MMAFrenzy.com » Wilson Reis

Quick Hits: Rothwell Eyes “Cro Cop” for UFC 115, Perosh Gets Four-Fight UFC Deal, ProElite Returns, and More

Kris Karkoski — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 18:04:05 +0000

Ben Rothwell, who was forced to withdraw from last Saturday’s UFC 110 with a stomach virus, hopes to fight original opponent Mirko “Cro Cop” at UFC 115, which takes place on June 12 in Vancouver.
After stepping up at the last-minute to fight Mirko “Cro Cop” at UFC 110, Anthony Perosh, who suffered a second-round TKO due to a cut, has been rewarded with a four-fight UFC contract and is likely to return to action at light heavyweight.
Following it’s deal with Strikeforce early last year and subsequent acquisition by Stratus Media Group, ProElite has been restructured and is being relaunched with new top executives and will soon resume promoting MMA events, likely through its Cage Rage and Spirit MC promotions.
DREAM “Super Hulk” tournament winner Ikuhisa Minowa will return to action at DREAM 13 on March 22 in Yokohama, Japan, but his opponent has not yet been announced.
The UFC’s recently-announced line of Fathead posters include champions Brock Lesnar, Georges St-Pierre, Anderson Silva and BJ Penn, as well as Jon Jones, Junior Dos Santos and Nate Marquardt and retail for $99.99 each.
An injury has forced David Heath off this Friday’s “MFC 24: Heat XC” event, but teammate Ryan McClain will replace him and fight Dwayne Lewis in the card’s co-main event. MFC 24 is headlined by Yves Edwards vs. Derrick Noble and airs live on pay-per-view at MaximumFighting.com.
Former UFC lightweight Corey Hill’s comeback from a devastating broken leg continues on March 20, as he faces 7-1 Mark Holst at “Xtreme Combat League: Evolution” in Ypsilanti, Michigan.
Featherweight Wilson Reis, who returns to action in Bellator’s featherweight tournament in April, has been replaced by Nick Denis on the Sengoku 12 card, who fights Yuji Hoshino at the March 7 event on Tokyo, while Marlon Sandro vs. Tomonari Kanomatahas also been added to the event.
“Adrenaline MMA V,” which was slated for March 20 in Youngstown, Ohio and set to be headlined by Tim Sylvia vs. Wes Sims before it was declared non-competitive, will not take place as scheduled, and may instead be rescheduled for April in Findlay, Ohio.
On Tuesday, Alabama became the latest state to adopt legislation to regulate mixed martial arts events.

Pictured: Ben Rothwell

Bellator Announces Opening Round Matchups for Season Two Featherweight Tournament

Kris Karkoski — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 16:30:17 +0000

With its second season debut on April 8 now less than eight weeks away, Bellator Fighting Championships today announced the opening round matchups for its upcoming eight-man featherweight tournament:

The four fights will take place during Bellator’s first two Season 2 events on April 8th at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla., and on April 15th at the historic Chicago Theatre. Bellator will also conduct tournaments at 155, 170 and 185 lbs. during Season 2 with the winners in each division being declared No. 1 contenders to the current roster of Bellator champions. Fighter pairings for those tournaments will be announced within the coming weeks.

The featherweight (145 lbs.) matchups are as follows:

April 8th

Joe Warren (2-1) vs. Eric Marriott (17-2)

Georgi Karakhanyan (12-1-1) vs. Bao Quach (17-9-1)

April 15th

Wilson Reis (9-1) vs. Shad Lierley (5-2)

Patricio Pitbull (12-0) vs. William Romero (5-0)

Each of the fights will be broadcast live in prime time on FOX Sports Net. Highlights will be shown the following Saturday night in special action-packed shows on NBC and Telemundo.

“As an MMA fan, I can’t wait to see these fights,” said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “Having watched all of these guys in the cage, I can’t tell you who the favorite will be. There’s been great buzz about our 145 division and it’s definitely warranted. This tournament is a mine field for each of these fighters.”

For the latest Bellator news, Bellator rumors, and Bellator fight cards stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com.

Wilson Reis Returns to Bellator for Season Two Featherweight Tournament

Kris Karkoski — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:13:02 +0000

PRESS RELEASE:

Bellator Fighting Championships announced today that 9-1 featherweight standout Wilson Reis will return for Bellator’s Season 2 featherweight tournament looking to avenge his Season 1 loss to Bellator Champion Joe Soto.

The 25-year-old Reis is a back belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and, in 2008, took home the first-ever EliteXC bantamweight championship belt with his win over “The Silent Assassin,” Abel Cullum. Despite entering Bellator Season 1 as the No 1 tournament favorite and the No. 7 ranked featherweight in the world, Reis fell in the semi-final round to the upstart Soto. It was considered by many as the upset of the tournament and was the first and only loss of Reis’ career.

“Wilson’s a very talented fighter at 145 and was just one judge’s decision away from advancing to the featherweight championship fight last season,” said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “The Soto-Reis fight was one of the best fights in a season of great fights and the chance to potentially see a rematch between these two would be awesome. But first. Wilson has to get through a gauntlet of great fighters at 145. Plain and simple with Wilson’s addition, our featherweight tournament is stacked.”

Reis is the sixth confirmed competitor in Bellator’s upcoming eight-man Season 2 featherweight tournament, joining Joe Warren, Patricio Pitbull, Georgi Karakhanyan, William Romero and Bao Quach. Combined, the six fighters boast a remarkable career record of 57-12-2.

Bellator will also conduct tournaments at 155, 170 and 185 lbs. during Season 2, which begins April 8th on FOX Sports Net, NBC and Telemundo. The winners in each division will be declared No. 1 contenders to the current roster of champions.

Reis was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil, known worldwide as a breeding ground for young Jiu-Jitsu fighters.

He trained under the famed Jiu-Jitsu coach Roberto Godoi and first made a name for himself while still a teenager, winning the 2004 Jiu-Jitsu World Championships. Later that same year, he came to the United States to continue his Jiu-Jitsu training at the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu United gym in Jenkintown, Penn., working construction during the day to make ends meet.

About two years later, he began to take up an interest in MMA and started expanding his training to include boxing, grappling and Muay Thai, moving to the Daddis Fight Camps in Philadelphia. He took his first professional MMA fight in July 2007.

“After that first fight, I knew MMA was going to be my sport,” Reis said. “I knew I could be very successful.”

Since then, he has amassed an impressive 9-1 overall record with his lone defeat coming at the hands of the aforementioned Soto.

“More than anything, I want to get my rematch against Joe Soto,” Reis said. “I’m a lot more mature now as a fighter and an athlete … a lot more prepared than I was before.”

For complete Bellator coverage, including the latest Bellator news, Bellator rumors, and Bellator fight card, stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com.

Quick Hits: Zaromskis-Tamura at Dream 13, Reis-Hoshino added to SRC 12, “Strikeforce: Miami” Ratings, and More

Justin — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 20:00:18 +0000

Marius Zaromskis will like face Kiyoshi Tamura in a welterweight title fight at the March 22 Dream 13, which will take place at the Yokohama Arena in Yokohama, Japan. Zaromskis was last in action losing to Nick Diaz at Saturday’s Strikeforce: Miami, while Tamura hasn’t been in action since defeating Kazushi Sakuraba at Dynamite!! 2008. [MMAFighting]
Several fights have been added to Sengoku Raiden Championship 12 which is scheduled for March 7 at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo. Former EliteXC 140 pound champion Wilson Reis will make his SRC debut against Yuji Hoshino. Also likely for the event, both Marlon Sandro and Leonardo Santos will look to return to the promotion at the event, against as yet named opponents, and Shigeki Osawa will face Kyung Ho Kang.
Former UFC middleweight David Loiseau, who was born to Haitian parents who had immigrated to Canada, has secured a charity fight to benefit victims of the January earthquake in Haiti. He will headline “Mixed Fight League 2: Battleground” against Isidro Gonzales, and for every ticket sold $2 will be donated to the American Red Cross to benefit their relief efforts in the wake of the earthquake in Haiti. Other notables on the card include Jon Murphy and Marvin Eastman. [MMAJunkie]
Veteran regional promotion King Of The Cage and HDNet have announced a deal that will see monthy KOTC events aired live on the cable network over the next three years. The first event scheduled to be shown as part of the agreement will be the promotion’s February 12 “KOTC: Vengeance” fight card which features Tyler East vs. Tony Lopez, Rich Clementi vs. Anthony Lapsley, and Travis Wiuff vs. Mike Kyle.
Strikeforce: Miami, which aired on Showtime Saturday night drew 517,000 viewers, making it the second most watched MMA event on Showtime, trailing the Carano vs. Cyborg card which drew 576,000. The UFC counter-programmed the Strikeforce event by rebroadcasting December’s UFC 107 pay-per-view on SpikeTV, and drew 2.2 million viewers.
“Ring of Fire 37: Warlords” is set for Omaha, Nebraska on March 5th and will be headlined by Alfonzo Martinez vs. Demi Deeds. The fight card will also feature former “The Ultimate Fighter” contestants and UFC fighters, Junie Browning and Justin Wren.
Brazilian promotion, Vale Tudo Championships will be holding a Brazil vs. USA card on March 6 in Manaus, Amazonas which will be headlined by former WEC and UFC fighter Nissen Osterneck taking on Tigrau in a middleweight matchup. Also on the card is CFP star Tomar Washington, and the MMA Debut of Hawaiian surfing legend Kala Alexander. The full fight card can be found on the Vale Tudo Championships website.
Former UFC fighters Jason Day and Jesse Taylor will face off in the headlining fight of Edmonton, Alberta based Agression MMA’s inaugural event, which takes place Friday night at The Expo Center in Edmonton. A portion of every ticket sold to the event, as well as $1 from every online pay-per-view purchased will be donated to the Red Cross Haiti Relief Fund. The online pay-per-view can be purchased on Aggression MMA’s website.
Shine Fights has recently inked multi-fight deals with veteran welterweight Nick Thompson, and Abu Dhabi champion Braulio Estima. Estima is an MMA newcomer, but defeated Andre Galvao and Alexandre Rebeiro in winning ADCC. At Abu Dhabi he competed at approximately 194 pounds, so it is unclear what weight class he will fight in for his MMA debut.
Following losses in his first two fights with the promotion, the UFC has decided to cut light heavyweight Razak Al-Hassan from their roster, according to Fiveouncesofpain.com. Al-Hassan entered the UFC undefeated, but lost via armbar to Steve Cantwell in his debut, and then dropped a decision to Kyle Kingsbury in his last outing.

Pictured: Marius Zaromskis

Videos: Grapplers Quest Superfights From UFC 100 UFC Fan Expo

Kris Karkoski — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 22:23:05 +0000

Joe “Daddy” Stevenson vs. Bill “The Grill” Cooper:

Jeff Glover vs. Wilson Reis:

Rumina Sato vs. Ulysses Gomez:

Soto Submits Reyes at Bellator X To Win Featherweight Title

Kris Karkoski — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 14:44:41 +0000

Following a dominant first round, Joe Soto forced Yahir Reyes to submit to a rear naked choke late in the second frame of their headlining bout at Bellator X at the Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, California on Friday to become the promotion’s first featherweight champion.

In addition to the belt, Soto takes home a $100,000 prize for winning Bellator’s 145-pound tournament following previous victories over Ben Greer and tournament favorite Wilson Reis.

After dropping Reyes to the canvas in the opening seconds of the fight and unleashing ground and pound for the majority of the bout, Soto applied the fight-ending choke as time ticked down in round two, forcing Reyes to tap at the 4:11 mark of the round. Soto ups his undefeated record to 7-0 with the victory, while Reyes falls to 14-6 following the loss.

In the Bellator X co-headliner, featherweight Wilson Reis returned to the win column with a split decision victory over Richard Vargas with scores of 29-28, 29-28, and 28-29.

The official Bellator X Results were:

Joe Soto def. Yahir Reyes via submission (rear naked choke) — Round 2 4:11
Wilson Reis def. Roberto Vargas via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Bryan Baker def. Matt Horwich via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
Diego Garijo def. Saad Awad via submission (rear naked choke) — Round 1, 4:45
Israel Giron def. Phillip Brown via submission (rear naked choke) — Round 1, 2:42
Travis Browne def. Mychal Clark via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Jesse Juarez def. Mikey Gomez via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Nick Moghaddam def. Lamar Jiles via disqualification (illegal knee) — Round 2, 4:14

[Pictured: Joe Soto]

Bellator X Weigh-In Results: Soto, Reyes Make Weight For Title Bout

Kris Karkoski — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 13:47:08 +0000

All 16 fighters set to compete tonight at Bellator X at the Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, California successfully made weight at yesterday’s weigh-ins.

Among the fighters who hit the scales were featherweight finalists Joe Soto (144) and Yahir Reyes (144.5), who will square off tonight in the promotion’s first tournament final with the Bellator 145-pound title and a $100,000 prize on the line.

The complete Bellator X weigh-in results were:

Yahir Reyes (144.5) vs. Joe Soto (144)
Bellator Featherweight Championship
Roberto Vargas (145.5) vs. Wilson Reis (145.5)
Bryan Baker (184.25) vs. Matt Horwich (184.5)
Saad Awad (156) vs. Diego Garijo (155.5)
Phil Brown (153.5) vs. Israel Giron (155)
Mychal Clark (217) vs. Travis Browne (254)
Mike Gomez (173) vs. Jesse Juarez (175)
Nick Moghaddam (206.5) vs. Lamar Jiles (202)

Bellator 6 Results: Soto, Reyes Advance to Featherweight Finals

Kris Karkoski — Sat, 09 May 2009 14:25:32 +0000

Joe Soto punches Wilson Reis at Bellator 6

The finals of Bellator’s featherweight tournament are now set following Friday’s Bellator 6 event in Robstown, Texas. Yahir Reyes advanced with a second-round spinning backfist knockout of Estevan Payan, while Joe Soto upset tournament favorite Wilson Reis via unanimous decision in the evening’s headliner.

The event’s official results were:

Joe Soto def. Wilson Reis via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Yahir Reyes def. Estevan Payan via KO (spinning back fist) — Round 2, 1:56
Luis Palomino def. Nick Gonzalez via TKO (strikes) — Round 1, 2:13
Roberto Vargas def. Daniel Pineda via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
Jose Santibanez def. Dustin Phillips via submission (rear naked choke) — Round 1, 3:34
Bubba McDaniel def. Chris Spicer via submission (rear naked choke) — Round 1, 2:53
Hector Urbina def. Ira Boyd via TKO (injury) — Round 1, 0:19

* A scheduled matchup between Diego Garijo and Hector Munoz was scratched from the card due to an undisclosed illness suffered by Munoz, who missed weight on Friday by nearly 10 pounds.

Bellator 6 Weigh-In Results: Reis and Soto on Target; Two Fighters Miss Weight

Kris Karkoski — Fri, 08 May 2009 17:28:52 +0000

Joe Soto and Wilson Reis Weigh-in For Bellator 6

Featherweight tournament favorite Wilson Reis (145.5) and opponent Joe Soto (145.5) were both on target for their headlining bout yesterday when weighing in for tonight’s Bellator event in Robstown, Texas.

Featherweight tournament participant Estevan Payan and non-tournament fighter Hector Munoz both failed to make weight, but the bouts will go on as scheduled after each was fined a portion of their salary.

The official weigh-in results were:

145: Joe Soto (145.5) vs. Wilson Reis (145.5)
145: Estevan Payan (148.5) vs. Yahir Reyes (145.5)
Diego Garijo (154.5) vs. Hector Munoz (164.5)
Luis Palomino (146.5) vs. Nick Gonzalez (146)
Roberto Vargas (145) vs. Daniel Pineda (146)
Dustin Phillips (145.5) vs. Jose Santibanez (146)
Chris Spicer (186.5) vs. Bubba McDaniels (183.5)
Ira Boyd (162) vs. Hector Urbina (174)

Bellator 6 Set For May 8 in Texas Featuring Reis-Soto

Kris Karkoski — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 15:34:16 +0000

PRESS RELEASE — Bellator Fighting Championships continues its 12 week nationwide world championship series with its sixth event taking place at the Central Pavilion Arena at Richard M. Borchard Regional Fairgrounds in Robstown, Texas on May 8, 2009.

The event will feature two semi-final match-ups with the winners each advancing to the finals and becoming just one step away from capturing Bellator’s Featherweight (145 lbs.) world championship title. Each of the semi-final winners from Texas will walk away with fifty-thousand dollars ($50,000).

Returning just three weeks after his dominating quarter-finals win over Henry Martinez, former EliteXC Champion Wilson Reis will continue his fight to capture the Bellator Featherweight world championship title against undefeated All-American wrestler Joe “the Hammer” Soto, in a fight that MMA writers are predicting could be the fight of the entire tournament series. Also continuing his run at the title is Yahir Reyes, fresh from his upset victory over heavily favored opponent Nick “the Ghost” Gonzalez at Bellator I. Reyes will face Estevan “El Terrible” Payan, a converted-Welterweight, for a chance to compete in the world championship final against the winner of the Reis/Soto semi-final bout. All the action happens live at the Central Pavilion Arena in Robstown, Texas Friday, May 8, 2009 and will air exclusively on ESPN Deportes Saturday, May 9, 2009.

“This Texas event really has the makings of a magical night, where some of the world’s very best at 145 pounds come together to determine who the best really are,” said Bellator Fighting Championships CEO Bjorn Rebney. “We’ve created a tournament that allows fighters to control their own destiny; in fact over the last three weeks our format has resulted in several major upsets where virtual unknown fighters have advanced towards the title by defeating top contenders. As we’ve shown over the last month, anything can happen and will happen Friday, May 8 in Texas. The title is there for the taking and it is up to the fighters to prove who wants it most.”

Bellator VI on Friday, May 8, 2009 will feature two semi-final tournament bouts in the Featherweight category and six undercard matches including former tournament fighters Nick Gonzalez and Luis Palomino, who will square off for a chance of redemption after their prior losses. Tickets are on sale now and are available at the Fairgrounds Box Office, www.RMBFairgrounds.com or by calling 361-387-9002. Ticket prices are $20 and $40. The fight card is detailed below:

Tournament Bouts:

145 lbs. Wilson Reis (7-0) vs. Joe Soto (4-0)

185 lbs. Yahir Reyes (13-5) vs. Estevan Payan (7-1)

Non-Tournament Bouts:

185 lbs. Nick Gonzalez (14-7) vs. Luis Palomino (9-5)

155 lbs. Hector Munoz (7-3) vs. Diego Garijo (3-1)

170 lbs. Jeff Messina (2-1) vs. Sergio Morais (3-0)

145 lbs. Daniel Pineda (8-2) vs. Roberto Vargas (5-0)

145 lbs. Travis Lamb (4-1) vs. Dustin Phillips (9-3)

185 lbs. Bubba McDaniels (13-5) vs. Prince McClean (9-5)

Bellator Fighting Championships’ premiere season consists of 12 two-hour events to be broadcast weekly in primetime on Saturday nights on ESPN Deportes, and the English-language broadcast becomes available each Wednesday at 7 am EST on Bellator.com. The nationally televised events feature a combination of tournament and non-tournament special feature bouts. There are four simultaneous tournaments taking place in season #1 over a three month period: one in each of the Featherweight (145 lb.), Lightweight (155 lb.), Welterweight (170 lb.) and Middleweight (185 lb.) divisions.

For more information about Bellator Fighting Championships, visit www.Bellator.com. For the Spanish language version of the website, visit Espanol.Bellator.com. Please contact your local cable provider to learn more about viewing Bellator Fighting Championships on ESPN Deportes.