Magalhaes was last in action with a first round submission victory over Kris Davis at CFP’s Carolina Crown 2 on October 24. The October win ended a three fight skid for Magalhaes, including two UFC losses to Ryan Bader and Elliot Marshall. His opponent, Nickels, is looking to continue a three fight winning streak including his most recent win over David Heath at MFC 22.

The main card for the event features:

• Mike Nickels vs. Vinny Magalhaes
• Duane Ludwig vs. Ryan Roberts
• Alvin Robinson vs. Anthony Morrison
• Cameron Dollar vs. Kit Cope
• Cody Donovan vs. Eric Smith
• Chilo Gonzalez vs. Ian Berg
• Andre Walker vs. Andreas Spang

The under card for the event will feature five amateur contest, including two women’s bouts.

Takanori Gomi def. Tony Hervey via unanimous decision (47-45, 46-45, 46-44):

The amateur under card fights started the night off right as Nick Rahn and Carlos Perez engaged in a back forth battle both on the feet and on the ground. Then Simon Chi and James Ronsick threw down in an absolute war, that at one point featured Chi teeing off on Ronsick against the cage, even dropping him once. The next fight was a women’s fight that Alicia Corey tried to turn into a grappling match against Rachel Dovidio, only to get pounded out in the second. Chris Sutton vs. Drew Allen Stewart was a heavy weight brawl from start to finish, with Sutton getting the better of Stewart on the judges score cards. The final under card bout started strong as Dustin Turbeville took Jimmy Hall down early and worked some submission, but Hall reversed the position and ended the round raining punches on Turbeville’s head. Turbeville’s corner called an end to the contest between rounds, and he was taken out of the arena on a stretcher, but the paramedics later informed me that he was alright.

The main card kicked off with two more amateur bouts which kept the momentum going from the earlier bouts. In the first bout Jeff Loken fought Grant Harris to a unanimous decision, dropping only one round of the fight. The next bout saw George Hickman drop Jeff Tharington in the opening exchange only to have Tharington battle back and put on a great show, finishing out all three rounds. However Hickman got the better of the fight in the judges eyes, and took home a deserving unanimous decision victory.

The first professional bout on the card was a featherweight match up between Justin Dalton and Larry Hughes which started off evenly only to end with a vicious fight ending knee to Hughes as he was coming up off the canvas just a minute in. Watching live there was some question as to whether or not Hughes was still down when the knee was delivered, but the replay showed that it was a clean blow. In the second professional bout, Tomar Washington remained unbeaten (professional and amateur) with a TKO victory over Marcus Thomas in the first round. After the bout began as a back and forth battle, Washington gained top position and pounded on Thomas, forcing the referee to halt the action.

Hometown favorite Pete Martin took on Spartanburg, South Carolina’s Dave Linder in a lightweight contest for the third professional bout, and after controlling the fight early made a mistake and was locked into a tight triangle that forced him to tap. After the fight despite the loss, Martin carried through on his apparent plan to propose to his girlfriend in the cage, and she said yes.

The fourth professional bout of the evening featured the return to action of local hero, and Crossfit NC trainer Billy Dowey after four years of retirement against Jerry Spiegle in a middleweight contest that was one of the most exciting fights of the night. Dowey controlled most of the opening round including using a kimura to sweep Spiegle and delivering some ground and pound before the referee called for a bogus stand up as Dowey had a full mount and was pressing. Dowey got the fight to the ground again, and closed out the round looking for a rear naked choke from Spiegle’s back. Dowey came out in the second breathing heavy and looked gassed, but after an early exchange still scored the takedown, however on the ground Spiegle stalled looking for a stand up and Dowey rested 3-4 seconds between strikes before the referee stood them back up. When they recommenced on the feet they clinched against the cage before Spiegle got a takedown, and then delivered some strong ground ‘n pound. Right at the end of the round Dowey landed an upkick that did little damage while Spiegle’s knee was still on the ground, but the referee didn’t see the knee was down and did nothing about it. Dowey looks completely spent as the third round begins and Spiegle starts lighting him up on the feet before delivering an accidental groin shot as Dowey shot for a takedown. The referee then forced Dowey to continue the fight before giving him his full five minutes, but Dowey doesn’t protest. Spiegle then continued to blast Dowey but can’t put him away, he even threw his hands out trying to prove Dowey was done, only to get thai clinched and eat a few knees. Spiegle broke the clinch and continued to pummel Dowey on the feet before Dowey shoots for a takedown with about thirty seconds left in the fight. Spiegle caught Dowey in a guillotine on the way in, but let it go then Dowey laid on him, resting and bleeding for the conclusion of the fight while the referee just watched. In the end the judges rendered a split decision of 29-28, 29-28, 28-29 for Spiegle.

In the fifth professional bout of the night Preston Marks took on John Owens for the CFP interim featherweight championship. Both fighters looked game at the start as Owens gets the best of the stand up before taking Marks down. On the ground Marks went for a leg lock, which Owens escaped bringing the fight back to the feet. Marks then shot in and eventually worked for and got a takedown. From top position Marks worked some ground ‘n pound from half guard and closes out the round looking for a heel hook, which he secures and torques hard right as the bell sounds to end the round. Owens was slow to get up to go back to his corner, and the fight was stopped before the second round, awarding Marks a controversial doctor stoppage victory.

The sixth professional bout was a welter weight title fight between Jake Whitfield and Brian Keller, and ended up being the only disappointing fight of the night. The first round was back and forth as both men looked to control the fight on the ground. In the second Whitfield controlled the fight from top position for most of the round after an even opening exchange on the feet, and the crowd began to get restless as he mostly delivered punches to Keller’s ribs. In the third round Keller was more active from the bottom looking for submissions than Whitfield was from the top, after Whitfield got the takedown, and also earned to escapes from the bottom in the round. Both fighters came out tentative in the fourth, and Keller seemed to have found his takedown defense and even got a takedown of his own. From his back Whitfield worked a strange rubber guard for a sweep then closed out the round with top control from full mount and half guard, but didn’t do any damage. In the final round Keller seemed to get the best of Whitfield early, stuffing some takedowns, landing a knee on the shooting Whitfield and even gained an escape followed by upkick. The referee then stood them up, Keller landed a strong right while they are standing and then stuffed a shot by Whitfield. The fighters walked around and looked at each other for about twenty seconds before Keller landed a few more blows on the feet and took Whitfield down. Whitfield immediately swept Keller and fended off a triangle attempt before closing out the round landing body shots from full mount as Keller held on trying to stall. The judges gave the decision to Whitfield unanimously, 48-46, 48-46, 50-45.

In the final bout of the evening Vinny Magalhaes made short work of late replacement Kris Davis. Magalhaes opened the fight with a blocked head kick, and then threw an inside leg kick that may have landed low, but Davis continued the fight and took Magalhaes down. Magalhaes then worked his rubber guard and crackhead control to secure a tight triangle forcing Davis to tap just 1:16 into the fight.

FULL FIGHT CARD QUICK RESULTS

• Vinny Magalhaes def. Kris Davis via submission (triangle) – 1:13 Round 1
• Jake Whitfield def. Brian Keller via unanimous decision (48-46, 48-46, 50-45)
  Welterweight Championship
• Preston Marks def. Jon Owens via Doctor stoppage — 5:00 Round 1
  Interim Featherweight Championship
• Jerry Spiegle def. Billy Dowey via split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)
• Dave Linder def. Pete Martin via submission (Triangle) — 2:45 Round 1
• Tomar Washington def. Marcus Thomas via TKO (strikes) — 4:41 Round 1
• Justin Dalton def. Larry Hughes via KO (knee) — 1:00 Round 1
• George Hickman def. Jeff Tharington via unanimous decision (30-27×3)
• Jeff Loken def. Grant Harris via unanimous decision (29-28×3)
• Jimmy Hall def. Dustin Turbeville via TKO (corner stoppage) — 3:00 Round 1
• Chris Sutton def. Drew Allen Stewart via Unanimous decision
• Rachel Dovidio def. Alicia Corey via TKO (Punches) — 1:38 round 2
• Simon Chi def. James Ronsick via Unanimous Decision
• Nick Rahn def. Carlos Perez via split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29)

Pictured: Justin Dalton(red) vs. Larry Hughes(camo)

Headliners Vinny Magalhaes and Chris Davis made weight, each weighing in under the 205 pound light heavyweight limit. Davis is a last minute replacement for the injured Jason Guida, who himself was a replacement for the originally scheduled Lance Evans. Magalhaes was a finalist on season 8 of “The Ultimate Fighter” but lost to Ryan Bader in the Finale. Davis had tried out for the season but did not make the cast, and says he is looking to beat Magalhaes to prove that he deserved to be on the show.

MAIN CARD (PROFESSIONAL)

• Preston Marks 142.2 vs. Jon Owens 146 Interim Championship
• Brian Keller 168.6 vs. Jake Whitfield 168.8 Championship
• Vinny Magalhaes 204.4 vs. Chris Davis 204.6 Main Event
• Jerry Spiegle 184 vs. Billy Dowey 184
• Dave Linder 155 vs. Pete Martin 155
• Marcus Thomas 201.4 vs. Tomar Washington 206
• Justin Dalton 146 vs. Larry Hughes 145
• Jeff Tharington 155 vs. George Hickman 155
• Jeff Loken 145 vs. Grant Harris 144

UNDERCARD (AMATEUR)

• Dustin Turbeville * vs. Jimmy Hall *
• Drew Allen Stewart 265 vs. Chris Sutton 265
• Rachel Dovidio 141 vs. Alicia Corey 140
• James Ronsick * vs. Simon Chi 155
• Carlos Perez 160 vs. Nick Rahn 160

* – Not available.

Be sure to check back to MMAFrenzy.com on Sunday for results from the fights.

The full card for the event features five amateur bouts and nine professional bouts, including a main event light heavyweight contest featuring Vinny Magalhaes vs. Jason Guida. The main event was originally scheduled to be a rematch from “The Ultimate Fighter” of Magalhaes vs. Lance Evans, however Evans was forced to withdraw from the bout due to a leg injury.

The schedule for the weekend includes weigh-ins Friday at 6pm at the Locked & Loaded Grill, with “cage” girls on hand from 5pm to 8pm. Amateur bouts start at 4:30 on Saturday at the RBC Center, and the professional bouts begin at 7:30. Following the conclusion of the fights at the RBC Center is the official after party at The Backyard Bistro which is only a block away from the RBC Center. The after party will allow you to mingle with the “cage” girls and meet some of the fighters. They will also be showing the UFC 104 pay-per-view broadcast at the after party.

Fight Card:
MAIN CARD PROFESSIONAL BOUTS (7:30 PM start)

• Vinny Magalhaes vs. Jason Guida (205) Main Event
• Preston Marks vs. Jon Owens (145) Interim Championship
• Brian Keller vs. Jake Whitfield (170) Championship
• Jerry Spiegle vs. Billy Dowey (185)
• Dave Linder vs. Pete Martin (155)
• Marcus Thomas vs. Tomar Washington (205)
• Justin Dalton vs. Larry Hughes (145)
• Jeff Tharington vs. George Hickman (155)
• Jeff Loken vs. Grant Harris (145)

UNDERCARD AMATEUR BOUTS (4:30 PM start)

• Dustin Turbeville vs. Jimmy Hall (170)
• Drew Allen Stewart vs. Chris Sutton (265)
• Rachel Dovidio vs. Alicia Corey (140)
• James Ronsick vs. Simon Chi (155)
• Carlos Perez vs. Nick Rahn (160)

• Former UFC heavyweight champion Kevin Randleman will look to get back in the win column after losing to Mike Whitehead at a June Strikeforce event, facing off against undefeated Stanislav Nedkov at Sengoku 11. [MMAJunkie]
• DEEP’s “45th Impact” will include a “Guam vs. Japan” format which will include Guam champions Justin Cruz (140 lbs) and Roque Martinez (Heavyweight). Cruz’s opponents could either be DEEP featherweight champion Takafumi Otsuka or bantamweight champion Masakazu Iminari, since he normally fights between those weights. Martinez’s opponent will likely be Yusuke Kawaguchi if he wins his upcoming bout against Seigo Mizuguchi. The event is scheduled to take place in December. [BloodyElbow]
• .Cage Force will be holding an October 25th event featuring Katsuhiko Nagata vs. Daisuke Hoshino and Tetsu “Hadairo” Suzuki vs. Isao Terada, among other contests.[BloodyElbow]
• Former Sengoku Lightweight Champion Satoru Kitaoka will face off against Bellator semi-finalist Jorge Masvidal at WVR’s Sengoku 11 on November 7.[Tapology]
• Following his Korean giant Hong Man Choi’s victory over Jose Canseco in the opening round of the Dream Super Hulk Tournament, US basketball star (and MMA fan) Shaquille O’Neal expressed interest in facing off against the 7-2 Choi, after his basketball career had ended. Prior to his bout Tuesday against Ikuhisa Minowa at Dream 11, MMAFanhouse asked Choi if he was open to that match up, to which he responded, “Yes, if there is a chance.” It would be no surprise if FEG promoted this fight for one of it’s Dream events, once Shaq does leave the NBA.

Pictured: Kevin Randleman

Overeem is the current Strikeforce heavyweight champion, though he has yet to defend the title he has held for almost two years. Since winning the Strikeforce belt, Overeem has competed four times in MMA and three times in K-1, all in other organizations.

Overeem is also scheduled to compete just eight days after his bout with Sylvester at Dream 12, in the promotions much celebrated new white cage. His Dream 12 opponent is rumored to be Japanese fighter Makoto Kawawa.

Sylvester was last in action against Roger Minton at “ISCF – Bad Intentions,” where he earned a first round TKO victory. He has compiled an 11-2 record over the course of his journeyman career, including a win over recent Houston Alexander victim Sherman Pendergarst, and suffering his two losses to Tim Persey, and Chris Tuchscherer.

Pictured: Alistair Overeem

Gomi also made the strange announcement that in addition to attempting to move his MMA career to the US he would also be pursuing a second professional career as a surfer.

Gomi was once seen as one of the top Japanese fighters in the lightweight division, after putting together a 32-3 record before 2007. In February of 2007, however, Gomi suffered defeat at the hands of Nick Diaz at Pride 33, a result that the NSAC later overturned due to a positive drug test by Diaz. Since that bout he has gone 3-2 with surprising losses to Sergey Golyaev and Satoru Kitaoka, and a most recent victory over Takashi Nakakura in his last outing.

Gomi had been scheduled to make his first return to the US since the Diaz bout at Affliction: Trilogy, before the event was canceled. Thus far there are no rumors as to what US based organization may look to pick up the Japanese fighter, if any.

The Western Canada based Maximum Fighting Championship recently sent out a press release confirming its matches for the upcoming MFC 22: Payoff event on October 2nd just outside Edmonton, Alberta. The event will be televised live on HDNet Fights. Included on the card are several UFC castoffs, as well as a batch of MFC staples. The headlining bout will be match up between two top grapplers, as Jason MacDonald will look to topple Travis Lutter. Also on the card, Antonio McKee will take on Carlo Prater for the MFC lightweight belt, and Luigi Fioravanti will face John Alessio.

The full card for MFC 22 is:

• Jason MacDonald vs. Travis Lutter
• Antonio McKee vs. Carlo Prater
  MFC Lightweight Title Bout
• Luigi Fioravanti vs John Alessio
• Ryan Jimmo vs Marvin Eastman
• David Heath vs Mike Nickels
• Pete Spratt vs Nathan Gunn
• Thiago Goncalves vs Jesse Juarez

The Spokane, Washington based Arena Rumble will hold its debut event this Saturday, September 12th at the Spokane arena. To kick things off they have enlisted the services of a few TUF alums, and a few recent UFC castoffs, as well as some up and coming fighters. Headlining the event is a match up between Jason Guida (known for not making weight on “The Ultimate Fighter 8″) and Jeremy Horn, a veteran of over one hundred fights. Other notables in action on the card include former UFC fighters Trevor Prangley, Brad Imes, and Terry Martin, as well as undefeated Strikeforce prospect Lyle “Fancy Pants” Beerbohm, who has yet to have a fight go the distance.

The event is slated to feature 15 professional bouts, with no broadcast plans, according to MMAJunkie. The main card for Arena Rumble is:

• Jason Guida vs. Jeremy Horn
• Trevor Prangley vs. Dennis Reed
• Lyle Beerbohm vs. Josh Martin
• Brad Imes vs. Josh Queen
• Mike Hanks vs. Sidney Silva
• Justin Grizzard vs. Ben McCombs
• Terry Martin vs. Julio Paulino

Pictured: Jason Macdonald

After winning five straight bouts between 2001 and 2003 McGee challenged Tim Sylvia for the UFC heavyweight title at UFC 44. McGee lost to Sylvia via TKO in the opening round of the contest but Sylvia would subsequently test positive for steroids and be stripped of the heavyweight title. Despite his opponent’s positive test McGee never fought again in the UFC, instead losing back-to-back fights in PRIDE to Heath Herring and Semmy Schlit before temporarily retiring.

“Tim Sylvia is a great fighter and the videotape doesn’t lie: He beat the hell out of me,” said McGee in a press release announcing his return. “Did the steroids make a difference? Different people have different theories, I guess. But for me, what hurt the most was sacrificing absolutely everything I had to finally achieve my dream of becoming a world champion — and then falling short. And when it became clear that UFC wasn’t going to consider me for a second title shot, my entire world collapsed. I felt like a part of me had just died. It was … beyond devastating.”

“Culturally and personally, being in Japan was an amazing experience,” said McGee. “I mean, from the ceilings to the shower fixtures, everything is so small over there — I felt a little like Godzilla trampling the villagers. But professionally, I never really recovered from the Sylvia fight. Mentally, I lost that edge — that killer instinct. Call it the ‘Eye of the Tiger’ or whatever you want; I was just going through the motions, unfocused and uncaring. And after losing my second fight in the Orient, I swore to myself that I would never step foot in a steel cage again — not until I regain my warrior’s mentality.”

“It took years of introspection and self-discovery, but I finally realized that God made me a giant and blessed me with this mind-blowing power for a reason: to be the most destructive heavyweight champion that’s ever walked on planet Earth,” McGee added. “Writers write, teachers teach — and giants destroy. For so many years I tried to run away from my destiny — to be something I’m not — but that part of my life has come to a screeching halt. My intensity level is off the charts right now; if I’ve gotta tear down buildings, smash open skulls or annihilate whole cities to get another title shot, then that’s what I’ll do. This time around, ‘The Giant’ will stand tall.”

Despite an overall losing record, Ivey has won nine of his past twelve bouts but was defeated by Ricco Rodriguez on July 26th in his most recent bout.

“Everyone likes to run their mouth — right until they’re smashed in the face with a fist or knee,” Ivey said. “McGee should’ve stayed retired.”

The September event will be streamed live on mmaxfc.com.