Thursday, June 18 6:31 pm PT: Either Eddie Alvarez or Toby Imada is one fight away from being crowned Bellator Fighting Championships’ first lightweight champion and walking away with its $100,000 prize.
The pair weighed in without incident Thursday in anticipation for their title tilt at the Hard Rock Seminole Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Calif., on Friday.
The 24-year-old Alvarez, the favorite to take it all, came in at 155 pounds. Imada, a longtime veteran of the Southern California circuit who shot to instant notoriety with his impressive inverted triangle choke victory over Jorge Masvidal in the early rounds, was 154.25 pounds.
So, how’s your inverted triangle choke defense these days?
It’s a question that Eddie Alvarez (17-2) probably never thought he’d have to answer. But after Toby Imada (22-12) pulled off the shock of Bellator Fighting Championships’ lightweight tournament by submitting Jorge Masvidal with the move, it’s something Alvarez has to consider, if only for a moment.
“We went over that,“ Alvarez said with a laugh on the Sherdog Radio Network’s “Beatdown” show on Wednesday. “[We’re] troubleshooting and checking it out. But for the most part it’s just one of those things that you don’t get into. You won’t see me shooting for a single, then coming out the back door, if that’s what you‘re asking.”
Thursday, June 18 11:48 am PT: On this week’s MMA Live, Rich Franklin and Marcus Davis join the program to discuss their bouts from UFC 99 this past weekend.
In addition, newly-crowned Bellator Welterweight ace Lyman Good is in studio to talk about his big win.
A full breakdown of “The Ultimate Fighter Finale” and the Strikeforce Challengers card this weekend is included.
Thursday, June 18 11:30 am PT: Marcus Davis is still ticked off about the scoring of his UFC 99 match with Dan Hardy. I got a chance to talk to him on the phone Wednesday, and he is adamant the cut he sustained in the fight’s final round was the difference in the bout.
Asked point blank whether he thought he won all three rounds, Davis stated that there could be an argument made for Hardy winning one round at the most.
That isn’t to say “The Irish Hand Grenade” doesn’t feel that he should shoulder some of the blame for his split-decision loss last Saturday night.
Thursday, June 18 8:56 am PT: K-1 MAX's Final 8 offering now has an even more intense MMA flavor.
Parent company Fighting and Entertainment Group announced Thursday that two more MMA competitors would see K-1 rules action at the MAX grand prix quarterfinal event July 13 at Tokyo's Nippon Budokan.
Thursday, June 18 8:23 am PT: Rather than cherry picking and rehashing quotes, I strongly advise you heads to take a spin over to MMAJunkie and read up on Keith Kizer's comments on the state of Nevada bringing in limited used of instant replay by year's end.
The issue that people always address when it comes to instant replay in sports is the automation of athletics. The fact that sports rely on referees and their judgement calls constantly, means that instant replay can create a slippery slope. Concerned parties in all major sports organizations want to avoid a world in which their officials can be constantly undermined, or every judgement call can be argued, due to technological advancements.
Fortunately, that isn't the case for mixed martial arts. Though I personally believe there is (and have written on) a startling trend toward overly officious refereeing in MMA, nobody wants to use video to argue every call.
Having the good fortune to cover shows here in Japan, I witness a lot of interesting episodes that sometimes don’t make my 800-word fight reports. Thankfully though, we now have this new-fangled Sherdog blog, which makes it far easier for all of us on staff to share these fun MMA anecdotes.
I’m sure you’re all familiar with tales of fighters losing control of bodily functions in the ring or cage. Forum regulars have undoubtedly seen threads on fighters literally crapping their pants in the middle of a fight -- Tim Sylvia versus Assuerio Silva comes instantly to mind -- but until the recent Pancrase Changing Tour 3, I hadn’t heard of a fighter vomiting during a bout before.
