Regrets, I have a few. Personal shortcoming aside, I actually have more than a few. In the sports world there are basically two schools of thought when it comes to regrets: either you do, or you don’t. Mixed martial arts as a sport is unique in several ways, and you hardly ever hear a fighter say he or she regrets anything (Jon Jones excluded).

So, when Brandon Girtz says he doesn’t have any second thoughts about taking the Michael Chandler fight at Bellator 197 on just three week’s notice, it should come as no surprise.

“Absolutely not,” Girtz said when asked if he had any regrets about taking the Chandler fight. “I felt great in there, I thought this was my time,” Girtz added.

In today’s MMA landscape, athletes like Al Iaquinta and Brandon Girtz are a dying breed: Fighters that will throw caution to the wind and let the chips fall where they may. Fighters who are really about that life, who will take a fight with a champion on little to no notice.

Girtz may have been an underdog according to the oddsmakers, but you couldn’t tell him that. “I felt great all week,” said Girtz. “Leading up to the fight, the warm up, in there I felt absolutely great, during the fight, I thought ‘I got this.’”

Chandler would go on to defeat Girtz in the first round via arm triangle at Bellator 197, but that would be the least of Girtz’ concerns. During Chandler’s takedown that set up the finishing sequence, Girtz would land awkwardly on his shoulder while attempting to post on his hand. The end result was a separated shoulder for Brandon Girtz.

“I had the whizzer and I posted right away, its wrestling,” Girtz said. “That’s what sucks, I’ve done this move so many times, a routine move off a body lock, I felt it right away. I went to push off it again, and I was like, yup, that arm is gone.”

“When I went down and finally felt it, I was like ‘no way, my shoulder gave.’ It sucked!”

Maybe it was more evident during the live broadcast on Paramount Network. Watching the fight live cage side, one could hardly tell that Girtz had suffered any kind of injury. Perhaps that’s a testament to how tough Girtz really is — after all he did continue fighting with a separated shoulder.

At present, it’s unclear what the extent of Girtz’s dislocated shoulder is. “The emergency room could only do an X-ray, it’s definitely separated,” explained Girtz.

Girtz subsequently visited a specialist regarding his shoulder, so hopefully he’ll have good news soon.

The post Brandon Girtz Gives Details on Shoulder Injury from Bellator 197: “Yup, That Arm is Gone” appeared first on Cageside Press.

It’s rare for a former champion to be on a solid win streak, clearly set up for a title shot, but not expecting to get it. Yet that’s where Michael Chandler is these days. Despite a big win against Brandon Girtz at Bellator 197 on Friday in St. Charles, MO., Chandler doesn’t believe the lightweight title is neigh. Mainly because he doesn’t believe the man holding it has any desire to fight him.

Chandler addressed the media following the bout, discussing his win against Girtz, and Bellator’s lightweight champion — whom he refused to acknowledge, or at the very least name.

First up, one his first round finish of Brandon Girtz:

“I used to, and if you guys have followed me for a while, I used to get into fights, and get in to the fight,” he said of his fight style over the years. “I wanted the fight to happen. It’s from my wrestling roots, it’s from my wrestling background. I want to get my hands on you, I’m not content unless I have my hands on you and I’m going forward and I’m trying to score. And that, a lot of times in this sport, leads to a lot of danger, a lot of missed opportunities, a lot of damage, running into shots, taking damage I don’t need to.”

It’s something he avoided against Girtz, fighting smart, instead of “young and dumb.”

“I felt like I was in control of the fight, then all of a sudden we went to the ground, and the rest is history,” Chandler summed up the finishing sequence of his main event battle with Girtz on Friday.

That said, “I still think I’m the most violent man in MMA,” Chandler opined. “Eddie Alvarez is out there telling everybody he’s the most violent man in MMA, I think I’m still the most violent man in MMA. Just because I know that there’s a brake pedal now a little bit, just because I can fight with my brains rather than just my brawn, doesn’t mean I’m not the most violent man in MMA.”

So what’s next for Chandler? Well, he, for one, doesn’t believe it’ll be Brent Primus. In fact, when told Primus was tweeting during the bout, Chandler pretended not to know who Primus was. “Brent who? Brent Primus? Never heard of him.”

“Unfortunately the man that stepped into the cage with me at Madison Square Garden is a part-time fight,” Chandler later stated. “He was on maternity leave as soon as that fight happened. He wanted a six month, eight month maternity leave, and I wanted to fight. I feed my family with this, I take this very seriously, I have two mouths to feed at home. Two people whose lives depend on me.”

“I wanted to step back into the cage, so what did I do?” he continued, “I took on the scariest prospect in the lightweight division, Yamauchi, with 18 submission wins. Then all of a sudden, he gets hurt again, the wannabe champion gets hurt again, now I have to step into the cage with Brandon Girtz, a very tough opponent.

“This is just the fight game, this is what happens” Chandler added. “We saw it last week at UFC 223, Khabib fought Al Iaquinta on twelve hours notice, sixteen hours notice. You’ve just got to be ready.”

“We’ll see what’s next,” he said of what comes next, and whether it’s a title shot. “I don’t think that belt is coming to me any time soon. Because I don’t think the man who has it, or is holding onto it for dear life, wants to step into the cage and chance losing it.”

Check out the full post-fight scrum from Bellator 197 with Michael Chandler above!

The post Bellator 197’s Michael Chandler Doesn’t Expect He’ll Being Seeing Lightweight Belt Any Time Soon appeared first on Cageside Press.

Fighting Justin Lawrence to a three-round unanimous decision (30-27 on all three judge’s scorecards) Friday night in St. Charles, MO, A.J. McKee kept his perfect record intact. He owns the longest win streak in Bellator, with eleven straight wins. Each and every one of those has come in Bellator, where McKee has spent his entire professional MMA career. After Friday night’s big win in the co-main event at Bellator 197, McKee discussed his performance — and had some harsh words for Ireland’s James Gallagher, who he’d like next.

“I was definitely tested,” McKee said of Friday’s bout against Lawrence.

“Justin Lawrence came out there, I didn’t expect him to kick as hard as he kicks,” he continued. “He was a strong opponent, he kept coming which I expected. I knew I had to break him, and at the end of the day, that’s what I felt I did. I pushed the pace, second round he wasn’t coming forward as much, third round, I just escaped.”

In McKee’s estimation, there was no need to put himself in danger in the third. “Why go in there and fight and bang with somebody dangerous if you don’t have to, you’ve got the fight in the bag? Take your winnings and walk home” he said. “I’m trying to fight smart, and stay as healthy as possible for as long as possible, and stay undefeated. Which I’m going to do. Doing that, you’ve got to fight strategically.”

When asked who he’d like next, McKee again directed his ire at SBG Ireland’s James Gallagher. The two have been feuding for over a year; Gallagher has called out McKee in the past.

“I still want to fight James Gallagher,” McKee told reporters following Bellator 197 on Friday. “For me, that’s a must. That’s just manhood. If I call you a p***** right now, you’re going to feel some type of way about it. You’re not going to want to interview me, you’re going to be like ‘oh he’s a f****** a******, what a p****!’ So hey – I’m a p****, you keep pulling out of fights, it is what it is bro. Sign on the dotted line. I don’t care when, where, how, your gym, your f****** country, I already beat up your teammate and I trained for three weeks.”

“This is what I’m capable of when I actually train,” he added. “This is a full camp, and he knows it. That’s why he’s ducking. That’s why he pulled out of his last fight. He isn’t hurt. That’s why he wants to fight in London, he’s not hurt, he’s the true p****, running scared. And I want to expose him.”

When or if the fight happens remains to be seen. Gallagher, as alluded to by McKee in his comments, pulled out of a headlining bout in Hungary earlier this month. He has since campaigned to be part of Bellator 200 in London, but that would likely be too soon to book this grudge match. In the meantime, McKee also reiterated that he wants to fight on a card alongside his father and coach, Antonio McKee.

Catch the full Bellator 197 post-fight scrum with A.J. McKee above.

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Of all the action on Friday night in St. Charles, MO at Bellator 197, perhaps none was as impressive as the performance of ‘Baby Slice.’ Kevin Ferguson Jr., son of the late Kimbo Slice, had his best showing yet. The welterweight made short work of Devon Brock, dropping him with a punch, following him down, softening him up with ground strikes and eventually submitting Brock via a rear-naked choke. It was a short, but successful night for Slice, all in all.

After the event, Slice faced the media to discuss his performance, and talk about representing ‘Team Kimbo’ and the Slice legacy.

“It was a good fight,” he said of his performance, but cautioned he’d have to watch it again before judging, or agreeing that it was ultimately an easy fight. “I work hard, so I guess that’s what hard work does. Hard work pays off.”

Expanding on the topic, Slice told media members present (including Cageside Press) that “I wasn’t really sure how it was going to go.”

“I thought I was going to do a little more damage than what I did,” he said, adding “I wanted to, that was the goal. When you step in that cage, everything is unpredictable. Anything can happen, you’ve just got to be alert and take advantage of the opportunities. I feel that’s what I did tonight, and I’m showing that I’m growing. I knocked him down, and I submitted him.”

In the end, “that shows a lot.”

On his coaches advice (Slice trains under Antonio McKee at the rising Team Bodyshop), he said he was told to “keep my composure, stay calm, don’t rush it.” Which is exactly what Baby Slice did at Bellator 197. “I knew my cardio was good, but I didn’t want to overdo it. So I tried to stay calm, tried to pick my punches right, I pushed the pace.”

On opponent Brock, Slice was complimentary: “he was tough, that was a tough guy.”

Addressing fighting where his father had before him, Slice embraced the comparison. “I’m part of Team Kimbo now,” he explained. “The legacy lives on through me. I have to take it to the next level, and that’s what I’m trying to do. That’s my motivation in itself, and I love doing it. I love MMA, I love this sport.”

Check out the full Bellator 197 post-fight press scrum with ‘Baby Slice’ Kevin Ferguson Jr. above.

The post Bellator 197: Baby Slice Discusses His Big Win in St. Charles, Says the Slice Legacy “Lives on Through Me” appeared first on Cageside Press.

Sometimes, you don’t always get the main event you deserve. Friday night in St. Charles, MO, Michael Chandler certainly didn’t get the one he wanted. His anticipated dance partner, Bellator lightweight champion Brent Primus, was forced off the card short notice due to injury. That dashed any hopes Chandler had of quickly regaining the title he lost to Primus last year after suffering a leg injury early in their bout at Bellator NYC.

To be fair, Chandler was never high on rematching Primus, who he sees as an unworthy champion. Yet that was the main event agreed to.

Istead, Chandler found himself paired up with Brandon Girtz, a take no prisoners, never back down sort of fighter who was more than happy to step in on short notice. The bad news, no title on the line. The good news, an explosive combination likely to result in fireworks.

Early in round one, Chandler ate a low blow, but more concerning, he appeared to twist his ankle on a step backward. Shades of Bellator NYC, where an injured leg cost him his Bellator lightweight championship. With that in mind, Chandler took a bit of time to recover; back underway, Girtz went right after his opponent, sending Chandler rolling back head over heels. He recovered, but another pause in the action came when Chandler inadvertently poked his opponent’s eye. Once underway again, Girtz allowed Chandler to back him up and stand in front of him. However, Girtz threw some serious power, and had more on his shots, and more of them. Chandler fell back on his wrestling; Girtz fought off one takedown attempt, but a second with just over ninety seconds remaining in the first round saw Chandler get in position for an arm triangle choke. Jumping across his opponent, Chandler had the choke in tight. Girtz refused to tap, instead going out, and Michael Chandler had the submission win!

Michael Chandler def. Brandon Girtz by technical submission (arm triangle choke), Round 1, 4:00

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At Bellator 197 on Friday night in St. Charles, MO, the co-main event saw surging featherweight A.J. McKee take on arguably the toughest test of his career. Opposite him in the Bellator cage, Justin Lawrence. Lawrence, like McKee, once held the hot prospect label, and entered the Family Arena in St. Charles on a two fight win streak.

The action got going early in Bellator 197’s co-main event, with Lawrence executing right body and front kicks, and McKee showing he wasn’t afraid to answer back with his hands. McKee stayed busy on the feet, and caught Lawrence a couple of times, though Lawrence ate the shots without issue. McKee would, however, drop Lawrence briefly with a kick to the body moments later. Lawrence popped right back up, but that kick had a sound to it. The pair would continue to trade throughout the round, with McKee creating space with his jab, and Lawrence showing an impressive chin.

Round one finished with some snapping kicks; round two began with A.J. McKee showing off some creative, flashy striking. McKee began to land with a number of his kicks in the second, both to the legs and body. By the mid-way point, he had Lawrence on his heels. Lawrence appeared to have at least a minor injury to his lead leg, possibly rolling his ankle and leaving him even more vulnerable to leg kicks. McKee went right for it, but Lawrence was far from defenseless, answering back with a counter right. Just prior to the end of the frame, McKee connected with a side kick right to the face of his opponent, but again, Lawrence ate the blow.

Likely down two rounds heading into the third, Lawrence needed to make the third count. However, with a wounded leg, and with McKee looking stellar, it was a tall order. Lawrence proved a game opponent, but by the end of the round, he was bloodied and beaten. A.J. McKee, meanwhile, remained perfect, moving to 11-0.

A.J. McKee def. Justin Lawrence by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

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Flying somewhat under the radar at Bellator 197 was welterweight prospect Lgan Storley. One of the many young Bellator talents on the rise, Storely got a lot of attention early in his career thanks to being a protege of sorts to Brock Lesnar. However, the 7-0 wrestling standout was a very different fighter than the former UFC champ.

Opposite Storley in the Bellator cage was Joaquin Buckley, 3-1 in Bellator with eight wins overall. Buckley headed to St. Charles, MO on a two fight win streak, and represented a real test of where Storley was at in his development.

Surprisingly absolutely no one, Storley got this one to the ground early, and spent plenty of time on top, controlling the action. He stayed active enough to avoid a stand-up, and when Buckley did manage to get to one knee around the mid-way mark of the first round, Storley was all over him. Soon enough, Buckley was back down, and Logan Storley remained in full control.

Round two saw Storley go right back to his game plan, taking Buckley down, neutralizing him and controlling him once again. Joaquin Buckley was unable to make it back to his feet, and again, Storley did just enough to keep the fight from being stood up.

In round three, Buckley tried to make things interesting, rushing out to open the round with a flying kick, then fighting off a takedown and looking to grab Storley’s arm for a potential submission attempt. Yet soon enough, Storley was back in control. Before long, he had moved to side control. Storley, as in the first two rounds, did little in the way of damage, but stayed active, stayed in control, and added some knees to the body when he could.

The name of the game was control, and Logan Storley did just that, earning a unanimous decision win that was never in doubt.

Logan Storley def. Joaquin Buckley by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-26, 30-26)

The post Bellator 197 Results: Logan Storley Grinds Joaquin Buckley to Lopsided Decision appeared first on Cageside Press.

Bellator MMA returned to action on Friday night, bringing Bellator 197 to the Family Arena in St. Charles, MO. Part of an event packed with prospects, the promotion featured ‘Baby Slice’ Kevin Ferguson Jr. on the main card. Opposite him was a fighter no stranger to facing fighters born of MMA legends: Devon Brock. Brock had defeated the son of UFC legend Royce Gracie, Khonry, earlier this year at Bellator 192 in Los Angeles.

While Brock fanned on an opening leg kick, it was Slice bringing the action early, throwing hands to set up a double leg shot that was ultimately stuffed. Back on the feet, the pair re-engaged, and it didn’t take long for Baby Slice to seal the deal. Missing with a left, he followed up with a crushing right hook behind the ear of opponent Devon Brock. That blow sent Brock crashing back; Slice pounced, adding blow after blow and easily taking mount.

Under siege, there was little Brock could do; soon enough, Slice had taken the back, and had the rear-naked choke sunk in. Just like that, Slice had his third win in Bellator!

Kevin Ferguson Jr. def. Devon Brock by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 1, 0:34

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Bellator returns to action this Friday in St. Charles, bringing stars like Michael Chandler, A.J. McKee, and ‘Baby Slice’ Kevin Ferguson Jr. to town. The card was originally set to include a lightweight title fight between Chandler and champ Brent Primus. However, an injury to Primus changed those plans. Now, Chandler faces Brandon Girtz in a fight that should be explosive, as neither man is known to back down.

Also on the card, undefeated featherweight A.J. McKee (10-0) meets Justin Lawrence. Lawrence will look to play spoiler and keep his own modest win streak (currently at two) intact.

Earlier on in the night, the preliminary card will stream live online. You can watch the Bellator 197 Preliminary Card live stream right here on Cageside Press! The stream kicks off at 7PM ET.

Bellator 197: Chandler vs. Girtz – Live Tonight 9/8c, on Paramount Network

Bellator 197 Preliminary Card Results:

Flyweight: Juliana Velasquez def. Rebecca Ruth by TKO, Round 3, 0:50
Bantamweight: Dominic Mazzotta def. Josh Sampo by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Lightweight: Derek Anderson def. Zac Bucia by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Welterweight: Jordan Dowdy vs. Jeff Crotty
Middleweight: Adam Cella vs. DeWayne Diggs
Featherweight: Joe Roye vs. Cort Wahle
Catchweight (140 lbs): Justin Robbins vs. A.J. Siscoe
Bantamweight: Eric Ellington def. Jordan Howard by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

The post Bellator 197 Preliminary Card Live Stream and Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

Brandon Girtz is the man who stepped up to face Michael Chandler at Bellator 197 on short notice. That’s no small order. Yet when lightweight champion Brent Primus pulled out, Michael Chandler needed an opponent. And Girtz was more than happy to step up. Ahead of Friday night’s big fight, he spoke to the media about where that gets him, and gave his thoughts on his new opponent.

“A win here puts me right there in title contention,” he said of the chance to face Chandler, a former Bellator lightweight champion, on short notice. With Primus yet to defend his title, that could very well be true. The lightweight division is up in the air at the moment. Benson Henderson finally got himself back on track recently, defeating Roger Huerta earlier this month. Chandler, of course, is next in line — but if you beat the man, you become the man.

Speaking of Michael Chandler, Girtz sees a kindred spirit in his opponent.

“Chandler is an explosive fighter,” he said. “I look at us as one and the same and I always have. I’ve admired his style because I look at us as one and the same.” As for what problems his foe might pose on St. Charles on Friday, “the challenge is, he’s going to bring the fight, and I love that. I love fighting someone that wants to come forward and fight me.”

He’s also more than happy to answer critics who think he’s being set up to lose. “I feed off of that. I feed off that energy. I feed off of showing people wrong.”

Catch Brandon Gritz in the main event of Bellator 197, live from St. Charles, MO at the Family Arena on Friday, April 13. The main card airs live on the Paramount Network.

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