Bellator 142 Dynamite Results: Cavalari edges Mwekassa to win Glory Light Heavyweight Title

The co-promoted event between Glory Kickboxing and Bellator MMA featured Kickboxing bouts and MMA bouts. The arena featured a ring and a cage set up. The main event for the Kickboxing portion featured Saulo Cavalari vs. Zack Mwekassa for the vacant light heavyweight championship.

Cavalari had already defeated Mwekassa by KO with a high kick in November of 2014. Kicks would be a huge part of Cavalari's game plan as he came out looking to punish Mwekassa's legs with kicks, while keeping his guard high to defend against Mwekassa's powerful punches. In the second round a high kick from Cavalari connected and sent Mwekassa down, but the referee ruled it a slip rather than a knockdown. Mwekassa looked to punish Cavalari throughout the fight by going to the body with heavy punches, and showed improved kick defense in this bout. 

Most fans were expecting this one to end with a knockout, but both men withstood the heavy strikes from the other and the bout when to the judges score cards after five rounds. Cavalari was declared the winner by majority decision with two judges awarding him the fight 48-46 and the third judge scoring the bout a draw 47-47.

Paul Daley and Francisco Gonzalez were the co-main event in the kickboxing portion of the show. Both fighters came out and put on a show. Daley started the fight of with a kick heavy attack, but Gonzalez was more than happy to counter with punches. They both mixed up their attacks nicely between the head and body. The fight was close, but the judges awarded Daley the win by unanimous decision. With the win Daley has now won seven consecutive Kickboxing bouts.

Bellator 142 Dynamite Kickboxing Results:

Saulo Cavalari def. Zack Mwekassa via Majority Decision to win Glory Light Heavyweight Title

Paul Daley def. Fernando Gonzalez via Unanimous Decision

Keri Anne Taylor-Melendez def. Hadley Griffith via Unanimous Decision

Serhiy Adamchuck def. Anvar Boynazarov via Unanimous Decision

Jose Palacios def. T.J. Arcangel via Split Decision

Jose Palacios vs. TJ Arcangel set for Bellator 142: Dynamite event

Jose Palacios (@JEPalacios) vs. TJ Arcangel has been confirmed to be taking place at the Bellator 142: Dynamite event on September 19th at the SAP Center in San Jose, California. The event will feature both MMA and Kickboxing bouts. The MMA portion of the event will be promoted by Bellator, and the Kickboxing portion will be promoted by Glory.

Palacios and Arcangel are both from Northern, California. Palacios fights out of Unlimited MMA and Arcangel out of World Team USA. Both fighters will be looking to rebound from a loss their previous outing as they were both on the wrong end of decisions.

Palacios brings a counter fighting style, he is accurate with his strikes and packs knockout power in his fist and feet. Arcangel has a traditional Muay Thai style, so it will be interesting to see how he adjust to the Kickboxing rule set.

Fight Card:

Paul Daley vs. TBA

Jose Palacios vs. TJ Arcangel

Lion Fight 18 Results and Recap

Lion Fight 18 took place last night at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event featured a main event title fight between champion Yodsanklai Fairtex and challenger Salah Khalifa. As expected by many Yodsanklai successfully defended his Lion Fight world middleweight title.

Yodsanklai and Khalifa were feeling each other out in the first round, but in the second round Yodsanklai scored with a stinging left straight which he immediately followed up with a knee. Khalifa hit the canvas and tried to pop right back up to his feet but it was clear that he was hurt as his legs were wobbly and he couldn’t move straight. The referee stopped the fight awarding Yodsanklai the second round KO. With the win Yodsanklai has now improved his current winning streak to 13 fights and has not lost since November of 2011.

In the co-main event Jason Andrada looked to rebound from his first career loss against Stan Mancebo and he did just that. The fight went the distance and Andrada scored throughout with big elbows, but Mancebo was game and stayed in front of Andrada the entire fight. In the end the Las Vegas based Andrada took home a unanimous decision to jump back into the winners circle. With the win Andrada now improves his professional record to 6-1.

Nick Chasteen was also looking to rebound from his first career loss when he took on veteran Jose Palacios. After a strong first round Palacios seemed to slow down and he was no longer firing off punches. Chasteen took full advantage of this as he moved well and attacked the lead leg of Palacios. By the end of the bout the lead leg of Palacios was bright red from all of the leg kicks he absorbed throughout the fight and the judges awarded Chasteen a unanimous decision. With the win Chasteen is now 3-1 since going pro, while Palacios has hit a rough patch in his career and drops to 7-8.

Chris Culley and Brian Del Rosario fought for five rounds in an exciting fight that had Culley in full control early before Del Rosario stormed back to try and rally in the later rounds. Culley used a solid counter attack to pull ahead early, even scoring an eight count on Del Rosario in the second round with a perfectly timed counter right hand. Del Rosario got wobbly and his glove touched the canvas. In the third and fourth rounds Del Rosario used some solid clinch work and well placed punches to work his way back into the fight. The fifth round saw both men leave it all in the ring and when it was over the judges awarded Culley a unanimous decision.

The night’s opening bout ended prematurely. After two rounds of action between Damien Earley and Eddie Abasolo it was a close fight. In the third round Abasolo connected with an elbow that forced Earley to turn his back, Abasolo then connected with an illegal 12 to 6 elbow to the back of the head of Earley. The referee separated the fighters and after it was determined that Earley could not continue Abasolo was disqualified.

Results:
Yodsanklai Fairtex def. Salah Khalifa via KO at 2:38 of Rd. 2
Jason Andrada def. Stan Mancebo via Unanimous Decision
Nick Chasteen def. Jose Palacios via Unanimous Decision
Chris Culley def. Brian Del Rosario via Unanimous Decision
Damien Earley def. Eddie Abasolo via Disqualification in Rd. 3

Lion Fight 18 Fight Card

Lion Fight 18 will take place at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, NV on September 5th. The main event will feature Yodsanklai Fairtex vs. Salah Khalifa for the Lion Fight Middleweight World Title, the co-main event will feature Jorina Baars as she tries to defend her Lion Fight Women’s Welterweight Title against a soon to be announced opponent.

Yodsanklai will look to make his first title defense since defeating Chike Lindsay in July of last year to win the Lion Fight Middleweight World Title. Khalifa will be looking to score what would be the biggest win of his career. The UK fighter will definitely have his hands full with Yodsanklai who will be looking to win his 13th straight fight.

Jorian Baars will also attempt to defend her Lion Fight Women’s Welterweight Title for the first time, however, her opponent is to be determined. Baars won her title at Lion Fight 14 in March of this year with a unanimous decision over MMA stand out Cris “Cyborg” Justino.

Other fighters competing on the event will be Jason Andrada as he looks to bounce back from his first professional loss against Stan Mancebo. Nick Chasteen, like Andrada will also be trying to rebound from his first professional defeat as he takes on veteran Jose Palacios.

Lion Fight 18 will be broadcast live on AXS TV.

Fight Card:
Yodsanklai Fairtex vs. Salah Khalifa
Jorina Baars vs. TBD
Jason Andrada vs. Stan Mancebo
Nick Chasteen vs. Jose Palacios
Brian Del Rosario vs. Chris Culley
Damien Earley vs. Eddie Abasolo

Matches to make after Lion Fight 17

Lion Fight 17 took place this past weekend and there were some exciting fights on the night. Malaipet Sasiprapa returned to the winning track with a decision win over Justin Greskiewicz and Jo Nattawut scored a split decision victory over Cosmo Alexandre. Victor Saravia also impressed with a knockout of Andy Singh.

With the exciting event now behind us we play match maker and suggest some fights that would make sense for the winners and some of the losers from Lion Fight 17 that are based in North America. Since Justin Greskiewicz already has his next bout announced against Matt Embree we will not be matching up Greskiewicz.

Malaipet Sasiprapa vs. Jose Palacios
Malaipet has proven that he can still defeat most fighters he faces, however, before Lion Fight throws him in against another fighter the caliber of Fabio Pinca it would be best to give him a stiff test. Palacios would be perfect, the pair fought in 2012 in a bout that Palacios took on short notice. Malaipet won a split decision so it would be interesting to see how he would fare against a prepared Jose Palacios.

Jo Nattawut vs. Shane Campbell
The Atlanta based Nattawut stunned many fans when he defeated Cosmo Alexandre by split decision. After scoring a huge win over Cosmo a solid match up would be against Shane Campbell. Before his recent loss to Enriko Khel under the K-1 banner, Campbell had won seven straight bouts. Having fought for Lion Fight before it would be a great match up, especially when Lion Fight returns to the east coast.

Cosmo Alexandre vs. Chike Lindsay
Despite the loss Cosmo remains one of the best fighters currently based in the United States. He has size and technique that would give all his opponents fits, another Nak Muay that has size and power is Atlanta’s Chike Lindsay. Last year Lindsay proved his toughness when he went five rounds with Yodsanklai. Cosmo vs. Lindsay would be an excellent fight for fans to enjoy.

Brett Hlavacek vs. Stephen Richards
Hlavacek and Richards have been matched up before but the bout has not been able to happen. The match up would be great for both fighters. Richards possesses excellent boxing and it would be interesting to see how Hlavacek’s more traditional Muay Thai style can deal with a savvy veteran like Richards.

Carlos Lopez vs. Gaston Bolanos
Lopez scored a nice win over a veteran like Rami Ibrahim. A fight against the fast rising Gaston Bolanos would be the perfect follow up to his win over Ibrahim. Bolanos brings and explosive style and both fighters in the ring together should provide fireworks for fans. If Lopez wins it’s another solid win on his record and for Bolanos it’s a solid fight for him to take in his young career as a pro.

Rami Ibrahim vs. Adrian Morilla
Ibrahim may only be 32 years old but his body has some mileage on it. The man has been fighting Muay Thai, MMA and Boxing professionally for over a decade. Morilla would be a solid match up for Ibrahim and a nice way for him to get back on track as it doesn’t seem that Ibrahim will be slowing down any time soon. Morilla is a solid fight and although he has come up short in recent fights he still presents a danger to his opponents because of his explosiveness.

Victor Saravia vs. Jason Andrada
Saravia has impressed in his two pro fights. He knocked out Anthony Castrejon and Andy Singh, both fighters that had their sights set on Jason Andrada. Coming off the first loss of his career it would be the perfect match up to take place. If Saravia scores a win over Andrada then he will be sitting pretty on top of the division, if Andrada defeats the hot prospect then he continues to be considered the top dog in the division by most.

Pedro Gonzalez vs. Sheldon Gaines
Gonzalez has run through Nick Chasteen and Tim Amorim with his aggressive style. A veteran like Gaines who is used to being in tough gritty fights would be a solid match up for Gonzalez. Lion Fight has a fighter in Gonzalez that comes in and goes for broke each and every round. They can definitely have him turn into a fan favorite because of his fighting style if they give him the right match ups. Gaines is the perfect match up at the moment, a seasoned veteran that has some more experience than Gonzalez’s first two opponents.

Matches to Make after Lion Fight 16

Lion Fight 16 took place this past Friday in Las Vegas, NV. It was a night full of action as Kevin Ross was crowned the Lion Fight super lightweight champion with his win over Michael Thompson. Also on the card Tiffany Van Soest scored another win and called out Caley Reece as she continues the path to regaining her Lion Fight featherweight title.

So what’s next for the North American based Lion Fight 16 competitors? Here we play match maker and list fights that  we feel would make sense for the winners and some of losers from Lion Fight 16.

Kevin Ross vs. Demian Alamos

Ross is riding a three fight win streak and seems to have now regained his old form. Always a crowd pleaser Ross could be matched up with most likely anyone and it will be an exciting fight. Alamos made waves when he won the prestigious Lumpinee Championship back in 2012 and since then has become the first non-Thai to defend a Lumpinee title. Ross vs. Alamos would be a huge fight for Ross and a treat for American fans to get to see someone with the skill set of Alamos fighting in the states.

Tiffany Van Soest vs. Caley Reece

Since losing her Lion Fight featherweight title to Caley Reece at Lion Fight 13, Van Soest has won back to back fights. She defeated Lucy Payne, and Sindy Huyer in one sided victories and should be the obvious choice for Reece to defend her title against. The first fight was as close as a fight can get and these two ladies going another five rounds would only be fitting.

Gaston Bolanos vs. Jose Palacios

Bolanos scored an impressive one sided victory over Tyler Toner. From start to finish Bolanos was in control and was too much for Toner. Palacios is a tough veteran that would prove a solid test for Bolanos and would likely result in an exciting fight.

Casey Parlett vs. Damien Early

Parlett won his pro debut by handing Josh Shepard his first pro loss. A fight against another one of North America’s young guns would be perfecta and Damien Early fits the bill. Early has fought for Lion Fight before and is 2-1 as a pro. It would be a nice step in the right direction for Parlett if this fight were to happen.

Josh Shepard vs. Nate Chambers

Shepard tasted defeated for the first time against the debuting Casey Parlett. Shepard should be looking to get in the ring soon and make his first career defeat a distant memory. Nate Chambers, another Las Vegas based fighter would likely be an exciting fight for Shepard and a good way for him to try to get back on the winning track, although Chambers won’t be an easy fight.

Friday Night Fights: Palacios vs. Greskiewicz Results

Friday Night Fights took place last night at the Broad Street Ballroom in New York, NY with Jose Palacios and Justin Greskiewicz serving as the main event. Palacios came out looking good as he was firing his strikes with accuracy, but as is with the art of eight limbs things can end in a split second. A quick sneaky elbow by Greskiewicz connected and opened up a decent size gash on the eyebrow of Palacios. The referee stopped the fight in the first round awarding Greskiewicz the (T)KO victory. 

In other action Eddie Martinez picked up a win over Villi Bello. Coming into the fight Bello had won his last two fights and was looking to make it three consecutive wins, but Martinez would not allow that to happen. Bello couldn't get into any kind of rhythm and get things flowing, Martinez on the other hand was pick his shots and control the fight. In the end the decision was awarded to Martinez.

Results:

Justin Greskiewicz def. Jose Palacios via (T)KO (Cut) in Rd. 1

Eddie Martinez def. Villi Bello via Decision

Jose Palacios vs. Justin Grewskiewicz set as main event for Friday Night Fights May 16th fight card

Friday Night Fights will once again take place at the Broad Street Ballroom in New York, NY. The May 16th event will feature a headlining bout that will pit Jose Palacios against Justin Greskiewicz. Both Greskiewicz and Palacios are some of North America's most respected fighters. 

Greskiewicz will try to shake of a razor thin decision loss to Chris Kwiatkowski in his previous Friday Night Fights appearance. Palacios will also be looking to get back on the winning track after having dropped decisions in his last two outings.

In the night's co-main event Villi Bello will look to make it three consecutive wins when he takes on Eddie Martinez. Both fighters have shown they have exciting styles and Martinez has recently been featured on several Yokkao shows against international talent. It should prove to be an exciting fight between both of these fighters as neither seem to hold anything back in the ring.

Fight Card:

Justin Greskiewicz vs. Jose Palacios

Villi Bello vs. Eddie Martinez

Jose Palacios replaces Shane Oblonsky against Gabriel Varga at Glory 11

Jose Palacios will get his chance on the Glory stage at Glory 11. The Northern California based fighter will step in and replace an injured Shane Oblonsky against Canada's Gabriel Varga at Glory 11 in Chicago on Saturday, October 12. 

Palacios is coming off a controversial loss to Scotty Leffler at Lion Fight 11 and a win against a prospect like Varga would be a huge boost for him. Varga last competed at Glory 8 in Japan and had a good showing at the tournament. He won his opening round fight against Abdellah Ezbiri and then lost by decision to eventual tournament winner Yuta Kubo

Fight Card:

Heavyweight Tournament

Daniel Ghita vs. Anderson Silva

Gokhan Saki vs. Rico Verhoeven

Tournament Reserve Bout

Errol Zimmerman vs. Hesdy Gerges

Super Fights

Nathan Corbett vs. Tyrone Spong
Joseph Valtellini vs. Karim Ghajji
Danyo Ilunga vs. Michael Duut
Gabriel Varga vs. Jose Palacios
Steve Moxon vs. Reece McAllister
Filip Verlinden vs. Saulo Cavalari
Sergei Kharitonov vs. Daneil Sam
Raymond Daniels vs. Brian Foster

Matches to make after Lion Fight 11

Lion Fight 11 took place this past weekend at the Fremont Experience in Las Vegas. The fight of the night was easily Kevin Ross vs. Tetsuya Yamato. If you want someone to become a fan of this sport this is the type of fight they need to watch. 

There were several North American based fighters in action on the night including MMA superstar Cris "Cyborg" Justino who overwhelmed last minute replacement Jennifer Colomb. Cosmo Alexandre also made his return to the ring with a win over Nampon PKMuaythai. 

Below are few match ups that we feel would make sense for the North American based fighters who were in action on the night. 

Cosmo Alexandre vs. Yodsanklai Fairtex

Cosmo and Yodsanklai have fought twice with Yodsanklai winning both fights. In 2009 Yodsanklai stopped Cosmo with low kicks, but in 2010 it was a completely different fight. That year they met in the finals of the King's Cup tournament and it was a close bout, one that Cosmo thought he had done enough to win, but the decision went Yodsnaklai's way. With Cosmo looking physically stronger than he has before it might be his time. Yodsanklai is currently on a roll having won his last seven fights after a career resurgance and holds the Lion Fight championship, but Cosmo might just have what it takes. Not to mention that if Yodsanklai fights Cosmo with the aggression he has had in his last few fights we might see a very dangerous Cosmo Alexandre. Cosmo is the type of fighter that fights harder when he is being pressured, but when he is not he seems to get comfortable and goes into cruise control, especially when he is clearly in control of the fight.

Kevin Ross. vs. Liam Harrison

A lot of people might want to see a re-match between Ross and Tetsuya Yamato and as great as that would be we would rather see him fight some fighters that fans have been clamoring for him to fight. Later he can do a re-match tour and go after some of the ones that slipped away like Embree and Yamato. One fight that fans have been hoping to see for years is Kevin Ross vs. Liam Harrison. Both have fan friendly styles and one could only imagine the epic battle that would occur if they were to meet in the ring. 

Cris "Cyborg" Justino vs. Miriam Nakamoto

We all know that Cyborg will probably go back to MMA and continue to make her living that way, however, she is only being listed here because people have begun to say some ridiculous things like that she is the best female Muay Thai fighter. She might be the best in MMA, but in Muay Thai well that's a whole different story. The last few years Miriam Nakamoto has been working hard to lay claim to being the best female Muay Thai fighter. Cyborg obviously hasn't come out and said anything and it is other people saying this, but regardless it would be an entertaining bout and with both women also fighting MMA they could fight once in Muay Thai and once in MMA.

Jose Palacios vs. Malaipet Sasiprapa

Palacios and Malaipet fought almost two years ago, Malaipet won a close split decision. The first fight was exciting and their is no reason to believe the second wouldn't be either. Malaipet likes to play with his opponents heads, typically because he is far superior in skill level and experience, but being the veteran he is none of that phases Palacios and he can simply focus on fighting which is why he did so well the first time they fought. We would expect another fight between them to be just as close.

Lion Fight 11 Results and Recap: Yamato and Ross put on a show in co-main event, Cris Cyborg dominates

Lion Fight 11 took place tonight at the Fremont Street Experience in Las Vegas, NV. The night’s main event featured Cosmo Alexandre vs. Nampon PKMuaythai in what was a slow methodical fight. Alexandre returned to Muay Thai action after two years away from the ring to focus on MMA and he was clearly the stronger of the two fighters, but seemed content to score just enough to steal each round. Nampon didn’t offer much in way offense and when he did Cosmo answered with kicks or punches. It was a technical performance by Cosmo, but probably not one the fans will be talking about. He apologized in his post fight interview for his performance.

The night’s co-main event between Kevin Ross and Tetsuya Yamato stole the show. Yamato came out looking sharp in the first round landing some big right hands that seemed to have Ross hurt. At the end of the first round he blitzed Ross and cornered him landing several elbows that seemed to have Ross in serious trouble. Some cuts on the nose of Ross were opened up as well as one behind his head, Ross turned things around in the second round and pushed the pace mixing up his punching and kicks well.

Ross started the third round strong but Yamato started to come on late in the round. In the fourth and fifth round Yamato went to work with more elbows opening up more cuts on Ross, this time over his eye. Ross was a bloody mess but continued to push forward showing nothing but heart. Yamato accurately countered and in the fifth round seemed to have Ross in some more trouble. It went to the judges and the damage Yamato caused with his elbows nullified the aggression that Ross fought with as two of the three judges awarded the fight to Yamato. This was an excellent fight as Yamato and Ross made sure the fans got their money’s worth.

MMA powerhouse Cris “Cyborg” Justino was moonlighting in Muay Thai and she had no problem dealing with Jennifer Colomb. From the opening bell until the referee stopped the fight in the third round this fight was all Justino. In the third round some heavy body shots finally put Colomb down and the referee jumped in and stopped the fight. Credit to Colomb for taking the fight on short notice, but Justino was too strong and aggressive.

In a fight that was another mismatch Malaipet Sasiprapa defeated Caio Urugai in less than one round. As soon as the fight started a crisp right hook from Malaipet knocked Urugai down and he was in complete survival mode after that. Two more knock downs followed the last due to a right hand that hurt Urugai which Malaipet followed up with an elbow. The referee started the count but Urugai’s corner threw in the towel giving Malaipet his fourth consecutive win.

Angela Hill and Monique Travis both made their pro debut on the night and both put on a solid performance. The difference in the fight was Hill’s work in the clinch; she clearly had the advantage when they clinched. Both were pretty even when not fighting in the clinch, but when they locked up the taller Hill used her leverage well to control the clinch and deliver knees and elbows. Hill was awarded a unanimous decision and starts her pro career with a win.

Scotty Leffler and Jose Palacios met in a re-match that went the distance after their first fight lasted only 25 seconds. It seemed Palacios was on his way to win a decision due to some crisp counter striking and move to 2-0 against Leffler, but to the surprise of many Leffler was awarded the unanimous decision. Before the fight Leffler had announced he would retire after this bout and for now he rides of into the sunset with a victory.

In the nights first pro bout Josh Shepard defeated Jonathon Wyderko by majority decision. With the win Shepard improves to 2-0 as a pro.

Results:
Cosmo Alexandre def. Nampon PKMuaythai via Unanimous Decision
Tetsuya Yamato def. Kevin Ross via Split Decision
Cris “Cyborg” Justino def. Jennifer Colomb via (T)KO at 0:54 of Rd. 3
Malaipet Sasiprapa def. Caio Urugai via (T)KO (Corner Stoppage) at 1:52 of Rd. 1
Angela Hill def. Monique Travis via Unanimous Decision
Scotty Leffler def. Jose Palacios via Unanimous Decision
Josh Shepard def. Jonathon Wyderko via Majority Decision

Lion Fight 11 complete with 8 pro bouts

Lion Fight has officially announced their entire fight card for Lion Fight 11. As previously announced the event will be headlined by Cosmo Alexandre vs Nampon PK Muaythai. The night's other confirmed bouts were the co-main event of Kevin Ross vs. Tetsuya Yamato and Cris "Cyborg" Justino vs.Martina Jindrova.

Five more bouts have now been made official they are Malaipet Sasiprapa vs. Caio Uruguai, Scotty Leffler vs. Jose Palacios, Angela Hill vs. Monique Travis, Josh Shepard vs. Jonathon Wyderko, and Nick Chasteen vs. Niko Ruiz. Hill, Travis, Wyderko, Chasteen, and Ruiz will all be making their pro debuts at the event. 

Lion Fight 11 will take place in front of The D at the Fremont Experience in Las Vegas on September 20th and air live on AXS TV.

Fight Card:
Cosmo Alexandre vs. Nampon PK Muaythai

Kevin Ross. Tetsuya Yamato

Cris Justino vs. Martina Jindrova

Malaipet Sasiprapa vs. Caio Uruguai

Scotty Leffler vs. Jose Palacios

Angela Hill vs. Monique Travis

Josh Shepard vs. Jonathon Wyderko

Nick Chasteen vs. Niko Ruiz

Jose Palacios vs. Scotty Leffler expected to take place at Lion Fight 11

Lion Fight has already announced their main event bout between Cosmo Alexandre and Nampon and their co-main event bout between Kevin Ross and Tetsuya Yamato for Lion Fight 11. No other fights have been confirmed for the September 20th event but sources close to the promotion have informed Muay Thai Authority that Jose Palacios and Scotty Leffler will meet in a re-match of their 2011 fight.

The pair previously met at Lion Fight Promotions "Battle in the Desert 2" in May of 2011 in a fight that lasted just 25 seconds. Palacios connected with a huge right hand that knocked Leffler down and broke his jaw. Now two and a half years later Leffler will be looking to avenge the loss.

Lion Fight 11 will take place September 20th at the Fremont Experience in Las Vegas and air live on AXS TV.

Expected Fight Card:

Cosmo Alexandre vs. Nampon

Kevin Ross vs. Tetsuya Yamato

Jose Palacios vs. Scotty Leffler

North American Welterweight Rankings 5/22/2013

Quite a few changes to the rankings have occurred since the last update. Former number one Michael Mananquil is no longer in the welterweight rankings after being moved up to the super welterweight rankings. Justin Greskiewicz enters the rankings after being moved up from the super lightweight division and Liam Tarrant enters the rankings. With those changes Malaipet takes the number one spot, Greskiewicz moves into the number two spot, and Jose Palacios holds at the number three spot. Liam Tarrant takes the number four spot after back to back losses Chris Kwiatkowski drop to number five, while former number five Artem Sharoshkin falls off the rankings after back to back losses including one by KO.

1. Malaipet Sasiprapa (141-28-5)
Malaipet has won his last two fights, he defeated Vishnu Gulati by (T)KO in January at Lion Fight 8 and most recently defeated Sean Kearney via decision in March under the Push Kick Promotions banner. Malaipet just signed an exclusive contract with Lion Fight, and is scheduled to fight Hakeem Dawodu at Lion Fight 10 in July. Malaipet seems to have really turned this around after a bad slump a few years back.
 

2. Justin Greskiewicz (18-10-3) (@MuayThaiStayFly)
Justin Greskiewicz suffered a nasty cut over his eye lid his last fight out against Salah Khalifa at Muay Thai in America: In Honor of the King. Previous to his bout with Salah he had defeated Bryce Krause by (T)KO at K-1 Los Angeles in September of 2012. Greskiewicz has steadily moved up in weight class from 140 to 147, at times even competing as high as 154lbs. Currently there is no time table as to when “The Purple People Eater” plans to return to action, but knowing him as soon as he is ready all he needs is a phone call from a promoter because Greskiewicz truly embodies the fighting spirit of anyone, anywhere anytime.
 

3. Jose Palacios (7-5) (@JEPalacios)
Jose Palacios recently ventured up to 154lbs to competed in the Road to Glory tournament. He won his first fight against Ben Yelle by decision, but was eliminated from the tournament by Troy Sheridan in the semi-finals by decision. Palacios next bout is currently unknown, but with heavy hands and a nice counter fighting style he poses a risk to anyone that steps into the ring with him.

4. Liam Tarrant (4-0)
Liam Tarrant has looked stellar since turning pro. His most recent victory was at the Friday Night Fights 2013 season opener in which he defeated Deshawn Robinson by decision after things were looking bleak early on. Tarrant showed he had moxie by surviving two first round knockdowns and battling back from the brink of defeat to win the bout. Tarrant’s next bout is currently unknown, but he looks poised to continue to make waves in the super lightweight division.
 

5. Chris Kwiatkowski (8-4-1)
Chris Kwiatkowski has dropped back to back fights for the first time in his career. He lost a decision to Jose Palacios at Friday Night Fights to end 2012, and in January of 2013 dropped a decision to Kevin Ross at Lion Fight 8. Kwiatkowski is approaching the end of his career, but odds are he doesn’t want to go out on a loss. There is no return date set for “The Polish Punisher”, but expect him to come out more determined than ever to win his next time out. 

Rankings qualification - Muay Thai and Kickboxing bouts are all taken into consideration for the rankings. These rankings are not only based on Muay Thai Fights as many fighters compete in both full rules Muay Thai and Kickboxing bouts. Fighters are not to be inactive for any period longer than 12 months or they will be dropped from the rankings unless a fight is schedule within a month from the date they become ineligible. Fighters must be born in North America or permanently reside in North America and are active in the North American fight circuit are eligible for the rankings.

Matches to make after M-One "Reborn"

M-One “Reborn” took place this past week and it was a nice return for the M-One promotion after a year long hiatus. The theme of the event was Team Thailand vs. The World, and Team Thailand walked away with a clean 4-0 sweep. Despite only one North American based fighter being on the world team, there were several other on the fight card. So what’s next for the winning fighters after M-One “Reborn”? Here are a few match ups that we feel would be good moves for the four North American winner on the under card, and for the only North American on the world team, Romie Adanza, whether they be on a future M-One card or another promotion.

Romie Adanza vs. Jomhod Sagami
Their bout at M-One ended early due to a nicely placed elbow from Jomhod that opened up a cut on Adanza’s head. There is no saying what would have happened had Adanza not been cut so early in the bout. Fans definitely weren’t happy about the stoppage, and would probably be more than excited to see a re-match.

Bryce Krause vs. Luis Bio
Bryce Krause defeated Douglas Edwards by unanimous decision at M-One “Reborn”. Krause used some accurate counter striking to find his mark and out point Edwards. A match-up that would not only be exciting, but would make sense would be against Mexico’s Luis Bio. Both are two of the top 154lb fighters in North America and would likely engage in an exciting bout. Krause’s heavy hands vs. Bio’s clinch and elbow game would be a treat for the fans.

Glen Spencer vs. Shawn Yarborough or Brandon Banda
Glen Spencer stumbled out of the gates as a pro dropping a decision to Mike Lemaire, but has won his last two bouts by (T)KO. His victory over Sebastian Lopez at M-One was a solid victory for the Sityodtong LA product, but it would be nice to see Spencer face a more seasoned veteran his next time out. Shawn Yarborough or Brandon Banda would each fit the bill. Both are veterans that, although not as active lately have been solid fighters throughout their career, and could test Spencer in a five round fight.

Adam Rothweiler vs. Jason Andrada
Adam Rothweiler was active in the MMA scene before switching to Muay Thai, and so far it seems like it has been the right choice. Rothweiler defeated Adrian Morilla in his pro debut, and at M-One “Reborn” scored a spectacular head kick knockout over Jessie Magusen. Rothweiler was known as an exciting fighter when he was competing in MMA never holding anything back and it seems that he’s bringing that trait over to Muay Thai. Rothweiler keeps a fast pace and doesn’t seem to slow down. Andrada is another young fighter who doesn’t seem to have a pause button. From start to finish both of these fighters go full force, and if you place them both in the same ring the only result possible seems to be one of the craziest fights that could ever take place.

Joey Pagliuso vs. Jose Palacios
Joey Pagliuso has seemed like a man possessed in his last two fights. Both fights have been one sided stoppages of his opponents, with Karlos Aldama being his victim at M-One “Reborn”. Pagliuso has come out fighting like a bat out of hell looking to let the leather fly early and it has paid dividends. In 2011 Pagliuso suffered a knockout loss to Jose Palacios after a head kick dropped him in the final round of the bout. Up until that point many thought Pagliuso was on his way to winning a decision. It would be interesting to see these two meet again.

Road to Glory Lightweight Tournament Results: Michael Mananquil last man standing

The Road to Glory lightweight tournament took place last night in Milwaukee, WI and when it was over Michael Mananquil was the last man standing. Mananquil's night started off with a split decision win over Jameel Massouh, which he then followed up with a head kick knockout of Muhsin Corbbrey. In the tournament final Mananquil squared off against Troy Sheridan, who had defeated each Cyrus Washington and Jose Palacios by unanimous decision to punch his ticket to the tournament final. 

In the tournament final Mananquil and Sherdian were involved in an action packed fight that was close from start to finish. Both fighters left it all in the ring in hopes of earning an Glory contract and the $20,000 grand prize. When it was over the judges awarded the bout to Mananquil, with all three judges scoring the fight 29-28. 

With the win Mananquil now joins Dustin Jacoby, Mike Lemaire, and Francois Ambang as the Road to Glory USA tournament winners.

Results:

Lightweight Tournament Reserve Bout

Jon Henderson def. Gustavo Rodriguez via KO at 2:20 of Rd. 2

Lightweight Tournament Quarterfinals

Michael Mananquil def. Jameel Massouh via Split Decision

Muhsin Corbbrey def. Dustin Johnson via Unanimous Decision

Jose Palacios def. Ben Yelle via Unanimous Decision

Troy Sheridan def. Cyrus Washington via Unanimous Decision

Lightweight Tournament Semifinals

Michael Mananquil def. Muhsin Corbbrey via KO (Head Kick) at 0:46 of Rd. 3

Troy Sheridan def. Jose Palacios via Unanimous Decision

Lightweight Tournament Final

Michael Mananquil def. Troy Sheridan via Unanimous Decision

Match ups for Road to Glory lightweight tournament tomorrow in Milwaukee

The Road to Glory lightweight tournament is scheduled for tomorrow, May 11th in Milwaukee, WI. The event will be part of NAFC “Knockout Kings”. The eight fighter competing in the tournament for the $20,000 grand prize and a Glory contract are Cyrus Washington, Troy Sheridan, Michael Mananquil, Muhsin Corbbrey, Dustin Johnson, Jose Palacios, Ben Yelle, and Jameel Massouh. 

The weigh-ins took place today and the match ups for the opening round will be Michael Mananquil vs. Jameel Massouh, Muhsin Corbbrey vs. Dustin Johnson, Jose Palacios vs. Ben Yelle, and Troy Sheridan vs. Cyrus Washington. A reserve bout featuring Gustavo Rodriguez and Jon Henderson will also take place.

Previous Road to Glory tournament winners include Dustin Jacoby, Mike Lemaire, and Francois Ambang.  

Fight Card:

Michael Mananquil vs. Jameel Massouh 

Muhsin Corbbrey vs. Dustin Johnson 

Jose Palacios vs. Ben Yelle

Troy Sheridan vs. Cyrus Washington

Reserve Fight

Gustavo Rodriguez and Jon Henderson 

 

  

Fighters for Road to Glory Lightweight Tournament on May 11th in Milwaukee

The Road to Glory lightweight tournament is scheduled for May 11th in Milwaukee, WI as part of NAFC “Knockout Kings”. Muay Thai Authority has confirmed with sources close to Glory that the eight fighters competing in the tournament will be Cyrus Washington, Troy Sheridan, Michael Mananquil, Muhsin Corbbrey, Dustin Johnson, Jose Palacios, Ben Yelle, and Jameel Massouh.

Of the fighters involved in the tournament Washington, Mananquil, Palacios, and Sheridan are some of the more recognizable names in the North American striking scene today. Corbbrey and Massouh have been active in the MMA scene the past few years, with Corbbrey having fought the likes of Nick Diaz and Anthony Njokuani.

The winner of the one night tournament will take home $20,000 and a Glory contract. Previous tournament Road to Glory winners include Dustin Jacoby, Mike Lemaire, and Francois Ambang.

Fighters for Road to Glory Lightweight Tournament:
Cyrus Washington

Troy Sheridan
Michael Mananquil
Muhsin Corbbrey
Dustin Johnson
Jose Palacios
Ben Yelle
Jameel Massouh

Updated North American Welterweight Rankings 12/9/2012

Since the last update (7/26/2012) to the welterweight rankings Jose Palacios enters the top five again after his victory with Chris Kwiatkowski at the Friday Night Fights 2012 season finale. Former number five Scotty Leffler drops of the rankings, while former number two Kwiatkowski drops two spots down to number four and Artem Sharoshkin drops a spot to number five. 

1. Michael Mananquil (23-4)
Mananquil followed up his victory over Luis Bio with a win at K-1 Los Angeles over Scotty Leffler. Although Mananquil is known for his technical style he showed that he can bang when needed to. In a fight that was not stop action from start to finish, Mananquil strayed from his technical style and traded leather with Leffler for three rounds, proving he can win with technique or win by slugging it out if needed to.

2. Malaipet Sasiprapa (139-28-5)
Malaipet lost his re-match to Chike Lindsay this past June, but will be looking to bounce back against Jose Figueroa when they meet December 15 in Mexico. Malaipet is a stiff test for anyone he steps in the ring with and has shown that with minimal training is still a game opponent. Not to mention he truly embodies the spirit of fight anyone anytime. He stepped up on two days notice and agreed to face Ky Hollenbeck this past August, although the fight ended up not happening.

 

3. Jose Palacios (6-4) (@JEPalacios)
Jose Palacios enters the rankings again after his win over Chris Kwiatkowski at the Friday Night Fights season finale. Palacios was crisp with his leg kicks and although known as a great counter fighter he took the center of the ring and pushed the pace. Palacios next bout is currently unknown, but there are many possibilities for him in both the super lightweight and welterweight divisions.

4. Chris Kwiatkowski (8-3-1)
Kwiatkowski dropped a decision to Jose Palacios in his last outing. Kwiatkowski is more than likely coming to the end of his career soon so expect him to take as many high profile fights as possible before he hangs up the gloves. He is currently rumored to be fighting Kevin Ross at Lion Fight 8, but nothing has been made official by Lion Fight.

5. Artem Sharoshkin (4-2-1) (@ArtemSharoshkin)
Sharoshkin won a 4-man tournament back in August by defeating Jose Davidson by decision and Chris Culley by (T)KO in one night. Most recently he dropped a decision to Yinghua Tie at WCK “Matter of Pride” in October. The young Russian born fighter has great boxing and his aggressive style makes him a fan favorite. His next fight is currently unknown, but he should continue to improve with age and be a forced to be reckoned with for years.

Rankings qualification - Muay Thai and Kickboxing bouts are all taken into consideration for the rankings. These rankings are not only based on Muay Thai Fights as many fighters compete in both full rules Muay Thai and Kickboxing bouts. Fighters are not to be inactive for any period longer than 12 months or they will be dropped from the rankings unless a fight is schedule within a month from the date they become ineligible. Fighter's that compete in two weight classes will be assigned a weight class that they compete in regularly or hold a major title in. Fighters that permanently reside in North America are eligible for the rankings.

*If you are currently ranked in a weight class and would like to switch weight classes please notify Rankings@MuayThaiAuthority.com. Switching weight classes does not guarantee you will be ranked in the new weight class. 

Results and Recap: Friday Nights Season Finale 2012

Friday Night Fights (@FridaysFights) held their season finale last night in New York and fans were in for a treat. Despite the event losing a fight between Eric Utsch and Alex Berrios in the days leading up to the event. Jose Palacios (@JEPalacios) vs. Chris Kwiatkowski served as the night’s main event.

Palacios went to work early on Kwiatkowski’s lead leg with kicks and it paid off. It was evident as the fight went into the later rounds that the continuous leg kicks affected Kwiatkowski. Despite taking damage to his leg Kwiatkowski continued to search for an opening until the final bell, but it was clear Palacios was in control. Kwiatkowski searched for an opening to land his right hand and on occasion it connected, but Palacios absorbed it and continued to fire back with punches of his own or leg kicks. It was a great win for Palacios after not having fought since February of this year. With the victory Palacios wins the WKA North American Welterweight Championship.

In the night’s co-main event Villi Bello played spoiler to Josh Fitzsimmons' pro debut. Fitzsimmons had a spectacular amateur career and looked to have a successful pro debut, but Bello had other plans. Bello immediately came out firing hard leg kicks and punches. Fitzsimmons, however, looked to press forward and let his hands go something that Bello welcomed. Bello landed a right hand that put Fitzsimmons on the mat for a standing eight count. In the second frame Bello continued to work the leg kicks and again scored a knockdown after connecting with a right hand on Fitzsimmons. Bello continued to move forward throwing strikes with bad intentions as he continued to take control of the fight. The third and final round saw both men trade shots and in the end Villi Bello was awarded a unanimous decision victory.