MMA-URLS

Sometimes what you think you want is not always what you really want or what is best for you. Undefeated featherweight prospect Brandon Bender found that out back in 2007, after winning his first two professional mixed martial arts fights.

Posted in: prospect, brandon, bender, brandon bender, sherdog prospect

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 Budding Las Vegas promotion Superior Cage Combat returned to the Orleans Arena for their first event of 2012. SCC 4 continued a matchmaking trend with a bevy of high quality prospects booked on the Nevada promotion's undercard. The main event was an upset as veteran Jay Silva (9-5) choked out Ultimate Fighter 3 winner Kendall Grove (14-10).Two regional heavyweights prospect with big league potential made for a quick fight as Alabama's Walter Harris (7-2) knocked out Washington's Anthony Hamilton (6-1) in round one. Now training out of Jackson's MMA in New Mexico, Hamilton scored with a quick takedown but was unable to keep Harris on his back. Harris planted a hard right hand on the chin of Hamilton and finished the fight with the ensuing punch combination. Harris was awarded the knockout win versus Hamilton at the 1:15 point of round one. A former college basketball player Harris is an athletic big man with ever improving hands. The 28 year old Harris should get long looks from the UFC and Bellator with both promotions always in search of depth for their heavyweight divisions. Harris checks in at number 13 in the latest ULTMMA.com heavyweight prospect rankings. A pair of 25 and under featherweight prospects battled for nearly three rounds as California's Brandon Bender (9-0) pulled off a late submission to halt a fast charging Marlin Weikel (9-3).In a frantic opening 10 minutes both fighters traded chain submission attempts in rounds one and two. With the scorecards up in the air heading into round three, Bender dropped Oregon's Weikel to the floor and moved into side control. Weikel would reserve position and end up taking Bender's back in a scramble before the fight settled into Californians' guard. Bender with a triangle choke off his back finally threw up a submission that Weikel was unable to break free from. Weikel tapped out at the 2:30 mark of round three. The loss snapped an impressive three fight run from Weikel. Only 23 years old, all three of Weikel's career losses have come via submission. Despite the loss Weikel is a very good 145 pound prospect who's all action style, one decision in twelve fights, could land him a spot in the UFC if he is able to string together another sustained win streak. A part of the famed Southern California team Millennia MMA, Bender remains on track for a deal with Bellator of the UFC. After a decision win in his MMA debut Bender has reeled off nine straight submission wins. The 25 year old Bender already has one win on a Bellator undercard and could get a call-up from the promotion depending on the how their spring 2012 145 pound bracket shakes out. Bender, a four star prospect, is the number 12 ranked featherweight in the latest ULTMMA.com top 20 prospect listing. Superior Cage Combat 4 Grove vs. Silva resultsLas Vegas, NVJay Silva def. Kendall Grove by Submission Arm Triangle 1:52 R2John Gunderson def. Justin Buchholz by Submission Kimura 2:34 R3Jamie Yager def. Danny Davis Jr. by Decision (Unanimous)*Paulo Goncalves Silva def. Dominique Robinson by Decision (Unanimous)*Brandon Bender def. *Marlin Weikel by Submission Triangle Choke 2:30 R3*Walter Harris def. *Anthony Hamilton by KO (Punches) 1:15 R1*Jimmy Jones def. Joao Victor by Submission Rear Naked Choke 3:49 R3* Prospects to watch

Posted in: submission, prospect, harri, weikel, bender

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Name: Brandon Bender Nickname: -- Age: 24 Height: 5'8" Location: Rancho Cucamonga, California A quick glance at the résumé of California-native Brandon Bender (8-0) might shock some fans. After a decision victory in his debut at King of the Cage: Rapid Fire in August of ‘06, Bender rattled off seven consecutive victories, all by submission. That isn't an unfathomable feat considering a fight normally lasts fifteen minutes, and Bender has been training in the arts of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu since he was a teenager. The fact that all seven opponents tapped inside the opening frame of action raises eyebrows. It comes as no surprise that Bender has found success quickly. He began training in Tae Kwon Do when he was seven, took up Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu during his teenage years, and wrestled in high school. He also trains at Millenia MMA in Rancho Cucamonga, California, a camp that houses WEC veterans Charlie Valencia and Manny Tapia, Bellator veteran Georgi Karakhanyan, Tachi Palace Fights' flyweight Darrell Montague, and UFC veteran Gabe Ruediger. The 24-year-old Italian, who ranks as a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, is a highly-effective submission specialist, as evident in his aforementioned streak of seven consecutive first round submission victories. Don't let that fool you. He is far from a top heavy, one-dimensional fighter who relies solely on his grappling prowess to win fights. On the feet, Bender can hold his own, preferring to strike from range and pick apart more aggressive opposition. His stand-up game still needs tuning as he's a bit robotic and flat-footed at times, but there is strong evidence that he's evolving into a well-balanced fighter in his more recent battles. Bender's last bout took place on the preliminary card of Bellator 35 in March. There's no word yet whether Bender has signed a long-term deal with Bellator that could put him into next season's featherweight tournament. If I had to take a guess, however, I'd say that it's almost a certainty Bender will participate. If Bellator doesn't pounce, the UFC most certainly will. Check out more video footage of Brandon Bender after the jump... FlyweightBantamweightFeatherweightLightweight #1 - #2 - #3 -#4 -#5 - #6 - #7 - #8 - #9 - #10 - #1 - Rony Mariano#2 - Aljamain Sterling#3 - Chris Holdsworth#4 - Josh Hill#5 - Fabiano Fernandes#6 - Claudio Ledesma#7 - Sirwan Kakai#8 - Kyoji Horiguchi#9 - Leandro Hygo#10 - Pedro Munhoz #1 - #2 - #3 - Brandon Bender#4 - Lance Palmer #5 - Jim Alers#6 - Anthony Gutierrez#7 - Max Holloway#8 - John Teixeira#9 - Cody Bollinger#10 - Bubba Jenkins #1 - #2 - #3 - #4 - #5 - #6 - #7 - #8 - #9 - #10 - WelterweightMiddleweightLight HeavyweightHeavyweight #1 - #2 - #3 -#4 -#5 - #6 - #7 - #8 - #9 - #10 - #1 - #2 - #3 - #4 - #5 - #6 - #7 - #8 - #9 - #10 - #1 - #2 - #3 - #4 - #5 - #6 - #7 - #8 - #9 - #10 - #1 - #2 - #3 - #4 - #5 - #6 - #7 - #8 - #9 - #10 - Brandon Bender vs. Isaac GutierrezBAMMA USA - Bad Beat MMA - September 24, 2010 Brandon Bender vs. Mike PaloMEZ Sports - Pandemonium 3 - November 19, 2010 Brandon Bender Highlight

Posted in: bellator, brandon, brazilian jiujitsu, bender, certainty bender

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