Merlito Sabillo vs Jorle Estrada WBO Title Fight Live Streaming July 13, 2013

Watch Merlito Sabillo (No. 10) vs. Jorle Estrada Fight Live Streaming 12 rounds - Strawweight division (for Sabillo's WBO title) on July 13, 2013 from Pasay City, Philippines

 

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Lightweights Gleison Tibau, Jamie Varner Slated for UFC 164 Clash in Milwaukee

A lightweight showdown between Jamie Varner and Gleison Tibau is on tap for the UFC’s return to Milwaukee.

UFC officials announced the booking Wednesday, revealing that the 155-pound pairing has joined UFC 164. The Aug. 31 event takes place at BMO Harris Bradley Center and is topped by a lightweight title collision between Benson Henderson and T.J. Grant. The evening’s pay-per-view broadcast will also see Josh Barnett make his return to the Octagon, as “The Warmaster” takes on fellow former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir.

Varner, 28, has won four of his last five fights. The former World Extreme Cagefighting titlist made waves in his UFC return last year, when he knocked out heavy favorite Edson Barboza at UFC 146. Though a hard-fought submission defeat to Joe Lauzon would follow for “C-4,” Varner closed out 2012 with another win, taking a split decision from Melvin Guillard this past December at UFC 155.

One year older than his foe, Tibau has alternated wins and losses in his last four fights after winning three straight bouts in 2011. The lightweight staple has gone 1-1 so far this year, dropping a split decision to game southpaw Evan Dunham this past February before submitting Renzo Gracie pupil John Cholish with a second-round guillotine choke one month ago at UFC on FX 8. (Source)

Ricardo Lamas depending on family strength to get over disappointing pursuit of UFC belt

This was no new territory for Ricardo Lamas. Over the last nine months, he’s believed several times that he would be fighting for the UFC’s featherweight title, only to have the opportunity taken away.

Once, he actually was offered a bout in Brazil against champion Jose Aldo on a month’s notice. He quickly accepted despite the short notice and, for a few minutes or a few hours, depending upon whom you talk to, Lamas was going to fight for the title.

And then came the call that, no, the UFC was going in a different direction, and that it would be former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar, and not Lamas, who would challenge Aldo.

But it was the most recent near-miss that stung Lamas the most.

On Friday, after completing a vigorous workout to prepare for a July 6 fight against Chan Sung Jung, aka The Korean Zombie, at UFC 162, Lamas decided to check his Twitter feed on his phone before heading home.

To his horror, he learned that The Korean Zombie would replace the injured Anthony Pettis in an Aug. 3 title fight against Aldo in Brazil.

The Lamas-Jung winner would have been the division’s No. 1 contender. And while Lamas recognized Jung’s accomplishments, he also pointed out that he was active and beating top opponents while Jung was off for more than a year rehabilitating an injury.

But UFC president Dana White felt Jung was the better choice to replace Pettis, and Lamas was left on the outside looking in once again.

“That just really bothered me, that I didn’t find out from the UFC, but I found out from somebody else who saw one of Dana’s tweets,” Lamas said. “The guy tweeted something like, ‘Oh man, Ricardo Lamas, that sucks. What are you going to do now?’ My first thought was, ‘Oh great, the Korean Zombie is injured.’ “

But he would soon find out that the injury wasn’t the Zombie’s. Rather, it was to Pettis and the Zombie was filling his spot.

“I jumped on Twitter and found out what had really happened, and at that point, I had no words,” Lamas said. “Then, my phone started blowing up with reporters texting me, looking for interviews. I didn’t know what to think, but as the days passed and it settled in more and more, I was pissed and depressed. I’d gone through almost a whole camp and now what? Nothing. Typical.”

White eventually phoned Lamas directly – the first time the two had spoken – and apologized for what had happened.

Lamas will be paid his show money to at least compensate him for the time he spent preparing for a bout that won’t happen.

His father, Jose Lamas Sr., a refugee from Cuba who was fighting against the pro-Castro forces and was once sentenced to death at age 22 in 1963, was more outraged than Ricardo was and kept angrily shouting that White’s decision made little sense.

Lamas Sr. left Cuba and emigrated to the U.S. with little more than the clothes on his back. But he is a rare man, one who didn’t take no easily and was a quick study.

He soon became a powerful voice in the Spanish-speaking community in Chicago, and eventually ran Channel 44, the first full-time Spanish-language television station in Chicago.

Lamas Sr. and his family have spent much time over the years promoting mixed martial arts to the Hispanic community in Chicago. Ricardo, whose mother is of Mexican descent, became the face of the sport to Chicago-area Hispanics due to the efforts of his father and his brother.

MMA, said Frank Lamas, Ricardo’s brother and manager, is big in Chicago because the family spent years educating the city’s Spanish speakers about the sport.

The UFC recently landed a lucrative television deal in Mexico and is desperate to tap into the fight-loving Hispanic culture. Because of the work of the Lamas family, the door was opened in Chicago for the UFC.

“They haven’t connected with the Hispanic market yet, not nearly as well as they can,” Frank Lamas said of the UFC. “Ricardo is a perfect vehicle for them in helping with that effort. Here in Chicago, the Spanish media knows Ricardo and what is going on with him very well. That’s a potentially huge market for the UFC and they have to hit it harder.”

Having a Hispanic champion would make that much easier, though it’s far from a given that Ricardo Lamas would be able to defeat Aldo and win the belt.

But he’s reeled off four wins in a row in the UFC and has won seven of his last eight bouts overall. He defeated Hatsu Hioki and Erik Koch in his last two bouts and, though he was disappointed he was bypassed by Pettis for the title shot with Aldo, viewed the bout at UFC 162 with the Korean Zombie as an opportunity to force the UFC to recognize him.

“If you keep beating the guys they want to give the title shots to, sooner or later, they have to come to you,” Ricardo Lamas said.

But now, he’ll sit and wait and see what happens in the Aldo-Jung fight Aug. 3. Frank Lamas said he’s not going to take any bouts until he sees how things play out.

His brother, he said, will be fine. Ricardo, Frank said, shares the passion and fiery spirit of his father.

“My whole bloodline is full of revolutionaries,” Frank Lamas said. “That fire is in our blood, to fight for what is right. First it was [former Cuban president Fulgencio] Batista, who was a tyrant, and my family was among those fighting against that. He was replaced by [Fidel Castro] who was even worse, and my father became a revolutionary to fight for the freedom and the rights of the Cuban people.

“That’s in our blood. My father went through an incredible struggle as a very young man in Cuba to fight for freedom, which is why I say he’s the greatest man I know. What he went through is almost indescribable. … But he passed that passion to do what is right down to us, and we’re fighters, too. And though this isn’t a revolution, it’s a fairness issue and we’re going to fight hard for what we believe.” (Source)

Paulie Malignaggi: The next face of boxing?

It doesn’t take that great a leap of faith to believe that in a year, maybe a year-and-a-half, Paulie Malignaggi will become the face of boxing.

The WBA welterweight champion has always been a glib, accessible, entertaining interview, as well as a skilled, if a little underpowered, boxer.

But Malignaggi is on the verge of reaching superstar status as an announcer. He’s been doing analysis for Showtime’s boxing broadcasts and he’s demonstrated the kind of ability that, combined with experience, could soon make him the best in the business.

He’s thoughtful, insightful and well-spoken, quick to notice trends and able to explain them in a manner the audience understands. Broadcasting a fight, particularly in a three-man booth, is no easy task, and Malignaggi has come off in his rookie year like a 10-year veteran.

That’s why it has been so strange these last two months to see Malignaggi come so unglued in his public appearances while he’s promoted his title defense on Saturday at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., against Adrien Broner.

Malignaggi has always talked trash before a fight, but until he signed to face Broner, it’s always been light-hearted and good-natured.

But as he’s trained for Broner, it’s almost as if he’s been overcome by some unseen force. He’s matched Broner insult for disgusting insult, demeaning women, treating them as sex objects and showing disdain for the sport that has made him rich.

He’s lost the cool that helped make him so popular in the first place.

At a kickoff news conference in Las Vegas on May 4, Broner called a woman he said was named Jessica while he was on the dais. He said she was Malignaggi’s ex-girlfriend.

On Thursday, Broner brought the woman to the Barclay’s Center for the final news conference.

When he took the dais, Malignaggi spoke directly to the woman in the audience and asked her what his mother’s name was. Stories had been published saying she’d dated Malignaggi for six or seven months.

When she didn’t know his mother’s name, Malignaggi used it as proof that they weren’t close and hadn’t dated.

“Let’s put this thing behind me now,” Malignaggi said. “This is somebody I slept with. Athletes sleep with a lot of women. It’s 2013. It’s what we do. All right?”

His response came off crass, crude and far too Broner-like. It probably didn’t win him many new fans and might have cost him some of his existing ones.

Malignaggi and Broner both came off disgusting, and the stench of it rubbed off on Golden Boy, Showtime and the Barclays Center.

At least Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer pleaded before the news conference for the fighters to act civilly and to keep their comments about boxing, though he didn’t act to stop it when it quickly got raunchy. It was a two-bit soap opera, not a professional sports media event, yet Showtime Sports’ social media account gleefully tweeted a video link to the news conference, calling it “a fun one.”

Yeah, it was a hoot all right.

Boxing not only should be better than this, it has to be better. This horrible two-month act just played on all the negative stereotypes that exist about fighters.

From a boxing standpoint, the question is whether all of Broner’s talk has caused Malignaggi to come unhinged and lose concentration on what he needs to do.

Malignaggi, who is 32-4 with seven knockouts and has won world titles at super lightweight and welterweight, needs to worry about outboxing Broner and neutralizing his power, and not about one-upping him with one-liners at a news conference.

His four losses came to Miguel Cotto in 2006; Ricky Hatton in 2008; Juan Diaz in 2009 in a fight that Malignaggi appeared to win going away; and Amir Khan in 2010.

Particularly in the Cotto, Hatton and Khan fights, he was beaten by men who were considerably larger and who were able to impose their size and strength on him.

They could hurt him but he didn’t have the kind of power to do the same.

Broner is tremendously skilled, but the hype train that is pushing him is far greater than his accomplishments in the ring. It’s why it wouldn’t be a shock if Malignaggi were to score the upset.

The combination of an underrated fighter along with one who might be looking past a guy he clearly doesn’t respect might make Broner vulnerable to the upset.

“He has good speed and good timing, but his power is overrated,” Malignaggi said. “A lot of what he does is overrated.”

Golden Boy is clearly grooming Broner to be its next superstar, though Schaefer has plenty of respect for Malignaggi.

He found the wide odds favoring Broner preposterous and, win or lose, expects Malignaggi to come up with an elite performance.

“Throughout his career, Paulie has been one of those guys who’s been able to rise to the occasion,” Schaefer said. “The bigger the challenge, the better the performance he puts in.”

The Broner fight could be Malignaggi’s last big chance. If he loses, he’s not going to be a popular opponent because he’s a slick boxer with the ability to make guys look bad. That’s not the kind of guy managers want to put their rising stars in against.

So Malignaggi has much at stake in the ring on Saturday.

Win or lose, though, he still has the talent – in front of the microphone – to become the face of boxing.

Hopefully, his antics in the, ahem, promotion of the Broner fight won’t ruin an otherwise promising career. (Source)

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/boxing--paulie-malignaggi--the-next-face-of-boxing--022331662.html

Former boxing world champion, a Pittsburg native, indicted on bank robbery charges

A former professional boxing world champion from Pittsburg was indicted by a federal grand jury Thursday on charges of robbing six East Bay banks, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

James Page, 42, who won the World Boxing Association’s welterweight title in 1998, faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each count of bank robbery.

Authorities say Page stole $17,796 from banks in Walnut Creek, Pleasanton, Oakley, Emeryville, Antioch and Lafayette between March 6 and June 8. Initially, authorities said he robbed eight banks.

A break in the robbery investigation came on May 29 after Oakley officers responded to a domestic dispute between Page and another person, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Oakley police recognized Page’s truck as matching the description of a vehicle involved in a bank robbery earlier that day in Oakley.

In that incident, the robber handed a teller a note demanding money, police said. No gun was seen.

Authorities found that Page had served 11 years in federal prison for a bank robbery in Atlanta in 2001, leading them to arrest him on June 10 in Oakland. He later admitted to robbing the Oakley bank, authorities said.

A call to Page’s attorney was not immediately returned.

Page, a native of Pittsburg, began his boxing career locally but quickly climbed the ladder of fame, attracting the attention of boxing promoter Don King and knocking out Russian Andrei Pestriaev in two rounds in Paris to win the World Boxing Association title in 1998.

Trouble soon found him, however. He was stripped of his title for failing to show up to a mandatory fight in 2000 and was arrested for a bank robbery a short time after his final professional fight to win back the title.

In a jailhouse interview with this newspaper earlier this month, Page said, “It’s something I got to fight. I’ll have my day in court.”

Page, who remains in federal custody, is scheduled to appear for arraignment June 27 in federal court in Oakland. (Source)

Renda and Butler both ready for battle on Saturday

Cello Renda and Danny Butler clash for the English middleweight title in Peterborough on Saturday - and it looks a 50-50 fight.

Both turned professional in their teens and have done their fair share of fighting on the right-hand side of the bill. The pair have both reinvented themselves recently.

Renda (pictured above fighting Max Maxwell) used to put everything into every punch and would take one to land one.

BoxRec News’ Martin Supple recalls being ringside for Renda’s epic first clash with Paul Samuels in 2009:

“Renda and Butler both appeared on a cracking Hatton Promotions bill- topped by Matthew Hatton against Lovemore Ndou. Danny was outpointed over ten rounds by Darren McDermott for the English middleweight title, but it was Cello’s clash with the dangerous Paul Samuels which grabbed all the headlines and ultimately became a cult classic with boxing fans around the world.

“In-the-know punters ensured an early arrival at the Fenton Manor Leisure Centre, as with both men being powerful, vulnerable fighters, it always promised fireworks. In an extraordinary battle, Renda decked Samuels in the opening round. In round two, the two big hitters landed simultaneous left hooks on each other’s chins and with nobody present quite believing their eyes, both fighters crashed over flat on their back - a double knockdown. Renda rose on wobbly legs at four, whilst Samuels barely beat the count, getting up at nine, looking finished. But Samuels rallied and caught the tiring Renda with several unanswered shots in the third to score an unlikely stoppage.”

These days, Renda can box and bang, and puts his faith in trainer Jon Pegg:

“I’m ready for anything. We’ve got Plan A, Plan B, Plan C and Plan D if I need them. I have instructions when I box now when in the past I was just told to get my hands up, chin down and get stuck in.”

Butler says he’s benefitted from working with Andy O’Kane. He headed to O’Kane’s gym following a fourth loss in five fights at a good level, including a short-notice defeat to Darren Barker for the British and Commonwealth belts. He has gone on to hand both Frankie Borg and Tom Costello their first losses, with the 10^th-round stoppage of Costello in March securing the vacant English middleweight title.

O’Kane said: “I think a lot of people wrote Danny off, but I really do genuinely believe the best is yet to come.

“The lads in the gym who had been handling him comfortably are nowhere near him now. A lot of guys who have known Danny for a long time say he is a different fighter now.”

Butler moves better, Renda boxes more and both have everything to fight for at the Peterborough Arena. Renda says this is the biggest fight of his 10-year career, while Butler is desperate to make a title defence in Bristol, then challenge for bigger honours.

Both expect a tough fight. and Renda says home advantage gives him the edge:

“In the closing rounds when you’re gasping for breath and short of energy, hearing the crowd cheering me on will lift me and push me on.” (Source)

Breaking Down the Recipe for the Ideal UFC Superstar

The world of professional athletics is often ruthless and unforgiving—any given sport is riddled with has-beens and also-rans. One poor performance in the heat of the moment can be as devastating as an embarrassing faux paus during a press conference. Star athletes are forced to walk on eggshells as they tread the fine line separating mediocrity from superstardom.

Mixed martial arts is no different.

Cage fighters must juggle sponsorships, media appearances and their own, public perceptions—all the while striving to increase the number of digits in their win column.

An elite few overcome the odds and somehow manage to secure the illustrious title of champion. Then, of course, begins the struggle to keep contenders at bay—giving birth to the expression, "It's harder to keep the belt than it is to get it in the first place."

Some UFC champions—both past and present—have managed to handle it admirably. But as I've said before, there's a clear line of demarcation separating a mere champion in a series of many from one who propels the sport of MMA to lofty new heights. We have yet to see the ideal superstar that extols the traits of a champion for the ages.

Which ingredients would we need from some of MMA's most iconic figures and, more interestingly, what if we were to throw them in a melting pot in a quest assemble the archetype of an MMA superstar?

Start with a Full Serving of Georges St. Pierre's Signature Professionalism

The French Canadian sets MMA's standard for suave and sophistication—he's practically synonymous with the suit-and-tie look. Always respectful of opponents and attentive to company needs, GSP would represent the core of our dream superstar. All the crucial traits would have to carry over: professionalism, business-oriented attitude, work ethic and even self-promotion.

The ideal MMA athlete would need the right stuff both inside and outside the cage.

Mix in a Good Batch of Sheer Athleticism Courtesy of Jon Jones

Top-tier athletes tend to look the part. This mixture would result in a physically impressive fighter a la Jon Jones. Reach and height would enable nothing short of blinding speed and dexterity. Victories would have to be highlight reel-worthy, with each finish acting as a firm declaration.

Jones knows this to be true—he tends to end his fights in ways that guarantee water cooler talk.

Stir in Equal Amounts of BJ Penn's Raw Talent

There's something to be said for a fighter that has the natural it factor.

Movements would have to be so fluid and natural that even the most casual MMA fans could feel like they were witnessing something special. Penn was not only the first American to win the World Jiu-Jitsu Championships, but also the first to be simultaneously ranked No. 1 in two, separate weight divisions.

Our star would need to be a replicate of the innate talents of "The Prodigy" in order to break such boundaries.

Add a Hint of Ronda Rousey's Magnetism

Enormous media coverage, polarizing interviews and a willingness to cull fans from untapped resources would have to be second nature to a superfighter of the next generation. Ronda Rousey managed to introduce UFC fans to entirely new subset of mixed martial arts—nearly half a million pay-per-view buys isn't too shabby for your first time at bat.

Season it with a Dash of Chael Sonnen's Wit and Intellect

Arguably the most interesting figure—though certainly the most quotable—in all of MMA, Chael Sonnen has mastered the the art of selling a fight. Fans can squabble over his fight game, but few would be foolish enough to argue his skill at self-promotion. Sonnen knows just how to use his mouth to achieve a desired result—so would our superstar.

When the lights shine bright, the camera gains focus and all ears are directed at what our fighter might say, nothing is more promising and pivotal than the delivery. Sonnen has proved it time and time again.

And Then Let it Marinate in Anderson Silva's Aura

The recipe wouldn't be complete without adding Silva's preternatural ability to evoke awe from the crowd. He lost interest in mere victory long ago—cementing his legacy is at the forefront of his mind as he inches toward the conclusion of his record-breaking career.

Our dream combatant would need a certain overwhelming characteristic that words fail to accurately describe. Each fight would need to reverberate throughout his or her career—a special place in history would be reserved for when the curtain closed.

There's little to no doubt that we'd be left with a crazy concoction.

But those individual ingredients—if adhered together as part of a complete package—amount to the epitome of a superstar. Winning streaks would serve as mere stepping stones on the path to the title. And even then, the next-generation champion would be unwilling to rest.

Casual fans would associate his or her name with the entire sport of mixed martial arts—akin to Michael Jordan's effect on basketball or Tiger Woods' impact on the landscape of golf. Boundaries would be broken because this fighter would consider no feat too daunting to attempt.

Sounds like crazy, wishful thinking, doesn't it?

Well, before you toss the recipe aside, just consider that we never saw Jon Jones coming—nor did we see Anderson Silva before him.

The ebb and flow of mixed martial arts is less like a gentle river and more like a violent white-water rapid. Ordinary fighters are routinely swallowed by the rushing tides, whereas the truly extraordinary manage to stay afloat.

Somewhere, somehow and in some random suburb, there is a young, hungry fighter training relentlessly. Posters of MMA's greats adorn his or her walls.

That novice could potentially mature into the realization of this ideal recipe—a genuine superstar in the making. (Source)

Junior dos Santos jokingly escalates growing rivalry with Cain Velasquez, saying UFC champ ‘hits like a girl’

Junior dos Santos jokingly escalates growing rivalry with Cain Velasquez, saying UFC champ ‘hits like a girl’

Junior dos Santos will meet Cain Velasquez in the main event of UFC 166 on Oct. 19 in Houston, the third time in less than two years that the men have met with the heavyweight title at stake.

Dos Santos took the belt from Velasquez at UFC on Fox 1 on Nov. 12, 2011, with a 64-second TKO. Velasquez regained the belt and evened the series when he routed dos Santos and scored a wide five-round decision on Dec. 29, 2012, at UFC 155 in Las Vegas.

UFC officials would love for the rivalry to become heated, as it would stoke pay-per-view sales. As it is, both men are affable, low-key sorts who usually have little bad to say about the other.

Dos Santos, though, may have taken the first step toward creating a true rivalry when he said during a lengthy interview done in Portuguese and linked here that Velasquez “hits like a girl.”

He was trying to explain his surprisingly poor performance against Velasquez at UFC 155 when he made the remark, which seems like an attempt at humor.

The term catch is a Brazilian slang term for heavy punching power.

Now, dos Santos already admitted he was overtrained for the fight. And in an extensive interview with Yahoo! Sports, he repeatedly praised Velasquez.

But though he made a joke about it’s power, it’s likely that he does believe that Velasquez is not the biggest puncher around. He called Velasquez “my biggest adversary” but had some interesting things to say about light heavyweight champion Jon Jones.

A dos Santos-Jones fight would be a massive event for the UFC, as would a Velasquez-Jones fight. The winner of the rubber match at UFC 166 might be the guy who ultimately gets to Jones first.

Hat tip to Fernando Arbex of Yahoo! Brazil for the Portuguese-to-English translation of dos Santos’ remarks. (Source)

UFC 162 Video Preview: Anderson Silva vs. Rich Franklin Full Fight Video

Anderson Silva made his UFC debut with a 43-second shellacking of Chris Leben at UFC Ultimate Fight Night 5. A few months later, he walked out of the Octagon in Las Vegas, Nev. as the UFC middleweight champion.

Silva had a professional record of 18-4 when he faced UFC middleweight champion Rich Franklin at UFC 77 in October 2006. Franklin had won the title when he defeated Evan Tanner in June 2005. His fight against Silva was his third attempted defense of the title. Franklin had previously defended the title by defeating Nate Quarry and David Loiseau.

Franklin was 22-1-0-1 when he entered the Octagon to face Silva. Franklin was, without a doubt, the crowd favorite entering the arena that night in Vegas. He was also favored in the eyes of the oddsmakers, via MMAmania.com, as he entered at minus-185 to Silva’s plus-165.

When the fight began, Silva was fluid in his motions and wasted very little time working knees to the body from the clinch. The strikes were very effective, and in short order Silva had Franklin lowering his hands to his reddening torso to block the blows.

As soon as Franklin dropped his hands, Silva went upstairs and delivered a knee to the chin of his opponent. That gave Franklin something to think about, should he protect his midsection or protect his head?

Franklin didn’t have much time to ponder that question. Shortly after planting that seed in Franklin’s head Silva planted a knee directly on his nose. He followed that with a kick to the head and another knee to the head, and that was the end of the night for Franklin.

Just 2:59 after the fight began, the UFC had a new middleweight champion and Franklin had a new angle to his nose. After Franklin was back to his feet, Bruce Buffer announced “and now the new UFC middleweight champion of the world, Anderson ‘The Spider’ Silva.”

Since that night, Buffer has only announced the finish of Silva’s middleweight bouts with the phrase “and still UFC middleweight champion of the world.” That announcement has been made a UFC record 10 consecutive times.

Will Silva make it 11 at UFC 162 or will we finally hear the words “and new UFC middleweight champion of the world” again?  We’ll find out on July 6 when Silva attempts to defend his title against top-ranked Chris Weidman. (Source)

Georges St-Pierre to Defend UFC Title Against Johny Hendricks on Nov. 16

The question finally has an answer, and the answer is yes.

Let me fill in a few more details if that is a bit too vague. Yes, UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre will fight top-ranked Johny Hendricks.

Yes, the fight does have a date, and that date is Nov. 16.

Yes, the fight has a location: Las Vegas, Nev.

No, the fight does not have a venue as of yet.

Ariel Helwani broke the news of St-Pierre’s impending title defense on Tuesday’s episode of UFC Tonight.

St-Pierre (24-2) last fought at UFC 158, defeating Nick Diaz by unanimous decision in front of a hometown crowd in Montreal’s Bell Centre. The win was St-Pierre’s eighth consecutive defense of the title. It was also his fourth consecutive fight in his home country of Canada.

When St-Pierre steps into the Octagon in Las Vegas in November it will be the first time he has fought outside of Canada since defending his title against Dan Hardy in New Jersey at UFC 111.

The last time St-Pierre competed in Las Vegas was in July 2009.  In that bout, he defeated Thiago Alves by unanimous decision.

Hendricks’ (15-1) last fight was also at UFC 158. Hendricks defeated Carlos Condit on that card, running his unbeaten streak to six consecutive fights.

Helwani also noted that the event that St-Pierre and Hendricks will meet at would also serve as the UFC’s 20^th anniversary event.

The UFC had hoped that it would be able to hold that event in New York City’s Madison Square Garden, but the failure of that state to legalize MMA made that dream impossible, as Newsday’s Mark La Monica explains. (Source)

Lightweights Jamie Varner and Gleison Tibau set for UFC 164 in Milwaukee

The UFC’s August return to Milwaukee has a new lightweight fight set for the bill.

Former WEC champion Jamie Varner (21-7-1 MMA, 3-2 UFC) is set to meet Gleison Tibau (27-9 MMA, 11-7 UFC) at UFC 164. Sources with knowledge of the bout recently confirmed the fight booking to MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com), and UFC officials made the announcement Wednesday afternoon.

UFC 164 takes place Aug. 31 at Bradley Center in Milwaukee. The card is headlined by a lightweight title fight between champion Benson Henderson and top contender T.J. Grant. Also on the card, Josh Barnett returns to the UFC in a heavyweight fight against former champ Frank Mir.

Varner got back in the win column in December with a split-decision win over Melvin Guillard at UFC 155 in Las Vegas. Before that, he was submitted by Joe Lauzon in a “Fight of the Night” bonus winner at UFC on FOX 4.

But it was his return to the UFC on short notice at UFC 146 that has been the hallmark of his time since he was the WEC champ. He upset Edson Barboza with a first-round TKO, becoming the first fighter to beat the Brazilian.

After a rough run to end his WEC career – an 0-3-1 mark in four fights – his return to the UFC has given him a bit of a career resurgence.

Tibau has won two of his past three fights, including a submission win over John Cholish at UFC on FX 8 a month ago in Brazil. At UFC 156 in February, he dropped a split decision to Evan Dunham to fall back in the loss column after a win over Francisco Trinaldo in October.

Tibau will be going after his first win streak since 2011, when he went 3-0, including a “Submission of the Night” win over Rafaello Oliveira at UFC 130. The former welterweight and Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt trains at American Top Team in South Florida.

The latest UFC 164 card includes:

Champ Benson Henderson vs. T.J. Grant - for UFC lightweight title

Josh Barnett vs. Frank Mir

Clay Guida vs. Chad Mendes

Erik Koch vs. Dustin Poirier

Ben Rothwell vs. Brandon Vera

Gleison Tibau vs. Jamie Varner

Chico Camus vs. Kyung Ho Kang

Nikita Krylov vs. Soa Palelei

Tim Elliott vs. Louis Gaudinot

Derek Brunson vs. Yoel Romero

Magnus Cedenblad vs. Jared Hamman

Pascal Krauss vs. Hyun Gyu Lim

(Source)

Georges St-Pierre vs. Johny Hendricks at UFC 167 to Serve as 20th Anniversary Show

UFC president Dana White recently stated that Georges St-Pierre would next defend his belt against Johny Hendricks, and that the bout would likely take place in Las Vegas.

TVA Sports on Tuesday reported the St-Pierre vs. Hendricks would take place on Nov. 16 in Las Vegas. UFC Tonight confirmed the report, noting that the event, likely to be dubbed UFC 167, would also serve as the UFC’s 20thanniversary show.

St-Pierre has not fought in Las Vegas since he faced Thiago Alves in the co-main event of the promotion’s massively successful UFC 100 event.

No venue has been revealed for UFC 167, but it will likely take place at either the MGM Grand Garden Arena or the Mandalay Bay Events Center, the promotion’s two staple venues in its hometown.

The fight has been a long time coming for Hendricks, whose last four victories include Carlos Condit, Martin Kampmann, Josh Koscheck, and Jon Fitch. The Kampmann and Fitch victories were both first-round knockouts.

White initially held out hope that the promotion’s 20^th anniversary event could be held at Madison Square Garden in New York City, but professional mixed martial arts has yet to receive sanctioning in the state. (Source)

Garcia vs Lopez does season-high rating for Boxing After Dark

Mikey Garcia and Juan Manuel Lopez did the year's best number for HBO Boxing After Dark, bringing in 1.3 million viewers this past Saturday night.

Mikey Garcia's fourth round TKO win over Juan Manuel Lopez this past Saturday night from Dallas did the year's best Nielsen rating for HBO Boxing After Dark, bringing in 1.3 million viewers for a card that started late at 10:45 pm EDT, and featured a Terence Crawford-Alejandro Sanabria co-feature.

While one might argue that this proves that Garcia is a star, or that Mexico vs Puerto Rico always draws, or that maybe Crawford is a breakout phenom, or that this is total, absolute proof that HBO is a far, far better platform to build a star than rival Showtime, or that Top Rank is flying high and the haters can all just suck right on it, I mean just suck it so hard, right where it should be sucked, let's not forget to mention one extremely important thing.

The lead-in for this fight was the TV premiere of The Dark Knight Rises. That mattered. If a Beyonce documentary has been given credit for boosting HBO boxing viewership, then I think The Dark Knight Rises should be considered a factor, too.

HBO Boxing After The Dark Knight Rises. Ha! Hilarious. Just some humor, you guys. (Source)

Boxing head coach Billy Walsh unaware two coaches removed in his absence

Head coach to the Irish boxing team Billy Walsh was unaware that two coaches he had in place were removed from their positions with the elite Irish women’s team, when he was abroad in training camp with the men’s Irish team.

Walsh who was voted Irish Manager of the Year for 2012 across all sports, was with the Irish team in Ukraine prior to their participation in the European Championships in Minsk, when coaches Pat Ryan and Tony Davitt were removed without his knowledge or approval.

A common view is that Walsh’s position was undermined by the decision. The issue was brought up yesterday by John O’Mahony TD during a meeting of the Joint Committee on Transport and Communications. However there appears to be some confusion.

The former Mayo football manager asked if the Irish Sports Council (ISC) and Olympic Council of Ireland (OCI) were aware of the “tension within the IABA”.

Been addressed

“There seems to be issues there and have they been addressed? The director of boxing sacked a coach of the ladies team recently. Have those issues been resolved?” he asked.

Asked to comment yesterday, the Irish Amateur Boxing Association (IABA), denied that anybody had been sacked.

Chairman of the IABA board, Dr John Lynch said: “No, there was nobody sacked. There was a relocation of duties for revenue reasons.”

Responding to O’Mahony’s question, ISC chief executive John Treacy said: “We’ve heard the same stories and it’s unacceptable. If they have a clear job description then we fully support the work they do. Those issues will be discussed shortly with Billy Walsh.”

ISC chairman Kieran Mulvey added: “If we have governance issues with bodies and we are unhappy then those issues have to be addressed because we fund them.”

Walsh, whose men’s team won four medals in Minsk, is on holidays and was unavailable for comment. He is expected back on Tuesday. (Source)

Ricardo Lamas still may fight at UFC 162, but will get show money if pulled

Dana White appears to be sympathetic to Ricardo Lamas’ plight of late.

The UFC president on Saturday told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) that Lamas (13-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC) will be paid his show money for next month’s UFC 162 event in Las Vegas – even though he’s not likely to remain on the card.

Lamas was scheduled to fight “The Korean Zombie,” Chan Sung Jung (13-3 MMA, 3-0 UFC), on July 6. The winner likely was going to move into the top featherweight contender position to meet the winner of a scheduled Aug. 3 bout between champ Jose Aldo and Anthony Pettis.

But a Pettis knee injury forced him out of the title fight, and that left a pair of options. And the UFC went with Jung instead of Lamas to head to UFC 163 in Rio de Janeiro to challenge for the title.

When asked why the UFC went with Jung, who has not fought since May 2012 due to injury, got the shot over Lamas, who has a four-fight win streak and has beaten two fighters who at one point were offered title shots with Aldo, White’s response was simple.

“Why not?,” he asked MMAjunkie.com. “You have two guys who both could’ve gotten this fight and Ricardo, unfortunately, I know is bummed out. And I told him, ‘You’re in that place that Chuck Liddell was in at one time. You’re in that place that Carlos Condit was in at one time. And you’re in that place that Johny Hendricks has been in. You will get yours. I promise you.’”

White’s references to Liddell, Condit and Hendricks all had to do with fighters believing they were going to be next to fight for a title, but were passed up in line – forcing them to continue to wait their turn.

Most recently, Hendricks thought he was next in line to face Georges St-Pierre for the welterweight title. But Nick Diaz came back from a loss and a yearlong suspension and was given a shot at him at UFC 158 in March.

White said the company is still searching for a replacement for Jung to step in on short notice and face Lamas at the card, which takes place July 6 at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. But if that doesn’t happen, Lamas will be compensated for the UFC’s choice to go with Jung over him.

“I’m going to pay him his show money for July 6,” White said. “We’re still trying to get him a fight, but if we don’t, he’s going to get his show money no matter what.”

This is not the first time Lamas has been in position to be disappointed. After a first-round brutal TKO stoppage of Erik Koch in Chicago this past January at UFC on FOX 6, Lamas thought he was in line to fight the winner of Aldo vs. Frankie Edgar. He traveled to Las Vegas for UFC 156 and watched cageside, thinking he’d be next to meet Aldo.

Then he found out after the fight that Pettis had texted White and requested a move down from lightweight to featherweight to challenge the champ. And just like that, Aldo was stuck in line. With Pettis injury, he couldn’t get a change in fortune as Jung got the call instead of him.

But White said a fight between Aldo and the “Zombie” is one that fans will get behind.

“There aren’t too many that are bummed out, other than Ricardo, that ‘Zombie’ is getting the fight,” White said. (Source)

UFC 161 Fighter Bonuses: James Krause Doubles Up on Post-Fight Awards

UFC 161: Evans vs. Henderson took place on Saturday night at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It followed UFC on Fuel TV 10, which set a record for total number of fights finished by submission during one event, by tying the promotion’s record for most decisions in one night, at nine.

That made determining the customary post-fight bonuses a little easier on the UFC brass.

Opening the main card with a promised knockout finish, heavyweight Shawn Jordan took home a $50,000 bonus for his Knockout of the Night victory over Pat Barry. The two big men engaged from the opening bell and Jordan finished the fight 59 seconds later by stunning Barry with a series of uppercuts and finishing with a flurry of left hands once he hit the mat.

The Submission of the Night was another easy one to figure, as James Krause was the only fighter to win via submission.

It was Krause’s UFC debut, stepping in on short notice for Isaac Vallie-Flagge, but you’d never know it. He fought a battle-hardened Sam Stout on the Canadian’s home turf, but overcame Stouts brutal punching power late in the third round to finish the fight with a guillotine choke.

The Fight of the Night, as always, could have went anywhere along the card, but it was again Krause’s night as he and Stout also earned the Fight of the Night honors.

So James Krause, pending his drug test results, earned an additional $100,000 on top of his fight purse.

The UFC doled out $200,000 in UFC 161 post-fight awards bonuses. (Source)

Rashad Evans rallies to edge Dan Henderson at UFC 161

Saturday night’s UFC 161 headliner proved a tense, evenly matched clash of veteran fighters.

However, in what proved to be a deciding third round, Rashad Evans (18-3-1 MMA, 13-3-1 UFC) took the striking edge and ultimately edged fellow ex-champion Dan Henderson (29-10 MMA, 6-4 UFC) via split decision.

The decision, which easily could have gone either way, seemingly caught Evans by surprise when the 28-29, 29-28 and 29-28 scores were read. Perhaps it was the satisfaction of knowing he won a round when he truly needed it.

“After getting dropped in the first round, I knew I won the second, but I needed to come out strong in the third,” said Evans, who entered the fight while coming off the first back-to-back losses of his career.

Despite Evans’ win, Henderson landed the first substantial blow of the fight. After an initial feeling-out process and the occasional firefight, Henderson caught his opponent with a stiff jab just as Evans was moving in. Evans hit the deck and ate some follow-up punches, but he quickly returned to his feet and shook off the cobwebs before the round ended.

Evans returned the favor in the second round with a powerful right hand, but Henderson answered with a solid knee that forced both fighters to reset. Evans, clearly the quicker fighter, remained the aggressor in the round, but with solid takedown defense and quick footwork, Henderson proved game for a late-round exchange of punches and elbows.

As a close contest entered the final frame, Evans knew he needed the final round. He quickly buckled Henderson with a quick flurry of blows but wisely reset once the veteran regained his wits. (Source)

Rashad Evans rallies to edge Dan Henderson at UFC 161

Saturday night’s UFC 161 headliner proved a tense, evenly matched clash of veteran fighters.

However, in what proved to be a deciding third round, Rashad Evans (18-3-1 MMA, 13-3-1 UFC) took the striking edge and ultimately edged fellow ex-champion Dan Henderson (29-10 MMA, 6-4 UFC) via split decision.

The decision, which easily could have gone either way, seemingly caught Evans by surprise when the 28-29, 29-28 and 29-28 scores were read. Perhaps it was the satisfaction of knowing he won a round when he truly needed it.

“After getting dropped in the first round, I knew I won the second, but I needed to come out strong in the third,” said Evans, who entered the fight while coming off the first back-to-back losses of his career.

Despite Evans’ win, Henderson landed the first substantial blow of the fight. After an initial feeling-out process and the occasional firefight, Henderson caught his opponent with a stiff jab just as Evans was moving in. Evans hit the deck and ate some follow-up punches, but he quickly returned to his feet and shook off the cobwebs before the round ended.

Evans returned the favor in the second round with a powerful right hand, but Henderson answered with a solid knee that forced both fighters to reset. Evans, clearly the quicker fighter, remained the aggressor in the round, but with solid takedown defense and quick footwork, Henderson proved game for a late-round exchange of punches and elbows.

As a close contest entered the final frame, Evans knew he needed the final round. He quickly buckled Henderson with a quick flurry of blows but wisely reset once the veteran regained his wits. (Source)

UFC 161 Results: Ryan Jimmo Disappointed at Lackluster Performance, but Needed a Win

Headed into their showdown at UFC 161 in Winnipeg on Saturday night, UFC light heavyweights Igor Pokrajac and Ryan Jimmo were both coming off disappointing showings in their previous outings.

Jimmo lost to James Te Huna at UFC on Fuel TV 7, while Pokrajac scored a unanimous decision victory over Joey Beltran at UFC on Fuel TV 6.  Pokrajac’s victory, however, was later ruled a no-contest after it was revealed that he tested positive for the banned substance Nandrolone in a pre-fight drug screening.

In front of a packed house at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, both Jimmo and Pokrajac battled for promotional relevancy in what was a rather lackluster affair.

Round one saw Pokrajac pressure the native Canadian in the opening seconds.  Jimmo, sensing the pressure, immediately clinched with the 34-year-old Croatian and began to apply an effective “dirty boxing” attack that set the pace for the majority of the round.  Late in the opening stanza, Pokrajac landed what would become the most significant strike of the fight, when he connected with a heavy overhand right that had Jimmo wobbled.  The Canadian recovered, however, and it was on to round two.

The second stanza set the pace for the remainder of the fight.  Any pressure Pokrajac seemed to muster in round one was gone. Jimmo earned an early takedown and it was all ground control thereafter.  It wasn’t the most exciting round, but it lead to the fight-clinching third and final frame.

When the fight wrapped, Jimmo had earned a unanimous decision victory, but not without a hint of displeasure.  Normally all smiles, “The Big Deal” was apologetic to the hometown faithful.

“Igor, the fans, Dana White, Joe Silva, I’m very sorry about the not such a great fight,” said the upset 31-year-old.

Jimmo is well aware that Saturday’s outing was less than pleasing to a paying audience.

“It just seems like I’m not able to finish on a regular basis now,” he stated.

Although displeased with his performance, Jimmo made no excuses as to why the fight played out the way it did.  He was coming off a brutal loss – a loss that came after 17-consecutive wins – and this fight was all about getting his career back on the right track.

“I was coming off a loss and I fought conservatively,” he said matter-of-factly. “I did get my name back in the ‘W’ column, though.” (Source)

UFC 161 Results: Ryan Jimmo Disappointed at Lackluster Performance, but Needed a Win

Headed into their showdown at UFC 161 in Winnipeg on Saturday night, UFC light heavyweights Igor Pokrajac and Ryan Jimmo were both coming off disappointing showings in their previous outings.

Jimmo lost to James Te Huna at UFC on Fuel TV 7, while Pokrajac scored a unanimous decision victory over Joey Beltran at UFC on Fuel TV 6.  Pokrajac’s victory, however, was later ruled a no-contest after it was revealed that he tested positive for the banned substance Nandrolone in a pre-fight drug screening.

In front of a packed house at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, both Jimmo and Pokrajac battled for promotional relevancy in what was a rather lackluster affair.

Round one saw Pokrajac pressure the native Canadian in the opening seconds.  Jimmo, sensing the pressure, immediately clinched with the 34-year-old Croatian and began to apply an effective “dirty boxing” attack that set the pace for the majority of the round.  Late in the opening stanza, Pokrajac landed what would become the most significant strike of the fight, when he connected with a heavy overhand right that had Jimmo wobbled.  The Canadian recovered, however, and it was on to round two.

The second stanza set the pace for the remainder of the fight.  Any pressure Pokrajac seemed to muster in round one was gone. Jimmo earned an early takedown and it was all ground control thereafter.  It wasn’t the most exciting round, but it lead to the fight-clinching third and final frame.

When the fight wrapped, Jimmo had earned a unanimous decision victory, but not without a hint of displeasure.  Normally all smiles, “The Big Deal” was apologetic to the hometown faithful.

“Igor, the fans, Dana White, Joe Silva, I’m very sorry about the not such a great fight,” said the upset 31-year-old.

Jimmo is well aware that Saturday’s outing was less than pleasing to a paying audience.

“It just seems like I’m not able to finish on a regular basis now,” he stated.

Although displeased with his performance, Jimmo made no excuses as to why the fight played out the way it did.  He was coming off a brutal loss – a loss that came after 17-consecutive wins – and this fight was all about getting his career back on the right track.

“I was coming off a loss and I fought conservatively,” he said matter-of-factly. “I did get my name back in the ‘W’ column, though.” (Source)

UFC 161: What We Learned from Pat Barry vs. Shawn Jordan

Nobody has ever questioned Pat Barry's ability to draw a crowd or connect with fans, but nobody knows if he's capable of putting together a winning streak.

With some fearsome knockout power and an underrated level of ground savvy, Barry has the tools to stick around in the UFC. That said, his willingness to go off-script to bang with fellow strikers and give his opponents the occasional hug has threatened to get him punted from the promotion a couple of times now, and a matchup with a hulking Shawn Jordan at UFC 161 wasn't doing him any favors.

When the bell rang on Saturday night, Jordan ended up landing a pair of huge uppercuts to set up a quick, efficient knockout victory. So what did we learn from this annihilation?

Shawn Jordan Might Be Somebody to Watch

While Barry isn't the most technically marvelous striker in the heavyweight division, he is no slouch, either. Jordan, a wrestler by trade, still found a way to punch off Barry's face in less than a minute.

In the heavyweight division, any fighter can give us a shocking knockout, but Jordan still made a strong statement with this KO. While people shouldn't go nuts and declare Jordan a title contender, this victory adds a bit more weight to his 4-2 UFC record.

Again, don't go nuts, but next time Jordan enters the Octagon, you might want to keep a closer eye on him than you may have before.

Pat Barry's Chin Is Questionable

Again, this is the heavyweight division. Any declaration on somebody's ability to take a punch needs to be prefaced with that.

Still, Barry owns a 5-6 UFC record, with three of those losses coming from knockouts and the rest coming by submission. Furthermore, at least one of those submission losses was set up by strikes, when he lost to Mirko Filipovic at UFC 115. As a guy who gives up a size and reach advantage to almost every other heavyweight, Barry needs to be able to eat a punch or two.

Barry may be content remaining a fan favorite, but he is going to have a lot of trouble remaining relevant in the UFC's heavyweight division.

Pat Barry Should Be a Light Heavyweight

I know this comes up a lot.

Seriously, though, Barry has crazy knockout power and explosiveness. He just doesn't have the chin and size to last in the heavyweight division.

I don't know if he can make it down to 205 pounds, but I do know that he is going to remain on the short list of fighters who might be potentially cut as long as he keeps getting knocked out. He should consider dropping down to light heavyweight to extend his UFC career.

The Heavyweight Division Is a Matchmaking Dream

For the first time in a while, the UFC has a few relevant fighters looking to climb the rankings in the heavyweight division. In addition to Jordan, there are several recently imported European prospects such as Daniel Omielanczuk and Nikita Krylov, Australian veteran Soa Palelei, and Americans Brendan Schaub and Todd Duffee.

Throwing those fighters into the cage against one another and seeing who emerges will yield at least one legitimate Top-10 fighter.

These up-and-coming fighters make the UFC's heavyweight division more interesting now than it has been for a long time. Watch how things pan out between all these fighters. (Source)

UFC 161 Prelims: Jake Shields Traps Tyron Woodley in Clinch, Takes Split Decision

Jake Shields lured Tyron Woodley into his trap.

Kicks, knees and a relentless clinch game pushed the former Shooto, Strikeforce and EliteXC champion to a split decision over Woodley at UFC 161 “Evans vs. Henderson” on Saturday at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Two of the three judges scored it 29-28 for Shields (28-6-1, 3-2 UFC); a third cast a dissenting 30-27 vote for Woodley.

The 34-year-old Shields sucked the American Top Team export into his world over and over again, as he wore down the two-time NCAA All-American wrestler in the clinch. Woodley came through in spurts -- he landed a searing spinning back fist in the third round -- but never mounted a sustained offensive against the Cesar Gracie Fight Team representative.

Krause Guillotine Submits Stout

James Krause made a successful entry into the UFC’s lightweight division, coaxing a tapout from Sam Stout with a third-round guillotine choke in an undercard tilt at 155 pounds. Stout (19-9-1, 8-8 UFC) reluctantly conceded defeat 4:47 into round one, as he was submitted for the first time in nearly seven years.

A replacement for the injured Isaac Vallie-Flagg, Krause (20-4, 1-0 UFC) established himself from the start. He controlled the standup exchanges with his length and kept the Canadian kickboxer at bay. The 27-year-old World Extreme Cagefighting veteran delivered the most decisive blow of the bout in the first round -- a head kick that left Stout with a nasty gash near his right eyebrow. The blood flowed, covering the right side of his face and staining Krause’s white shorts pink.

Stout turned the tide in round two, where he went to the body with great effect and bullied Krause to the ground with a takedown. Krause turned to leg kicks in the third round, mixed in a nice jab and countered a late takedown from Stout with the arm-in guillotine. The 29-year-old fought to free himself but ultimately succumbed to the choke.

Krause has won eight fights in a row, six of them finishes.

Pierson Survives Late Surge, Denies Robertson

Toronto’s Sean Pierson rode crisp counterpunching and a strong sprawl to a majority decision over Kenny Robertson in a preliminary welterweight clash. Two of the three judges saw it 29-29 for Pierson (14-6, 4-2 UFC); a third scored it a 28-28 draw.

Pierson was in command for much of the first two rounds, as he neutralized his opponent’s takedown game and racked up points on the feet with effective counters.

One strike altered the flow of the match at the outset of round three, as Robertson cracked the Canadian with an exquisite standing elbow and swarmed with punches for a potential finish. Pierson somehow weathered the assault, but Robertson transitioned to his back, fished for chokes and did enough damage to secure a 10-8 round on one of the scorecards.

A replacement for the injured T.J. Waldburger, Robertson (12-3, 1-3 UFC) has lost two of his last three fights.

Delorme Outgrapples, Outpoints Figueroa

Repeated takedowns, superior topside grappling and a steady diet of attempted submissions spurred “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 14 graduate Roland Delorme to a unanimous decision over Edwin Figueroa in an undercard clash at 135 pounds. Delorme (9-1, 3-0 UFC) swept the scorecards by identical 29-28 marks.

Figueroa (9-3, 2-3 UFC) had his moments, as he threatened the Canadian with a triangle choke in the second round and whacked him with some heavy ground-and-pound late in the third. However, the 28-year-old McKinney, Texas, native simply could not stay on his feet long enough to get his standup in gear. Delorme dragged him to the ground in all three rounds, transitioned to his back with surprising ease and compromised his guard with little resistance.

Clarke Snaps Losing Streak

Mitch Clarke threw the brakes on a two-fight losing streak, as he captured a unanimous decision over Tsunami Gym export John Maguire in a preliminary lightweight affair. All three cageside judges scored it the same: 29-28 for Clarke (10-2, 1-2 UFC).

Leg kicks and clinches were the Canadian’s weapons of choice, as he kept Maguire off stride for a majority of their 15-minute encounter. Maguire countered with takedowns and a handful of left hands but never completely turned the tide in his favor. Clarke closed with a flourish late in round three, sweeping into top position and delivering a stout standing-to-ground right hand.

Controversial Split Verdict Favors Jabouin

A series of sweeps, takedowns and occasional ground-and-pound led Tristar Gym representative Yves Jabouin to a controversial split decision over “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 14 semifinalist Dustin Pague in an undercard scrap at 135 pounds. All three judges struck 29-28 scorecards, two of them siding with Jabouin (19-8, 4-2 UFC).

Pague (11-8, 1-4 UFC) seemed to do enough to win. The 25-year-old Virginian mounted Jabouin in all three rounds and threatened him with a relentless string of submissions from his back. Still, the judges honored the Haitian-born Canadian’s top game and his ability to wiggle free from danger.

Jabouin has won four of his past five bouts. (Source)