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Strikeforce “Fedor vs. Rogers” Results: Fedor Emelianenko Knocks Out Brett Rogers, Shields Tops “Mayhem” To Win Title

Kris Karkoski — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 04:19:41 +0000

Despite being bloodied in the opening seconds of the fight, top-ranked heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko did what most predicted he would, scoring a second-round knockout of previously undefeated Brett Rogers on Saturday in the main event of Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers.

The bout capped off the promotion’s first CBS-televised event, which took place at the Sears Centre Arena in Hoffman Estates, Illinois just outside Chicago.

Rogers opened up a gash on Fedor’s nose with his first punch of the fight, but Emelianenko recovered to batter Rogers with punches throughout the round and also attempted several submissions, but was unable to earn the stoppage in the first.

The pair clinched to start the second but separated and squared off in the center of the cage, where Fedor dropped Rogers with an overhand right and forced the referee, “Big” John McCarthy, to intervene after several follow-up punches on the ground.

Fedor improves to 31-1 with the victory, extending his winning streak to 27-straight, while Rogers falls to 10-1 after suffering the first loss of his career.

After the bout, both Emelianenko and Rogers said they were open to a rematch, though both will almost certainly take on other opponents first. Fabricio Werdum, who won a hard-fought decision over Antonio Silva earlier on the card, and Strikeforce champ Alistair Overeem could be next in line for Fedor, while Silva is among the possibilities for Rogers’ next fight.

Shields Tops “Mayhem” To Win Middleweight Title

In the evening’s co-headliner, Jake Shields was crowned Strikeforce’s middleweight champion with a unanimous decision victory over Jason “Mayhem” Miller.

Though Miller appeared closest to ending the fight, securing a tight rear naked choke in the third that he was forced to give up when the bell sounded, Shields was dominant on the ground in earning the victory, taking Miller’s back and getting to mount nearly at will.

Shields, who jumps to 24-4-1 with his 13th-straight win, captures the title which was vacated by Cung Le earlier this year and appears poised to fight the winner of a December 19 matchup between Le and Scott Smith, made official during Saturday’s event, in his first title defense next year.

Miller drops to 22-7 after the loss, his second in his past three fights.

Mousasi, Werdum Earn Main Card Wins

Once-feared striker Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou appeared improved in his non-title matchup with Strikeforce light heavyweight champ Gegard Mousasi, but in the end it was an outcome”The African Assassin” has become all too familiar with over the last two years, as Mousasi finished a tired Sokoudjou with punches in the second.

In a matchup of heavyweight contenders making their Strikeforce debuts, former UFC contender Fabricio Werdum took out former EliteXC champ Antonio Silva, who returned to the United States after serving a one-year steroid suspension while fighting in Japan.

Coenen Sets Up “Cyborg” Fight With Win; Curran Snaps Losing Streak

On the “Fedor vs. Rogers” preliminary card, Marloes Coenen quickly submitted Roxanne Modafferi to likely earn a title shot against champ Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos early next year, while Jeff Curran snapped his four-fight losing streak when opponent Dustin Neace was forced to quit due to a rib injury in the opening round.

The official results for Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers were:

MAIN CARD

Fedor Emelianenko def. Brett Rogers via TKO (strikes) — Round 2, 1:48
Jake Shields def. Jason “Mayhem” Miller via unanimous decision (48-47, 49-46, 49-46)
Strikeforce Middleweight Championship
Gegard Mousasi def. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou via TKO (strikes) — Round 2, 3:43
Fabricio Werdum def. Antonio Silva via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

PRELIMINARY CARD

Marloes Coenen def. Roxanne Modafferi via submission (armbar) — Round 1, 1:05
Jeff Curran def. Dustin Neace via submission (injury) — Round 1, 1:39
Shamar Bailey def. John Kolosci via unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 29-27)
Nate Moore def. Louis Taylor via submission (strikes) — Round 2, 3:24
Christian Uflacker def. Jonatas Novaes via unanimous decision (29-26, 30-25, 30-25)

Note: A scheduled fight between Deray Davis and Mark Miller was scratched due to time constraints.

Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers Weigh-In Results

Kris Karkoski — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 22:34:33 +0000

All 20 fighters who will be in action at tomorrow’s CBS-televised Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers event in Hoffman Estates, Illinois successfully made weight today for their bouts.

Top-ranked heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko tipped the scale at 232 pounds, while his main event opponent, Brett Rogers, came in 32 pounds heavier at 264 pounds.

The event’s official weigh-in results were:

MAIN CARD

265: Fedor Emelianenko (232) vs. Brett Rogers (264)
185: Jason “Mayhem” Miller (184) vs. Jake Shields (184.5)
Strikeforce Middleweight Championship (vacant)
205: Gegard Mousasi (205) vs. Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou (204)
265: Antonio Silva (263) vs. Fabricio Werdum (242)

PRELIMINARY CARD

145: Marloes Coenen (145) vs. Roxanne Modafferi (140)
170: Deray Davis (170.5) vs. Mark Miller (171)
135: Jeff Curran (145) vs. Dustin Neace (150.5)
170: Shamar Bailey (170) vs. John Kolosci (171)
185: Nate Moore (184) vs. Louis Taylor (185.5)
155: Jonatas Novaes (155.5) vs. Christian Uflacker (156)

Don’t forget, MMAFrenzy.com will be providing live “Fedor vs. Rogers” results tomorrow beginning at 7pm ET, with main card coverage of the event getting underway at 9pm.

Strikeforce Roundup: Lindland vs. “Jacare” In The Works, Lawal’s Proposed Debut, Beerbohm Inks a Deal, and more

Justin H — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:00:41 +0000

Strikeforce’s December 19th is beginning to shape up, fighters already rumored for the event include Robbie Lawler, and Scott Smith. Now joining them is a proposed middleweight match up between Matt Lindland and Ronald “Jacare” Souza, and the promotional debut of Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal against an as yet unknown opponent. [Fanhouse]
Jeff Curran’s Strikeforce debut on November 7 will not be against Sam Thao but will instead be against 17-13-1 fighter Dustin Neace, after the Illinois Athletic Commission did not approve the Curran vs. Tao fight. That is not the only lineup change for the CBS televised event, another undercard fight, which could be for number one contendership in the women’s division, has undergone a change. Roxanne Modafferi will replace Erin Toughill, who had to pull out of the contest due to an undisclosed medical condition against Marloes Coenen.
Undefeated lightweight prosect Lyle “Fancy Pants” Beerbohm has signed a multi-year deal with Strikeforce. The deal is a two year deal, that gives Strikeforce an option on a third year, and is non-exclusive.
Strikeforce Challengers 5: Woodley vs. Bears, which is set for November 20, has undergone some recent lineup changes. 4-1 Brian Davidson and 11-3 Lee Gibson have both been added to the card, though no opponent has been named for either man. Additionally, an anticipated female match up pitting Sarah Kaufman against Takayo Hashi has been pulled from the card though no reason has been given, and the fight is now likely to happen in January of 2010.

Pictured: Matt Lindland

Jeff Curran Fights Sam Thao on Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers Prelims

Kris Karkoski — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 11:00:04 +0000

Former WEC featherweight and bantamweight contender and recent Strikeforce signee Jeff Curran will make his Strikeforce debut against Sam Thao on the undercard of “Fedor vs. Rogers” on November 7, according to Five Ounces of Pain.

The CBS-televised event takes place at Hoffman Estates, Illinois near Chicago and is headlined by Fedor Emelianenko vs. Brett Rogers.

Curran (29-12-1), who signed a multi-fight, non-exclusive deal with the promotion earlier this week, has lost four-straight to notables Urijah Faber and Mike Brown at featherweight and Joseph Benavidez and Takeya Mizugaki at bantamweight.

Thao (4-1) suffered the first loss of his career last July before rebounding with a second-round knockout in May.

For the latest Strikeforce rumors check out the MMAFrenzy.com MMA rumors section.

Pictured: Jeff Curran

Quick Hits: Horodecki Likely to Sign With WEC, Curran’s Strikeforce Debut Set for Nov. 7, Lawler Expects December Fight, and More

Justin H — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 21:23:58 +0000

Lightweight Chris Horodecki is expected to sign with the WEC very soon, according to his trainer Shawn Thompkins. If the deal goes through, the 22-year-old Canadian would enter the organization with a 13-1 record, having suffered his only loss to Ryan Schutlz in the IFL.
Jeff Curran’s next fight will not come under the WEC banner after four consecutive losses in the organization, but will instead be on the undercard of the November 7 “Fedor vs. Rogers” event after “The Big Frog” recently signed a two-fight non-exclusive deal with the promotion. Curran is also expected to compete in his own XFO promotion on December 5th against Tomohiko Hori.
Robbie Lawler is expected to return to action in December, though no opponent has been finalized. MMA Fanhouse reports that Lawler has been offered both Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza and Nick Diaz as possible opponents for the Strikeforce event, but that Lawler’s manager, Monte Cox, is opposed to the idea of Lawler fighting Souza.
Sean Salmon has been issued a one-year administrative suspension, and fined $2,500 by the Ohio Athletic Commission due to comments in a September column for MMAJunkie.com in which he hinted that he may have intentionally given up a submission in a June fight against Allan Weickert, which took place in Ohio.
Middleweight combatant Xavier Foupa-Pokam is will headline the next edition of Tachi Palace Fights on December 3rd against California based fighter Mike Moreno. He is also scheduled to compete this coming Saturday in Edmonton, Alberta-based Aggression MMA’s inaugural event, where he will look to rebound from his 0-2 stint in the UFC against Chester Post, a fighter with a record of 6-17-1. Other bouts on the Aggression MMA fight card include Jason Lambert vs. Matt Horwich, Travis Fulton vs. Jason Fairn, and Cyrille Diabate vs. Marcus Hicks among others.
Australian MMA Verteran James Te Huna is expected to make his UFC debut at UFC 110 in Australia after recently signing with the promotion.
Dutch heavyweight Gilbert Yvel, under scrutiny due to his past unsportsmanlike actions, was recently granted a one-fight license by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, potentially opening the door for Yvel to fight in the UFC, though there have been no reports that he’s in talks with the organization.
Strikeforce heavyweight champion Alistair Overeem’s manager, Bas Boon, recently stated that Overeem is looking to defend that title in late February or early March, matching the time line for his return that Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker recently laid out for his return.
Former UFC fighters Josh Burkman and Brandon Melendez will meet in the main event of “Throwdown Showdown” on November 20 in Orem, Utah.
WEC featherweight Cole Province on Friday was issued a nine-month suspension and $4,000 fine by the Nevada State Athletic Commission after testing positive for anabolic steroids following his August unanimous decision win over Fredson Paixao at WEC 42, which has since been changed to a no contest.
UFC welterweight Frank Trigg recently underwent successful knee surgery, but his plans to return in early-2010 remain unaffected with Matt Serra considered a potential opponent.
Alexandre “Cacareco” Ferreira (18-6) is reportedly close to signing with the UFC after submitting Walter Mazurkievicz over the weekend at Jungle Fight 15.

Torres Tops WEC 42 Fighter Salaries; Bowles, Yahya, Cruz, and Benavidez Win Fight Night Bonuses

Kris Karkoski — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 19:08:48 +0000

Former bantamweight champion Miguel Torres was the top paid fighter at Saturday’s WEC 42 event in Las Vegas, receiving $25,000 after losing his title to Brian Bowles via first-round knockout in the evening’s main event.

Bowles ($18,000), Leonard Garcia ($24,000), Shane Roller ($20,000), and Rani Yahya ($16,000) were also among the top earners for the card, according to the official fighter salaries released by the Nevada State Athletic Commission on Monday.

The disclosed payroll for the Versus-televised event was$234,500.

In addition to the salaries listed below, which are simply the figures the WEC is required to report to the NSAC and exclude some taxes, fees, and payments such as sponsorships and bonuses, Bowles, Yahya, Dominick Cruz, and Joseph Benavidez each took home an extra $10,000 “Fight Night” bonus for their performances at the event.

“Knockout of the Night” went to Bowles for his first-round KO of Torres, “Submission of the Night” went to Yahya for his north-south choke submission of John Hosman on the WEC 42 prelims, and “Fight of the Night” was awarded to Cruz and Benavidez for their back-and-forth bantamweight scrap, which was won by Cruz via unanimous decision.

The official fighter salaries for WEC 42 were:

Brian Bowles* ($18,000 – includes $9,000 win bonus) def. Miguel Torres ($25,000)
Dominick Cruz* ($14,000 – $7,000 win bonus) def. Joseph Benavidez ($12,500)
Danny Castillo ($14,000 – $7,000 win bonus) def. Ricardo Lamas ($4,000)
Takeya Mizugaki ($12,000 – $6,000 win bonus) def. Jeff Curran ($8,000)
Leonard Garcia ($24,000 – $12,000 win bonus) def. Jameel Massouh ($3,000)
Cole Province ($6,000 – $3,000 win bonus) def. Fredson Paixao ($2,000)
Shane Roller ($20,000 – $10,000 win bonus) def. Marcus Hicks ($8,000)
Ed Ratcliff ($14,000 – $7,000 win bonus) def. Phil Cardella ($3,000)
Rani Yahya* ($16,000 – $8,000 win bonus) def. John Hosman ($3,000)
Diego Nunes ($8,000 – $4,000 win bonus) def. Rafael Dias ($4,000)
L.C. Davis ($10,000 – $5,000 win bonus) def. Javier Vazquez ($6,000)

* Bowles, Yahya, Cruz, and Benavidez each received an additional $10,000 “Fight Night” bonus.

Pictured: Brian Bowles

WEC 42 Results: Brian Bowles Wins Bantamweight Title With First-Round KO of Miguel Torres

Kris Karkoski — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 03:25:46 +0000

Brian Bowles (pictured) became the new WEC bantamweight champion on Sunday in the main event of WEC 42, knocking out 135-pound title-holder and top-ranked pound-for-pound fighter Miguel Torres in the opening round of the main event at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

Bowles rocked Torres early in round and also scored a takedown in the frame, but appeared to be in trouble as Torres landed a series of punches that forced him to backpedal. But Torres’ aggressiveness left an opening for Bowles, who connected with a right hook that dropped Torres to the canvas, where Bowles was able to quickly finish off the champ with a barrage of punches.

Bowles remains undefeated, improving his record to 8-0 following the surprising first-round knockout, while Torres falls to 37-2 after having his 17-fight win streak that dated back to early-2004 snapped.

In the WEC 42 co-main event, bantamweight contenders Dominick Cruz and Joseph Benavidez engaged in an entertaining bout that saw Cruz pick up a unanimous decision victory to improve his record to 14-1 and extend his win streak to 5-straight.

Danny Castillo came from behind to score a second-round knockout of Ricardo Lamas on the WEC 42 main card, while Takeya Mizugaki picked up a questionable decision victory over Jeff Curran and Leonard Garcia topped Jameel Massouh at the Versus-televised event.

Rani Yahya earned the only stoppage on the six-bout WEC 42 preliminary card, submitting late-replacement John Hosman with a north-south choke in the opening-round of their matchup. In other prelim action, Shane Roller topped Marcus Hicks in a back-and-forth bout, LC Davis edged fellow Affliction-import Javier Vazquez, and Ed Ratcliff, Diego Nunes, and Cole Provice also picked up decision victories.

The complete results for WEC 42 were:

Brian Bowles def. Miguel Torres (c) via KO (punches) — Round 1, 3:57
WEC Bantamweight Championship
Dominick Cruz def. Joseph Benavidez via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Danny Castillo def. Ricardo Lamas via TKO (strikes) — Round 2, 4:15
Takeya Mizugaki def. Jeff Curran via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Leonard Garcia def. Jameel Massouh via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Cole Province def. Fredson Paixao via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Shane Roller def. Marcus Hicks via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Ed Ratcliff def. Phil Cardella via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Rani Yahya def. John Hosman via submission (north-south choke) — Round 1, 2:08
Diego Nunes def. Rafael Dias via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
L.C. Davis def. Javier Vazquez via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)

“WEC 42: Torres vs. Bowles” Live Results

Kris Karkoski — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 00:20:20 +0000

Welcome to MMAFrenzy.com’s live coverage of Sunday’s WEC 42 event, which takes place at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas and is headlined by a bantamweight championship bout between title-holder and top pound-for-pound fighter Miguel Torres and challenger Brian Bowles.

Follow along below for live results from the 11-bout card, which is currently in progress:

Brian Bowles def. Miguel Torres (c) via KO (punches) — Round 1, 3:57
WEC Bantamweight Championship
Dominick Cruz def. Joseph Benavidez via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Danny Castillo def. Ricardo Lamas via TKO (strikes) — Round 2, 4:15
Takeya Mizugaki def. Jeff Curran via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Leonard Garcia def. Jameel Massouh via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Cole Province def. Fredson Paixao via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Shane Roller def. Marcus Hicks via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Ed Ratcliff def. Phil Cardella via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Rani Yahya def. John Hosman via submission (north-south choke) — Round 1, 2:08
Diego Nunes def. Rafael Dias via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
L.C. Davis def. Javier Vazquez via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)

WEC Bantamweight Championship
Dominick Cruz def. Joseph Benavidez via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Danny Castillo def. Ricardo Lamas via TKO (strikes) — Round 2, 4:15
Takeya Mizugaki def. Jeff Curran via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Leonard Garcia def. Jameel Massouh via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Cole Province def. Fredson Paixao via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Ed Ratcliff def. Phil Cardella via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Ed Ratcliff def. Phil Cardella via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Rani Yahya def. John Hosman via submission (north-south choke) — Round 1, 2:08
Diego Nunes def. Rafael Dias via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
L.C. Davis def. Javier Vazquez via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)

Pictured: Miguel Torres and Brian Bowles

WEC 42 Weigh-In Results: Torres, Bowles on Weight For Headliner

Kris Karkoski — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 01:00:58 +0000

WEC bantamweight champion Miguel Torres and challenger Brian Bowles, who meet in the main event of Sunday’s WEC 42 card in Las Vegas, successfully made weight on Saturday for the headliner.

Both fighters weighed in at 134-pounds, one-pound under the 135-pound division limit, at the official weigh-ins, which were held at Body English at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. Tomorrow’s event takes place at The Joint at the Hard Rock and airs live on Versus.

The rest of the 11-bout card also successfully made weight with the exception of lightweight Marcus Hicks, who weighed in at 159-pounds for his preliminary bout against Shane Roller. Roller will receive 15-percent of Hicks’ contracted purse and the fight will go on as scheduled.

The official weigh-in results for WEC 42 were:

MAIN CARD

135: Miguel Torres (c) (134) vs. Brian Bowles (134)
WEC Bantamweight Championship
135: Joseph Benavidez (135) vs. Dominick Cruz (135)
155: Danny Castillo (156) vs. Ricardo Lamas (155)
135: Jeff Curran (136) vs. Takeya Mizugaki (135)

PRELIMINARY CARD

145: Leonard Garcia (145) vs. Jameel Massouh (146)
145: Fredson Paixao (145) vs. Cole Province (146)
155: Marcus Hicks (159)* vs. Shane Roller (156)^
155: Phil Cardella (155) vs. Ed Ratcliff (155)
135: John Hosman (135) vs. Rani Yayha (136)
145: Rafael Dias (145) vs. Diego Nunes (145)
145: L.C. Davis (145) vs. Javier Vazquez (146)

* Hicks weighed in at 159-pounds on his only attempt and will lose 15-percent of his purse to Roller, with the fight going on as scheduled.
^ Roller weighed in at 157-pounds on his first try, but reached an acceptable 156-pounds without his fight shorts on a second attempt.

Remember: Fighters are granted a one-pound allowance for non-championship bouts.

[Weigh-in results via MMAjunkie]

Pictured: Miguel Torres

WEC 42: Torres vs. Bowles Lineup Set for August 9

Kris Karkoski — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 14:58:37 +0000

World Extreme Cagefighting has released the complete fight card for WEC 42: Torres vs. Bowles, which takes place on August 9 at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

Joining a headlining matchup between bantamweight champ Miguel Torres and challenger Brian Bowles on the Versus-televised main card are Joseph Benavidez vs. Dominick Cruz, Danny Castillo vs. Ricardo Lamas, Jeff Curran vs. Takeya Mizugaki.

The now-complete WEC 42 fight card features:

MAIN CARD

Miguel Torres (c) vs. Brian Bowles
WEC Bantamweight Championship
Joseph Benavidez vs. Dominick Cruz
Danny Castillo vs. Ricardo Lamas
Jeff Curran vs. Takeya Mizugaki

PRELIMINARY CARD

Leonard Garcia vs. Jameel Massouh
Fredson Paixao vs. Cole Province
Marcus Hicks and Shane Roller
Phil Cardella vs. Ed Ratcliff
Kenji Osawa vs. Rani Yahya
Rafael Dias vs. Diego Nunes

[Pictured: Miguel Torres]