In Campos vs. Girtz 3, Brandon Girtz was looking to snap a two-fight skid, while Derek Campos was out for revenge after Girtz made short work of him in their second fight. The winner would be a step closer to the title shot in a division awaiting the rematch between Michael Chandler and new champ Brent Primus.

See below for full results and a main card recap!

Joe Warren vs. Steve Garcia

Former bantamweight and featherweight champ Joe Warren opened the main card action in a 135lb bout against up-and-comer Steve Garcia. Warren shot immediately, and whlie he didn’t land that takedown (and ate a punch for his efforts), his second shot resulted in him scooping Garcia up and slamming him down. You could feel that one.. From there, Warren worked within the closed guard of Garcia. The youngster found himself unable to work back up until around the two minute mark, but as he found his feet, Joe Warren found his back. In short, it was all Warren in round one.

In the second frame, Warren took less than thirty seconds to once again take Garcia’s back, showing the edge experience had over age. He then stacked his opponent up against the fence and controlled the action with his solid wrestling ability. That lasted all the way to the final thirty seconds, when Garcia got in on the action for the first time since round one and tried for a standing kirmura, later dropping to his back to try to finish it. He had neither the position nor the time, however, and the action would go to a third.

In the third, Garcia came out fast and hard, swinging and throwing a kneeing, briefly forcing Warren to retreat. However, he might have been a little over excited, and the end result was Garcia once again being planted on his back. Once again, it was all Warren from there, and it would go the distance.

Joe Warren def. Steve Garcia by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Jessica Middleton vs. Emily Ducote

Short notice replacement Jessica Middleton faced off against fellow flyweight Emily Ducote in the evening’s second bout. Both ladies exchanged early, with Middleton using her reach advantage well. Ducote switched tactics, and put pressure on Middleton alongside the fence, earning the takedown only to have Middleton quickly escape and look for the guillotine. It wasn’t happening, but Ducote went right back to work applying pressure and working her takedown game, capturing the first round by controlling the action.

In round two, Ducote scored another takedown early. She was able to pass to side control then into mount, but Middleton reversed and managed to get on top. She was able to ride out most of the round on top, fending off a Ducote arm-bar, but wasn’t able to do much in the way of damage. Going to the third, however, it was likely tied at one round a piece.

Ducote secured a takedown early in the third and moved to half guard, working to pass. She would again control the action, staying on top for several minutes before taking Middleton’s back. Once on the back she worked to slide her arm under Middleton’s chin, looking for the rear-naked choke. When she couldn’t land the choke, she transitioned to an arm-bar, but at that point, the round was up. Ultimately, the judges sided with Ducote.

Emily Ducote def. Jessica Middleton by unanimous decision (29-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Kendall Grove vs. John Salter

Grove and Salter went through a feeling out period early, with Grove looking to judge distance with his jab, and throwing a head kick in for good measure. There wasn’t a lot of action in the first, and with a minute left in the round, Salter scored a takedown, which very easily could have secured him the round. He then took Grove’s back, landed a number of shots and looked to sink in the rear-naked choke. Grove went out, and Salter got the win!

John Salter def. Kendall Grove by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 4:37

Brandon Girtz vs. Derek Campos

The main event rubber match started with Campos holding the center of the cage, and both men putting everything behind their punches. Campos ate a hook coming in for an exchange, but landed a number of shots of his own. Early on, it felt like either man could land the finishing blow at any moment. Girtz landed a straight left and a liver kick that pushed Campos back. Girtz ate a shot of his own, then caught a kick and both men landed. It was starting to look like a spin cycle, then Girtz shot for a takedown after being opened up and bloodied by a knee earlier. They would stand and trade until the end of the round, with the doctor checking on Girtz’s cut between rounds, and letting the action go to the delight of the crowd.

In the second, Girtz was looking for a home run, loading his punches up. A right hook followed by a left rocked Campos mid-round, bu Campos came right back and clipped Girtz, stunning him as well. They’d survive, then exchange shots again and again, with both men connecting and Girtz adding in some kicks. Ref Big John stopped the action to have the doctor take another look, but again it was allowed to continue.

Going into the third, anticipation was high, and it was still anyone’s fight. However between rounds, the doctor took another look at Girtz, and waved off the bout, despite his willingness to continue. A rough way to end a great fight.

Derek Campos def. Brandon Girtz by TKO (doctor’s stoppage), Round 2, 5:00

Bellator 181: Campos vs. Girtz 3 Results:

Derek Campos def. Brandon Girtz by TKO (doctor’s stoppage), Round 2, 5:00
John Salter def. Kendall Grove by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 4:37
Emily Ducote def. Jessica Middleton by unanimous decision (29-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Joe Warren def. Steve Garcia by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Preliminary card (Spike.com):

André Fialho def. A.J. Matthews by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Rafael Lovato Jr. def. Mike Rhodes by by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 1:59
Kate Collins def. Bruna Vargas by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Romero Cotton def. Aaron Rodriguez by split decision (30-27, 27-30, 29-28)
Valentin Moldavsky def. Carl Seumanutafa by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-27)
Logan Storley def. Kemmyelle Haley by TKO, Round 1, 1:44

Preliminary Cards (Dark Matches)

Justin Lawrence def. Treston Thomison by TKO (doctor’s stoppage), Round 1, 3:34
Jordan Howard def. Johnny Marigo by KO (punch), Round 1, 1:26
Jonathan Gary def. William Florentino by unanimous decision
Amanda Bell def. Brittney Elkin by TKO (punches), Round 2, 4:56

The post Bellator 181: Campos vs. Girtz 3 Ends in Bloody Doctor’s Stoppage appeared first on Cageside Press.

Warren spoke to Cageside Press leading in to his bantamweight scrap with Garcia about Bellator coming of age, the fight Friday night, and more.

Warren, who has spent most of his MMA career in Bellator, was a person whose thoughts on the promotion’s big show (or shows, as they promoted it) in New York last month we certainly wanted to hear. So what was his appraisal of Bellator 180/NYC, and how things have changed for the company?

“I’ve been with Bellator, I’m part of the Bellator family since the first season. It’s an honor to see Bellator grow and be part of the family” he told us. “I remember Bellator fighting outside places and now we’re in Madison Square Garden, selling it out, having pay-per-views. Scott Coker, I’ve been part of both organizations, so like you know my step dad did a good job, but my new dad is getting the job done. He keeps raising the bar, moving the needle and its an honor to be a part of the organization still.”

It seems as if Bellator is at a turning point, getting close to being right there with the UFC, especially given some of the recent signings of late.

“I always said that this is where the cool kids fight. Been saying that for years” Warren said in regards to Bellator’s position in the MMA world. “The great thing about Bellator is they’re on Spike. Spike and Viacom, they are first class organizations and they have their eyes on the skies with Bellator. They’ve been moving that needle, they’ve been doing impressive things. That’s just a fun thing to be part of. You can definitely tell with that last fight you know, it took a step up, another step up, we moved another step up, it was a big PPV. It felt like a big show.”

“It was a definite turning point for Bellator and Spike. It shows that we can be a competitive PPV organization also.”

Prior to that event, Bellator MMA announced they had signed veteran play-by-play announcers Mauro Ranallo and Mike Goldberg, of Pride and UFC fame, respectively. Warren, who has done some commentary of his own, said of the moves that “I’m happy that Goldie is there, he brings so much credibility to the stage. Having Goldie and Chael [Sonnen] and these guys, it just brings the credibility of color commentating to the base, to Bellator.
They’re the best behind the mic that there is.”

Between fighter signings and personnel moves like Goldie and Ranallo, Bellator CEO Scott Coker has been making a lot of waves. So what has his impact been, in Warren’s approximation?

“Scott Coker brings credibility to Bellator’s image and brand” Warren suggested. “We have the best supporting cast there is, Viacom and Spike behind us. They go out and they get the best in the business, Scott Coker and say, ‘just move this needle, make sure Bellator is a big as you want it to be’ and they took off his handcuffs and he’s doing it.”

“Every fight gets bigger, every show gets a little more dramatic” he added. “We have new fighters joining the family every week, names that people are used to hearing, fights that people want to watch and Scott Coker brings that to the table. He brings the entertainment to the sport like they used to do in Japan. It’s more than just a sporting event, it’s entertainment.”

“I think we gained a lot of the credibility of the MMA world with having Scott Coker as the leader of our organization.”

Warren made his debut in the sport late, turning pro in 2009 after a storied career in wrestling, including gold in Greco-Roman wrestling at the 2006 World Championships. Now forty, what keeps Joe Warren going?

For Warren, avoiding the injury bug, supporting his family, and competing in fights that mean something are key. “I believe after my last loss, we went back to the drawing board and said ‘how did this happen?'” Warren explained. “I’ve only been injured one time and that was last year; the Darrion Caldwell fight in the first round I dislocated my knee cap and tore my MCL. I couldn’t even stand up; you know that was an unpredictable thing. MMA is the most unpredictable thing in the world. You never know whats going to happen in there. That’s healed, everything’s fine. I won two fights, after that I got the opportunity to get that title fight. I was fighting a lot that year. What motivates me is my kids, I’m a family man and what I do, I take of them by beating peoples a***s in that Bellator cage. I’m not satisfied with just fighting in a cage, I want it to mean something.”

“I’m used to being at the top of the stage, it just motivated me that I’m a different fighter than I was before, re-energized, new techniques” he continued. “Like I said you’re only as good as your last fight and if you can evolve, and I can evolve. I’m a coachable athlete and we changed it up a little bit. It took some time and if you think you can run your mouth about my age you better watch your f***ing mouth, because this old man will come around the corner and beat your a**, and that’s whats going to happen this year. I’m focused on one thing, getting my belt back in Bellator and I’ve done this three times.”

“It’s a very comfortable situation for me. Not for a lot of other people, but I’m right back to where we started. I’m faster stronger and more violent than I’ve ever been” he added.

On the next page, we talk Bellator 181 opponent Steve Garcia, working the booth, avenging losses and more.

The post Bellator 181: Joe Warren — Faster, Stronger and More Violent appeared first on Cageside Press.

Cageside Press had the opportunity to speak with Rafael Lovato Jr. ahead of his Bellator 181 bout this weekend, where we spoke about his martial arts evolution, and whether his current success in the sport has him feeling the pressure to preform.

A life long martial arts practitioner, Rafael’s long road to MMA began at a young age inside the ring. “When I started jiu-jitsu as a kid I had already done a lot of boxing and Muay Thai, I was actually competing in boxing at the time from 9 to 12 years old” he told us. On what drew him to jiu-jitsu and away from boxing, he added “it was just a lot more fun for me, because boxing there is just so many punches and jiu-jitsu was this new thing, this new art that was so amazing; at that time it was just revolutionary.”

“I could do jiu-jitsu as a kid and beat adults” Lovato said. “I put everything into to jui-jitsu, I dedicated my life to it.”

When it came to MMA, it was always on the horizon. “I started to think okay, when do I make the switch?” he told us. “When do I challenge myself inside the cage? That was always the plan.” As he pointed out, however, “at the time the only other American world champion was BJ Penn, and he won and went straight to MMA. And you never saw him again. The only black belt matches he had were the four he had to win his black belt world title. There was this big hole in the jiu-jitsu world for non-Brazilians, and I felt like I wanted to fill that hole. I wanted to be the one to represent and be there in this Brazilian dominated sport. I wanted to make my mark not just as one of the best Americans but as one of the all time greats of my generation. And so I stayed in and I just wanted to keep winning title after title after title.”

Lovato had continued success in the BJJ world, though “unfortunately I never won the the worlds in the Gi. I never won it again but I medaled 8 years in a row and won may other things and had some really incredible career moments in jiu-jitsu.”

So what finally triggered the switch? “It just got to the point where I felt, I finally felt satisfied I finally felt like ‘okay I made my mark and its okay.’ I was a little consumed, I felt like I had to win a second gold you know in the Gi worlds. I was very consumed by that, but finally I hit a point where I sort of let it go, and I said ‘you know what its okay you made your mark and now its time to take that challenge and become a white belt all over again and explore who I am as a martial artist and get out of my comfort zone.'”

“It got to the point where jiu-jitsu was, it was too much the same thing and I needed to mix things up” he explained further.

That drive to win a second medal in the Gi, was there anything in particular behind that?

“I was winning many other big titles, I was doing well and getting big victories, but it just wasn’t happening at the worlds” Lovato said. “My whole thing that I was consumed of was becoming the first to win it twice, the first non-Brazilian to win it twice. That hadn’t been done.”

The switch has been a positive one, and Rafael Lovato Jr. is undefeated in his career to date. What’s his take on it? “Since making the move to MMA I have really been on this beautiful path of self discovery and putting all of my lifetime of martial arts training together” he outlined. “Finding myself, finding who I am as a martial artist and feeling what its like to be in the cage. The rush, the challenge that it is, it’s been a beautiful thing. I’m very thankful to be doing it now and I feel like I waited for the right time.”

Nor does he have any regrets about waiting, despite not starting his MMA career until he was in his thirties. “I have no regrets, I don’t wish that I would’ve switched to MMA sooner. I’m happy for everything I did in jiu-jitsu. I feel like the time I went into MMA I really found who I was and I think that’s important when being in the cage. I’m not fighting for money, I’m not fighting for fame, I’m fighting for all the right reasons. I already have a career,
I have my school, I have my jiu-jitsu association, I made my mark and I’m doing this because I love it.”

Is the focus solely on MMA now, or will he pull double duty and continue to compete in the BJJ world? On that, Lovato feels that “I still think I got one more in me. I think I’m gonna go one more time to Gi worlds before it is all said and done with. I’ve been going back and forth between the two this whole time.” It’s not easy mind you. “There are some elements that are more difficult, I cant do every tournament like I used to. I am spending less time in the Gi. I can’t do all the major competitions but superfights are perfect because it’s just one match, it’s almost the same MMA vibe, just one match, one person.”

Of course, continuing to compete in jiu-jitsu helps keep his skills sharpened on the MMA side as well, and there’s the fact that he’s also teaching the discipline. “That’s pretty much why I do it. I want to keep my jiu-jitsu sharp and I want to keep it developing. I don’t want it to stop. It’s impossible for it not keep getting better, because I’m always teaching, I’m always in the Gi, I’m helping my students get ready for the biggest competitions in the world.

Is there any urgency however, given the late start at MMA? He doesn’t feel it. “Man, this has been 100% natural” he told us. “I’m riding this ride, seeing what happens just like everyone else.”

“Maybe if I went sooner I would still have jiu-jitsu pulling at me and maybe I would regret some things that I didn’t get to experience or do” he suggested. “I’m happy that I waited and things are moving a little fast. I feel like I have a lot of potential, I’m with the right people, I have a great camp, great coaches. Each fight is getting tougher and I’m rising to the occasion, I’m getting better.”

“I think in another year I could be fighting for a Bellator title. Being in my 30s I already know who I am. I’m not fighting and at the same time trying to figure my life out.”

On the MMA side of the game, Lovato Jr. has been a finisher thus far in his career, undefeated and never having seen the judge’s scorecards. Does he feel pressure to keep that up?

“No pressure, as far as finishing goes, I believe that’s just my style” he answered. “In jiu-jitsu I’ve always been known as a finisher. I’m not a points player in jiu-jitsu. I give 100% from beginning to end to make my opponent tap and I’m translating that to my MMA game. I feel like I have a lot of tools and weapons to be able to continue to finish people
even as I fight higher caliber opponents.”

“On the ground I don’t think, not to be cocky or anything, but I believe on the ground that I can finish anybody. I’ve put in the work to get to that stage, to get to that point.”

Lovato doesn’t feel like going to the scorecards would necessarily be a bad thing, either. “I can have a lot of material to study and a lot of data to analyze as to why I didn’t finish my opponent, so that would be a great learning experience too and I’ll be thankful for that.”

At Bellator 181, Rafael Lovato Jr. faces his toughest test to date, in the form of UFC veteran Mike Rhodes. Just how is the submission expert tackling this challenge?

“The game plan is to be better everywhere, win every exchange, try to win every moment of the fight” Lovato explained. “I believe that’s the best game plan to have, not too specific, just going to believe in all of my skills and I would be stupid to not try to take him down, because I do believe I have the advantage on the ground. But that doesnt mean I’m going out there and I’m just going to hug him and put him down as soon as i can. I’m confident in all areas of the game.”

“I think Mike is a big challenge, he comes from a great camp” he added. “He’s fought some of the best, I respect him a lot, he’s very well rounded. I believe hes going to come fully prepared in every way and I’m ready for war. If it goes a full 15 minutes I’m ready for that,
but I’m going to do my best to make sure it doesn’t.”

Rafael Lovato Jr. faces Mike Rhodes at Bellator 181 Friday in Thackerville, Oklahoma at the WinStar World Casino.

The post Bellator 181: Full Steam Ahead in MMA for Rafael Lovato Jr. appeared first on Cageside Press.

That big event can be seen as a major milestone for the promotion, which has grown in leaps and bounds since former Strikeforce chief Scott Coker came on board as CEO. Bellator 181 is the first event the promotion has put on since the New York card, and Girtz (14–6) spoke to Cageside Press about about his take on the tentpole event, his trilogy fight with Campos, and more.

With the NYC card, and all the free agent signings of late, is there a feeling within the promotion that Bellator is making headway against the competition? Girtz certainly thinks so. He also sees the existing stars of Bellator proving themselves.

“I feel absolutely, man” he told us, using the Douglas Lima title fight against free agent signee Lorenz Larkin as an example. “We saw in the Larkin and Lima fight, I felt like Lima controlled that fight all the way. I think that shows the way Bellator is going. Lima’s actually like a homegrown Bellator guy. We just saw what he did against a top five guy in the world.”

As for the Bellator NYC event in particular, Girtz said “I thought the whole event was entertaining and it was a good show.”

One fight in particular on that card was more relevant than any other for Girtz, and that was the Michael Chandler vs. Brent Primus fight for the lightweight title. Chandler lost the bout due to a doctor’s stoppage after injuring his leg early in the first round. Lightweight being where Girtz competes, what was his take on what transpired in the fight that night?

“That’s a hard way to lose the belt” he told us. “I’m not going to say either way, if Primus did it with his kick or if Chandler did it on his own. Either way, it’s a hard way to lose the belt, especially when you see Chandler still trying to fight — I don’t even want to use the word ‘trying’ to fight, he was still fighting. So it’s definitely a tough way to lose the belt, and he definitely should get that rematch right away.”

While Chandler looks like he escaped serious injury, Girtz is a fighter who knows all too well the impact severe injuries can have on a fighter. The lightweight star has had his right ACL surgically repaired twice, first in 2014 and again in 2015. Knee injuries can be devastating in any sport, but especially in one that requires explosive bursts of speed the way MMA does. How rough was it coping with a second injury so close to the original?

“It was very hard, I’m not going to say it wasn’t” the lightweight fighter said. “It was definitely one of those things — the first ACL surgery, I just looked at it as ‘oh you know, things happen, injuries happen, I’ll be back from this.’ The second one was pretty heartbreaking, and it kinda felt like ‘maybe I’m never going to be the same again.’ It was definitely a lot harder road to come back from that second one, and going through all the stuff that I just did a year ago.”

“Coming back from an ACL isn’t an easy thing, you gotta damn near learn how to walk again” he added. “It was disheartening, that’s for sure. I’d say I wasn’t ready right away, but now it’s been about a year and a half or so now, and I feel good to go.”

So when did he get his confidence in the knee back?

“I got it back in that first fight against Piccolotti. After the fight, Piccolotti kicked my leg, my leg was bruised, he kicked my bad leg quite a bit, and I had no feeling, nothing felt wrong, nothing was bad so after that fight, I kind of looked at it like ‘your knee is good, don’t be thinking about it'” he told us. “Because before that fight, training, everything I was doing, I was thinking about my knee. All I was thinking about was ‘I can’t re-injure my knee.’ I’m not going to wrestle, I’m not going to do jiu-jitsu, I’m not going to do all this stuff because I was worried about re-injuring it. After that fight, it took everything that it needed to, so after that fight, I felt like it was good.”

On the next page, we discuss judging in MMA, the Manny Pacquiao vs. Jeff Horn judging controversy, and what we can expect in the Bellator 181 main event.

The post Bellator 181: Brandon Girtz Says Rubber Match with Derek Campos is “Going to Be A War!” appeared first on Cageside Press.

Letourneau vs. Ducote had been set to be the co-main event of the Bellator 181 card. ‘Gordinha” has quickly been gaining steam in Bellator, and the fight marked her biggest challenge to date. Instead, Ducote (5-2) will meet Middleton (2-1), who has fought all three of her professional MMA bouts under the Bellator banner. She suffered her first career loss last time out, finding herself submitted by Ilima-Lei Macfarlane — who happens to be the last fighter to beat Ducote.

That’s not the only change to the Bellator 181 card. As per a report by MMA Junkie, Alexis Dufresne is also out of her featherweight bout with Amanda Bell. The reason for the change was not disclosed. In her place, however, will step Brittney Elkin. Both fighters will be making their Bellator MMA debut. Elkin (3-3) has not fought in a year, with her last bout being a TKO at SCL 49 over Kola Shippentower Willingham. Bell (4–4), an Invicta FC veteran, is coming off a unanimous decision win in February against Gabrielle Holloway in KOTC.

A flyweight bout between Katy Collins (6-2) and Bruna Vargas (2-1) is also a late addition to the card.

Bellator 181 takes place Friday July 14 at the WinStar World Casino in Thackerville, Oklahoma. The main card airs live on Spike TV.

The post Valerie Letourneau, Alexis Dufresne Off Friday’s Bellator 181 Card appeared first on Cageside Press.

Salter spoke to Cageside Press in advance of his main card bout against Grove Friday, and discussed the differences between Bellator and the UFC, growing with a promotion, flying under the radar and more.

“I really like the people in Bellator a lot more, I feel like there’s a lot more respect for everybody” Salter told us. “The UFC keeps you a little busier, I’d like to fight a little more, but I’m definitely happy with Bellator.”

Friday’s event is, of course, the first Bellator card since they invaded Madison Square Garden in June. Is that something that gets a fighter like Salter excited, seeing the company put on such a major show?

“I’m growing with the company. I intend on being a title holder by the end of the year, so it’s just awesome to me to see them growing like that.”

Despite his main card status Friday, there’s definitely that “flying under the radar” sense about Salter. The middleweight agreed with that observation, saying “I think a little bit. I think people looked at the Halsey fight like it was a fluke, or like it was a surprise. When I signed with Bellator I knew if I got a chance to fight Halsey, that’s what I would do to him.”

“I think people still looked at that like ‘okay, we’ll see what he does in the future.’ Which is good, I don’t necessarily want to be the guy that everybody expects to do huge things” he added. “I like to surprise people.”

Perhaps it wouldn’t be the case if a high profile fight with former middleweight champ Alexander Shlemenko hadn’t fallen through. Twice.

“There was two separate times, January and April, that I was told I was getting ready to fight [Shlemenko]” Salter told us. “So I was going through training camps to fight Shlemenko, both times it didn’t work out. Not on my end, I don’t know what happened.”

After the second fight with the former champ fell through, Salter opted to head into the ADCC. So is submission grappling something he’d like to continue with?

“I do enjoy Jiu-jitsu a lot, so if I get the opportunity, I’m going to compete a little more, but my number one focus is MMA.”

Speaking of opportunities, Salter’s last bout was at Bellator 168 in Italy, where he TKO’d Claudio Annicchiarico. It marked the fighter’s first bout outside North America, and according to Salter, the experience fight overseas was a very positive one.

“It was great, the fans were great over there” he said. “We had a good time, my wife and I stayed a while, had a little vacation over there, the whole experience was awesome, just a beautiful country.”

“I’d like to do it more, my wife was very clear that any time there’s an international card, she wants me to be on it.” Well, that’s settled then.

Now, Salter’s immediate focus is on Grove this Friday. With Grove having a big name, is the pressure on?

“I think really there’s less pressure then the last fight” Salter explained. “The last fight was a fight I was clearly supposed to dominate, and that’s one of those where you know, your career can take a dive if something bad happens and it goes wrong.”

“With Kendall, there’s a chance where I go out there and I have a tough fight ahead of me and I’m prepared for it. Anytime you have a fight like that, it’s a little less pressure. You know what’s ahead of you, you know what’s going to happen. We’re going to go out there, we’re going to fight hard, it’s going to be on the feet, it’s going to be on the ground, and I’m a little bit better everywhere.”

What does Salter expect to see for Grove? In his opinion, “Da Spyder” is continuing to improve.

“He’s getting a lot better using his reach, obviously a 6″6 guy at 185, you just don’t see that” remarked Salter. “I think that past few years, he’s really started using his reach better, and that’s something I’ve prepared for a lot in this fight. He’s a great grappler, he’s tough on the ground. There’s nowhere that he’s not good, but I just think I’m a little better at every aspect of the sport.”

Should Salter earn the victory at Bellator 181, he’d be on a four fight win streak — so is he ready for his shot? “I definitely think I’m ready for it. Beating Halsey shows I’m the number one contender right now.”

Salter’s also a finisher — he’s never gone to a decision, win or lose. While it’s easy to say fighters should always be looking for the finish, scorecards have long been part of the sport, and it’s rare to find a fighter with nothing but finishes. So is that intentional?

“When I train, every round, if I’m sparring, I’m looking to set up a position where I can finish the fight” he said. “When I’m grappling, I’m looking to finish every round. I train that way, and I feel like lately, the past few years, I’ve really done a lot better job staying calm, seeing things better, which has helped me a lot. I don’t go out there thinking ‘I’m going to win two rounds to win this fight.’ If I’m losing, I’m not out there to lose a decision, I’m just looking for the win and going for broke.”

Of late, Salter’s been training with UFC middleweight Derek Brunson. That no doubt adds something to his training. “Having a guy like him that’s clearly a another top middleweight in the world is great. We push each other every day, doing all your workouts with someone like that gives you a little extra drive.”

Drive doesn’t seem to be an issue for Salter, who is still looking for a fight against Shlemenko, and that title opportunity as well. As for Grove — Salter predicts a finish, either in the late first or second round. “Somewhere in there. I don’t expect to see it go to the third round.”

John Salter meets Kendall Grove on the main card of Bellator 181 Friday from Thackerville, Oklahoma. The event airs live on Spike TV.

The post Bellator 181: John Salter Predicts a Finish Against Kendall Grove appeared first on Cageside Press.

With timing being what it is, the discussion started with The Ultimate Fighter, which introduced many MMA fans to Lawrence. A veteran of season fifteen of the series, Lawrence finished James Krause to make it into the house, then KO’d Cristiano Marcello before falling to eventual winner Michael Chiesa. With Krause making it to the semi-finals of The Ultimate Fighter 25: Redemption, has Lawrence been watching, and is having that win over Krause something of a feather in his cap?

“No, I really haven’t” Lawrence said of watching the most recent season of the show, the finale of which aired live this past Friday. “It’s kind of one of those things, you know you’ve been there done that. I do know that at the level we’re at, the fight game is fairly small and everyone knows everybody. I did know that he was on there, and doing well. So best of luck to him. I definitely put him away fairly early when I did fight him; it was one of my most memorable fights.”

“At the end of the day, he’ll always remember me” he continued. “That fight in particular really changed my life, it put me into one of the biggest shows. It got my career going, I could actually fight full time instead of having to work a job or what not. Ever since then I never had a job, I really focused on myself and focused on my fighting career, which is what I wanted to do since I was little. So it’s definitely a feather in my cap.”

Now that Lawrence is with Bellator, getting asked back to TUF isn’t going to happen, but had he been in a position to participate in Redemption, or a season like it, would he have been interested?

“I don’t know, man” he told us, pondering the question aloud. “I don’t know if you remember, my season was the Live season, season fifteen [the fights aired live week-to-week]. The show that they do now, all the other shows besides my particular season, they cram you into six weeks, which isn’t bad. When I did it, it was thirteen and it felt like prison.”

“Don’t get me wrong, we got to live in a five million dollar mansion, we got to do this, we got to do that” he continued. “But it was just, cameras following me everywhere, I had to ask to go to the bathroom if we were out, security guards had to walk me, I had no freedom. And we didn’t get paid nothing. That was a lot of time away from my family, it was my first time ever away from my family, I was the youngest person in the house at twenty-one. I would really have to think about it. It’s a lot of work smashed into six weeks.”

The UFC, however, is the past. Bellator MMA is Lawrence’s current home, and that once again puts him under Scott Coker, arguably one of MMA’s most popular promoters. Is there anything in particular that makes Coker’s promotions so appealing?

“He is a huge combat sports fan, and he really does a great job and has really turned around Bellator from where it was. Bellator now is doing big things, doing great things, and I’m very happy to be under Scott Coker” Lawrence told us. He then recounted the story of his first pro bout in Strikforce.

I remember when I fought on Strikefoce, and I knocked out Max Martyniouk and at that time, I was definitely the underdog, and at the time they were doing this fighter exchange. What that meant was that they got to do a camp, they got to pick three coaches, one was Pat Cummins, [he] was a fighter, Max Martyniouk was one guy, the coaches were Jason Mayhem Miller, he was a coach with Pat Cummins, and Fedor was Max’s. And at the time, Fedor was the man. Everyone was like, ‘Fedor is the God of MMA’ and still kind of is. So I was like super nervous and kind of scared a little bit, just because it’s my first pro fight and I’m fighting this high-profile guy who’s doing training camps with Fedor Emelianenko.

I went in there and I put hands on him, and I ended up knocking him out in the third round, and Coker was super pumped about me, and always had an eye on me. He really liked striking; I feel like strikers are the most exciting fighters in the game just because at any time they can end the fight. That’s what people want to see. Don’t get me wrong, wrestling wins fights, but strikers, they’ll sell the tickets. I was really pumped when Coker came to me, when I won that RFA title, defended it, he came to me, and offered me a good deal. I was more than happy and super pumped to get the deal done and be under him again.

That’s the kind of loyalty that matters in a world as small as high-level MMA really is. Thus far, Lawrence is 2-2 in his Bellator MMA career, and next up is Treston Thomison. No matter where the fight goes against Thomison on Friday, Lawrence is comfortable with it.

“I’ve been rolling for ten plus years, I am good everywhere, I’m a complete mixed martial artist” he said. “You have to be nowadays. You can’t be one dimensional. If you are one dimensional, you’ll get exposed fairly easy. I’m so comfortable down there, and I feel I am better everywhere than Treston Thomison. I think I’m the man, and I’m going to show him July 14.”

“I feel like once he feels the speed and the power power, he’s going to try to take me down, be grabbing at my ankles. I just gotta stay light on my feet and be ready for that stuff. I think my wrestling is very underrated, no one really knows about it because I don’t really use it” Lawrence explained further. “I want to strike, I want to be on my feet, it’s not rocket science.”

Knowing this, it makes things “not easy for me, but it makes it a little more [predictable] as to what he’s going to do.”

Lawrence has been working with Alliance MMA, which is a big asset in his development. “It has elevated my game” he said of the camp. “Eric Del Fierro is a really good coach, and he doesn’t baby you. I feel like a lot of these coaches kind of baby their fighters and let them dictate what they’re going to do in camp, and Eric doesn’t do that. Eric puts you in the worst position possible, and makes you fight out of it.”

“It really gives you confidence knowing that you kept it up with some of the best guys in the world” he said of the gym, which houses names like Phil Davis, Dominick Cruz, and others. Lawrence likes the tough pace, too. “I’m all about the tough love.”

That top-notch training will hopefully help Lawrence make a statement at Bellator 181, which he very much wants to do. “I’m here to stay, and I am dangerous, I’m so dangerous.” His last two losses came by way of the judge’s scorecards, something he’d like to avoid a repeat of.

“At the end of the day, judges will always make you cry, so I try to go for the finish.”

Justin “The American Kidd” Lawrence will be going for the finish Friday in Thackerville, Oklahoma at Bellator 181 when he takes on Treston Thomison.

The post Bellator 181: Justin Lawrence Says “Judges Will Always Make You Cry” appeared first on Cageside Press.

After all, in his UFC run, Rhodes was thrown to some real killers: George Sullivan, Erick Silva, and of course Whittaker. In hindsight, was that too much too soon?

“Not at all” Rhodes told us. “Without the opportunity or without the struggles, you don’t get the man or the person that you are. If you didn’t go through the things that you’ve been through in your life, you won’t be in the same position that you’re in now. You gotta look at it that way.”

Expanding on what turned out to be the longest losing streak of his career, Rhodes explained that “I felt like those opportunities were things that were put in front of me at that time of my life, and I felt like I needed to go through those, and I feel like they made me a better person and a better fighter today.” Still, he said, “if you look back at those fights though, I feel you gotta put an asterisk by some of them. George Sullivan has two USADA violations back-to-back, he’s been suspended for how many years now, he hasn’t had a fight due to that. I mean look at Erick Silva post-USADA.”

The one fight that doesn’t carry that asterisk is the Whittaker fight, from back in 2014. “I think the only fight you really look at and I regard myself well with is the Robert Whittaker fight” Rhodes told us. “I mean look at the guy now, fighting for the UFC interim middleweight title. I’m the last person to last three rounds with the guy. So it just gives me a little bit of a boost of confidence in my skill set. I feel like I’ve made the jump, leaps and bounds. I’m coming into my own as a man and as a fighter.”

What takeaways were there from that earlier stage of his career? “I was a young kid, who thought he was ready, stepped into opportunities that he thought he could take advantage of, and I got humbled” he admitted. “It’s just a part of life. Sometimes you think you can walk with the big dogs until they start playing around, and you find yourself in the corner wondering what happened. I found myself deep down in that corner and did what I knew I had to do, what I’ve done my whole life, dusting myself off, and getting back to work. Putting my head down, get to the grind and get better. I’ve done that my whole life.”

A positive statement from a fighter who says you’ll “never see me down in the dumps for too long.” Plus, he learned a few simple things about what he needed to make it at a high level. “I just learned that I needed to get bigger, stronger, faster. My mentality needed to get strong. I needed to be more well-rounded in my skill set, and I just needed to be more confident in myself.” That’s something, Rhodes feels, that was better to learn early in his career.

Friday, Rhodes is making his Bellator MMA debut at Bellator 181. So how has the experience been with his new promotion, and is there any desire to go back to the UFC and make a statement? Rhodes is, after all, a perfect 4-0 since parting ways with the company.

“Bellator is my home. I’m happy with Bellator, they’ve treated me nice, I’ve got a good contract with Bellator right now” he told us. “This is just a new chapter in my life. I need to grab this opportunity with both hands, and ride it out and make the best of it.”

“As far as do I want to avenge some of my losses? Hell yeah. I mean who wouldn’t? I’m a fighter, and that’s what we’re about. I would love to fight Robert Whittaker again. He’s a great fighter, a great martial artist, we talk back and forth on Twitter and Instagram and stuff like that, we’re really friendly with one another, but I’m sure he wants to fight anybody who has beaten him as well. It’s just in our DNA as fighters. I’m happy with the situation that I have, and the opportunities that I have in front of me.”

Speaking of opportunities, Rhodes’ fight against Rafael Lovato Jr. is not technically his first booking for the company. He’d previously accepted a bout against Kendall Grove at Bellator 174 on all of three days notice, but the fight was pulled from the card when he couldn’t make weight. The Grove fight was a challenge Rhodes was down for, but ultimately, this may be the better option.

“I think so. I think this is the best opportunity for me, because three days notice versus someone like Kendall would have been a little rough” the fighter explained. “This opportunity with a full camp will be better for me.”

That’s not to say that losing a payday against Grove didn’t hurt. “I hadn’t fought in over a year, so obviously that was a lot of money I missed out on, but it was a really hard weight cut and a really bad situation, as far as cutting that much weight and trying to fight someone of that caliber” he continued. Still, “I have a lot of confidence in myself and in my skill set, that I could have took advantage of it and won that fight as well, but I feel like with a camp it’s just better for me, better for my debut, it’s just a better overall situation.”

On page two, we discuss trash talkers who don’t back it up, Rhodes’ Bellator 181 fight with Rafael Lovato Jr, and CM Punk.

The post Bellator 181: Mike Rhodes Talks Robert Whittaker, CM Punk, and Taking on All Comers appeared first on Cageside Press.

The Bellator flyweight division is among the most stacked in MMA and they are only growing with new additions to the roster.  However, the established ranks have no intention of stepping aside.  Flyweight contender Emily Ducote is up first, taking on former UFC strawweight standout Valerie Letourneau at Bellator 181. She spoke to Cageside Press about the division, and her upcoming bout.

Ducote is among the many notable fighters among the Bellator MMA flyweight ranks, and she is plenty aware that it a roster loaded with names and competition.  With competitors like Letourneau, Anastasia Yankova, Lena Ovchynnikova, Alejandra Lara and others, it’s safe to say that 125 is a crowded room.  Ducote is aware that she is in one of the hottest new divisions in all of mixed martial arts and she sees it as only a positive to have so much attention.

“I think they’re definitely realizing that the 125 for Bellator is a big division and they’re definitely putting a lot of effort into it.  They’re signing new girls, putting flyweight fights on almost any card, it’s awesome.”

With all of the contenders at 125, the one fighter who stands out is Ilima Lei-Macfarlane. The Hawaiian is undefeated in her career and is pegged as one of the women who will get a crack at the flyweight championship belt when it is finally on the line.  Ducote, however, fell recently to Macfarlane and was honest in evaluating where that puts her in the title picture.

“I think it’s going to be Ilima (Macfarlane) versus somebody [for the championship]. I’m not sure who. It could be when the new girls fight the established girls, see whoever wins and keep putting them together.  Then see whoever keeps winning.  There’s so many options for who she could fight, but I definitely see it as Ilima versus somebody…I haven’t given too much thought about [a rematch].  I’m really just focusing on this fight.  I think my name could definitely be in the options though, yes.”

Canadian Valerie Letourneau is one of the new additions to Bellator. She is best known for her five round effort against UFC strawweight champion Joanna Jędrzejczyk and comes to Bellator as the most high profile new addition to the flyweight ranks.  It is a huge fight for Ducote, but while “Trouble” may be on the short list for a title shot, she will have work to do to get the nod herself.

How my team and myself work is one fight, one opponent at a time.  We haven’t really talked about who’s next or what’s next.  I get asked if I think this is a title contention fight.  In my mind, maybe for Valerie if Valerie wins.  But I think I would have to get a few more wins.  I’m not looking for an immediate rematch with Ilima.  She’ll get the belt and if I keep winning and it gets matched up that’d be awesome.  But I’m not looking for an immediate rematch.  There’s so many new girls and so many other girls in the division, I’m not really obsessed with the idea of fighting Ilima again so there’s a lot of options.   For now, myself and my team, it’s only this fight that we’re focused on.

With Ducote focused only on the task at hand, it leaves plenty of time to learn about one of the hottest young prospects in the world of women’s MMA.  For a clearly toned and conditioned athlete, it is ironic that her nickname is “Gordinha” which in Portuguese is a term of endearment for one carrying a few extra pounds.

When I first found my gym and my coach I was not on a diet.  I was a little chunky when I started. I used to fight at 115 so my weight cuts would be a little hard.  So I got that nickname when I first started, being a little chunky and having a hard time cutting weight.  Since signing with Bellator and being professional I’ve gotten my diet cleaned up but that nickname is forever.

At a time when women’s MMA as a whole has never received more promotion, Ducote is at her best in the right era of the sport.  So often, female fights steal the show at an event. There are many reasons why the women’s MMA is so competitive, and even Ducote was at a bit of a loss as to the exact reason why.

I don’t know why.  But I agree the fights are exciting.  I think it’s because in this sport maybe we have something to prove so we got out there with a fire.  I’m not sure why.  But the female fights are usually really great, fast paced, a lot of action, not a lot of waiting around.  When I watch other girls fight, it really inspires me and gets me really excited.  So maybe just watching everybody put on great shows is why we come out on fire.

When asked about how she thought her fight with Letourneau will go, she would only imply that it would be the Bellator newcomer who would be in “Trouble.”

Just my style, I don’t like to do predictions.  MMA is so wild, you never know what’s going to happen.  So I don’t have a specific prediction for the fight.  Like I said, the last 10 weeks I’ve been sharpening everything up so I can say with confidence that it will be the best version of myself you have seen and I’m just very excited to get out there and fight July 14.

Emily “Gordinha” Ducote will be taking on Valerie “Trouble” Letourneau at Bellator 181 on July 14, live on Spike TV.

The post Bellator 181: Emily Ducote Excited to Add to the Flyweight Action appeared first on Cageside Press.