Set to feature featherweight and light heavyweight action, the San Antonio card will be headlined by PFL mainstay Bubba “Bad Man” Jenkins taking on Jesus Pinedo, the number four seed in the 145lb tournament.

American Top Team standout Josh Silveria, meanwhile, who leads the PFL light heavyweight division at the moment, will face Ty Flores in the co-headliner.

The remaining tournament bouts see Gabriel Braga face former champ Movlid Khaybulaev at featherweight, while Marthin Hamlet meets UFC alum Impa Kasanganay at light heavyweight.

Showcase bouts featured on the card include some familiar names, including Bellator alum Keoni Diggs meeting Elvin Espinoza, and “Dirty” Desiree Yanez facing Lisa Mauldin in flyweight action. Japanese heavyweight Satoshi Ishii, meanwhile, battles Danilo Marques.

The full line-up for the August 4 event, announced by the promotion on Thursday, can be found below.

Main card

• Bubba Jenkins vs. Jesus Pinedo
• Josh Silveira vs. Ty Flores
• Gabriel Braga vs. Movlid Khaybulaev
• Marthin Hamlet vs. Impa Kasanganay
• Elvin Espinoza vs. Keoni Diggs

Preliminary card

• Thad Jean vs. Ali Omar
• Desiree Yanez vs. Lisa Mauldin
• Satoshi Ishii vs. Danilo Marques
• Chelsea Hackett vs. Ky Bennett
• Billy Elekana vs. Chuck Campbell

The post PFL Announces Playoff, Showcase Bouts for San Antonio on August 4 appeared first on Cageside Press.

Ishii met with the U.K.’s Stuart Austin in the main event of EMC 5 on Saturday, with the promotion’s heavyweight title on the line. Although the result was a unanimous decision win for Austin, the outcome was anything but clear.

Ishii immediately pursued a takedown off the opening bell, staying on the attempt until he finally took Austin down. The British fighter would make it make up, but be taken down again, with Ishii spending most of the round on top. In the second, Ishii kept Austin pinned against the cage, eating a number of elbows but controlling the grappling while working for a takedown again. Nearly the entire round played out in this fashion. The third saw Austin work from distance initially, finding a little more room than in the opening two frames. But when he closed the distance, Ishii again tied him up. The Judoka trapped Austin against the cage until the pair were separated late in the third.

Heading into the championship rounds there was an argument that Ishii was winning the fight based on his control and dominant positions. Later in the fight he’d employ a trip to secure a takedown; Ishii appeared to be in the driver’s seat again. The story of the fight, essentially, was that Austin had the advantage at range, but he spent the bulk of the fight either taken down, or being pressed into the cage, answering with elbows and and punches, but mostly being controlled.

Yet when the scores were read, all three judges awarded the fight to Austin, 48-47.

Ishii (23-12-1) is appealing the decision. Per EMC officials in a press release Monday, “an independent panel will review the decision.”

Full results from the event are below.

Main Event
Inaugural EMC Heavyweight Title
Stuart Austin def. Satoshi Ishii by unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47)*
*Decision being reviewed by an independent panel

Co-Main Event
Welterweight Grand Prix Semi Final 2
Ismail Naurdiev def. Tymoteusz Lopaczyk by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Heavyweight
Damian Olszewski def. Erko Jun by KO (punch), Round 1, 0:36

Welterweight Grand Prix Semi Final 1
Amiran Gogoladze def. Pavel Kusch by TKO (knee and punches), Round 1, 0:54

Heavyweight
Kasim Aras def. Sasa Milinkovic by via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Welterweight
Konrad Dyrschka def. Walter Pugliesi by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Women’s Bantamweight
Sara Luzar Smajic def. Kaylee Vos by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

Featherweight
Pascal Hintzen def. Said Eidi by submission (guillotine), Round 1, 0:56

Lightweight
Tobias Eylitz def. Ibrahim Cholo by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

The post Satoshi Ishii to Appeal Decision Loss in EMC 5 Main Event appeared first on Cageside Press.

MMA Junkie had previously reported that Ishii would take part in the event. EMC 5 will take place in Dusseldorf, Germany. The promotion is led by brothers Ivan & Tomi Dijakovic, who own the UFD Gym and work with fighters like Roberto Soldic, Antun Racic, Thiago Silva, and others.

Bellator MMA, the PFL, and RIZIN are just some of the stops Satoshi Ishii has made along the way in a career that began back in 2009. Ishii has fought the likes of Cro-Cop (who he now trains with), Fedor Emelianenko, and Rampage Jackson, and has wins against Tim Sylvia, Phil De Fries, and Jeff Monson.

Ishii isn’t the only notable name to adorn the EMC 5 card. Erko Jun (3-1), a KSW star with over a million followers on social media, will also compete. Jun last fought in November, suffering his first loss against strongman Mariusz Pudzianowski.

At EMC 5, Jun will take on Damian Olszewski (2-3).

Also appearing at EMC 5, Germany’s Konrad Dyrschka (10-1) will take on Italy’s Walter Pugliesi (7-2), who previously competed in Bellator.

The promotion has teased that more UFC, Bellator, and PFL veterans will be added to the card shortly.

The post Satoshi Ishii, Erko Jun Announced for EMC 5 on September 5 appeared first on Cageside Press.

RIZIN Fighting Federation rang in the New Year in the traditional way, with a New Year’s Eve extravaganza. While Bellator: Japan, a show which the Japanese MMA outfit co-promoted, was able to showcase the final Japanese fight of the great Fedor Emelianenko, RIZIN 20 was arguably the deeper card.

Unfolding at the Saitama Super Arena, the event boasted three title fights. Kai Asakura and Manel Kape battled for the bantamweight championship vacated by Kyoji Horiguchi just months ago. Ayaka Hamasaki was set to defend her super atomweight belt against former UFC fighter and ROAD FC standout Seo Hee Ham. Jiří Procházka, meanwhile, welcomed C. B. Dollaway to RIZIN, with the Czech fighter’s light heavyweight title on the line.

All that, plus the lightweight grand prix, Satoshi Ishii, fresh off a stint in the PFL, undefeated Bellator MMA prospect Patrick Mix, and more!

Check below for full results from RIZIN 20! The event kicks off on December 31, 2019 at 1AM ET! RIZIN 20 is available online via Fite.tv

RIZIN 20: Saitama Results

Main Card

Bantamweight: Kai Asakura vs. Manel Kape – For the vacant Rizin Bantamweight Championship…………Kape defeated Asakura via TKO in round two at 0:38
Catchweight 56kg: Tenshin Nasukawa vs. Rui Ebata – Kickboxing…………Nasukawa defeated Ebata via TKO in round one at 2:46
Super Atomweight: Ayaka Hamasaki (c) vs. Seo Hee Ham – For the Rizin Super Atomweight Championship…………Ham defeated Hamasaki via split decision
Featherweight: Mikuru Asakura vs. John Teixeira…………Asakura defeated Teixeira via unanimous decision
Catchweight 50.8kg: Rena Kubota vs. Lindsey VanZandt…………Rena defeated VanZandt via TKO in round three at 1:42

Preliminary Card

Lightweight: Winner of Semi-Final 1 vs. Winner of Semi-Final 2 – Lightweight Grand Prix Final…………Musayev defeated Freire via unanimous decision
Light Heavyweight: Jiří Procházka (c) vs. C. B. Dollaway – For the Rizin Light Heavyweight Championship…………Procházka defeated Dollaway via KO in round one at 1:55
Light Heavyweight: Simon Biyong vs. Vitaly Shemetov…………Biyong defeated Shemetov via TKO in round two at 0:57
Bantamweight: Shintaro Ishiwatari vs. Hiromasa Ogikubo…………Ogikubo defeated  Ishiwatari via split decision
Catchweight 105kg: Satoshi Ishii vs. Jake Heun…………Heun defeated Ishii via KO in round 1 at 1:12
Bantamweight: Yuki Motoya vs. Patrick Mix…………Mix defeated Motoya via guillotine choke in round one at 1:37
Catchweight 62kg: Taiju Shiratori vs. Taiga – Kickboxing…………Taiju Shiratori defeated Taiga via TKO doctor stoppage due to cuts
Super Atomweight: Miyuu Yamamoto vs. Suwanan Boonsorn…………Yamamoto defeated Boonsorn via unanimous decision
Lightweight: Patricky Freire vs. Luiz Gustavo – Lightweight Grand Prix Semi-Finals………Freire defeated Gustavo via TKO in round 1 at 0:28
Lightweight: Tofiq Musayev vs. Johnny Case – Lightweight Grand Prix Semi-Finals……..Musayev defeated Case via TKO in round 1 at 2:27

The post RIZIN 20 — Saitama Results appeared first on Cageside Press.

Announced for Bellator Japan on Wednesday, Kanna Asakura (15-4) will face King of the Cage atomweight champ Jayme Hinshaw (4-3). In heavyweight action, Shoma Shibisai (5-2) will face Sergei Shemetov (9-6). And in a bit of a twist, a kickboxing bout set to take place in the cage will see ex-K-1 athlete Ren Hiramoto (10-4 KB) take on a former DEEP champ in Takahiro Ashida (23-1-2 MMA).

All three fights will be featured on the “post-lim” portion of the Bellator Japan card, meaning they will air after the main event, via the Bellator App.

Six fights were also announced for RIZIN 20. Among them, Kai Asakura (14-1) gets his replacement for Kyoji Horiguchi. Horiguchi was forced to give up both his RIZIN and Bellator bantamweight titles due to an ACL injury earlier this year. Now, Asakura will face Manel Kape (14-4) for the vacant RIZIN bantamweight title. The pair have met before, with Asakura picking up the win in a close split decision.

A second title fight will see light heavyweight champion Jiri Prochazka (25-3-1) take on promotional newcomer and UFC veteran CB Dollaway (17-9). Dollaway was last seen in a loss to Khalid Murtazaliev at UFC Moscow in September 2018.

In non-title action, RIZIN’s Rena Kubota (9-3) will square off against Lindsey Vanzandt (7-2) in a rematch of their Bellator bout, which saw Vanzandt pick up a submission win. A bantamweight number one contender’s bout, meanwhile, will feature Shintaro Ishiwatari (26-7-4) taking on Hiromasa Ogikubo (19-4-2), a TUF veteran. Heavyweight standout and PFL athlete Satoshi Ishii (22-10-1), who was eliminated from the PFL playoffs in October, returns to face Jake Heun (14-9).

Finally, Vitaly Shemetov (23-10) – brother of Sergei, fighting on the Bellator Japan event – will face EFC Light heavyweight Champion Simon Biyong (6-1). Biyong will be making his promotional debut.

Bellator Japan takes place December 29, 2019 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. The main card will air live on Paramount Network on December 28 at 10PM ET.

RIZIN 20, meanwhile, will take place at the very same venue on December 31, 2019, and will air live on FITE.tv

The post Bellator Japan and RIZIN 20 Have Multiple New Bouts Announced appeared first on Cageside Press.

Former Bellator MMA athlete Satoshi Ishii was in post-season action against Denis Goltsov at PFL 9 2019. The event, taking place at the Mandalay Bay Event Center on October 31, featured the quarterfinal and semifinal fights for both light heavyweights and heavyweights, with Goltsov vs. Ishii opening up the main card.

The quarterfinal fight would go two rounds or less, with a tiebreaker deciding who would move forward in the event of a tie. Turns out, the tiebreaker, based on who the judges felt gave the better overall performance, would not be required.

Ishii, training of late under former opponent Mirko Cro-Cop, opened looking for a takedown, but Goltsov easily avoided the attempt. After some feeling out, a single leg attempt for Ishii at least saw him close the distance, but after Goltsov sprawled, the pair stalled, and the ref restarted them. Ishii then pressed his opponent up against the fence, eventually getting him down and working from guard. Goltsov, however, was able to throw up a triangle attempt, which was still in place to end the round.

The second round saw Goltsov firing off a pair of kicks early, including a head kick that was partially blocked. He was letting his hands go, but only single strikes, his jab hitting home. A couple of 1-2s followed, and through the first half of the round, Ishii was unable to recreate his success from the opening frame.

As if on cue, Ishii shot for a single leg, but Goltsov pulled free, and Ishii sat back in guard. Goltsov, standing, hacked away at Ishii’s legs with kicks. He would continue kicking away, as Ishii remained in guard position, Goltsov refusing to engage on the ground until the final 30 seconds of the frame. When he finally did get on the ground, he wound up on his back, throwing up a triangle once again before the final buzzer.

Official Result: Denis Goltsov def. Satoshi Ishii by majority decision (19-19, 20-18, 20-18)

The post PFL 9 2019 Results: Denis Goltsov Gets Past Satoshi Ishii Via Decision appeared first on Cageside Press.

The PFL’s final regular season show has come and gone, and the playoff brackets are set for the big men. PFL 6 2019 saw heavyweight and light heavyweights throw down, with a number of big finishes. Alex Nicholson, after losing his first fight of the season to Francimar Barosso, was among the big winners, knocking out Zeke Tuinei-Wily in the first round. That sets up a rematch with Barosso in the post season.

Vinny Magalhaes also got back in the win column in a big way, and into the post-season. Magalheas submitted Rakim Cleveland in just under two minutes to earn six points, and ensure he’ll have a shot at a million dollars, should he make it through the playoffs.

Full results and standings are below, as well as a gallery of highlights from PFL 2019 Week 6!

PFL 6 2019 Results:

Main Card (ESPN+)

Heavyweight: Jared Rosholt def. Satoshi Ishii by unanimous decision decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Light Heavyweight: Vinny Magalhaes def. Rashid Cleveland by submission (arm-bar), Round 1, 1:56
Light Heavyweight: Viktor Nemkov def. Rashid Yusupov by unanimous decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Heavyweight: Ali Isaev def. Carl Seumanutafa by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Light Heavyweight: Maxim Grishin def. Mikhail Mokhnatkin by knockout, Round 1, 0:48
Heavyweight: Muhammed DeReese def. Valdrin Istrefi by TKO, Round 1, 2:06
Bantamweight: Umar Nurmagomedov def. Sidemar Honorio by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Heavyweight: Francimar Barroso def. Ben Edwards by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Preliminary Card (ESPN2)

Heavyweight: Denis Goltsov def. Kelvin Tiller by submission (neck crack), Round 2, 3:40
Light Heavyweight: Emiliano Sordi def. Bozigit Ataev by knockout, Round 1, 1:22
Heavyweight: Alex Nicholson def. Zeke Tuinei-Wily by TKO, Round 1, 3:07
Light Heavyweight: Jordan Johnson def. Sigi Pesaleli by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

The post PFL 6 2019: Photo Highlights from Atlantic City appeared first on Cageside Press.

Japanese Olympian and heavyweight Satoshi Ishii was a big signing for the PFL in 2019, and he came through in his season-opening fight, picking up three points toward the post-season. At PFL 6 2019 in Atlantic City on Thursday, Ishii, now training with Mirko Cro-Cop, and a Croatian citizen to boot, was in action against former UFC athlete and standout wrestler Jared Rosholt.

With a touch of the gloves, the main event was underway on Thursday, with Ishii and Rosholt going through a feeling out period. Ishii was on the outside, and Rosolt launched a kick that was blocked. Ishii then moved in, threw a bunch, and easily avoided a counter. The pace then slowed again, but this time, it was Rosholt on the outside. On an exchange, he initiated a clinch, and landed a knee on Ishii, but the Japanese fighter was no worse for the wear.

Rosholt, known for his wrestling, didn’t try for a takedown on the Olympian until later in the round, and didn’t get anywhere with it. The first frame finished with Ishii driving the American into the fence.

After not resorting to the takedown much in round one, Rosholt went right for it in the second. Ishii, however, was right back up. Later, it was Ishii taking the American down, ever so briefly. He’d then press Rosholt into the cage, until Rosholt broke free, and in a bit of an explosive moment, took the back, and got Ishii down. He’d add a little bit of offense in the way of punches while still controlling the back, but not much.

Round three saw a bit more action, with both men throwing at points. Problem being, both men were also tired, drenched with sweat. It likely would come down to who had more left in the tank. In the final two minutes, both were trading, albeit mostly single strikes, and nothing was landing clean enough to put the other down. Ishii would initiate a clinch, but Rosholt pushed him off, then re-engaged on his own terms.

In the end, it would go to the scorecards, and Rosholt would take the victory. Both he and Ishii will move to the post-season, in the final two playoff spots.

Jared Rosholt def. Satoshi Ishii by unanimous decision decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

The post PFL 6 2019 Results: Jared Rosholt Advances With Win Over Satoshi Ishii appeared first on Cageside Press.

The sixth and final show of the PFL 2019 regular season went down Thursday night at the Oceans Resort and Casino in Atlantic City, NJ. Featuring the second fights for both light heavyweights and heavyweights, names like Satoshi Ishii and Kelvin Tiller would loom large at heavyweight. Vinny Magalhaes and Maxim Grishin were among the names at light heavyweight, meanwhile. And as an added bonus, the return of Umar Nurmagoemdov was also set, in a bantamweight clash with Sidemar Honorio. A cousin of UFC champ Khabib, the undefeated Umar is a hot prospect at the moment, with a 10-0 record.

PFL 6 2019 Results:

Main Card (ESPN+)

Heavyweight: Jared Rosholt def. Satoshi Ishii by unanimous decision decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Light Heavyweight: Vinny Magalhaes def. Rashid Cleveland by submission (arm-bar), Round 1, 1:56
Light Heavyweight: Viktor Nemkov def. Rashid Yusupov by unanimous decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
Heavyweight: Ali Isaev def. Carl Seumanutafa by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Light Heavyweight: Maxim Grishin def. Mikhail Mokhnatkin by knockout, Round 1, 0:48
Heavyweight: Muhammed DeReese def. Valdrin Istrefi by TKO, Round 1, 2:06
Bantamweight: Umar Nurmagomedov def. Sidemar Honorio by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Heavyweight: Francimar Barroso def. Ben Edwards by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Preliminary Card (ESPN2)

Heavyweight: Denis Goltsov def. Kelvin Tiller by submission (neck crack), Round 2, 3:40
Light Heavyweight: Emiliano Sordi def. Bozigit Ataev by knockout, Round 1, 1:22
Heavyweight: Alex Nicholson def. Zeke Tuinei-Wily by TKO, Round 1, 3:07
Light Heavyweight: Jordan Johnson def. Sigi Pesaleli by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

The post PFL 6 2019 — Light Heavyweights and Heavyweights: Live Results and Standings appeared first on Cageside Press.

The official weigh-in for PFL 6, 2019 edition took place today in Atlantic City, NJ. And continuing a recent trend for the Professional Fighters League, yet another athlete missed at the scales. This time out, it was former UFC fighter Ronny Markes, whose fight with Dan Spohn was pulled from the event as a result.

Spohn now gets the walkover win, and three points. Whether that’s enough to make it into the post-season won’t be known until Thursday night. Meanwhile, with no points in the regular season, Markes is effectively done, barring some miracle.

“Our heavyweights and light heavyweights had the highest early stoppage rates last season, and with playoff spots on the line, I expect that trend to continue,” said Ray Sefo, President of Fighter Operations of the PFL in a press release Wednesday. “With our format, nobody is out of contention, every fight matters, every round counts. A first-round win for our fighters with 0 points could mean a spot in the Playoffs. Once you’re in the Playoffs, anything can happen. You’re one step closer to a million dollars, and that drama will unfold tomorrow night.”

The PFL 6 2019 card goes down at the Oceans Resort and Casino on Thursday, August 8. The action starts on ESPN 2, which will air the preliminary card starting at 8PM. The main card airs on ESPN+

PFL 6 2019 Weigh-In Results:

Main Card

Heavyweight: Satoshi Ishii (240.6) vs. Jared Rosholt (257.0)
Light Heavyweight: Vinny Magalhaes (205.2) vs. Rakim Cleveland (204.8)
Light Heavyweight: Rashid Yusupov (206) vs. Viktor Nemkov (205.6)
Heavyweight: Ali Isaev (263.2) vs. Carl Seumanutafa (265.2)
Light Heavyweight: Maxim Grishin (205.8) vs. Mikhail Mokhnatkin (205.6)
Heavyweight: Valdrin Istrevi (244.4) vs. Muhammed DeReese (245.6)
Bantamweight: Umar Nurmagomedov (135.8) vs. Sedico Honorio (135.4)
Heavyweight: Francimar Barroso (244.8) vs. Ben Edwards (264.2)

Preliminary Card

Heavyweight: Kelvin Tiller (265.0) vs. Denis Gotsov (241.2)
Light Heavyweight: Bozigit Ataev (205.6) vs. Emiliano Sordi (205.8)
Heavyweight: Alex Nicholson (238.2) vs. Zeke Tuinei-Wily (265.6)
Light Heavyweight: Jordan Johnson (205.8) vs Joe Pesaleli (204.8)

The post PFL 6 2019 Weigh-In Results: Ronny Markes Misses Weight appeared first on Cageside Press.