News: UFC Vet and Bellator Fighter, Norman Parke Announces Retirement

UFC veteran Norman Parke, currently signed with Bellator under a multi fight contract has shockingly announced retirement.

Posted via twitter, the Northern Irish, Ultimate Fighter winner, Norman Parke has stated that following his upcoming bout under promotion BKB he will give up fighting unless he is offered a fight worth the right amount of money.

Coming off back to back wins against Myles Price and highly talented BJJ artists Paul Redmond, this announcement will come to a surprise to many, considering his recent signing with Bellator.

There was rumors of a fight between him and Benson Henderson in the pipeline, so it could be possible that perhaps that a disagreement between the two parties could have had some part to play in this decision. We will have to wait to find out what exactly the reason was.

All I do know however is that it would be a real shame to see Norman retire as he has a lot more to offer.

More will follow as it comes to light.

Betting: UFC 232 Predictions

It is nearly time for the fights and we have last minute predictions to help you beat the bookies. Following previous weeks with success rate of over 60% on average we aim to give you another week of bank.

2321

Main Event: Jon Jones vs Alexander Gustafsson

After 5 long years, finally we finally get the rematch to what was not only fight of the year, but one of the greatest fights of all time.

Jones is coming back after over a year layoff following a failed drug test after his win against Daniel Cormier.

Coming in to this one, Jones is a decent sized favourite, and rightly so, considering he won the first fight. However, not everyone believes he should have.

Jonesseems to show up to the biggest fights and this is certainly one of them. There was much debate as to how hard he actually trained for the first fight but there is no question as to whether he will take this one serious. Both fighters will possess the same skills as before but I believe that Gustafsson has much better striking than before. Unless his takedown defence is significatly worse and can’t stop jones from outgrappling him, I believe Gus has a serious chance of winning this fight.

If Jones is not on his game there could be a serious upset, and im calling it. I see Gustafsson outpointing jones in a razor close split decision.

Prediction: Gustafsson via Decision

cyborg

Co-main Event: Cyborg vs. Nunes

In my opinion Nunes is being completely overlooked in this fight and maybe its justifued – Nunes has power, Cyborg has more. Nunes has speed, Cyborg has more.

However, I strongly believe that Nunes possesses a sizeable advantage  in the grappling department. I have noticed in Cyborgs previous fights that she has has problems when in grappling exchanges. She got dominated early on in the clinch by Holm and she was taken down easily against Kunitskaya.

I honestly believe that Nunes will aim to dominate Cyborg in the grappling ages, tire her out and outpoint her to a reasonably comfortable decision win. I could end up with egg on my face but im willing to put my neck on the line.

Prediction: Nunes via Decision

Other main card picks:

  • Michael Chiesa def. Carlos Condit via Submission (Round 2)
  • Corey Anderson def. Ilir Latifi via Decision
  • Chad Mendes def. Alexander Volkanovski via Decision.

Fox Sports 1 Prelims

  • Walt Harris def. Andrei Arlovski via TKO (Round 2)
  • Cat Zingano def. Megan Anderson via Decision
  • Petr Yan def. Douglas Silva de Andrade via Decision
  • Ryan Hall def. BJ Penn via Decision

Fight Pass Prelims

  • Nathaniel Wood def. Andre Ewell via TKO (Round 2)
  • Urijah Hall def. Bevon Lewis via TKO (Round 2)
  • Curtis Millender via Siyar Bahadurzada via Decision
  • Brian Kelleher def. Montel Jackson via Submission (Round 3)

Betting: UFC on FOX 31 – Lee vs. Iaquinta Predictions

It is nearly time for the fights and we have last minute predictions to help you beat the bookies. Following last weeks success rate of over 65% and 5 exact picks, including the main event, we aim to give you another week of exceptional profit.

Main Event: Kevin Lee vs Al Iaquinta.

Taking place short of 5 years after their first meeting, Kevin Lee takes on Al Iaquinta in a pivitol lightweight match up, more so for the ‘Motown Phenom’, as he aims to get himself right in the middle of the title picture. In the first bout, Iaquinta was victorious in what was an extremely close decision victory. While it was Lee’s first fight inside the octagon, he did show extreme promise with an impressive display, despite loss at only 21 years old. While Iaquinta did eventually come out on top, Lee did spend a large portion of round 2 behind Raging Al’s back, threatening a finish.

 

I believe this second fight will be much much different. While Kevin Lee has grown leaps and bounds, Iaquinta, I believe is still largely the same fighter he was in 2014. Although showing a good performance against Khabib, he still was beaten comfortably in the end. I believe the road to victory here is clear. Lee will out grapple Iaquinta and look for his back where he will get the RNC. Iaquinta I believe does not have the advantage in any area of this fight, however, he will have the required power to put Lee’s lights out. Unless Iaquinta is able to land a huge punch on Lee, I see him being out grappled and submitted.

Kevin Lee def Iaquinta via Submission (Round 4)

Other main card picks:

  • Edson Barboza def. Dan Hooker via Decision.
  • Rob Font def. Sergio Pettis via TKO (Round 3)

Charles Oliveira def. Jim Miller via Submission (Round 2)

Fox Sports 1 Prelims

  • Dwight Grant def. Zak Ottow via TKO (Round 3)
  • Drakkar Klose def Bobby Green via Dec
  • Jared Gordon def. Jaoquim Silva via Dec.
  • Zak Cummings def. Trevor Smith via Sub (Round 3)
  • Gerald Meershchaert def Jack Hermansson via TKO (Round 2)
  • Dan Ige def. Jordan Griffin via Decision

     Fight Pass Prelims

  • Adam Milstead def. Mike Rodriguez via Decision.
  • Zak Cummings def. Trevor Smith via Decision
  • Juan Adams def. Chris De La Rocha via TKO (Round 1)

 

 

 

Betting: UFC 231 Predictions

It is nearly time for the fights and we have last minute predictions to help you beat the bookies.

Max Holloway vs Brian Ortega

holloway ortega

This fight was originally scheduled for UFC 226, a whole five months ago, however due to extremely concerning health risks for Holloway, he was pulled from the fight, which itself was ultimately scrapped when an opponent was not found to face Ortega.

While this itself on paper may seem like a traditional and cliche “Striker vs Grappler” matchup, but both fighters have so much more than that.

Holloway is a rangey striker with quick movement and a ferocious pace. He aims to get in and out of the pocket and land multiple punch combinations while taking little damage. He is also a very good grappler in his own right, scoring submission wins over Cub Swanson and Andre Fili. Submitting him will not be an easy task, even for someone of Ortega’s ability. Holloway will aim to use his range to stay out of any grappling exchanges and his pace to wear down Ortega.

Ortega is an incredibly gifted BJJ specialist with 4 of his 6 official UFC wins coming via submission. Ortega also possesses power which is an underrated aspect of his game. While he may not be the most technically gifted striker, he is still capable of putting guys away on the feet, which we saw with a brutal uppercut against Frankie Edgar, or his flying knee finish over Clay Guida with under 30 seconds left in the fight. His route to victory is simple. Look for the submission at all costs. He will be patient and wait for his opportunity like he did against Cub Swanson.

The biggest question over Max Holloway is whether he is fully fit after his long layoff and if previous weight cut issues will come into play. If they do, it could be a seriously bad night for him. That being said, I believe he will be fit. I believe he will have the striking, speed and footwork advantages in this fight as well the ability to keep a high pace for the entire fight. I believe he avoids the clinch and outboxes Ortega until he gets the win.

Official prediction: Max Holloway def. Brian Ortega via TKO (Round 4)

Valentina Shevchenko vs Joanna Jedrzejczyk

Valentina-Shevchenko-Joanna-Jedrzejczyk-face-off-at-ufc-231-press-conference-1040x572
Look, in my opinion, the odds in his fight are crazy – I certainly make ‘The Bullet” the favourite but I certainly do not believe that she should be as much as a -400 favourite.

While the size difference between the fighters may play a part, I don’t believe Joanna will be undersized by any means. Both are incredible strikers and will have moments in the fight. I believe this fight will remain on the feet for the vast majority of the contest and will simply come down to who will get their opponents respect more often.

While I believe that Joanna is as good of an MMA striker as Shevchenko, I feel that the power of Valentina will just be able to keep Joanna back. Whether the finish will come, that’s hard to tell but unless Joanna has the power to make Schevchenko think twice it could be a bad night.

Joanna needs to be on her A+ game and make essentially no mistakes. She needs to put on a master class. Valentina will have the grappling advantage also and may look for a takedown, but as mentioned I think that she may have a decent power advantage and will look to back up Joanna and land combinations on her way to a unanimous decision victory.

Official prediction: Valentina Shevchenko def. Joanna Jedrzejczyk via DEC

Other main card picks:

  • Gunnar Nelson def Charles Oliveria via TKO (Round 3)
  • Hakeem Dawodu def. Kyle Bochniak via TKO (Round 2).
  • Thiago Santos def. Jimi Manuwa via TKO (Round 2).

Fox Sports 1 Prelims

  • Claudia Gadelha def. Nina Ansaroff via SUB (Round 2)
  • Olivier Aubin-Mercier def. Gilbert Burns via SUB (Round 3)
  • Kaitlyn Chookogian def. Jessica Eye via. decision
  • Elias Theodorou def. Eryk Anders via decision.

Fight Pass Prelims

  • Brad Katona def. Matt Lopez via decision.
  • Chad Laprise def. Dhiego Lima via decision.
  • Carlos Diego Ferreira def. Kyle Nelson via SUB (Round 2).
  • Aleksander Rakic def. Devin Clarke via TKO (Round 3)

 

 

News: UFC and ONE close to finalizing trade between Askren and DJ

Posted only a short while ago via ESPN’s Ariel Helwani, the UFC and ONE Championship are close to finalizing what could be considered the first major trade in mixed martial arts history. As per multiple sources, a deal has been proposed in which the UFC would release former flyweight champion Demetrious ‘Might Mouse’ Johnson from his contract in order to allow him to sign with ONE. In exchange, ONE Championship will release former Bellator and ONE welterweight champion Ben Askren from his contract so he could finally join the UFC.

This is something that has came from basically nowhere and while it is still young in the MMA news at the minute, it is hard to really get our heads around it and properly understand as to what it will mean for MMA as we know it. Both are huge names within the MMA ‘die hard’ fan base, however they may not be favorable within the ‘casual’ fan base, particularly Askren who is fairly unknown to that kind of audience.

Sources say the “trade” isn’t finalized just yet, however, it has been discussed at length and is categorized by multiple sources as close to getting done. All parties involved are hopeful it will be finalized soon. On Monday, Askren tweeted that there was a “98 percent” chance of him joining the UFC, catching many off guard considering he has not exactly seen ‘eye to eye’ a few occasions with UFC president Dana White.

 

 

Johnson (27-3-1) recently lost the flyweight title to Henry Cejudo in August. The loss snapped his 13-fight winning streak, as well his record-breaking 11-fight successful title defense streak and saw him drop significantly in the UFC P4P Rankings. Following his win, Henry Cejudo has called for a super-fight with 135 pound champion TJ Dillashaw. As a result of this and the recent rumours of the creation of a 165 pound division, this makes all the more sense for the deal to take place.

It is also worth noting, Matt Hume, Johnson’s head coach at AMC Pankration in Kirkland, Washington, also serves as ONE’s vice president of operations.

For anyone who isnt familiar with Ben Askren, he is 18-0 and has held the welterweight belts in both Bellator and ONE Championship. While he is one of the very best grapplers in the world, people have always questioned the level of competition he has faced. However, he has dominated top fighters such as Douglas Lima, Andrey Koreshkov and Shinaya Aoki. Askren has also competed as Olympic level and was also Pan-American and United States champion in Freestyle Wrestling.

It is clear to anyone that has followed MMA both in and outside that both these fighters are very special and among the very best in the world. This is a deal that favours all four parties involved and one that will very much be a positive for both fighters, both in monetary gain and for their legacy. It will be very exciting to see how this plays out and I for one am very much excited about finally seeing Ben Askren in the UFC, taking on the best such as Georges Saint-Pierre, Khabib Nurmagomedov etc.

Breaking News: Flyweight title clash between Shevchenko and Eubanks to headline UFC 230

In what can only be described as a shocking turn of events, one of the UFC’S biggest cards of the year is set to be headlined by a flyweight title fight with Valentina Schevchenko taking on Sijara Eubanks for the vacant 125lb belt.

Continue reading “Breaking News: Flyweight title clash between Shevchenko and Eubanks to headline UFC 230”

Live Results – Cage Warriors Academy: Belfast

Saturday 8th September – Devenish Complex, Belfast, N. Ireland.

The main event sees a bantamweight title fight between ZKJ’s Ciaran Breslin and Fight Academy Ireland’s Glenn McVeigh for the Cage Warriors Academy Ireland bantamweight Title.

Continue reading “Live Results – Cage Warriors Academy: Belfast”

Preview: Ones to watch at Cage Warriors Academy: Ireland

On Saturday 8th September, the Cage Warriors Academy takes over Belfast’s Devenish Complex in what will be an exciting and explosive night of amateur Mixed Martial Arts. Continue reading “Preview: Ones to watch at Cage Warriors Academy: Ireland”

Opinion: What’s next for James Vick and the other UFC Lincoln main card Losers?

UFC Fight Night: Gaethje vs. Vick is now behind us, and if you didn’t tune in you certainly missed out on a night of exciting fights with only 4 of the 13 going the distance. There were some finishes that will live in the highlight reel archive forever, but not for those on the losing end. Continue reading “Opinion: What’s next for James Vick and the other UFC Lincoln main card Losers?”

News: ONE FC: CONQUEST OF HEROES Initial Bouts Released

The largest global sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™, has just announced its return to Indonesia’s bustling capital city of Jakarta. On the 17th August 2018, the Jakarta Convention Center will once again play host to another exciting evening of world-class martial arts action. ONE: CONQUEST OF HEROES, set for Saturday, 22 September will see the biggest and brightest stars take to the ONE Championship cage to showcase their incredible skills. In the main event, reigning ONE Strawweight World Champion Yoshitaka Naito of Japan will defend his title against rising star Joshua Pacio of the Philippines.

Continue reading “News: ONE FC: CONQUEST OF HEROES Initial Bouts Released”