Alvarez vs. Chandler, Lombard vs. Prangley Set for Bellator 58 on Nov. 19
Source: http://mmafrenzy.com/26368/alvarez-vs-chandler-lombard-vs-prangley-set-for-bellator-58-on-nov-19/
Source: http://mmafrenzy.com/26368/alvarez-vs-chandler-lombard-vs-prangley-set-for-bellator-58-on-nov-19/
The Melvin Guillard you see today is all about fighting and family. It wasn't that way four years ago.
The 28-year-old made huge changes in his life and it has him on the brink of a UFC lightweight title shot if he gets the job done this weekend against Joe Lauzon at UFC 136 in Houston.
None of this was imaginable in 2007 and 2008. He spent time in jail and was popped by the Nevada State Athletic Commission for a positive cocaine test following a loss against Joe Stevenson.
"It was a stupid mistake on my part, listening to friends 'oh man, you can have a little fun tonight, it'll be out of your system within three days.' You live and you learn in life and it makes you stronger," Guillard told us on ESPNRadio1100 in Las Vegas. "I think I'm a better person today for it. I think sometimes you have to hit rock bottom sometimes to regain yourself. I'm happy with my life right now."
Guillard actually spent time in a Houston jail before heading off to rehab in 2008. The UFC dropped him, but eventually brought him back. Dana White has always had a soft spot in his heart for Guillard.
"I'm pretty sure before Dana White was a billionaire guy and had all this Fortune 500 company, I'm pretty sure he was a normal guy who made mistakes too," Guillard said. "Everybody makes mistakes. You on the other end of this phone, I'm pretty sure you've made mistakes in your life that you possibly might regret. That's just the human nature. [...] That might be why he understands."
Over the last four weeks, Guillard had the chance to visit both his original hometown New Orleans and his second hometown Houston. His wife is from the Houston area. In prepping for the fight, he put in plenty of time in Albuquerque, the home of Jackson's MMA. Guillard has put all the outside nonsense on the back burner and it's paying off.
He's won five in a row with the UFC, but the promotion has several options to turn to when the dust settles between the champ Frank Edgar and Gray Maynard. The Ben Henderson-Clay Guida winner is in the running and so is Gilbert Melendez, the lightweight champ with Strikeforce. Guillard's been wowing fans and the promotion in recent fights, but probably needs to do so again to get the championship match. Guillard's says he fine with whatever the promotion chooses. He just wants to fight consistently and keep his new life on course.
Watch UFC 136 right here on Yahoo! Sports
Filed under: Bellator
Alexander Shlemenko and Vitor Vianna put on a couple of exceptional performances Saturday night at Bellator 54, winning their semifinal fights and advancing to the finals of the Bellator Fighting Championships middleweight tournament. Shlemenko used vicious knees to finish off Brian Rogers in the main event, winning a second-round TKO after a round and a half of wild, back-and-forth brawling. Rogers hurt Shlemenko with some hard shots to the body, but it was Shlemenko's more diverse striking arsenal that was the difference in the fight. As he always does, Shlemenko showed off some of his trademark spinning strikes, but what was even more impressive was the way Shlemenko would control Rogers in the clinch and land knees, both to the body and to the head. Eventually those knees connected enough times that Rogers had no answer, and the referee stopped the fight. Now Shlemenko will advance to the tournament final, where he'll face Vianna -- who looked plenty good himself on Saturday night. Vianna is known primarily as a Brazilian jiu jitsu practitioner, but it was his striking that looked sensational in his victory over Bryan Baker. Vianna leveled Baker with an overhand right, then pounced on him against the cage and finished him with hammer fists. Vianna's TKO victory lasted just 54 seconds.Afterward Vianna said he's looking forward to the chance to face Shlemenko. "He's a tough fighter. I know it will be a great challenge. I will be ready," Vianna said. In a non-title fight, Bellator bantamweight champion Zach Makovsky sunk in a north-south choke to force Ryan Roberts to tap out with just seconds remaining in the first round. It was an easy victory for Makovsky, who ran his record to 14-2, including 6-0 in Bellator. And in the first fight of the live MTV2 card, Rene Nazare, a previously undefeated Brazilian lightweight who was viewed by many as a promising prospect, was soundly beaten by Jacob Kirwan. Two judges gave the fight to Kirwan 30-27, and one judge scored it 29-28. It was a disappointing performance from Nazare and the biggest win of Kirwan's career.
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Source: http://mmafighting.com/2011/10/15/shlemenko-vianna-advance-to-bellator-middleweight-tournament-fi/
There's a temptation to say that Amanda Lucas wants to fight so much, she'd take a bout on Tatooine. Though Lucas certainly must be growing tired of the constant "Star Wars" references, she at least suffers them with a smile. The adopted daughter of George Lucas, creator of the biggest movie franchise in history, knows the mentions of her ultra-famous father and his uber-famous space saga are inevitable. But what Amanda Lucas wants more than anything is to reach a point in her mixed martial arts career when "Star Wars" and her father are but mere footnotes, not the lead.
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Source: http://mmafighting.com/2011/10/15/amanda-lucas-tries-to-prove-shes-more-than-just-a-star-wars-r/
Stav Crazy Bear Economou Yves Edwards Justin Eilers Jon Olav Einemo
Source: http://www.fighters.com/10/08/pick-a-card-ufc-136-main-card
Mark Munoz Still Sees Major Holes in Demian Maia's Striking Video by UFC 131