MMA Legends Ken Shamrock & Royce Gracie will face each other again on Friday February 19, 2016 at Bellator 149 at the Toyota Center in Houston, TX live on Spike TV.
Also there will be a Bellator Fan Feast at Dave & Buster’s Thursday, Feb 18 at 8 p.m. CT, with Kurt Angle, Wanderlai Silva, Tito Ortiz, Liam McGeary & Phil Davis.
Fans of all ages are invited to Dave and Buster’s in Houston, TX to meet and receive autographs from some of the greatest and most popular combat sports fighters of all time. Fans will also have the opportunity to win tickets and great prizes, as well as snap a photograph with the Bellator ring girls. Fan Fest is exclusively for Bellator Nation Members only, becoming an official Bellator Nation Member is simple and FREE. Click here to register and RSVP to Fan Fest. If you are already a member of Bellator Nation you will receive an email invitation to RSVP.
Kurt Angle may have finished up his pro wrestling dates with TNA, but he’s not retiring, as he’s said many times. As it turns out, he’ll be in the ring rather soon, and against an old foe in Rey Mysterio.
A promotion called UR Fight is putting on a pro wrestling/boxing/grappling/ MMA card that features several former WWE names. Ken Shamrock is advertised to take on Dan Severn in an MMA fight, while Michael Bisping and Chael Sonnen are set to grapple. Roy Jones Jr will also box on the show…against a fan.
The show takes place March 20 from the Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix, Arizona. The show will be broadcast on IPPV.
Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Kevin Randleman died of heart failure at age 44. Randleman was also a 2-time NCAA National Champion at Ohio St. in the early 1990’s.
In Oct. 1996, a 24-year old former Ohio State University (OSU) standout wrestler, Kevin Randleman, entered a one-night tournament in Brazil.
Randleman defeated Luiz Macial, Geza Kalman and future Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Pride FC competitor, Dan Bobish, to win the tournament. Eight months later, “The Monster” would make his UFC debut, picking up a big win over former champion, Maurice Smith, to avenge his training partner and mentor, Mark Coleman. Randleman would lose in the finals of that tournament two months later to Bas Ruten in one of the more controversial decisions of the early mixed martial arts (MMA) era, but avenge Coleman once again by defeating Pete Williams to win UFC’s Heavyweight Championship.
That was the crowning achievement of Randleman’s career, but he would not be without other highlights. His most notable one was an astonishing knockout of kickboxer-turned-MMA practitioner Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic with one of the biggest left hooks you’ll ever see. He nearly defeated Fedor Emelianenko in his very next fight, but “Last Emperor” was unbreakable back then, and Randleman’s astonishing highlight-reel suplex of the great Russian, which normally would send wheelchair salesmen into heart palpitations, was merely shrugged off and turned into a kimura one minute later.
It remains a defining moment for both men:
Sadly, word from nearly all segments of the Internet, specifically Sherdog.com, are that Randleman has passed away at age 44, leaving behind his wife and four children.
Bleacher Report’s Jeremy Botter is reporting that Randleman went to a local hospital with pneumonia and suffered from heart failure while undergoing treatment. A relative of his also made numerous Facebook posts in apparent outside confirmation.
News broke Wednesday of former WWE Champion CM Punk’s long-awaited UFC debut being delayed due to back surgery. Punk’s scheduled opponent, Mickey Gall, took to Twitter to comment on the injury
“Guys. It’s all good. The fight is still on. Minor surgery. I wish @CMPunk a healthy & speedy recovery. I want you at 100%, check that, #200,” Gall said, indicating that he wanted Punk at July’s UFC 200.
Guys. It's all good. The fight is still on. Minor surgery. I wish @CMPunk a healthy & speedy recovery. I want you at 100%, check that, #200
As it turns out, Punk’s surgery is a minor one, and as we’re being told, will likely only sideline Punk for 4-6 weeks. This would give him over three months to prepare for a fight at UFC 200.
CM Punk detractors are going to have some more ammunition, as the former WWE Champion will have his UFC debut delayed yet again. He’ll be undergoing back surgery to repair a herniated disc, according to MMAFighting’s Ariel Helwani.
Punk told Helwani that his back is something that has always bothered him, and he figured that it was simply professional wrestling injuries. As it turns out, it was.
“It got bad enough to the point where I couldn’t do anything the week before I went to train with the New Jersey Devils last month. One day I could manage, the next day I couldn’t. I’ve been in agony for almost a month. Chiropractor, acupuncture, massage, cryotherapy, nothing worked,” Punk told MMA Fighting.
CM Punk was linked to both July’s UFC 200 and June’s UFC 199 to take on Mickey Gall. Gall defeated Mike Jackson at last weekend’s UFC Fight Night 82 to earn the right to take on Punk in his UFC debut.
Many fans, fighters and media have speculated that Punk’s UFC career is simply a publicity stunt, and that he has no intent to fight. According to my sources close to the camp, Punk has always had the actual intent to fight, along with his trainers at Roufusport. Punk, 37, still insists he will fight in the UFC.
In late 2014 former WWE superstar CM Punk announced that he would be transitioning from pro wrestling to MMA. The straight edge Chicago native hoped to debut in 2015 but due to legal issues and even an injury his debut kept getting pushed back.
Punk who has an (0-0) record in MMA received tons of mixed reactions when he made the announcement. Some fans were excited while others felt he didn’t deserve a spot on the UFC roster.
Whether you love or hate Punk it’s no secret that the fans have been waiting to find out who his first opponent would be and tonight at UFC Vegas we got our answer. His name is Mickey Gall.
Gall won the fight over Mike Jackson in quick fashion, dropping Jackson with a punch before following him to the ground and locking on a rear naked choke submission. CM Punk was at cageside watching the fight.
Gall was discovered on UFC President Dana White’s LookingFor A Fight reality program, where he scouts talent from throughout the country. Highly touted prospect Sage Northcutt was also recruited on the show. After winning a regional bout, Gall told Dana White that he wanted to challenge CM Punk. An impressed White gave Gall the shot.
As for Gall he is now (2-0) in his MMA career and looks to square off against punk later this year.
UFC President Dana White recently had an interview with BigboyTv where he discussed the future of former Bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey.
He said Rousey will probably be making her return to the octagon in November of this year. If Rousey does indeed return in November it’ll be one year after her devastating loss to Holly Holm at UFC 193
White also went on to say that whoever wins at UFC 196 their next title defense will be against a returning Rousey. Whether that’ll be Holly Holm or Miesha Tate remains to be unseen.
Regardless who wins at UFC 196 it’ll be a rematch for Rousey and that alone is the making of an anticipated fight.
The Ultimate Fighter Team Joanna vs. Team Claudia will kick-off on FS1 on Wednesday, April 20 with a two-hour season premiere airing at 10 p.m. ET as 32 competitors fight for one of 16 slots – eight in each weight class – available to be coached by two of the sport’s best. The season will continue with 11 one-hour shows Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET. The series is the highest rated and most watched original program since the network’s inception in August 2013.
Poland’s first UFC champion, Jedrzejczyk (11-0, fighting out of Olsztyn, Poland) stormed onto the scene in 2014 with her first Octagon appearance. Since then, she’s gone on to win five straight, won the strawweight title, cemented her place on the top pound-for-pound list and is widely considered as one of the best strikers in the sport. She’ll now lend her expertise to the next generation of athletes who hope to follow in her footsteps and one day wear UFC gold themselves.
Gadelha (13-1, fighting out of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) trains at the renowned Nova Uniao gym, home to former champions Jose Aldo & Renan Barao. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist hopes to get another crack at current strawweight champion, Jedrzejczyk, who provided Gadelha with the only blemish on her record – a three-round split decision loss in late 2014. Their contrasting styles should provide for an entertaining season between the two teams. The Brazilian’s comfort zone is on the canvas and will provide a stark contrast to the Pole’s highly skilled striking attack brings a completely different skillset to the show.
The series culminates on live on FS1 Friday, July 8 in Las Vegas as part of International Fight Week and will be headlined by Jedrzejczyk and Gadelha in a championship
During last nights post fight press conference for UFC Fight night 80 president Dana White confirmed that Claudia Gadelha would be the next Challanger for undefeated Strawweight Champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk.
With the Strawweight division just one year young this fight has been an anticipated rematch amongst the majority of fight fans.
In their first fight back in December of last year many believed that Gadelha won the fight while others believed it was a draw. Further more Gadelha’s only career loss was at the hands of Jedrzejczyk.
The rematch was originally set for UFC193 but due to a thumb injury Gadelha was unable to complete and was replaced by Valerie Letourneau.
It would now seem Gadelha is cleared and ready to go but Jedrzejczyk is on a 6 month medical suspension after suffering a hand injury in her last title defense.
There is no exact timeline as to when this fight will take place but we here at WNB would put our money on UFC 200 during international fight week in July. Another title shot pegged for that monumental event is the rematch between Bantamweight champ Holly Holm and Ronda Rousey, so it’s possible that two women’s bouts could be headlining the card once more.
One things for sure whenever Gadelha vs Jedrzejczyk happens it’ll be one for the ages.
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