Alexander Volkov defends heavyweight belt vs. Vitaly Minakov at Bellator 109

Friday, October 4, 2013

by MMAjunkie.com Staff on Oct 04, 2013 at 3:05 pm ET

Nearly a year after winning Bellator’s vacant heavyweight title, Alexander Volkov has a date for the first defense of his belt.

Volkov (19-3 MMA, 3-0 BMMA) will headline Bellator 109 in November against fellow Russian and unbeaten tournament winner Vitaly Minakov (12-0 MMA, 3-0 BMMA). Bellator officials announced the bout on Friday.

Bellator 109 takes place Nov. 22 at Sands Event Center in Bethlehem, Pa. The main card will air on Spike TV following prelims on Spike.com. On Thursday, MMAjunkie.com was first to report the card’s first fight, which will feature the unretired Matthew Riddle against an opponent still to be named. Tickets for the event already are on sale.

In addition, Bellator officials said the event will feature a pair of Season 9 tournament finals. Already likely for one of those spots is the final of the lightweight tourney. The two other Season 9 tournament divisions that don’t have announced dates for the finals are at bantamweight and heavyweight. Tonight’s Bellator 102 features the heavyweight tourney semifinals.

Volkov beat Richard Hale by unanimous decision in December 2012 to win the vacant heavyweight title after previous champ Cole Konrad retired after holding the belt for nearly two years. That win wrapped up the Season 7 tournament title for him after beating Brett Rogers in the opening round and stopping Vinicius Queiroz in the second round of the semifinals.

Volkov will go into the fight with a 10-fight winning streak. Before signing with Bellator in 2012, all his wins came in his home country of Russia.

Minakov debuted with the promotion at Bellator 79, stopping Vladimir Starcencov in the second round. He then got a spot in the 2013 “Summer Series” four-man heavyweight tournament, where he stopped Ron Sparks in just 32 seconds at Bellator 96, then stopped Ryan Martinez in the third round at Bellator 97 to punch his ticket to the title fight against Volkov.

For more on Bellator 109, stay tuned to the MMA Rumors section of the site.

(Pictured: Alexander Volkov) Edit this article

Bellator 97 video highlights: Askren beats down Koreshkov, ‘King Mo’ cruisesBellator 97 results: Chandler KOs Rickels, Askren stops KoreshkovWith nine prelims, two title fights, card set for Bellator 97 in Albuquerque’King Mo’ vs. Noe, Martinez vs. Minakov tourney finals added to Bellator 97Bellator 96 results: ‘King Mo’ Lawal devastates, ‘Babalu’ Sobral retiresBellator 96 main card adds heavyweight tourney, expands to three hoursBellator 79 results: Hale, Shamhalaev head to heavyweight, featherweight tourney finalsBellator 79 lineup complete, champ Eduardo Dantas and Paul Daley off cardBellator adds unbeaten Vitaly Minakov, Ryan Martinez to heavyweight ranks USA Today Sports document.write(unescape(“%3Cscript src=’” + (document.location.protocol == “https:” ? “https://sb” : “http://b”) + “.scorecardresearch.com/beacon.js’ %3E%3C/script%3E”)); COMSCORE.beacon({ c1:2, c2:6035223, c3:”", c4:”", c5:”", c6:”", c15:”" });

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Alexander Volkov defends heavyweight belt vs. Vitaly Minakov at Bellator 109

TUF 18 Week Five Preview

Last week’s episode of TUF 18 should have brought a tear to everyone’s eyes as Roxanne Modafferi’s dream to become the Ultimate Fighter came to an end when she lost in an upset to former boxing champion Jessica Rakoczy. It was an emotional loss for Modafferi, who is considered to be one of the pioneers of women’s MMA.

The loss did manage to accomplish one thing that had previously not happened during this season of the show, and that was silence the bitter back and forth between coaches Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate. The two bantamweight women have been engaged in a war of words all season long, but watching a fighter like Modafferi lose seemed to calm the stormy waters just a bit as we head into this week’s episode.

For the first time since she picked the inaugural fight for the season, Rousey got control of the bout selection back, and she chose British fighter David Grant to take on late replacement Louis Fisette, who received a second chance on the show after Tim Gorman was forced to withdraw with an injured leg.

Before Grant gets a chance to throw down in the cage, he will have a little extra help with his judo prior to the fight when Rousey’s mother Ann Maria Rousey DeMars makes a stop by the Ultimate Fighter gym to help coach a session with her daughter’s team.

DeMars is not only Rousey’s mother, but a world-class judo champion and the first ever woman from the United States to capture a World Judo Championship. She’s also been a major influence on Rousey’s upbringing in the fight game, and her tough love approach to training has been well documented over the years.

It will certainly be interesting to see how she interacts with the newest crop of fighters hoping to join her daughter in the UFC.

Another major storyline that’s sure to develop in every season of The Ultimate Fighter is the constant battle for the competitors to make weight during the show. While some fighters in the house are moving up in weight just for the chance to be part of the cast, many of the men and women are natural bantamweights, and cutting down to 135 pounds multiple times over the course of six weeks isn’t an easy prospect.

It’s made even harder by the fact that the producers on the show allow the fighters to give them a grocery list each week where they can receive any foods they wish, and it’s safe to say the choices are not always Dolce Diet approved.

In past seasons some fighters have even had to exit the show after not being able to make weight, something most notoriously documented during season five when lightweight Gabe Ruediger just couldn’t lose another pound and had to leave when he failed to cut down to the lightweight limit.

Hopefully, the upcoming fighters battling for their spot in the house won’t have that issue, especially a fighter like Fisette, who is getting a second opportunity after losing in his opening round match to get into the house.

Fisette lost by arm triangle choke to submission specialist Chris Holdsworth in the elimination fight to get into the house, and as it turns out the loss doesn’t seem nearly as bad given the circumstances. Holdsworth may be the best submission fighter on the show this season, and after his performance eliminating Chris Beal two weeks ago, it’s hard not to consider him a favorite going forward as well.

Fisette re-entered the house without taking much damage in his loss, and on paper it doesn’t appear his next opponent has the same kind of pedigree as Holdsworth, but he might be just as dangerous.

Grant comes from England, where fighters notoriously love to stand and trade with an opponent, but he’s a very well-rounded martial artist that can finish the fight anywhere. During his nine fight pro career, Grant has finished seven out of his eight opponents by submission. He’s only seen the second round two times in his career as well, so he’s a finisher that loves to get the early stoppage.

Fisette is a very similar fighter, with a mix of submission and knockout finishes to his credit, and he also has only made it to the second round twice in his seven-fight career. What Fisette also has going for him is the fact that he has nothing to lose. He wasn’t even supposed to be here, so he has a chance to make the most of his second trip to the Octagon, and he certainly wants to impress UFC president Dana White for giving him the opportunity to return.

That said, Grant does seem slightly ahead in overall skills going into their matchup. He’s a dangerous, move-forward striker that uses his aggression to throw opponents off their game. Grant also had one of the toughest matchups to get into the house when he faced veteran Danny Martinez, and the back and forth war ended with the Brit getting the submission via armbar in the second round.

Don’t look for Fisette to fade under the pressure, but Grant is slick at choosing his spots and picking his poison to find the right opening to put an opponent away. Grant will be the favorite and the pick to win going into this one, but if there’s one thing we’ve learned thus far in this season of The Ultimate Fighter – nobody is safe, and in this house there are no favorites anymore.

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TUF 18 Week Five Preview

Beltran Can't Wait To Get Punched In the Face

“I really feel like I’m in a good place. I’m in the same place that I was mentally the last time I stepped into the Octagon.” – Joey Beltran “I hate to steal a saying from a t-shirt,” an excited Joey Beltran begins before pausing to correct himself.

“Actually, it started out as the homie Kendall Grove’s tattoo. It says, “Only a fighter knows how it feels,” and it’s true. The only way I feel the most alive, the most at home and safe – as weird as that may sound – the world makes sense when I’m in there fighting. I haven’t had that for a long time, and I’m stumbling over my words right now because that’s how excited I am to go in there and fight.

“I’ve never been so excited to get punched in the face.”

Wednesday night, Beltran gets the opportunity to step back into the Octagon opposite Brazilian bomber Fabio Maldonado in a light heavyweight matchup that has Fight of the Night written all over it. For Beltran, it’s a moment he’s been looking forward to for quite some time.

Following his December bout with Igor Pokrajac in Australia, Beltran tested positive for the banned substance nandrolone. The impressive victory he had collected to close out 2012 was overturned and ruled a no contest, and the affable and engaging Californian known as “The Mexicutioner” was handed a nine-month suspension.

“As far as the positive result, I still to this day stand by my statement when I said that I did not inject nandrolone into my body,” reiterates Beltran, who will carry a 14-8, 1 NC record into his main card tilt with Maldonado on FOX Sports 1. “Obviously, something bad went into my body, so I have to take responsibility. I don’t know what it was, but what I decided to do after about two days of going crazy is just take it like a man, move on, serve my suspension, turn all these lemons into lemonade, and get better.

“I had nine months to get better,” he continues. “It’s the longest layoff I’ve had in my career, and it was really a blessing in disguise. I got to re-connect with my family, be there for my teammates as more of a teammate and a brother. I just really focused on my life – outside of fighting also. You’re forced to look at things from a different perspective.”

One of the things Beltran focused on during his forced hiatus was how he prepares himself for combat.

After more than five years of competing as a professional and three years in the UFC, the 31-year-old Alliance MMA representative tore down his previous approach and rebuilt it from scratch with the help of the all-star cast of coaches and fighters at the elite San Diego facility, and one new addition.

“I crossed paths with a gentleman by the name of Naudi Aguilar,” explains Beltran. “The best way I can describe him is a body mechanics coach, and what he introduced to me is a couple basic techniques that I’ve never had shown to me over all these years of training; stuff like basic myofascial release. He’s really taken care of my body, and not doing certain stuff.

“He’d ask me, `Why do you lift weights? Why do you do this? Why do you do that?’ and my answer was always, `That’s what I’m supposed to do.’ (Laughs) I never really could come up with an answer for him. It made me take a step back, think about the way I train, and completely revamp and restructure the way that I train. I honestly feel that meeting this guy has added at least five extra years on top of whatever I would have gotten out of my already pretty broken down body. I feel like I’ve gotten a new lease on life.

“I’m moving way, way better than I’ve ever moved in my career in sparring. A couple of the media guys were here filming for Alex (Gustafsson) and (Phil Davis’) fight not too long ago against Machida, and they made comments like, `You look way different.’ I feel different. (Laughs) I’m working hard. I’m excited.”

Despite a 2-3 record in the UFC, there aren’t a lot of people rushing to share the cage with Maldonado.

A former professional boxer, the granite-chinned light heavyweight is a punishing puncher, and near impossible to put away, leading some to borrow from Chan Sung Jung and dub him “The Brazilian Zombie.” The 33-year-old veteran likes to plant his feet and let his hands fly, and that has Beltran counting down the days until the two warriors share the cage in Barueri, Brazil.

“I really feel like I’m in a good place. I’m in the same place that I was mentally the last time I stepped into the Octagon – I’m really excited, really happy, and I just want to go out there and show what I’ve got. I’ve been working hard these last nine months. I kicked the can around – I was pretty depressed for 10 days or so after the result came out – and then after that I was like, `It’s time to go to work.’

“Fortunately, I got a good opponent. Unfortunately, he seems like a nice dude and a cool guy,” Beltran adds with a laugh. “He’s probably my type of guy. Fabio Maldonado seems like the type of guy you want on your side. If you’re going to get in a street fight, you probably want somebody like that having your back, but we’ve got to do the do on October 9.

“This will be my 10th fight inside the Octagon, and the old “Octagon jitters” as Joe Rogan likes to call them are pretty much gone; now its just business. This is where I belong, and this is where I do my thing. I’m excited, I’m pumped up, but at the end of the day, I have a job, and I know what I need to do and the positions I need to put myself into to defeat Fabio Maldonado. Now it’s just a matter of going out and getting the job done.”

And how does Beltran envision that happening?

“Honestly, I think I’m going to get a submission,” says the man who has just a single submission win to his credit thus far.” I’m thinking I will stop him in the third round – the middle of the third round. I’ve been working really hard on that with my coach, Jimmy Harbison. A couple months ago, I was promoted to my purple belt after a lot of years. (Laughs) I put on the gi and worked my way into that promotion, and I wouldn’t doubt it.

“It would not surprise me if I went out there and surprised some people, got a submission in the third round… after, of course, a crazy, brutal, knockdown, drag out fight.”

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Beltran Can't Wait To Get Punched In the Face

World Series of Fighting 7 – Vancouver – December 7

Date: December 7, 2013
Venue: PNE Agrodome in Vancouver, BC
TV: NBC Sports Network
Tickets:

Fight Card:
205lbs- Anthony Johnson (15-4) vs. Mike Kyle (20-10-1)
185lbs- *Elvis Mutapcic (13-2) vs. Jesse Taylor (26-9)

*Middleweight Tournament Semi-finals

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World Series of Fighting 7 – Vancouver – December 7

UFC heavyweight vet Mike Russow signs with World Series of Fighting

World Series of Fighting has added another heavyweight fighter to its ranks with the addition of UFC veteran.

Mike Russow (15-3) has signed a multi-fight contract with the Las Vegas-based promotion. Sources close to the deal recently confirmed the news to MMAjunkie.com, though the promotion has yet to make an official announcement of the signing.

WSOF holds its next event, WSOF 6, later this month in Florida, then goes to Canada for the first time for WSOF 7 in Vancouver on Dec. 7. Russow, though, is not expected to debut with the promotion until after the new year.

The Illinois-based Russow, who is a Chicago police officer, signed with the UFC when he was 11-1 with a seven-fight winning streak of stoppages. His lone loss at that time had come at PRIDE 33 against Sergei Kharitonov.

His UFC debut was not necessarily a showstopper, but he picked up a unanimous decision win over Justin McCully at UFC 102. It was at UFC 114, however, that he made his mark. After getting beaten up by Todd Duffee for two and a half rounds in May 2010, he dropped Duffee with a right hand that left the MGM Grand Garden Arena stunned. Russow won “Knockout of the Night” for the shocker, which quickly became regarded as one of the best comebacks in UFC history.

Russow, who next month turns 37, went on to win two more UFC fights, moving him to 4-0 in the promotion thanks to a doctor’s stoppage TKO of Jon Madsen and a grinding decision win over John-Olav Einemo in front of his home Chicago fans at UFC on FOX 2.

But then the level of competition stepped up for him in a big way. He was stopped midway through the first round by Fabricio Werdum at UFC 147 in Brazil on the pay-per-view main card. Then Shawn Jordan stopped him with punches in the second round at UFC on FOX 6 in Chicago in January. After that, he was released from the promotion.

WSOF’s heavyweight division thus far has included just eight fighters: former UFC champ Andrei Arlovski, Devin Cole, Rolles Gracie, Dave Huckaba, Anthony Johnson, Mike Kyle, Derrick Mehmen, and promotion President Ray Sefo. Johnson and Kyle are light heavyweights who moved up for heavyweight bouts, and Sefo is unlikely to fight again in MMA.

Now Russow will look to get back on track following the first losing skid of his career, and will do so as a needed addition to WSOF’s heavyweight roster.

For more on World Series of Fighting’s upcoming schedule, stay tuned to the MMA Rumors section of the site.

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UFC heavyweight vet Mike Russow signs with World Series of Fighting

Fabio Maldonado: The Heart and Passion of a Warrior

“I have great respect for Joey Beltran but I enter the Octagon to get the job done and win.” – Fabio Maldonado Mixed martial arts is a sport driven by the passion invested by the competitors inside the cage and the legions of fans supporting them from beyond the bright lights. For every significant victory or impressive performance a fighter logs in the live-fire environment of the Octagon, that work is amplified by the impression that action left on the fighting faithful.

The momentum created by fan support can become fuel to motivation a fighter throughout his journey. While the attention span of the MMA fan base is undoubtedly fickle – giving and taking their adoration based on outcomes – there is a select group of fighters who command attention and create anticipation every time their names hit the fight card.

Of this group, Fabio Maldonando is certainly a member.

The Brazilian slugger has grown to become a beloved commodity on the UFC roster. With a lion-sized heart and a granite chin, Maldonado has battled through the fire to earn a coveted spot on the list of fan favorites.

Whether or not he emerges victorious with every outing doesn’t seem to matter. His ability to bring the fight and put on an exciting show is one of the rare guarantees in an unpredictable sport, and because of this, fans love to watch him work.

A fighter who isn’t judged by the sum of his wins and losses is certainly rare in the ultra-competitive world of the UFC, and this isn’t something that is lost on Maldonado. The 33-year-old has carved out a place of respect on the sport’s biggest stage and done so by his willingness to fight inside the cage.

Whether it came as the result of dusting James McSweeney in his Octagon debut at UFC 120 back in 2010 or putting on a pure display of heart and will in a short-notice onslaught at the hands of Glover Teixeira at UFC 153, the end result was the same. Granted, the notches in the win column were different, but the fact Maldonado made a lasting impression on those who were watching was a victory in perhaps the most difficult sense.

He won’t have to look far for the fight in his next outing as he faces fellow scrapper Joey Beltran at UFC Fight Night on October 9.

“My fights are always very exciting, especially because my best quality is boxing,” Maldonado said. “I have noticed with every fight my fans have increased, which makes me very happy and inspires me even more to put on a show in the Octagon. That will certainly be the case against Joey Beltran.”

In facing “The Mexicutioner,” Maldonado will step into the Octagon with an opponent who is equally as notorious for waging war. The Team Alliance fighter has experienced mixed results throughout his career, but his willingness to sling leather inside the cage has never been debated.

The matchup is an early candidate for Fight of the Night honors, and Maldonado isn’t looking to disappoint. He carries admiration for Beltran, but once the cage door closes, he’ll be throwing everything he has with the worst of intentions.

“Joey Beltran invited me to this fight,” Maldonado said. “I don’t know what his game will be, but I will give 110% in my performance and will hurt and knock out Joey Beltran. I have great respect for Joey Beltran but I enter the Octagon to get the job done and win. Certainly in this fight Beltran will confront Fabio Maldonado like no other fighter has before.

“It makes me very happy to see the love from the fans. It motivates me even more to put on a great show and leave with Fight of the Night. Fans can expect to see a great fight. I am more prepared for this bout than ever before.”

In addition to a guaranteed throw down with Beltran, another perk of the bout for Maldonado comes with it taking place in his native Brazil. The fight will be his third consecutive showing in his homeland under the UFC banner, and the thought of competing in front of his countrymen has the former boxer turned mixed martial artist pumped up.

 “For me, it’s great to fight in Brazil. First, because all my fans are at the event, which motivates me a lot. Secondly, I am near my family. And lastly, because I don’t need to deal with long hours of travel.”

As the UFC draws closer to its 20th birthday, there is no doubting the physical demands of such a rigorous sport, but every fighter who puts on the gloves is signing up for the risk and reward which comes from professional competition.

Despite the battles he’s endured inside the cage, Maldonado isn’t concerned with things which could arise in the future. In his mind, the hurt business is one he’s invested himself in entirely, and he’ll take everything that comes with the pursuit of glory.
“I don’t see this as a downside. I am an athlete and prepare myself for this. As for stopping, I still plan on fighting MMA for many more years. I know that some of my past fights have been tough, but I have a team accompanying which me has prepared me for them.”

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Fabio Maldonado: The Heart and Passion of a Warrior

Bellator MMA 104 – October 18

Date: October 18, 2013
Venue: U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
TV: Spike TV/Spike.com

Main Card: (Spike TV)
170lbs- *Rick Hawn (16-2) vs. Brent Weedman (22-8-1)
170lbs- *War Machine (14-4) vs. Ron Keslar (10-3)
265lbs- Peter Graham (9-5) vs. Eric Prindle (8-3)
185lbs- Kendall Grove (18-13) vs. Joe Vedepo (14-6)

Preliminary Card: (Spike.com)
170lbs- Karl Amoussou (16-5-2) vs. Paul Bradley (20-5)
145lbs- Rob Emerson (12-10) vs. Jared Downing (9-3)
155lbs- Paul Sass (13-2) vs. Rod Montoya (15-15)
145lbs- Derek Loffer (4-1) vs. Cliff Wright (7-5)
155lbs- Mike Estus (3-0) vs. Cole Williams (6-1)

*Welterweight Tournament Semifinals

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Bellator MMA 104 – October 18