those men, and make Bellator proud.”

 

Recently ranked as the world’s #1 prospect at 155 pounds Sarnavskiy has finished nine of his last 10 opponents, and has yet to face a battle he couldn’t handle. Armed with a polished ground game and training under one of the best technical strikers in the sport, Sarnavskiy is prepared for the rigors he’ll soon face by entering the next Bellator Lightweight Tournament.

 

“The Bellator Tournament will be a difficult test for me,” Sarnavskiy said. “I will train and prepare myself the best I can. I have a huge responsibility to my coach, my manager, my fans and my country. I won’t disappoint them and I want to show them a spectacular performance.”

 

“Russia’s produced some incredible athletes that have had tremendous success in our sport, and having watched Tiger fight for the last few years, I expect great things from him,” said Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney. “He is an incredibly explosive and dynamic Mixed Martial Artist who should be a force here at Bellator.”

 

 

 

 

 

UFC 151: Jones vs. Henderson – Fight Card Update

 

 

The September 1 Las Vegas fight card is starting to come together, with three new bouts verbally agreed upon for the Bones vs. Hendo card. Danny “Last Call” Castillo and TUF 12 finalist Michael Johnson will meet in a lightweight matchup of powerhouse wrestlers with knockout skills.

 

Two featherweight sluggers will face off at UFC 151 as Dennis Siver and Eddie Yagin, both coming off hard-fought victories, look to keep moving into title contention. At bantamweight, Japanese striker Takeya Mizugaki will meet submission specialist Jeff Hougland.

 

UFC 151: Jones vs. Henderson

September 1, 2012

Mandalay Bay Events Center

Las Vegas, Nevada

 

UFC Light-Heavyweight Championship:

Jon Jones (16-1) vs. Dan Henderson (29-8)

 

Dennis Siver (20-8) vs. Eddie Yagin (16-5-1)

Takeya Mizugaki (15-7) vs. Jeff Hougland (10-5)

Danny Castillo (14-4) vs. Michael Johnson (11-6)

 

 

 

 

 

Fedor Emelianenko Retires After Rizzo Win

 

 

On Thursday June 21st in Russia, Fedor Emelianenko defeated Pedro Rizzo for his third straight win and then announced his retirement from mixed martial arts. Here is what Emelianenko told Russian News & Information Agency RIA Novosti:

 

“I think it is time I quit, my family influenced my decision. My daughters are growing without me, that’s why it’s time to leave.”

 

If this is the last time we see “The Last Emperor”, he will leave behind a storied legacy going 34-4 and holding the Pride Fighting Championship Heavyweight Title for several years.

 

 

 

 

 

Another day at Muay Thai & MMA resort Superpro Samui

 

 

 

 

 

 

UFC Nottingham – Fight Card Update

 

 

Charismatic welterweights Dan Hardy and Amir Sadollah will meet in a clash of stand-up warriors who both seek to keep the momentum going after their recent Octagon wins. Also at 170 pounds, the owner of the UFC’s fastest knockout, Duane Ludwig, will meet Gloucester’s Che Mills, who debuted in the UFC with a 40-second finish of his own.

 

Unbeaten Liverpool lightweight Paul Sass, who looked impressive in his first-round UFC 146 finish of Jacob Volkmann, steps up to fight talented veteran Matt Wiman, who has won four of his last five fights.

 

The event will also feature a featherweight striking showdown as England’s own Jason Young goes up against hard-hitting Robbie Peralta.

 

UFC on Fuel TV 5: Struve vs. Miocic

September 29, 2012

Capital FM Arena

Nottingham, England

 

Stefan Struve (24-5) vs. Stipe Miocic (9-0)

Dan Hardy (24-10) vs. Amir Sadollah (6-3)

Brad Pickett (21-6) vs. Yves Jabouin (18-7)

Andy Ogle (8-1) vs. Akira Corassani (9-3)

Paul Sass (13-0) vs. Matt Wiman (14-6)

Che Mills (14-5) vs. Duane Ludwig (21-13)

Jason Young (9-5) vs. Robert Peralta (15-3)

 

 

 

 

 

Superkombat WGP 10 – Qualification in Varna, Bulgaria – Fight Card Update

 

 

Superkombat stops in Varna, Bulgaria. After the first two events which were held in Podgorica, Montenegro and Cluj Napoca, Romania, Superkombat gets a new stop on its circuit from this season with the Superkombat WGP 10 – Qualification in Varna, Bulgaria.

 

Most respected fighters in K-1 from all over the world will climb into the ring on July 7, 2012 when Varna will become the world capital of contact sports. Fighters as Alexey Ignashov, Catalin Morosanu, Freddy Kemayo, Ismael Londt and Raul Catinas will be on the fightcard of a memorable event.

 

Fight Card:

 

Reserve Match:

Daniel Sam vs. Petr Vondracek

 

HW semi-final:

Mladen Brestovac vs. Benjamin Adegbuyi

 

HW semi-final:

Kostadin Kostov vs. Tsotne Rogava

 

 

Domagoj Ostojic vs. Raul Catinas

Alexey Ignashov vs. Corneliu Rus

Catalin Morosanu vs. TBA

Hakan Aksoy vs. Andrei Stoica

 

 

SuperKombat World Heavyweight Title:

Ismael Londt vs. Freddy Kemayo

 

 

 

 

 

Bellator Fighting Championships Signs Wrestling Phenom Shawn Bunch

 

 

The hits keep coming for Bellator Fighting Championships as the promotion has agreed to terms with decorated amateur wrestler Shawn Bunch. The former U.S. Olympic qualifier is now turning his attention solely to MMA and is focused on a future Bellator Bantamweight tournament.

 

“I’ve had my sights set on Bellator for a long time,” Bunch said. “While I’ve been training in MMA for over four years, I’ve never been able to fully focus on the sport with my wrestling obligations. After watching guys like Ben Askren and King Mo, guys I really look up to in this sport have success, I knew the time was right to make the move to Bellator.”

 

As a founding member of Team Thirsty, Bunch has trained along some of MMA’s finest, including Bellator Welterweight Champion Ben Askren, Gray Maynard, Daniel Cormier and of course, King Mo Lawal.

 

“Shawn is one of the best athletes I’ve been around, and he isn’t to be played with!” Lawal said. “Shawn has been at the top of everything he has competed in, and MMA won’t be much different. He lives off of hard work and dedication, and I expect him to be a Bellator Champion.”

 

“The best way to describe Shawn is just explosive and dynamic,” Askren said. “I’ve traveled the world with Shawn competing together in wrestling competitions, and know what kind of competitor he is. He’ll make an incredible addition to the Bellator family, and I’m excited to see what he brings to the cage.”

 

Currently training at the world-renowned American Kickboxing Academy, Bunch is looking to take his MMA game to the next level, and is ready to show the world what he is truly capable of inside the Bellator cage.

 

“For MMA fans that aren’t familiar with me, get ready,” Bunch said. “I bring an incredibly fast and explosive game to the table, and I’m just ready to start this new chapter in my life. I can’t wait to get into the cage and get it going.”

 

“Wrestlers like Askren, Warren, Konrad, Chandler and soon King Mo have had great impact at Bellator, and I expect nothing less with Shawn,” said Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney. “Shawn brings a resume in combat sport and a level of explosiveness to MMA that is hard to match. I can’t wait to watch him develop as part of the Bellator family:”

 

 

 

 

 

It’s Showtime 57 & 58 Final fight card June 30, 2012 in Brussels, Belgium

 

 

In comparison to the fight card we have previously announced for our upcoming event of June 30 in Brussels, Belgium, some changes have been made. Most of the dropouts were due to injuries or because fighters didn’t get medical clearance as a result of knockout losses in the past weeks.

 

Jerome Le Banner won’t fight against Rustemi Kreshnik, despite the fact that there was an agreement for this fight, even by Jerome Le Banner himself. However, we have enough of the antics of Team Le Banner and we wish him and his seconds all the best. Rustemi Kreshnik will now face Mourad Bouzidi. Bouzidi defeated Kreshnik by medical intervention in 2010, so Kreshnik gets the change to avenge his loss, with the support of his home crowd.

 

The current number 1 heavyweight in the world, Daniel Ghita, will square off with Dzevad Poturak in Brussels. These fighters have gone to war twice and this rubber match will decide who scores the 2-1 in his favor. Anyone who has seen their two previous fights knows that these were real slugfests.

 

Hafid El Boustati will replace Harut Grigorian. Grigorian didn’t get clearance to fight after his knockout loss in Madrid, May 28. El Boustati is in amazing shape and Robin van Roosmalen will have to bring his A-game to score a victory.

 

There will be 2 It’s Showtime world title fights on the June 30 card. Filip Verlinden will try to dethrone Danyo Ilunga in the world title fight for the 95kg max belt. Chris Ngimbi will defend his world title in the 70kg max weight division against Andy Souwer.

 

Peter Aerts has been focusing on his fight against Tyrone Spong for the past months. This fight already promises to be a historical fight between the old and the new generation. Despite that this will be the last fight of Peter Aerts in the Benelux, Tyrone Spong will try anything that’s necessary to spoil Aerts’ party.

 

Fight Card:

 

Duoli Chen vs TBA

Mandela Antone vs Robbie Hageman

Azziz Kallah vs Marat Grigorian

Rico Verhoeven vs Hesdy Gerges

Mourad Bouzidi vs Rustemi Kreshnik

 

IT’S SHOWTIME world title 70kg max:

Andy Souwer vs Chris Ngimbi

 

Samir Djabba vs Andy Ristie

Fatih Ozkan vs Sonny Dagraed

 

IT’S SHOWTIME world title 95kg max:

Filip Verlinden vs Danyo Ilunga

 

Hafid El Boustati vs Robin van Roosmalen

Dzevad Poturak vs Daniel Ghita

Tyrone Spong vs Peter Aerts

 

 

 

 

 

 

From the PunchDrunkGamer Forums:

 

* One FC 4: Destiny of Warriors – Results

 

* UFC on FX: Maynard vs. Guida – Results & Event Coverage

 

* K-1 is coming to Los Angeles

 

* Bellator 71 – Information, Event Coverage & Results

 

* UFC Fan Expo – Updates!

 

 

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