UFC 161 - UK Betting Odds

UFC 161 - UK Betting Odds

With UFC 161 approaching at a rapid pace, we team up with partners William Hill to bring those who fancy a little flutter the latest clear cut, betting odds - Good Luck, and don't miss out on your free £25 bet below!

Preliminary Card
3/10 Yves Jabouin v Dustin Pague 5/2
21/10 Mitch Clarke v John Maguire 4/11
8/5 Edwin Figueroa v Roland Delorme 1/2
8/13 Sean Pierson v Kenny Robertson 13/10
4/9 Sam Stout v James Krause 7/4
6/4 Jake Shields v Tyron Woodley 8/15

Main Card
4/5 Pat Barry v Shawn Jordan EVS
1/4 Alexis Davis v Rosi Sexton 3/1
19/10 Igor Pokrajac v Ryan Jimmo 2/5
2/5 Roy Nelson v Stipe Miocic 19/10
5/6 Rashad Evans v Dan Henderson 20/21
* Blue denotes The Favourite

Post Fight Interview: Neil Seery on Cage Warriors 55 Win

Post Fight Interview: Neil Seery on Cage Warriors 55 Win

On June 1st in front of a packed Helix Theatre in Dublin, Ireland, Irish Featherweight Neil Seery won the Cage Warriors featherweight title defeating Mikael Silander to become the promotions first 125lb champion.

Now 6-1 in his last 7 fights, and on a 4 fight win streak, we caught up with Seery to discuss the Silander fight, what its like to hold the Cage Warriors Featherweight title, and who he would like to face next.

Houten: First off, congratulations on the huge win on Saturday, has it finally sunk in yet?
Seery: Yes, I was confident I would win and enjoying being the first CWFC Flyweight Champion. No one can ever take that from me.

You mentioned in our last interview you were feeling a lot of pressure going into Saturdays fight, how did you feel though when you stepped out of the back to the amazing crowd on show?
I couldn’t believe the Irish support, it was unbelievable. It really got me fired up. When I was in the head and arm the amount of folks cheering for me helped pushed me through.

Was the crowed on Saturday the best you have ever fought in front of?
Yes by far the loudest and most supportive.

Did the fight pan out the way you expected it to on Saturday?
Yes, we knew he would try to submit me, we knew he would try to take me down. I trained for five rounds and knew I would catch him eventually.

Come the second round you looked like you had Silander beat in ever aspect of the game, what did you think of Silander?
Good warrior, very strong and always dangerous.

Do you think you neutralised his game plan during the fight, or do you think he simply just couldn’t handle what you had to offer?
A bit of both.

Did having your family in the audience bring out the best in Neil Seery?
It was great to have my two brothers there to support me.

Have you managed to watch your performance on Saturday back yet? If so how would you rate your performance?
Not yet, been resting this week and will get with my coach Andy Ryan (Team Ryano) and asses my performance in the next two weeks.

What do the next few months hold for Neil Seery?
Two weeks of rest and then back into the gym to help my teammates train for their upcoming fights on BattleZone @battlezone on July 6 at Neptune Stadium in Cork.

You have fought twice in 2 months, are you planning some time off now, or will you be straight back in the gym?
Completely up to CWFC, they call and I fight.

When can we expect you to defend your Flyweight Title?
As soon as CWFC gets me a match up.

I know, its early days but have you had any thought possible opponent for your first defence?
Doesn’t matter to me

What do you think about recently signed UCMMA bantamweight and CFC flyweight champion Spencer Hewitt? I think this would be an excellent fight.
CWFC has signed some new additions recently so any would be a good fight.

Since we last spoke, Conor has accepted a fight with Andy Ogle in Boston. Is this another easy win for Conor?
Are any MMA wins easy? Month of training so nothing is a walk in the park but knowing Conor and his preparation he should be good to go! 

You can follow Neil Seey on his newly created Twitter Account  - @neilseeyMMA

Jeff Curran Out, Dillard Pegg Now Meets Sergio Pettis in RFA 8 Title Fight

Jeff Curran out, Dillard Pegg now meets Sergio Pettis in RFA 8 title fight

RFA president Ed Soares announced today that due to personal reasons, Jeff Curran was forced to pull out of the RFA 8 main event. Soares also confirmed that Dillard "Smokin' Joe" Pegg (5-1) has agreed to step up as a late replacement to fight Sergio "The Phenom" Pettis (7-0) for the RFA flyweight title in the main event of RFA 8 - Pettis vs. Pegg. RFA 8 takes place on Friday, June 21st at the historic The Rave / Eagles Club in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and will be televised live and nationwide on AXS TV starting at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT.

"It's unfortunate that Jeff Curran had to pull out of the fight on short notice, but this happens, even at the highest levels of MMA," said Soares. As an organization that models itself after the UFC, we had to move forward and find a worthy replacement to give the fans an exciting title fight that is just as compelling as the original bout. Luckily, we were able to find that in "Smokin' Joe" Pegg. Pegg has finished all four opponents he has faced in 2013 and brings an explosive striking arsenal that will clash well with Sergio Pettis. Pegg is in shape after winning a fight five days ago with a 42-second submission, and like Sergio Pettis, he’s also a second degree Black Belt in Taekwondo. He's fast, aggressive, and looks for the finish. This is a huge opportunity for Pegg and I believe this is going to be a great main event for the first ever RFA flyweight title."

Pegg fights out of Amelia, Ohio with Team G-Force MMA. Dillard has a total of six professional fights with three knockouts and two submissions with his most recent submission coming June 7 over Jeremy Pender at Absolute Action MMA. Pegg has been fighting professionally for the past six years. He holds a black belt in Taekwondo and is known for his striking and aggressive fighting style.

"I didn't hesitate when the RFA called me, because headlining this card and fighting for a title against Sergio Pettis is the chance of a lifetime," said Pegg. "I expect people to look over me, but they shouldn't. I'm going to give everything I have on June 21st. I don't care what your last name is, this is a fight, and you never know what can happen. If I beat Pettis, not only will my confidence be sky high, but it also shows that win on national TV. This is a huge opportunity for my career and I am excited, in shape. and ready to take on Sergio Pettis."

The co-main event of RFA 8 is also a title fight, as RFA featherweight champion Jared "Demon Eyes" Downing (10-1) attempts to defend his title for the first time against four-time All-American wrestler turned undefeated MMA fighter Lance "The Party" Palmer (6-0).

Downing is a standout fighter at Hard Drive MMA in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. At RFA 1, he defeated TUF 14 alumni Eric Marriott. Three months later, he would fight and defeat highly touted Brazilian prospect Alessandro "Zoio" Ferreira at RFA 2. That win earned Downing a shot at the RFA featherweight title last November as the main event of RFA 5. He gave the unbeaten TUF 15 alum Jordan Rinaldi his first loss in a dominant five-round unanimous decision.

Downing is now ready to defend his title against one of the most talented featherweight prospects in the sport.

"I'm happy that I get to fight Lance, who comes from a great camp like Team Alpha Male. He is a really good wrestler, but he has to bring more to the table in this fight. This will be an exciting fight, but I'm bringing my belt back home to Iowa," said RFA featherweight champion Downing.

Downing's stifling wrestling base and relentless cage control will be put to the test against Palmer, who is one of the most decorated wrestlers in Ohio's state history. His time at wrestling powerhouse St. Edward High School, where he won four state titles, was the centerpiece of the award-winning documentary Pinned. Palmer was also voted one of the "Top 50 Athletes of the Decade" by JJHuddle.com, Ohio's leading source of high school sports. Palmer went on to become a four-time NCAA Division I All-American in wrestling at The Ohio State University.

The main card of RFA 8 - Pettis vs. Pegg will be televised live on AXS TV at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT on Friday, June 21. Taking place live from inside The Rave / Eagles Club in Milwaukee, this venue was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. RFA 8 will be the promotion's first event in the "Badger State" and will kick off a summer of festivities in the "City of Festivals".

Paul Daley gets his wish, will headline Cage Warriors 57

Paul Daley will headline Cage Warriors 57 against Lukasz Chlewicki

by Ben Heather @benheather


(Photo: Huw Fairclough)

 Paul Daley (32-12-2) has his wish, after recently posting on his Facebook account that he was becoming frustrated that Bellator wouldn't let him fight. Today it was announced that he has a fight lined up.
Daley's return is set to happen on July 20th in at Cage Warriors 57, where he will fight in the main event against Polish fighter Lukasz Chlewicki. Cage Warriors 57 which takes place at Liverpool's Echo Arena will also feature Ronnie Mann's first fight for Cage Warriors since signing his exclusive contract. Daley last fought for Cage Warriors in July 2008 where he beat Bojan Kosednar via first round KO and will now return almost exactly five years to the day later.

Daley fought three times for the UFC including a first round TKO victory over Martin Kampmann in his UFC debut. After his stint in the UFC Daley ended up in Strikeforce where he challenged Nick Diaz for the Strikeforce welterweight title in April 2011. That fight is one of the best one round MMA fights you will ever see in MMA and our very own @KingdomMMAChris listed it as his favourite fight of all time.

Daley who was born in London but is now based in Nottingham has 23 T/KO victories on his record and has overcome the likes of John Alessio, Duane Ludwig and Martin Kampmann during his 10-year professional career.

“I’m excited to be fighting back in the UK again and back at Cage Warriors, which is Europe’s premier show,” Daley told Cage Warriors. 

“I pretty much started my career here and it’s great to see how the promotion has grown. I’m happy to be part of it and I can’t wait to entertain all my supporters.”

Daley will face a tough test from Chlewicki (10-2), whose only loss in his last 11 bouts came at the hands of UFC star Demian Maia back in December 2005. Since then he has remained unbeaten in nearly eight years however, that may look better than it is as he took a five year break from the sport. The 34 year old judo black belt returned in 2010 and has remained unbeaten since.

Chlewicki told Cage Warriors: “Taking on one of the best guys in the world, this is the kind of fight I’ve been waiting for. This will be a massive challenge for me, especially in front of his fans, but that won’t affect me at all and I’ll be prepared."

“I want to thank Cage Warriors for giving me this opportunity. On July 20 I’ll prove that they made a good choice.”

Cage Warriors CEO Graham Boylan added:

“I’m looking forward to a fantastic main event in Liverpool on July 20 and I’d like to thank Bellator for their co-operation in allowing Paul Daley to compete for Cage Warriors.”

Cage Warriors have announced that many more Cage Warriors 57 fights are still to be announced so we will keep you all up to date as and when they get announced.

Cage Warriors Add 7 Fighters to its Roster

Cage Warriors Add 7 Fighters to its Roster
by Chris Houten - @kingdomMMAChris

Europe's premier MMA organisation Cage Warriors continues its expansion by adding 7 fighters to its ever expanding roster.

Former Bamma Britsh Lightweight Champion Steven Ray, as well as Shaj Haque, Mick Sinclair, Carl Noon, Lawrence Fitzpatrick, Bryan Creighton and John Redmond have all signed exclusive, 5 fight deals

Former Bamma title holder Ray (12-4), hold notable wins CWFC veterans Merv Mulholland and Dale Hardiman. The 23-year old Scot, is currently 12th in the UK’s lightweight ranking, and is tipped by his Dinky Ninjas coach James Doolan, to go on the be one of the Top Lightweights in Europe.

Team Kaobon fighter Carl Noon (7-2), is an aggressive middleweight who hold victory over TUF Smashes contestant Bola Omoyele and former CWFC champion Chris Fields. Finishing all but one of his 7 victories by either TKO or submission, Noon is 7-1 in has last 8 fights, with his only loss coming to Jack Marshman when the two meet for the Bamma Britsh Middleweight Title.

Now a top-10 UK flyweight, 22-year-old Haque (3-0) has impressed on Cage Warriors already this year with victories against Kris Edwards and Olly Battell.

English lightweight Sinclair (12-3), who hold notable victories over Ashleigh Grimshaw, Jason Ball and Oriol Gaset began his professional MMA career in 2006, and has previously fought 3 times for Cage Warriors. Sinclair Joins the promotion on the back of a 8-1 run.

A 27-year-old unbeaten featherweight, Fitzpatrick (3-0) is one of the UK’s most exciting prospects having taken all of his professional wins by first-round TKO.

Creighton (3-1), who has fought for OMMAC, and Bamma is ranked as one of The  UK’s top 20 flyweights. The 27-year-old made his professional debut less than a year ago and has has gone on to win 3 of 4 pro bouts

Despite suffering a loss to Piotr Ptasinski on his CWFC debut at Cage Warriors 55 recently, 29-year-old Redmond (4-7) did enough to impress CEO Graham Boylan and earn a five-fight deal.

Boylan said: “John picked up an injury but still put in a valiant performance against Piotr Ptasinski. He displayed a great attitude and I believe he can go on to show that his current record isn’t a fair reflection of his ability.

“In Bryan and Lawrence we’ve got two fantastic prospects from the north-west of England, while Mick and Carl are two very experienced guys with the ability to make a big impact on their respective divisions.

“Shaj has the potential to go on and have a very successful career and the same goes for Stevie Ray, who’s still extremely young in spite of the number of fights he’s already had.

“I’m very happy to have all seven of these guys on the roster. I’d like to welcome them to Cage Warriors and wish them all the very best of luck for the future.”

Promotional debut for Ray, Haque, Sinclair, Noon, Fitzpatrick, Creighton and Redmond as yet to be confirmed, however all are expect to fight in 2013.

Shinichi Kojima vs Yasuhiro Urushitani Headlines ONE FC in September

Shinichi Kojima and Yasuhiro Urushitani Battle for ONE FC Title

ONE Fighting Championship™ (ONE FC) returns to Indonesia on Friday, 13 September, with a fight card headlined by the highly anticipated ONE FC Flyweight World Championship title bout which will be contested by Japanese veterans Shinichi Kojima and Yasuhiro Urushitani. Plus, the fierce sporting rivalry between Indonesia and Malaysia is reignited as Indonesia’s Stefer Rahardian and Vincent Majid faces Malaysia’s Raymond Tan and Eugenio Tan respectively on the largest stage in Asian MMA. All the action takes place at the 15,000-seater Istora Senayan in what is expected to be the biggest fight card the country has ever seen.

CEO of ONE FC Victor Cui stated, “ONE FC will be back in Jakarta on 13 September with a stacked fight card that is sure to get the adrenaline pumping for the passionate Indonesian fight fans. This event is one of the largest sporting events in the history of Indonesia and features the two best Flyweights in Asia squaring off with the first ONE FC Flyweight World Championship title belt on the line. More than 15,000 fans will pack out the Istora Senayan to witness the greatest sporting spectacle in the world.

Yasuhiro Urushitani is one of the most respected mixed martial artists in the Flyweight division. He has fought all over the world and is a former Shooto Bantamweight Champion who is renowned for his accurate counter strikes and slick submissions. Since his debut in 2001, he has racked up a record of 20 wins, six losses, and six draws. He earned his ONE FC title shot by defeating Filipino standout Rey Docyogen in Manila on 31 May. He is set to face another former Shooto Bantamweight Champion in Shinichi Kojima to determine the king of the Asian Flyweight division.

Urushitani and Kojima have already fought each other twice, with both fights ending in a draw. This rubber match will crown a new world champion and determine the winner of their trilogy. Kojima is one of the best Flyweights in the world. He had a three-year undefeated streak while he was Shooto Bantamweight Champion and has been ranked as the best in the world in his weight class. He submitted Rey Docyogen in Kuala Lumpur on 2 February and has been eagerly awaiting his shot at the coveted ONE FC World Championship title.

What has Chael Sonnen got on the UFC?

My thoughts on Chael Sonnen getting to headline UFC on Fox Sports 1

by John Haigh @JohnBJayHaigh

When Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, had to drop out of the fight with Mauricio “Shogun” Rua at UFC 161 due to back problems Chael Sonnen offered his services straight away.

Shogun immediately accepted, but the fight isn’t going to happen at UFC 161 on June 15th in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. It will instead be the headlining bout at UFC on FS1 1 on Aug 17th in Boston.
Sonnen announced the bout on Tuesday night’s edition of UFC Tonight.

“Shogun and I are going to be the main event on FOX Sports 1 on Aug. 17. We were going to fight in Winnipeg, and they pulled it,” Sonnen proclaimed before getting his digs in at his original target, Wanderlei Silva.

“I like Shogun. I admire him a lot,” he continued. “I wanted to fight Wanderlei. He’s the worst fighter in the UFC. I couldn’t get him. I figured I’d get the guy who destroyed Wanderlei in the practice room for all these years.”

So why does Sonnen keep getting these big fights?
Sure he can sell a fight with his endless ramblings and trash talking but surely there’s someone actually deserving of a bout with a top 10 ranked fighter? Maybe the current 10th placed fighter Ryan Bader?
In my eyes Sonnen has only won one of his last five fights and that was against Brian Stann in 2011. It might say win from the Bisping fight but everyone who has seen the fight says Bisping won two rounds including UFC President Dana White.

So in my opinion I really can’t see why they keep giving him these fights he clearly doesn’t deserve them.

As for Sonnen saying “I wanted to fight Wanderlei. He’s the worst fighter in the UFC.” Silva has had more fights then Sonnen and lost less than Sonnen. Surely “The worst fighter in the UFC” title is a title that Sonnen could actually win.