Bellator MMA Results From Tampa, FL

Tampa, FL (March 28, 2013) – The final results are in for Bellator MMA live from the USF Sundome in Tampa, Florida. The night showcased the Lightweight Tournament Final with David Rickels finishing Saad Awad via TKO in the second round. The event also featured the Light Heavyweight Tournament Final as Emanuel Newton defeated Mikhail Zayats in a unanimous decision. Both winners earned a $100,000 tournament prize and a guaranteed title shot. 

Light Heavyweight Tournament Final: Emanuel Newton defeats Mikhail Zayats via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).

Emanuel Newton:

Thank you Bjorn, Spike and all of the Bellator staff for being behind me. He is a tough opponent and I went out there and put on my best performance. I know I can get better and I have to get better and I am looking forward to my next fight.

Mikhail Zayats:

I want to thank everyone who came out today. I want to thank Bjorn and all of my fans in Russia and all over the world. I was a little upset because I had an injury two days ago and I tried to postpone my fight. Newton is a great fighter and I congratulate him on a good fight.

Lightweight Tournament Final: David Rickels defeats Saad Awad via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 5:00

David Rickels

My hat is off to Awad, he is a great fighter. I am very happy and really excited. I think I’ve showcased a lot of my skills and I believe I have a lot of the facets of the game. I am really looking forward to seeing who I will fight in the championship and I want that belt around my waist.

Saad Awad

Thank you to everyone for supporting me. It didn’t go my way tonight. I broke my hand in the first round and sorry I had to wrestle for two rounds. I really didn’t want to do that. He caught me in the second round and there is nothing I can do about it, congrats.

Welterweight Qualifier Fight: Luis Melo defeats Trey Houston via submission (arm-triangle choke) – R3, 1:09

Luis Melo

I would like to thank god for the opportunity and Bellator and Bjorn for believing in my potential and bringing me here. I have been fighting for over 10 years and I am happy to have the opportunity to fight here and represent in my big my debut. I will always come to fight and I will always come to entertain you guys.  

Trey Houston

Thank you for the opportunity. It didn’t go my way tonight. He was a very good opponent and has been doing this longer than I knew what the sport was. I hope I can come back because I am still learning a lot and I am improving quickly.

Bantamweight Qualifier Fight:  Rodrigo Lima defeats Ronnie Mann via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Rodrigo Lima

First of all thank you for the opportunity to fight with Bellator. I took the fight in 22 days and I was really focused on that and I put my heart in it. Congrats to Ronnie and the chance to fight against him.

Ronnie Mann

Thank you to Bellator and Bjorn for having me. All I can say is that I have more to offer if I get the opportunity again.

Welterweight Feature Fight: Julien Williams defeats Kenny Moss via submission (guillotine-choke) – Round 1, 3:19

Heavyweight Feature Fight: Augusto Sakai defeats Rob Horton via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 4:01

Women’s Feature Fight: Jessica Aguilar defeats Patricia Vidonic via decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Featherweight Feature Fight: Joe Taimanglo defeats Ronnie Rogers via submission (north-south choke) – Round 2, 0:33

Lightweight Feature Fight: Edson Berto defeats Bruno Carvalho via submission (heel hook) – Round 1, 1:27

Catchweight Feature Fight (157 lbs): Tony Fryklund vs. Patrick Cenoble ended in a draw (29-27, 27-29, 28-28)

Women’s Feature Fight: Felice Herrig defeats Heather Clark via decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA, follow Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney @BjornRebney and check out Bellator on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/BellatorMMA   

Two $100,000 Tournament Finals Headline Bellator MMA’s Return to Tampa March 28th from The University of South Florida’s Sun Dome

Giant Slayers Emanuel Newton vs. Mikhail Zayats Battle for Light Heavyweight Tournament Championship; Awad vs. Rickels Fight For Lightweight Tournament Crown

Newport Beach, CA. (March 13^th, 2013) – The Toughest Tournament in Sports continues as The Finals of the $100,000 Lightweight and Light Heavyweight Tournaments will be decided as Bellator MMA returns the Sunshine State March 28^th from The University of South Florida’s Sun Dome live on Spike TV, as well in Spanish language on mun2. The night will also feature the Florida return on fan favorite and World’s #1 ranked 115 pounder Jessica “Jag” Aguilar.

Tickets can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com, by phone at 1-800-745-3000, by visiting the Sun Dome Box Office and at all Ticketmaster outlets including Wal-Mart. Ticket prices range from $30 - $120.

Only 24, “The Caveman” David Rickels enters the Lightweight Tournament Finals with his sights set on that $100,000 Tournament prize. Known for his tenacious, grinding style, Rickels is fully aware of what his challenger brings to the table.

“I’ve got all the respect in the world for Saad,” Rickels said. “The guy has two huge knockouts in this tournament, but not too many men have been able to stand with the Caveman, and that’s not going to change March 28^th.”

Calling Awad’s two knockouts “huge” may be an understatement, as the California native has spent just 74 seconds inside the Bellator cage this season with first round finishes over Guillaume DeLorenzi and Will Brooks. With both challengers bringing a frenetic pace to the cage, fireworks should be in order March 28^th.

The Light Heavyweight Finals are set as a pair of giant slayers enter the cage as Mikhail Zayats, the proud owner of a TKO victory over MMA legend Babalu Sobral battles “The Hardcore Kid” Emanuel Newton, who punched his ticket to the finals with a spinning back fist victory over tournament favorite King Mo.

“I shocked the world once, and I’ll do it again March 28^th,” Newton said. “After this tournament, everyone is going to know who Emanuel Newton is, and I’m going to be coming for that belt.”

For Aguilar, the 14-4 submission ace brings an impressive resume into the Sun Dome with victories over Megumi Fujii, Carla Esparza and Lisa Ellis. With a five-fight win streak in place, the veteran Aguilar is looking to keep the momentum going with a victory over Patricia Vidonic March 28^th.

“Bellator is my home and I can’t wait to get back into the cage in front of all my friends, family and fans and continue to show the world I’m the best female fighter on the planet,” Aguilar said.

The full card for Bellator MMA’s March 28^th event is below:

MAIN CARD:

Lightweight Tournament Finals: David Rickels vs. Saad Awad

Light Heavyweight Tournament Finals: Emanuel Newton vs. Mikhail Zayats

Welterweight Feature Fight: Luis Melo vs. Trey Houston   

PRELIMINARY CARD:

Featherweight Feature Fight: Joe Taimanglo vs. Shah Bobonis

Female Feature Fight: Felice Herrig vs. Heather Clark

Female Feature Fight: Jessica Aguilar vs. Patricia Vidonic

Heavyweight Feature Fight: Rob Horton vs. Augusto Sakai

Lightweight Feature Fight: Bruno Carvalho vs. Edson Berto

Welterweight Feature Fight: Ivan Devalle vs. Rory Shallcross

Lightweight Feature Fight: Patrick Cenoble vs. Tony Fryklund

Welterweight Feature Fight: Julien Williams vs. Kenny Moss

For more information, visit Bellator.com, follow Bellator on Twitter @BellatorMMA, follow Bellator Chairman & CEO Bjorn Rebney @BjornRebney and check out Bellator on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/BellatorMMA   

Ford and Vidonic reign supreme at CageSport XX!

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Tacoma, WA (July 15, 2012) - Sterling Ford and Patricia Vidonic each proved why they’re amongst the top fighters in their respective weight classes following impressive victories Saturday evening at the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma, WA.

 

Headlining the highly-anticipated CageSport XX card, Ford scored an impressive TKO over James Marohl in the second of their three round lightweight bout. In the opening moments, Marohl came out swinging for the fences and landed a few solid shots, but the patient Ford did some damage of his own. At the start of the second stanza, Marohl landed a powerful jab which dropped Ford to his knees.

 

The gritty Ford recovered and quickly turned the tides against his free-swinging foe. Marohl, who clearly was gunning for a knockout, ran out of gas and Ford begun landing crisp shots. Unlike Ford, Marohl couldn’t recover from the damage and was visibly exhausted, forcing the referee to stop the contest at 3:24.

 

Ford, of Spokane, WA, is now 14-5. Marohl, who hails from Longview, WA, slips to 6-2.

 

In the co-featured bout of the evening, “Little” Patricia Vidonic of Medford, ORearned a hard-fought three round unanimous decision over hometown favorite “Slick” Sally Krumdiak. The fight was fought in close quarters early on, with both ladies connecting with knees to the kidney. Towards the end of the opening round, Vidonic took Krumdiak down and connected with big blows, but was unable to close the show.

 

Vidonic took the fight to the ground in the second stanza, finding a home for hard elbow strikes, causing Krumdiak to bleed from her nose. Behind on the scorecards and backed by rally cries from her sizable fan base, Krumdiak briefly buzzed Vidonic with a hard jab but couldn’t capitalize. Shortly thereafter, the fight returned to the ground, where Vidonic connected with a plethora of hard elbows.

 

All three judges scored the fight 29-28 for Vidonic, who improved to 6-3.Bellingham, WA’s Krumdiak falls to 9-6.

 

Burien, WA resident Brent “Road Kill” Knopp, 3-0, scored a dominant second round TKO over visitor Darrio Mobley of Medford, OR. In a battle of unbeatens, Knopp wore down Mosley, 2-1, and delivered a non-stop onslaught until the contest was officially stopped at 3:03.

 

In other action, Byron Sutton scored a close unanimous decision over Jerome Jones and Beau Hamilton bested Calvin Horton in three rounders, while Shaine Jaime, Benny Vinson, Justin Harrington, Trevor Sojot and Gustavo Lopez all scored impressive stoppages.

 

“CageSport XX was one of the most exciting events I’ve ever promoted,” said Halquist Productions CEO Brian Halquist, whose promoted more than 100 MMA and boxing cards. “The crowd was awesome and loved all of the fights. This is what combat sports are all about!”

 

In addition to the solid action, MMA star Miesha Tate, one of the world’s most famous female fighters, was on hand and mingled with fans throughout the evening.

 

The CageSport series returns to the Emerald Queen Casino Saturday, September 29. For more information, go to Halquistproductions.com.

CageSport XX: Loaded from end to end

FIGHT NEWS UNLIMITED IS SPONSORED BY: WWW.MILIFIDEL.COM
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Tacoma, WA (July 10, 2012) –When Brian Halquist put together “CageSport XX,” he followed the same plan that’s helped him earn the notation as one of the west coast’s top promoters; putting the fans first.

 

Halquist, along with his reliable staff, worked tirelessly on an exciting fight card slated for Saturday evening at the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma, WA.

 

A limited number of tickets are still available and can be purchased by going to ticketmaster.com or at the Emerald Queen box office.

 

Headlining the ten-bout event is a three round lightweight battle between Spokane, WA’s Sterling Ford, 15-4, and interstate rival James Marohl, 6-1, of Longview. Both fighters are on the cusp of landing a big fight and have been on a hot streak during the last few years, winning 11 of their last 12 fights combined.

 

Female standouts “Slick” Sally Krumdiak of Bellingham, WA and “Little” Patricia Vidonic will go toe to toe in the highly anticipated three round co-feature. Krumdiak and Medford, OR’s Vidonic fought most of the top fighters in and around the strawweight division. Both are regarded as upper echelon fighters and believe a victory will earn them a title shot.

 

Much like the main bouts, the supporting contests features talented combatants looking to move up the ladder. Unbeaten rising stars Cory Vombaur, Justin Harrington Gustavo Lopez and Shaine Jamie will all look to make waves in separate bouts. Additional matches include Jerome Jones, 4-3, against Byron Sutton, 5-3, along with a battle of unbeaten middleweights when Brent Knopp challenges Darrio Mobley.

 

“We’re putting our best foot forward with this card,” said Halquist. “The CageSport staff did a great job of making this exciting event a reality and I consider it extremely important for every fight to be one that the fans want to see. If you live in the Pacific Northwest, I’d definitely come out for fight night because you’re in for a real treat of incredible MMA fights!”

 

Former world champion, Female Fighter of the Year and CageSport veteran Miesha Tate is going to be at the fights as the evening’s special guest. A Tacoma native, Tate will be available for a meet and greet, photo ops and autographs throughout the evening for all ticketholders.

 

For more information, go to Halquistproductions.com.

 

Krumdiak-Vidonic: For More Than Bragging Rights

 

 

Tacoma, WA (July 6, 2012) - “Slick” Sally Krumdiack hails from Washington State. “Little” Patricia Vidonic resides in neighboring Oregon. They each battled top-tier opponents and traveled across the nation in doing so. Both went through ups and downs in their careers, but are currently regarded as elite martial artists. Most importantly, neither Krumdiack nor Vidonic has ever backed down from a challenge. The two have fought the best of the best, sharing the octagon with superstar Tara LaRosa, Rosi Sexton, Hiroko Kitamura, Saori Ishioka and Jessica Penne amongst others.

 

On July 14 at the Emerald Queen Casino, the tough and talented women square off in the three round co-feature on Halquist Productions’ “CageSport XX” card. Tickets starting at $35 can be purchased on ticketmaster.com or at the Emerald Queen box office.

 

A well balanced fighter, Krumdiak, 9-5, has the edge in experience. The rugged 29-year-old turned pro in 2006, four years before her foe. Vidonic, a 5’2 submission master, won five of her first six professional fights against quality opposition. Although she dropped her last two bouts by decision, few would be surprised if she emerged victorious on July 14.

 

“This is one of the most interesting fights we’ve had in a long time,” said promoter Brian Halquist. “Krumdiak and Vidonic are both outstanding fighters who were gutsy enough to accept yet another tough challenge by facing off. The fans are in for a real treat!”

 

Headlining the card is an interesting three round Evergreen State showdown between lightweights Sterling Ford, 14-5, and James Marohl, 6-1. Both Ford, of Spoake and Longview’s Marohl have been on a tear, winning 11 of their last 12 fights combined. Like the Krumdiak-Vidonic bout, the victor will likely receive a big fight in the near future.

 

Local prospects Shane Jamie (1-0), Benny Vinson (3-1), Justin Harrington (1-0), Calvin Horton (3-2) and Cory Vombaur (2-0) are set to appear in separate matches. Brent Knopp risks his 2-0 professional ledger record against fellow 2-0 combatant Darrio Mobley and Jerome Jones (4-3) meets Byron Sutton (5-3).

 

All undercard bouts are also scheduled for three rounds.

 

Former world champion, Female Fighter of the Year and CageSport veteran Miesha Tate will be on hand as a special cageside guest. A Tacoma native, Tate is available for a meet and greet, photo ops and autographs throughout the evening for all ticketholders.

 

For more information, go to Halquistproductions.com.

 

Miesha Tate’s Homecoming

Tacoma, WA (June 26, 2012) – Former CageSport standout and Female Fighter of the Year Miesha “Takedown” Tate will appear at “CageSport XX” as a special cageside guest Saturday, July 14 at the Emerald Queen Casino in her hometown of Tacoma, WA.

A universally recognized top ten pound-for-pound fighter, Tate won both of her bouts under the CageSport banner by knockout and is amongst the most famous female martial artists in the world. In her most recent match Tate, 12-3, battled Rhonda Rousey in the main event of a Showtime card. Although she came up short against the unbeaten submission master, Tate earned worldwide recognition as the bout was one of the most viewed in Strikeforce history.

“Miesha is one of the most popular athletes in the area and an inspiration to many male and female MMA fighters,” said Brian Halquist, CEO of Halquist Productions and the creator of CageSport MMA. “I’m glad to have her back and she’s somebody I consider a dear friend.”

Tate will be available to all ticketholders for a meet and greet, photo ops and autographs throughout the evening.

The card is topped by a bout between Sterling Ford and James Marohl as well as a matchup between female superstars “Slick” Sally Krumdiak and “Little” Patricia Vidonic.

Tickets starting at $35 can be purchased on ticketmaster.com or at the Emerald Queen box office.

Additional bouts will be announced shortly.

Sterling Ford to meet James Marohl at CageSport XX!

Female pound for pound stars to meet in co-feature!

 

Tacoma, WA (June 18, 2012) - Welterweight star Sterling Ford will look to continue his recent streak of success when he challenges James Marohl Saturday, July 14 in the main event of “Cagesport XX” at the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma, WA.

 

The card is promoted by Halquist Productions and tickets starting at $35 can be purchased on ticketmaster.com or at the Emerald Queen box office.

 

Hailing from nearby Spokane, WA, Ford has an impressive record of 14-5 with 8 wins by stoppage. The Strikeforce veteran won seven of his last eight bouts, including an impressive unanimous decision victory over Brian McLaughlin at “Strikeforce 17” in July 2011.

 

Marohl’s rolled through his last four opponents, stopping three of them in two minutes or less. With a professional record of 6-1, the Longview, WA resident is a renowned submission specialist who promoter Brian Halquist gives a ton of credit to for his willingness to take tough fights.

“I tip my hat to Marohl” said the Washington-based MMA and boxing promoter. “Sterling’s fought at an extremely high level and is a top-tier talent. Most fighters want to take their time before moving up the ranks like this, but Marohl is confident that this is the perfect opportunity for him.”

 

The Ford-Marohl bout is scheduled for three rounds.

 

Female stars “Slick” Sally Krumdiak of Bellingham, WA and “Little” Patricia Vidonic, aMedford, OR native, battle for supremacy in the three round strawweight co-feature. Both Krumdiak, 9-5, and Vidonic, 5-3, fought at the sport’s highest level. The victor will likely receive a title shot in the near future.

 

“The co-feature is undoubtedly a main event type of fight,” stated Halquist. “I’m extremely excited for this match-up because Krumdiak and Vidonic are two of the world’s best.”

 

Tacoma’s very own Meisha Tate, a former world champion, Female Fighter of the Year and CageSport veteran, will be in attendance. Tate, 12-3, is available for a meet and greet, photo ops and autographs throughout the evening for all ticketholders.

 

A full undercard will be announced shortly and more information is available on Halquistproudctions.com.