MMA-URLS

BAMMA 9 Results: Tom Watson Defends Belt

Following the latest defense of his BAMMA middleweight titles, rumors are swirling that Tom "Kong" Watson might be headed to Strikeforce.

Posted in: title, watson, bamma, tom, kong

BAMMA 9: Tom Watson defends title and full fight card results

The British Association of Mixed Martial Arts, better known as BAMMA presented BAMMA 9 today from Birmingham, England. The main event of the evening saw Tom “Kong” Watson successfully defended his BAMMA Middleweight crown for the third time when he defeated Jack Marshman via a second round TKO. The victory moved Watson’s professional MMA record to 15-4. Full Results: Luke Barnett defeats Lee Johnson via submission at 2:36 of Round One (RNC) Marc Godbeer defeats Catalin Zmarandescu via TKO

Posted in: watson, mma record, bamma, birmingham england, watson ’s

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BAMMA middleweight champ Tom Watson possibly headed to Strikeforce

There’s little question that Strikeforce’s middleweight roster could use an injection of talent. While the promotion boasts a number of talented competitors such as champion Luke Rockhold, Ronaldo Souza, and Tim Kennedy, the overall skill-level takes a severe slide after going through the first 5-6 fighters. Fortunately it appears that could change in the immediate future, at least as long as 14-4 BAMMA champion Tom Watson comes away with a victory this weekend when he faces Jack Marshman at BAMMA 9 for the divisional gold. According to Watson, he’s already discussed the possibility of heading over to Strikeforce with Zuffa officials and, though he isn’t counting his chickens before they hatch, the 29-year old Brit definitely appears to be interested in the idea. “After (my) last fight I had quite a bit of contact with Sean Shelby of Strikeforce,” explained Watson in an interview with Fightline. “Everything is about timing in this business and the best thing that I can do is go out and win this fight against Marshman on March 24. The more I win the more in demand I will be and from there I can negotiate and see what’s next.” “If the opportunity presents itself I will have to take it into consideration and see what is in the best interests of my career,” Watson continued, leaving the door open for a variety of scenarios. It also appears Watson wouldn’t mind a boost up in the level of his opponent as well after struggling to find widely-respected adversaries at his weight outside of Strikeforce/UFC. “The most difficult thing for me is if you look at the middleweight ranking the top 20-30 guys are all in the UFC. It’s very difficult to find good opponents. My last fight against Murilo “Ninja” Rua was met with a lot of criticism because people believed he wasn’t a tough enough opponent. It’s difficult to find a guy who isn’t contracted to the UFC,” Watson concluded on the subject. PHOTO CREDIT – BAMMA

Posted in: fight, strikeforce, opponent, watson, bamma

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Champ Tom Watson ready to school younger Jack Marshman at BAMMA 9

Tom Watson sees himself in his next opponent, Jack Marshman. Marshman, after all, is a youthful 22 years old and has ended the majority of his fights with his fists. That's just what Watson did early in his career. Both started out in the world of boxing. Watson, of course, is a little older now at 29. He told MMAjunkie.com Radio that back in the day, he fought every weekend, records didn't matter, and MMA came up as a lark.

Posted in: watson, mmajunkiecom radio, marshman, fists thats, marshman marshman

King Kong: Tom Watson talks BAMMA 9 fight with Jack Marshman (Interview)

On March 24th, Tom "Kong" Watson will return after almost a year-long absence, putting his BAMMA World Middleweight title on the line against the UK BAMMA Middleweight champ Jack "The Hammer" Marshman in the main event of BAMMA 9 fight card in Birmingham, England. Watson is currently 14-4 in his MMA campaign, training alongside some of the best fighters on the planet at Jackson-Winkeljohn camp in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In his last fight, Watson delivered one of the best performances of 2011, with a KO

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BAMMA 9: Jack Marshman Says He’s Got Too Much Power for Tom Watson to Handle

British middleweight champion Jack Marshman is getting ready for the biggest fight of his young career as he faces Tom 'Kong' Watson at BAMMA 9 in March.

Posted in: watson, bamma, tom, tom watson, marshman

UFC on Fuel Results: Dillashaw Dominates Watson

The 'Ultimate Fighter' season 14 finale didn't go so well for T.J. Dillashaw, so he decided to take it out on Walel Watson at UFC on Fuel instead.

Posted in: ufc, tj dillashaw, watson, dillashaw, walel watson

UFC On Fuel TV Results: T.J. Dillashaw Dominates Walel Watson To One Sided Decision

T.J. Dillashaw defeats Walel Watson by unanimous decision. The judges scored the fight 30-25, 30-25, and 30-26. T.J. Dillashaw came out aggressive early with a superman punch and then an immediate takedown attempt. Walel Watson did a decent job to to avoid the first attempt but was taken to the mat after Dillashaw swept his legs out from under his body. Dillashaw sunk in his hooks and started to soften up his opponent with punches and choke attempts. While Watson didn't submit submit to the multiple attempts, he was never able to any sort of offense. Compustrike tweeted that Dillashaw landed 35 strikes to Watson's 0. Round two was more of the same for Dillashaw. He landed an overhand right and then quickly got the fight to the ground. Once on the mat it was a strikingly similar round as the first with Dillashaw seamlessly transitioning between mount and back mount. Watson, to his credit, survived but through two rounds he was out struck 148-4. The third round was when Watson finally came alive on the feet. He was able to land some some strikes and threaten with submissions but he was dominated for the second half the round. Dillashaw outstruck Watson 172-12 over the course of three rounds. SBN coverage of UFC on Fuel TV

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UFC on FUEL TV 1 results: TJ Dillashaw dominates Walel Watson en route to decision win

The UFC on Fuel TV 1 main card going down tonight (Wed., Feb. 15, 2012) in Omaha, Nebraska, featured a bantamweight battle between Ultimate Fighter (TUF) contestant T.J. Dillashaw and Walel Watson. Dillashaw came oh so close to winning TUF 14 before running into John Dodson, who handed him his first defeat. Tonight was his chance to win for the first time under the Zuffa banner. Watson, meanwhile, is 1-1 in his short UFC career but always brings the heat. Except for when he's being stifled by a far superior grappler. Indeed, Dillashaw opened the fight with a superman punch he was using simply to get Watson to the mat where he would dominant for 4:17 of the opening round. There wasn't much difference in the final two and by the time all was said and done, "The Viper" had earned a dominant unanimous decision victory by scores of 30-25, 30-25 and 30-26. It was that bad, Maniacs. Dillashaw wasted little time throwing a superman punch designed to give him room enough to grab Watson up and not let go. Knowing your own strength is key but knowing where your opponent is most dangerous is perhaps even more vital to success. Hence the early lay-n-pray game plan from T.J. Of course, lay-n-pray can quickly turn into something far more effective, like a rear-naked choke submission, which is what Dillashaw did. Unfortunately (for him, at least), he wasn't able to finish the fight with it. Not the first time. Not the second time a short while later. Watson showed some sick submission defense in the first round. He lost the first five minutes in as decisive a fashion as possible but he didn't get finished. Small victories and all that. It's no surprise, though, that the second round featured a whole lot of the same action we saw in the first. Dillashaw was aggressive without being reckless, simply overwhelming his opponent with a mix of top control, solid positioning and unrelenting punches. It was a beating. Like the biggest brother stomping on the littlest brother until dad shows up to stop the insanity. Except the dad never showed up for this one. It went to the third and Watson showed signs of life by threatening briefly with a guillotine. Fat lot of good it did him, as he ended up on his back with Dillashaw in side control. He got back to his feet, mind you, but Dillashaw was even winning the standing exchanges. They battled it out some more on the ground before the final horn sounded. The UFC's stats showed that Dillashaw landed 172 strikes to just 12 from Watson. That's the kind of fight this was, folks. Remember, too, to check out MMAmania.com's ongoing coverage of the UFC on FUEL TV 1 main card action, which is rolling right along, by clicking here.

Posted in: ufc, time, watson, dillashaw, superman punch

UFC on FUEL Results: T.J. Dillashaw Beats Walel Watson

T.J. Dillashaw dominated Walel Watson for 10 minutes at Wednesday night's UFC on FUEL event, then hung on for five more minutes as Watson mounted a surprising comeback, with Dillashaw winning the fight by unanimous decision. It was a highly entertaining battle that showed Dillashaw off as a very powerful fighter in the bantamweight division, but also showed that Watson has a lot of heart -- not to mention long limbs that make him a danger to submit his opponents from the bottom. Dillashaw wanted to get things started with a takedown and worked at it non-stop for the first 40 seconds of the first round before finally getting Watson to the ground and getting on top of him. Dillashaw transitioned to Watson's back and nearly sunk in a rear-naked choke, and although Watson managed to defend himself against Dillashaw's submission attempts, it was a dominant first round that I scored 10-8 for Dillashaw. At the start of the second round Dillashaw hit Watson and then jumped on top of him on the ground again, and then it was more of the same: Dillashaw switched back and forth between vicious ground and pound from mount and attempts at rear-naked chokes, and it was a wonder that Watson even survived. It was another 10-8 round on my scorecard. Amazingly, Watson came back from that brutal beating for the first 10 minutes and put on a great showing in the third round, putting Dillashaw in serious trouble with submission attempts off his back. But Dillashaw managed to escape and get back on top and in control, and he finished the fight where he had been for much of it, battering Watson from the top. I gave the third round to Watson 10-9 and therefore gave the fight to Dillashaw, 29-26. The three judges scored it 30-25, 30-25 and 30-26.

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UFC on FUEL Live Blog: T.J. Dillashaw vs. Walel Watson Updates

This is the UFC on FUEL live blog for T.J. Dillashaw vs. Walel Watson, a bantamweight bout on tonight's UFC card from the Omaha Civic Auditorium in Omaha.Dillashaw lost to John Dodson by TKO last December in the finals of the TUF 14 135-pound finals. In his two UFC appearances, Watson (9-3) defeated Joseph Sandoval by TKO and then lost a split decision to Yves Jabouin.The live blog begins below. More Coverage: UFC on FUEL Results | Latest UFC News Round 1: Dillashaw opens with a Superman punch. He misses but transitions right into a takedown try. It's a struggle but Dillashaw eventually takes him down, ending in Watson's guard. Watson tried to work free but Dillashaw ended up taking his back. Dillashaw tried a rear naked choke. Watson defended and Dillashaw ended up in half-guard. Round 2: Round 3:

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Rock you like a Hurricane: Walel Watson UFC on Fuel TV interview exclusive with MMAmania.com

Walel Watson is one of the more unique bantamweights around. With his lanky 5'11" frame, the Team Hurricane Awesome fighter is taller than any other 135-pounder, even men renowned for their length like Dominick Cruz and Miguel Torres. Hell, he's the same height as heavyweight Pat Barry. The former football player transitioned to mixed martial arts and took an immediate liking to it. He molded his attacking style while fighting the majority of his pre-UFC career in Mexico and having to scrap it out with Latino fighters who pride themselves on having a reputation for being fearless and tough. "The Gazelle" brought that finishing mentality into the UFC, scoring a 77 second technical knockout in his debut with the promotion before losing a controversial split decision to Yves Jabouin in Toronto. When he battles Ultimate Fighter 14 finalist T.J. Dillashaw tonight (February 15, 2012) on the main card of UFC on Fuel TV, it will be Watson's third UFC fight in just over four months. The spindly scrapper spoke with MMAmania.com during a guest appearance on The Verbal Submission about the advantages of his height, living in the gym and preparing for Dillashaw's wrestling. Check it out: Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): I've got to start by asking about your last fight. It was extremely close against Yves Jabouin. I'm sure everyone you've talked to has said, "I scored it for you," but one question I have for you is, does that loss fuel you for this fight? Walel Watson: Oh yeah. Every fight, I'm always motivated with my eyes on the prize. My goal is to be the number one bantamweight someday so every fight fuels me but yeah, that fight really motivated me even more. You can never leave it in the judges' hands. It hurts to put in all that work and have somebody sitting in a chair tell you that you didn't do enough. Ben Thapa: With that brabo choke you attempted in the third round, if there was anything you could have adjusted and done it differently, what would you have done? Walel Watson: Yeah, there was a lot of things I could have done differently with that brabo choke at the time. I didn't have it all the way cinched in. That's why he was able to roll all the way out of it and I was trying to get a better position but the whole time I could feel him squirming so I had to lock that in tight before I could really advance and try to get a better angle on that choke. It was a learning experience and I learned a lot from that fight and I'm moving forward and ready for my next opponent now. That's all there is to it. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): One of the things that helps you stand out at bantamweight is your ridiculous length. You're 5'11 and you fight at 135. I'm pretty sure you're the tallest bantamweight in the UFC. How have you been able to begin to utilize that length effectively in fights? Walel Watson: I've just been working on my boxing more, learning about my reach, what it is and everything. I'm still new to the MMA game so I'm still a little raw. My coaches have been on me and they're really getting me to use my reach and I'm learning that I can hit a guy from so far away that there's no reason I shouldn't be tagging guys from 5-6 feet away. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Most fighters that spend the majority of their early career fighting in Mexico, it's because they're Mexican. I know that you fight out of San Diego and it's pretty close to the border but why did you spend so many of your early fights fighting in Tijuana? Walel Watson: Well, it was close to us and it was a great crowd out there. Every time I fought in Tijuana, it was 6500-7500 people packing the arena and it was exciting. There were high level fighters there too. High level wrestling, high level jiu-jitsu, high level kickboxing and boxing and I feel that the hispanic fights are super tough. You've got to beat the life out of 'em. There's no quit in those guys. They don't come in there thinking, "I'm gonna point strike my way to victory," they come in there to kill and you had to bring your A-game every time you fought down there. I loved fighting in Tijuana. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Being such a long and lanky bantamweight, do you have a tough cut at all to get to 135 or are you more of a natural bantamweight? Walel Watson: I'm a natural bantamweight. My strength and conditioning coach also happens to be my nutritionist so he's got me on a good diet and he knows how to cut my weight off my body perfectly and I've never had a problem making 135. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): I just feel it's crazy that your'e the same height as Pat Barry. Walel Watson: (laughs) Yeah. I don't know what it is, maybe I've got hollow bones or something. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Let's talk about preparing for this upcoming fight. It was announced that you're fighting on the main card against T.J. Dillashaw. What does it mean to you to be fighting on the main card of a show for the first time? Walel Watson: Oh, it's an honor. I'm just thankful that the UFC sees me at that level to put me on the main card. There's a lot of great fighters on this card and to put me on the main card, it speaks volumes about what the UFC thinks of me. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Does fighting with more exposure, does that affect your mentality heading in at all? Walel Watson: Oh no, not at all. When I fought Yves Jabouin, it was a packed crowd. When I fought my debut in D.C., even though I was the first fight of the night, there was still a good crowd there and fighting in Mexico and with my history in football, I've been in front of the big crowds and the lights. It doesn't bother me. You can get the jitters when you come down the tunnel but once you step out into the crowd, it's go-time. You forget everything and you just go out there and do what you love to do. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): What goes through your head once those cage doors close? What are you thinking when you're staring across the cage at your opponent? Walel Watson: "It's time to finish this guy. It's time to get there and get that 'W'," is all I think in my head. I don't care what he knows, what he thinks he can do. I'm gonna do what I know how to do. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): I saw this reading your fighter profile, but you lived in the gym training for this fight with T.J. Dillashaw. Is that the norm for you or was this a special occasion? Walel Watson: Oh yeah, I stay at the gym. I love it there. I'm there day and night and I feel like if I don't spend all day there, if I leave for a bit, I'll miss out on learning something and that's a big thing to me. I don't want to miss out on anything. I don't ever want to have a "coulda-woulda-shoulda" in the back of my head going into a fight. I really put in all the work that I have to put in for that fight during my camp so when it comes to fight night, it's easy. Train hard, fight easy. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): I know it's a bit of a cliche, but have you ever been kicked out of the gym for being there too much? Walel Watson: Yeah, my coaches sometimes tell me to go home because I'm there so much. They'll tell me to get out of there, take a break, get your mind off of it, but it's hard when you've got the eyes on the prize. That's all you want to do, all you think of. I'm walking to the store and shadow-boxing, in the mall shadow-boxing in front of a mirror. I'm just thinking about the fight all the time. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): In regards to your upcoming opponent T.J. Dillashaw, who is the best wrestler at Team Hurricane Awesome or someone that you guys brought in to really help you prepare for this guy because he was a highly ranked collegiate wrestler. Walel Watson: Oh yeah, we just brought in a variety of different wrestlers and we went out and worked out with different gyms to get ready. They don't all have really big names, but they're all great, great wrestlers. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): T.J. got knocked out in his last fight with John Dodson because he decided to stand and trade with him which surprised a lot of people. Do you think he'll try to do that again or do you think the fact that he got knocked out could affect his mentality coming in against you? Walel Watson: I don't think it'll affect his mentality too much. Everybody gets caught. That's why if he stands with me, I would like for him to do that but realistically, he's not going to do that. He's a wrestler. He's a great wrestler and if I came from the wrestling pedigree he came from, I would probably do the same thing. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): You are a strong Muay Thai fighter, you showcased that in your UFC debut against Sandoval. Are there any concerns at all about opening up or throwing specific kicks because that leaves weaknesses for him to take you down? Walel Watson: No, not really at all. Like I said, I don't worry about what he can do. I know what I can do and what I bring to the table and I'm just gonna go out there and impose my will. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): Let's say worst case scenario happens and he does put you on the ground. You do have a pretty good submission arsenal so are you confident even if he's trying to stifle you on the ground and earn points? Walel Watson: Oh yeah. If we hit the ground, he's still got to keep his eyes open because I ain't no sleeper. I'm excellent off my back and if I have to go there, I'll be attacking right away. I'm not gonna be tying him up and holding him and waiting for the ref to stand us up, I'll be attacking the whole time and he's not gonna be able to punch me because if he slips up, he'll end up in something. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): He does train out of a terrific gym in Team Alpha Male. Those guys are pretty terrific with submissions and submission defense. I can't even remember the last guy out of Alpha Male that got tapped. Is that a concern at all, about the guys that he's working with and preparing with? Walel Watson: Oh no, not at all. I know he's working with some elite fighters but I got some work with some elite fighters too. I've got some elite fighters in my gym and elite fighters all over my town and all around us in California. I wouldn't worry too much at all about that. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): What would a victory against T.J. Dillashaw on the national stage, what would that mean to you? Walel Watson: It means everything. Victory means everything to me because the way I look at it, every fight is my title fight until I get to the title. Every fight is one step closer so if I lose, I'm setting myself back. That's not an option in my head. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): When you picture victory against T.J. Dillashaw, what has to right for you on Wednesday night to win? Walel Watson: I've just got to go out there, set the tempo and impose my will right away. I cannot let this guy get any kind of rhythm going. Brian Hemminger (MMAmania.com): You mentioned something about if he tries to take you down, you're gonna make him work really hard, expend all of his energy trying to do it. Is that part of your gameplan too? Walel Watson: Oh yeah. I've been working a lot on my wrestling so I ain't just gonna be some scrub that he can throw onto my back like some dead fish or something. He's gonna have to really, really work to get me down there and if he gets me down there, it doesn't stop. I'm dangerous off my back so I'm never gonna stop working in this fight. Whether it's one minute or 15 minutes, whatever I have to do, I'm gonna do it. Walel would like to thank his family, his coaches Manolo Hernandez, Bill Crawford, Tiger Smalls, Landon Piercy, all his teammates at Team Hurricane Awesome and the San Diego Combat Academy. He'd also like to thank his sponsors Booster, Lexani, Training Mask and Alchemist Management for their support. You can follow him on Twitter @135Gazelle. So what do you think, Maniacs? Will Watson's attacking mindset be enough to offset Dillashaw's wrestling? Will he make a big first impression in his first fight on the big stage? Sound off! To listen to the complete audio of my interview with Walel Watson, click here (begins at the 11 minute mark).

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¡Viva México! UFC on Fuel’s Walel Watson Explains His Love for Mexican MMA

"People (have) the misconception that they're just a bunch of 'brawler dudes' out there that are just barbarians." - Walel Watson

Posted in: people, watson, walel, love, brawler dudes

Ellenberger Gets the Home Court Win - UFC on FUEL TV Main Card Results

OMAHA, February 15 - It would be hard to put together a bout between two tougher, more well-rounded welterweights, but UFC matchmaker Joe Silva managed to do just that in Wednesday's UFC on FUEL TV main event at the Omaha Civic Auditorium by pairing cardio machine Diego Sanchez against knockout king Jake Ellenberger. The roaring hometown crowd desperately wanted one of Ellenberger’s knockout fists to somehow break through Sanchez’ granite chin, and although that didn’t happen, the local was consistent enough to score the unanimous decision win.After a classic Sanchez staredown, the two went right at each other, with Ellenberger swinging for the fences that he saw hidden in Sanchez’ chin. Sanchez kept his distance early, and his every kick and jab was met by Ellenberger’s power punches. Both men’s takedown attempts were neutralized by the other, but they did connect with solid knees and hooks on the exits. As Sanchez surged forward, a left hook from Ellenberger knocked him backward and to the ground. Ellenberger pounced, but Sanchez bounced up with the durability of a man who withstood four-plus rounds of BJ Penn at his best. Round two was mildly more subdued, with Diego having less luck making contact with his striking and Ellenberger’s footwork keeping him fairly safe. After landing one blow that sent a resounding cracking sound through the arena, Ellenberger shook out his right hand, threw a close-quarters elbow and immediately took Sanchez down. Sanchez did his best to stifle him from the bottom, but Ellenberger worked tirelessly to break free and eventually was able to score, doing the most damage with a massive elbow that left Diego with his traditional bloodied face by round’s end. Both men meted out their punches in round three, with a left hook knocking Sanchez off balance. Ellenberger increasingly relied on his left jab in this round, plus takedown attempts that – although he didn’t get them – he followed up with solid knees. With time running down, Sanchez’ reckless side came out, chasing Ellenberger with strikes until Ellenberger got his arms around his opponent for a solid double-leg takedown. Sanchez struggled up, then took Ellenberger’s back with just over a minute left, throwing nonstop hooks from back mount as he tried to snake an arm under Ellenberger’s neck for a choke. Judges’ scores were 29-28 across the board for Ellenberger, who received a thunderous ovation from his hometown crowd. Sanchez falls to 25-5, Ellenberger improves to 27-5, with both men praising the other as the toughest opponent they’d ever faced. Stefan Struve vs. Dave HermanTwo fascinating and well-rounded heavyweights, Stefan “Skyscraper” Struve and Dave Herman, promised to be one of the most unpredictable matchups in memory. And after a slow start for the 23-year-old Struve, he showed the full power that his 83-inch reach can wield when precision meets potential, TKOing Herman in two. Round one was as much a staring contest as an MMA match. The two stood face-to-face with Herman – who had allegedly dyed his body hair to seem more dramatic – showing more movement as he tried to back Struve against the cage. He launched an uppercut-right combo there, but Struve slunk away. After that, the two traded occasional kicks and strikes – including a few more of Herman’s uppercut-right combos – with nothing of any real effect landing from either man. Perhaps sensing that he’d experienced the best Herman had to offer, Struve found his range and his rhythm in round two. Striking his way to the clinch, Struve easily tripped Herman backward and took mount, threatening with a rear-naked choke as Herman spun away. Struve’s long limbs provided a sizable back door through which Herman escaped, and Struve reluctantly got back to his feet. But he became more aggressive, landing a few solid kicks and blows, and by mid-round, it was Struve standing in the center of the cage, controlling the fight as Herman retreated. An inside leg kick from the Skyscraper took Herman off balance, and Struve worked with physics to deliver a perfectly-placed uppercut that dropped the smaller man. Pouncing on his prey, Struve stayed in mount this time, using the full weight of his 6-11 frame to paralyze Herman as he swung down lefts and rights. Herman curled with his hands over his face and tried to spin away to no avail, forcing Josh Rosenthal to intervene.The official win came at 3:52 of the second round and bumps Struve’s record to 27-5, including seven wins in the UFC. Herman slips to 21-3. Aaron Simpson vs. Ronny MarkesBrazilian finisher Ronny Markes’ first challenge at a new weight class of 185 was a test against the always tough, wrestling-based Aaron Simpson, but he managed to pull off the victory by split decision. Squared off in orthodox stances, Simpson threw one punch, only to be chased around the Octagon by a wild flurry of punches from the Brazilian. Markes got Simpson to the wall but couldn’t take him down, so the ref moved the action to the center of the cage again. This time, it was leg kicks followed by strong combinations from both men, until a perfect right uppercut from Simpson dropped Markes. Simpson followed him to the mat and though the ground and pound was plentiful, Markes survived, and eventually returned to his feet. He again played the aggressor, chasing Simpson around the Octagon while swinging, until the two wound up in a clinch on the cage as the round ended.Simpson circled his opponent in the second until grabbing hold and, unable to get the trip, pushed him against the cage. Back in the center, Markes responded with a leg kick, and Simpson came in with more frantic combinations before going for a double-leg that – you guessed it – ended with him pushing Markes against the cage. And then it happened again, with the two struggling primarily for outside control. Eventually it was Markes who got the trip and wound up on top of Simpson, where he used his one free elbow to punish as Simpson worked to control from below. As Simpson curled away, Markes was able to get in a few more punches, before ending the round back on the wall. Simpson came out with a massive right, which ended in a clinch and Markes again defending a takedown. Markes then pushed Simpson into the cage, where he used some footstomps and quad kicks to try to further weaken his opponent until the ref returned them to the center. Both men threw combos that didn’t connect until Markes pushed the action, such as it was, back to the fence, prompting the ref to move them yet again to the center and instruct “let’s fight!” This time, both complied – if briefly – with powerful strikes before returning to the safe embrace of the crowd-displeasing clinch. But then Simpson went down to the mat and Markes followed him to the ground with some hammerfists, controlling Simpson from behind as they rose before dumping him double-legged back on the mat. The war of attrition – scored 29-28, 29-28 and 28-29 - improves Markes’ record to 13-1, while Simpson hits 10-3. Stipe Miocic vs. Philip De FriesNo one expected the battle of undefeated heavyweight finishers to go to decision, and Stipe Miocic didn’t disappoint, scoring a signature KO finish inside a minute. It was grappler Philip De Fries who came out swinging, and his windmilling punches kept Miocic on his heels. But Miocic watched and then countered with a straight right that connected and wobbled his foe. It was then the Ohio-born Miocic who moved forward, connecting again with a right that dropped De Fries against the cage. Powerful follow-up strikes from the top were all it took for the ref to wave things off after just 43 seconds. In the battle of perfect records, Miocic keeps his at 8-0, as the Brit De Fries tastes his first defeat and moves to 8-1.TJ Dillashaw vs. Walel WatsonAfter being upset in the TUF 14 Finale by John Dodson’s lethal hook last December, bantamweight TJ Dillashaw came to Nebraska with a vengeance to win. Though Walel Watson possesses impressive-looking striking skills and submission wins, his long limbs were no match for the Urijah Faber-trained wrestling of Dillashaw, who dominated throughout and got the decision win. The 5’11” bantamweight Watson was able to use his length to avoid being finished in the first round, but that was about all that could be said for his output in the opening stanza. Wrestler Dillashaw opened with a wild superman punch to move Watson backward, then struggled against the cage for a takedown. Thirty seconds in, he slammed Watson to the ground, and though Watson bounced up, 10 seconds later he was slammed again. The rest of the round took place on the ground. With Dillashaw postured up on top, Watson tried to roll away, allowing Dillashaw to sink in a rear-naked choke. Watson was consistently able to pry off one of Dillashaw’s hands and roll out far enough to escape the choke – and his length did give him the leverage to do so - but Dillashaw would follow with another choke. In round two, Dillashaw’s poison was ground and pound, but the pattern was the same. Dillashaw came out with strikes that were met with Watson’s signature kicks before Dillashaw got his takedown. He worked his way through wild upkicks, finally smothering his way into top position, where he spent the rest of the round elbowing and punching Watson in the head – at one point midway through the round, the in-arena stats showed Dillashaw with 110 strikes to Watson’s 2. Though Watson again used his length to stay alive – pushing away time after time – it only served to give Dillashaw different perches from which to issue punishment.Down but not out, Watson came out with his dramatic high kicks in the third, and the two had several crowd-pleasing exchanges on the feet. This time when Dillashaw went for his single leg, Watson caught him in a guillotine, but Dillashaw muscled his way out on the ground again and the two rose to the cheers of the crowd. Again Dillashaw worked for a single-leg, and Watson pulled him down in a triangle, which turned into an armbar and then a kneebar as the Team Alpha Male product worked to disentangle himself. Out of danger and back in Watson’s guard, Dillashaw transitioned into yet another RNC attempt to finish the round in back mount, then full mount. The scores of 30-25, 30-25 and 30-26 win brought Dillashaw’s record to 6-1, Watson is now 9-4.Ivan Menjivar vs. John AlbertUFC veteran Ivan Menjivar has fought at weights ranging from 135 to 170 against opponents including Georges St-Pierre, Urijah Faber and Joe Lauzon – all outside Zuffa organizations – but Wednesday night it was his skill at bantamweight that netted him his third UFC win in a row. He and his opponent, TUF 14’s John “Prince” Albert put on a wild show that saw Albert nearly score a TKO, not to mention a half dozen limb-locks (all inside a single round), but it was Menjivar who came out with the submission win.Both men exchanged early and often with kicks and frantic combinations. In the clinch, Albert threw two knees and a body shot that made Menjivar visibly wince. But he rebounded immediately with a spinning backfist that took Albert off-balance. After a struggle for a takedown, Menjivar wound up on top, brutalizing Albert’s body with elbows as Albert controlled his hands. But the lankier Albert went for a triangle, then an armbar as the crowd roared.Menjivar’s experience showed as he used his knee to get leverage over his opponent and hammerfisted his opponent with his free hand until he was out of danger. But the wily Albert again went for a kneebar as Menjivar simultaneously tried for a heel hook, then spun out and kicked his downed opponent for good measure. Back on the feet, Albert got Menjivar against the fence and unleashed a torrent of blows that buckled the shorter man, who seemed to be near defeat as he huddled against the fence and took more punishment – including several knees. As he struggled to his feet, Albert jumped for a standing front guillotine, which took both men to the ground. Although Albert was still working for an armbar, Menjivar took the back of Albert, where he softened him up with elbows to the ribs. He expertly sunk in one hook, then another, flattened out the taller man, and locked in a rear-naked choke that drew a tap 3:45 minutes in.“The Pride of El Salvador” Menjivar returns to his training base in Montreal with a record of 24-8; Albert now stands at 7-2.

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UFC on FUEL TV 1's ultra-busy Walel Watson: 'I don't believe in taking time off'

Tomorrow, UFC bantamweight Walel Watson will fight his third fight in five months. And that's exactly the way the 27-year-old likes it. "They're coming to me for fights, and I'm saying yes," Watson told MMAjunkie.com Radio about his fight with T.J. Dillashaw at UFC on FUEL TV 1. Watson and Dillashaw meet on the main card of UFC on FUEL TV 1, which takes place Wednesday at Omaha Civic Auditorium in Omaha, Neb., and airs live on FUEL TV.

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UFC On Fuel TV: T.J. Dillashaw Vs. Walel Watson Dissection

Wednesday night's UFC on Fuel TV event will kick off with a bantamweight tilt that aligns TUF 14 runner-up T.J. Dillashaw vs. Walel Watson. Dillashaw (4-1), a Team Alpha Male rep, was a strong candidate to win season fourteen of TUF but was the victim of a questionable stoppage against the lightning quick John Dodson in the finals. Early in the first, Dillashaw digested a stiff left hand and immediately dropped to his knees. His initial recovery was unconvincing, as he wobbled and lost his footing again while trying to stand, and Dodson pounced with punches to elicit the TKO stoppage. However, it did seem that Dillashaw was cogent and intelligently defending when Herb Dean pulled Dodson off of him. Having carried an undefeated, four-fight sequence into the reality show with two submissions, one TKO and one decision, the bitter loss was Dillashaw's first. Pre-MMA, he was a D1 wrestler at Cal State Fullerton University and notched a fourth-place Pac-10 finish in his last two years. Dillashaw scored an impressive TKO in the elimination match over former King of the Cage bantamweight champ Matt Jaggers, then advanced to the finals with a rear-naked choke on Roland Delorme and a decision over Dustin Pague. Walel "The Gazelle" Watson (9-3) clocks in as the tallest bantamweight on the roster (5'11") and has a perilous reach length (75"). After dropping his first professional contest, Watson won eight of his next nine and finished each victory (five in the first frame) to get the call from the UFC. In his Octagon debut on the UFC Live 6 card, he held true to form with a first-round knockout of Joseph Sandoval, sparked by a precisely accurate and perfectly timed head kick. Watson took quite a leap in competition in his follow-up bout UFC 140, facing Yves Jabouin, the vicious Haitian striker, who has roughly three-times the experience. Though Watson was a little tentative at first and struggled with Jabouin's quickness, he eventually found his range and his confidence seemed to grow as the fight progressed. Despite losing a razor-thin split decision, Watson unveiled a slithering and surprisingly competent ground game to match his adept striking. Gifs and analysis in the full entry. SBN coverage of UFC on Fuel TV Dillashaw embodies what we've come to expect from a Team Alpha Male rep, which is a high-paced offense that's split evenly between crisp boxing and explosive wrestling. In these gifs Dillashaw is going at it with Pague, who is a long and lanky kickboxing specialist just like Watson. Dillashaw showed a level of composure and tact that belies a fighter with only five professional fights. He was methodical in flashing off a set of meaningful strikes to put Pague back on his heels before smoothly hovering low to secure takedowns. Dillashaw swarmed Pague incessantly and gave him no breathing room in both the standing and grounded position. Pague was active with submission attempts from his back, all of which were coolly evaded by Dillashaw's calculating and frenetic top game. I'd say the rapid clip at which Dillashaw reverts back and forth from striking to wrestling is his cardinal attribute, with the way he conducts himself like a veteran coming in a close second. It's worth noting that his standing defense has been a little porous considering the Dodson match and the early knee Pague clocked him with. Watson's unparalleled length is evident against Sandoval in the animation to the right, who stands the same height as Dillashaw (5'6"). He looks to be a full weight class higher and absolutely dwarfs all the standard-sized bantamweights. He's displayed uncanny accuracy and timing with his striking, made all the more cumbersome by his dramatically stretched proportions. Watson's other salient edge is that he doesn't have the same clumsiness or the loafing gait that plagues other unusually tall fighters and seems quite agile for someone of his stature. Watson has an obvious knack for punishing opponents who lower their heads straight down in the pocket during exchanges, as depicted in both of these sequences.This is not only the same striking zone that a wrestler must traverse when dropping levels for a takedown, but the same area in which Dillashaw absorbed the big knee from Pague. Though he normally unleashes a wide variety of roundhouse kicks, front kicks and spinning back-fists, Watson will have to temper his arsenal to account for the threat of takedowns. His defense has a few holes and is far from impervious, mostly because he's fixated on offense and can get away with being lax because of his commanding range. Jabouin, not known as a wrestler, was able to secure a few takedowns, but was two-of-six overall and his successful attempts only led to getting swept or fighting his way out of near submissions. I've had an incipient suspicion that Watson could blossom into a high-level fighter and somewhat of a blasé outlook on Dillashaw thus far. Dillashaw blends his striking and wrestling together well, but I need to see him with a more dynamic approach before I'm sold. He employs back and forth movement but still attacks in straight lines and, though it's far from a shoddy ploy, the way he charges forward with guns blazing to disguise his takedown attempts is fairly predictable. I would not pick Watson, who comes in as a substantial underdog on the betting lines, based solely on his striking and mediocre takedown defense. However, I was extremely impressed with how diverse and slippery his submission attempts and sweeps were against Jabouin, which inspires me to take a chance on him pulling off the upset. My Prediction: Walel Watson by TKO. All gifs via Zombie Prophet of IronForgesIron.com Poll T.J. Dillashaw vs. Walel Watson Dillashaw Watson 8 votes | Results

Posted in: ufc, takedown, watson, dillashaw, pague

After Quick Rise to UFC, Walel Watson Aims to Make Some Noise

If you need more evidence that in the world of MMA, fortune favors the bold, look no further than Walel Watson. Take for instance, his story of getting signed by the UFC. Through a friend, Watson obtained UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby's cell phone number, and he simply called, introduced himself and asked for a fight. No agent, no manager, no pretense. Just a guy asking for an opportunity. The initial contact produced no results but led to a dialogue between them, and the duo traded messages for about two months when Watson heard the UFC might be doing a show in Mexico, a country in which he had fought several times. When he asked if he could be considered for a fight on the undercard, the reply came back "OK."A UFC Mexico show didn't materialize, but within a week, Watson had a UFC contract in his hands. "It was like, bam, I'm in the UFC," Watson says now with a laugh. "Super crazy." It wasn't the first call that changed his life's trajectory. The other came a few years prior. Watson had been an aspiring major college football player, and after a successful stint at junior college, received interest from Division I programs like Oregon State, Washington State and The University of Mississippi. His size though, proved to be too big a hurdle to overcome. At 5-foot-11, he was tall enough, but he couldn't manage to put on any muscle, weighing around 144 pounds.Because of that, the opportunity slipped away."It was heartbreaking," he said. Roughly around that time, the phone rang, and on the other line was friend and mixed martial artist Robert Peralta. The two had grown up together in Escondido, California, and Peralta knew of Watson's toughness and willingness to scrap. He invited Watson to come down and train. Watson was immediately hooked.Most intriguing to him was the competition. That was in his blood. But after years of football and being dependent on teammates for success or failure, the ability to sink or swim on your own truly captured him. "It happened to be the case my whole life that I was always getting to the championship game and losing, to the final playoff game and losing," he said. "No matter how hard I worked, at the end of the day it didn't matter if the whole team isn't doing the same thing. In MMA, it's up to me to train, to do the conditioning, to do the diet, to make weight, to go in the octagon and fight. There's nobody else to point fingers at."Within days, he'd decided it was his calling. His whole mind set immediately shifted from dreams of the NFL's gridiron to the UFC's octagon. Together with Peralta, who is now 15-3 with 1 no contest and a UFC featherweight, the duo decided to work toward that goal."It was a leap of faith," he said. "In my heart I felt I could make it my career, but I didn't know if i possessed the talent or anything like that to make it a career. I just held my breath and jumped off the edge."That faith was tested after a disastrous rookie outing in the cage, when in his August 2008 pro debut, he lost by first-round submission. Just a few months into training, Watson says now that he simply wasn't ready, but was pushed into the fight by a trainer attempting to make a few dollars off his back. Watson soon split with that coach and linked up with coach Manolo Hernandez. Hernandez, who has guided him since, immediately suggested a drop from lightweight to bantamweight. It's been a fairly smooth adventure since, little surprise for a fighter nicknamed "The Gazelle." Amazingly, Watson only restarted his MMA career , and by 2011 he was already in the UFC. In his two octagon bouts, he's proved that he belongs. In his debut last October, he steamrolled Joseph Sandoval in a 77-second knockout. He followed that up in a hard-fought scrap with veteran Yves Jabouin that ended up in a controversial split-decision loss (FightMetric showed him out-landing Jabouin in all three rounds).From that loss came a lesson. Watson said he got caught up in the points game and answering back Jabouin's offense instead of focusing on his own attack."I'm not looking to go tit for tat with a guy," he said. "It's not going to be like that ever again. I finish fights. That's what I do, and that's what I'm going to keep doing."His first fight since then takes place on Wednesday, against recent Ultimate Fighter alumni T.J. Dillashaw on the main card of the inaugural UFC on FUEL event. The bout will serve to test Watson's completeness as a fighter. Those who have only seen him in the octagon may be under the impression that the rangy fighter is primarily a striker. Seven of his nine pro wins, though, have come by submission, and he's soon to be nearing his brown belt promotion.Dillashaw, a former collegiate Division I wrestler at Cal State Fullerton, may well decide where this fight takes place, but Watson plans to contest the fight everywhere. "I'm going to knock him out, period," he continued. "This isn't the NCAA. I’m going to punch you in your face, I'm going to knee you in your face, I'm going to elbow you, I'm going to make your life miserable. He's going to run into one of my punches and get knocked out. Or it's going to be me standing over him punching him, and the referee saving his life." There are many ways of getting to the UFC, many ways of winning fights. For Watson, both appear to be about calling his own shots.

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This picture of blood pouring out of Kyle Watson's head is pretty cool, we have to admit

I've been staring at this picture for about five minutes trying to decide if it fits in MiddleEasy's loose guideline of what we deem 'news', and I've come to the decision that it isn't news. It's art. Look at that, it looks like someone stuck a piece of dripped candle wax on Kyle Watson's head and told him to hug Juha-Pekka Vainikainen while they took a picture. Make this shot black and white and it could go on a tumblr page. Any tumblr page. Cage Warriors Fight Night 3 went down last night, and if you had the stamina to endure an early wake up for ONE FC, you enjoyed roughly 30 fights non stop yesterday with Cage Warriors falling somewhere in the middle. In the main event Juha-Pekka Vainikainen defeated Kyle Watson in the bloody main event. It seems like Juha-Pekka Vainikainen is putting together a nice run. That said, what matters most is we got this cool picture out of it. [Source]

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Walel Watson - Leaving The Judges Out of It

Through 11 pro mixed martial arts bouts, the one certainty about a Walel Watson fight was that it was going to be finished. Win or lose (but mostly win), “The Gazelle” made a concerted effort to take enough risks to ensure that either he or his opponent wouldn’t hear the final bell.Then came fight number 12, an exciting UFC 140 scrap with Yves Jabouin in Toronto. That one went the distance. That one also handed Watson his first Octagon defeat, via split decision.“From now on, I’m finishing fights,” said Watson, whose emotional reaction to the loss could be seen on UFC President Dana White’s post-fight video blog. “I’ve got great coaches, and we sat down, watched the film, and they showed me where my mistakes were in that fight. There were little things where a judge could see it his (Jabouin’s) way, and one judge could see it my way, and what that taught me is that I just can’t leave it in the judges’ hands. That was the first time I left it in the judges’ hands, and I paid for it and I’ll never do it again.”As with any split decision, the MMA community is divided as well, with just as many believing Watson deserved the verdict as those who thought justice was done that December night. It was little consolation to the affable Watson. “At this point in my life, the money isn’t what I’m all about,” he said. “What hurt that day the most was that now I’m 1-1 (in the UFC) instead of 2-0, and that set me back maybe a year or two years from the belt. That’s what hit me the most when I walked out of the Octagon that night.”The funny part about the whole thing is that against Jabouin, San Diego’s Watson got exactly the fight he wanted: a standup battle in which both men fired off their best stuff at each other for 15 minutes. That’s usually not the case.“It’s something I’ve had to deal with my whole career, being a 135er and being 5-foot-11,” he said. “The minute I step in the cage or the Octagon, people are like ‘nah, I’m cool; I’m not striking with this guy.’ (Laughs) In the Yves fight, it was the first time I had a guy willing to strike with me and I got sucked into this striking match where he punches, I punch back, and we’re just going back and forth, instead of having that killer instinct that I usually have because a guy’s trying to take me down and beat me up.”So, in other words, he was having too much fun.“I was having fun,” he smiles.Luckily, the loss was the kind of defeat that hurts your pride and your wallet, but not your standing among the fans or the organization. Case in point, Watson’s return this Wednesday against The Ultimate Fighter 14 finalist TJ Dillashaw won’t be on the preliminary portion of the UFC on FUEL event, but on the televised main card. And that’s just where the former wide receiver and cornerback wants to be. As former NFL receiver Keyshawn Johnson used to say “Just give me the damn ball.”“I like to be in the limelight, I like that pressure, and I’ve always welcomed it,” said Watson. “I never turned away from it, I never shied away from it, and I’ve always tried to be great. I want to be one of the best in the world, and you’re gonna have all eyes on you, and I expect that.”But if there’s a downside to Watson’s rise, it’s that after knocking out Joseph Sandoval in 77 seconds in his UFC debut and thrilling fans in the Jabouin bout, he’s not going to be able to sneak up on anybody anymore.“I still think I have some sneaking up to do because people are still doubting me and there are people out there that don’t believe in me, so I have to show them and make them believers,” said Watson, a pro since August of 2008 who has shown not an ounce of the UFC jitters associated with a rookie’s early bouts in the Octagon. Yet as he admits, he does a good job of hiding them.“There’s always jitters; I just suppress them,” he said. “Once I know the jitters are there, I know I’m still alive, I’m still a human being, and those things allow me to know that I still have human emotions and I’m not a robot and I don’t think I’m the baddest thing walking around. I still have fear and I still get nerves. It’s how to control them and how to make them work for you.”The 27-year old sounds like he’s got everything together, not always an easy feat when you go from building your career mainly south of the border in Mexico to the biggest event in the world. But what aids Watson is that his reason for being here is not for fame and fortune (though that would be nice), but for something bigger than that.“I’m not just fighting for the fame or for the money; I’m fighting to be the best,” he said. “I want that 135 belt. I think about it, I dream about it, and I want it so bad. That’s what drives me every day, no matter what. It makes me work harder than I’ve ever had to work in my life. Every day, no matter how I feel, no matter how sick, sore, or hurting I am, I work to be the best, and that’s what I want more than anything.”This week’s recipient of all that work will be Dillashaw, a fellow bantamweight prospect who fights out of the Team Alpha Male camp in Sacramento.“I see an awesome wrestler, but I also see a guy that doesn’t respect me,” said Watson. “He thinks he’s just gonna go in there and ground and pound me out, as he keeps saying, and I think I’m gonna have to show him something else.”Watson’s striking, aided by his height and reach advantages, is a cause for concern for any bantamweight though, making the idea of an immediate takedown an attractive one. Watson isn’t concerned at the moment though.“I look at it as more of a blessing, rather than a curse, because I feel that especially once my wrestling gets better – and I’m working on it every day – that I’m going to be able to dictate the fight no matter what,” he said. “I can pick you off standing up, and soon my wrestling’s going to be real vicious and you’re not going to take me down. So what are you gonna do when you’ve got a 5-11, 135-pounder standing across from you in that Octagon? You’re not gonna do much.”Welcome to the bantamweight division, a weight class that has hit its stride, producing fighters that are not only technically sound, but exciting as well. Sounds like it’s going to be a good year for Watson and company.“I feel like the new guys that are here, none of us are point strikers,” he said. “We’re all real guys that want to fight. That (Mike) Easton-(Jared) Papazian fight was awesome, and everyone says we don’t have power and we don’t have this - what do you mean, those guys were going at it. I’ve knocked somebody out, I’ve seen several knockouts in the bantamweight division, and this new group of guys that’s coming in, we’re exciting and we’re not your traditional guys.” As for his personal journey, Watson is optimistic that his loss to Jabouin won’t be repeated anytime soon. “I’m fighting here, I hope I’m fighting two months later, and I just want to keep fighting every two months, God willing,” he said. “I pray that by January of next year, I’m fighting for the number one contendership and I’m gonna do everything I can to put myself in that position.”

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Cage Warriors Fight Night 3 results: Vainikainen downs Watson; Cheng, Hussin advance

Finnish lightweight Juha-Pekka Vainikainen downed his second-straight UFC veteran, earning a second-round TKO over Kyle Watson at Saturday's Cage Warriors Fight Night 3 event. Vainikainen avoided Watson's grappling attack and used occasional standup flurries to control the action before a cut forced the end of the fight. The bout served as the featured matchup of the event, which took place at The Habtoor Grand Hotel Convention Center & Spa in Beirut, Lebanon, and streamed on MMAjunkie.com.

Posted in: fight, watson, vainikainen, kyle watson, beirut lebanon

UFC on Fuel TV fight card: T.J. Dillashaw vs Walel Watson preview

Two very different styles of mixed martial arts will collide next Wednesday night (February 15, 2012) as bantamweights T.J. Dillashaw and Walel Watson meet in the opening bout of UFC on Fuel: Sanchez vs. Ellenberger, which will be the UFC's first foray on the Fuel channel. Dillashaw was a finalist on season 14 of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) but came up just short this past December against John Dodson, who handed him the first loss of his professional career. The Team Alpha Male fighter will be looking to wrestle his way back on track and even out his UFC record next week. Walel Watson, at 5'11 is taller than most welterweights in the UFC. He's tough to handle with his lengthy frame, although he found himself on the receiving end of a tough split decision defeat in his last fight at UFC 140. "The Gazelle" will be hoping to bounce back against his less-experienced foe. Will Dillashaw's wrestling prove too much for Watson? Can the Team Hurricane-Awesome fighter perplex Dillashaw with his unorthodox attack? What's the best path to victory for both bantamweights? Let's find out: T.J. Dillashaw Record: 4-1 overall, 0-1 in the UFC Key Wins: none Key Losses: John Dodson (The Ultimate Fighter 14 Finale) How he got here: T.J. Dillashaw was a successful college wrestler at Cal State Fullerton and UFC middleweight Mark Munoz was one of his coaches. When his collegiate career was over, he gravitated towards Munoz and found himself recruited by Urijah Faber and the Team Alpha Male camp. He adapted quickly to mixed martial arts, posted a 2-0 amateur record and after a 4-0 start to his professional career, he was given an opportunity to compete on season 14 of The Ultimate Fighter. On the show, he was labelled arrogant, but he proved himself with three straight victories, the last over scrappy Muay Thai specialist Dustin Pague to punch his ticket into the finals. In the show finale, Dillashaw was never able to take John Dodson down in the first round, and suffered a tough knockout defeat via the quick hands of "The Magician." He's hoping to rebound against the long and lanky Walel Watson next Wednesday night. How he gets it done: Dillashaw will need to take advantage of his strength in this fight. He can't let Watson dance around him on the outside, he must cut him off and either take him down or put him against the fence where he has no escape. Standing and trading wouldn't be the worst thing in the world either, but he has to get inside to do it as Watson, at 5'11, is one of the tallest bantamweights with the longest reach in MMA? If Watson overcommits to a punch or kick, don't be surprised one bit if Dillashaw either changes levels and takes him down, or catches the kick and takes him down. The ground is Dillashaw's bread and butter and his opponents had serious issues dealing with his wrestling on the show. His opponent can be tricky on the ground, but he wasn't able to submit Yves Jabouin despite his best efforts in his last fight, so as long as Dillashaw has confidence in his submission defense and he's active with ground and pound, he should have no problems staying in top position with his significantly superior wrestling. Walel Watson Record: 9-3 overall, 1-1 in the UFC Key Wins: Joseph Sandoval (UFC on Versus 6) Key Losses: Yves Jabouin (UFC 140) How he got here: Walel Watson surprisingly has spent the majority of his professional career fighting in Mexico. Despite hailing from Texas and training in San Diego, he found a home away from home in Tijuana, where he fought six times from 2009-2011, winning all six. With the UFC acquiring new talent to fill up their 135 pound division, Watson seemed a perfect fit, making his promotional debut against Joseph Sandoval this past October and thoroughly thrashing him, dropping him three times inside 80 seconds to score a first round technical knockout (TKO) victory. His second UFC fight was against kickboxing veteran Yves Jabouin and the bout was extremely close, with neither fighter truly taking a big initiative. Watson threatened with submissions, but wasn't able to put Jabouin away and was disappointed to find himself on the losing end of a split decision. He'll get a shot at redemption against Dillashaw on the first UFC on Fuel TV show. How he gets it done: Watson is very long and lanky, and that body-type is perfect for either keeping his distance in the stand-up or for clinching and throwing vicious knees. "The Gazelle" has already utilized his frame to perfection against Joseph Sandoval, he can certainly do it again. If you remember, Dustin Pague caught Dillashaw with a pretty nasty flying knee during their fight during the TUF 14 semifinals, so landing a big knee is certainly a possibility. Also, if he can keep his distance and do it safely, Watson should work low leg kicks as long as he can snap them without getting them caught. I don't know if he's been working on his jab or not, but if he can keep popping a jab in Dillashaw's face to keep him at a distance, it would work wonders for scoring points and doing some damage. It's extremely likely that Dillashaw takes Watson down, as Yves Jabouin was able to do it repeatedly and he's not one fourth of the wrestler that Dillashaw is, so if and when it happens, "The Gazelle" needs to be prepared with a plethora of submission attempts, chained after each other. He's got to attack, attack, attack and either force Dillashaw to submit or scare him enough that he doesn't want to stay on the ground with him anymore. Fight X-Factor: The biggest X-Factor in this fight has to be Dillashaw's submission defense versus Watson's offensive submission abilities. While the stand-up is where the fight always starts, it's almost a certainty that this fight goes to the ground. Dillashaw is going to try to remain in top position and either pass guard working for a submission of his own, or posture up and work ground and pound. Watson, on the other hand, will likely be either tying Dillashaw up to force a stand-up or throwing repeated submission at The Alpha Male team member. Whoever wins this chess battle on the ground is going to be the victory, plain and simple. Bottom Line: This fight has boatloads of potential as both combatants are young (26 and 27), finishers (just two decisions total between them in 17 career fights) and best of all, bantamweights. They won't get tired and will be throwing down for three straight rounds if need be so expect some fun striking exchanges, big takedowns, submission attempts, ground and pound as one of these men tries to make their mark in the division. With both fighters coming off tough losses, they've got plenty to fight for, and hopefully that comes out in the Octagon on Wednesday night. Who will come out on top at UFC on Fuel: Sanchez vs. Ellenberger? Tell us your predictions in the comments below! Poll Who will turn around their one fight losing streak in the opening bout of the UFC's first event on Fuel? T.J. Dillashaw Walel Watson 16 votes | Results

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Brookins vs. Rocha, Watson vs. Dillashaw Booked for UFC on Fuel TV 1

With their original opponents sidelined, featherweights Jonathan Brookins and Vagner Rocha will now square off at UFC on Fuel TV 1, while a bantamweight bout betweenWalel Watson and TJ Dillashaw has also been booked for the February 15 event in Omaha, Nebraska, the UFC announced Thursday. Brookins (12-4), who was originally slated to face Rani Yahya at the event, dropped a unanimous decision to Erik Koch in his return to 145-pounds in September after winning The Ultimate Fighter 12 at lightweight the previous December. Rocha (7-2), who was scheduled to face Mike Brown later this month at UFC on FX 1, submitted Cody McKenzie for his first UFC win in September after coming up short against Donald Cerrone in June. Watson (9-3) was outpointed by Yves Jabouin last month at UFC 140 after knocking out Joseph Sandoval in just 77-seconds in his Octagon debut in October, while Dillashaw suffered a first-round TKO to John Dodson in the finals of The Ultimate Fighter 14 in December. UFC on Fuel TV 1 is headlined by welterweight contenders Jake Ellenberger and Diego Sanchez and also includes heavyweights Stefan Struve and Dave Herman and Stipe Miocic vs. Philip de Fries. For complete coverage of UFC on Fuel TV 1 stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com. Pictured: Jonathan Brookins

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UFC 140 Results Recap for Ion Television 'Prelims' in Toronto

The Ion Television portion of the UFC 140: "Jones vs. Machida" preliminary card went down earlier tonight (Sat., Dec. 10, 2011) from Toronto, Ontario, and it was a doozy. The final bout of the undercard was short, sweet and very unexpected as Igor Pokrajac took on Ultimate Fighter veteran Krzysztof Soszynski. Soszynski was a 3-1 favorite and acted like it, pressing forward and looking to brawl but Pokrajac caught him with a big right hand and then swarmed him, blasting away with punches along the fence until "K-Sos" went down. Once the Polish brawler was on the canvas, Pokrajac refused to let up, continuing his onslaught with ground and pound until Soszynski went completely unconscious. It all happened in just 35 seconds. The rest of the Ion preliminary fights were filled with short and sweet stoppages as well. In a middleweight match-up, Constantinos Philippou had his way with the scrappy brawler Jared Hamman. Hamman, training under Antoni Hardonk, looked to establish the leg kicks early but Philippou countered hard with some heavy power punches, dropping Hamman and hurting him badly. "The Messenger" tried to recover with single legs and clinch attempts but Philippou backed off, created distance and rocked him again. After dropping him for what had to be the fifth time, "Big" John McCarthy had seen enough and he put a stop to the carnage, giving Philippou his second consecutive UFC victory. An elated "Costa" declared that today was, "The happiest day of my life," in his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan. Undefeated lightweight John Makdessi was hoping to take it to the next level against veteran grappler Dennis Hallman, but it was not meant to be. Both men collided with a body lock early on as Makdessi feverishly tried to keep it standing to no avail. Once Hallman got the fight to the ground, his grappling prowess was clearly superior as he began to have his way with "The Bull." After taking Makdessi's back, dropping punches and transitioning back and forth to mount, Hallman finally secured a rear naked choke to score a first round submission victory. Opening the Ion prelims was a bantamweight attraction between Canadian Yves Jabouin and American Walel Watson. Watson had a big height and reach advantage and it appeared that Jabouin had some issues finding a way to get inside, repeatedly sitting back on his right hand and looking to throw it with big power. Both men were very patient and Watson threatened to finish the bout twice at the end of the second and third rounds with a guillotine choke and D'Arce choke respectively. Watson threw more strikes, but it appeared that Jabouin was a little more accurate and landed with more power and when it went to the scorecards, Jabouin took a close split decision. As we head into the pay-per-view main card, remember to check MMAMania for up-to-the-minute results and live play-by-play.

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UFC 140 Results: Yves Jabouin Earns Split Decision Over Walel Watson

Yves Jabouin defeats Walel Watson by Split Decision. The Judges scored the bout 30-27, 29-28, 28-29. Walel Watson was the first to cleanly connect with a short left hook to Jabouin's chin. Yves pushed forward and landed a right hand but was countered with a hook to the body. Watson attempted a spinning back fist but was countered with a right hook to the chin. Watson came forward and landed a punch-knee combination but was taken down. Yves was working from Watson's butterfly guard. Within the final 45 seconds, neither fighter wanted to commit to strikes. Watson closed the distance in the final 10 seconds but neither fighter connected with a clean strike. In the second Jabouin began to commit to strikes but had trouble with the reach of Walel Watson. Watson closed the distance but missed a combination, allowing Yves to land cleanly to the chin. Jabouin also landed a body kick that stunned Watson. Watson attempted a spinning back fist but was unable to connect. Watson landed his patented side kicks to Jabouin's body. Jabouin closed the distance with a spinning back fist and drove forward for a takedown. Watson sunk in a guilotine choke on the way down and almost had Jabouin finished. Yves popped his head out as the horn sounded. The third round started with them trading strikes in the center of the cage. Watson was able to back Jabouin up with jabs and then landed a body kick. Jabouin landed the next significant strike with a slapping leg kick that backed Watson up and followed with another that turned Watson's body. Jabouin got a takedown but Watson scrambled to top control. Watson worked high from half guard and set up a d'arce choke. Jabouin kept calm and escaped landing a spinning back kick on the way up. Jabouin and Watson both attempt spinning attacks and neither land cleanly. Walel Watson entered the fight 9-2. It was his second fight in his UFC career. Yves Jabouin entered the fight 1-1 in the UFC and 16-7 in his career. Watson is now 1-1 in the UFC. Jabouin improves to 2-1. SBN coverage of UFC 140: Jones vs. Machida

Posted in: ufc, body, watson, yve, jabouin

Too small for football, UFC 140's Walel Watson now a giant among bantamweights

Walel Watson wanted to be anything besides a beanstalk. Before the 5-foot-11 fighter ever strapped on a glove or set foot inside a cage, he was a big guy trapped in a skinny man's body. When he was a wide receiver in his junior year at Mesa College, scouts from Pac-10 schools came by to evaluate talent. But talent was only one part of the evaluations - and a smaller part than you'd think.

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Walel Watson on his UFC 140 matchup with Yves Jabouin “Going into his backyard means nothing to me!”

In a match the pits the “The Gazelle” versus the “The Tiger,” up and coming UFC bantamweight Walel “The Gazelle” Watson sits down to talk about his upcoming fight versus Yves Jabouin at UFC 140. Watson also shares his thought about fighting Jabouin in his backyard, “Going into Yves backyard does not mean anything to [...]

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TUF veteran Kyle Watson signs for CageWarriors

UFC veteran Kyle Watson has signed for British promotion CageWarriors and will make his debut in February 2012.He will be fighting in the Middle East as...

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UFC’s Kyle Watson talks about the opening of his new gym, TUF, and training

Ultimate Fighter veteran Kyle Watson hasn’t been seen in the cage since April 2011, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been a busy man. After splitting with the HIT Squad, Watson opened his own gym, Watson Martial Arts, in St. Louis and has put the majority of his focus training the next generation of mixed martial artists. “The gym opening has been going really well. It’s been stressful in a good way,” Watson told Five Ounces of Pain. “I’ve never been in this position where I’m the one man show doing the administrative stuff, teaching, and training. It’s been open for five months and a lot of people have come in the door. I’ve had some loyal followers. It’s growing and by next year I hope to expand.” So what made Watson want to leave a gym that included veterans like Matt Hughes and Robbie Lawler? Watson explains the situation by saying, “It’s always been my goal to have my own gym but basically the new ownership bought the gym and the person who bought it had a bad business reputation. So he came in and changed everything and people didn’t like it. He changed it from a happy go lucky atmosphere to a gloomy atmosphere where he was jacking up rates and making us sign 2 year contracts so everyone left.” He has fond memories about his time at the HIT Squad though, and even draws a comparison between the gym and the Ultimate Fighter house, which he spent time in as part of the TUF 12 cast. “One of the coolest and unique things was that we had dorms on site so we had people from all over the world come in and stay with us,” said Watson. “It was similar to TUF except that the accommodations weren’t quite as nice and alcohol was still allowed but you weren’t cut out from the outside world. It was expected that if you play hard, you work hard. So you could have a good time but you better show up from training on Monday.” The dorm rooms at the HIT Squad seem a lot easier than his time in the house, which he described as, “tough.” Expanding by saying, “. After the first couple of weeks there is still that novelty but after that it starts to wear on you and the house starts to become really small really quick. Training is actually the relief from boredom because guys are just walking around the house with their chest puffed out and acting tough and it got old quick. Having no contact with family and loved ones got pretty tough.” The one thing that Watson enjoyed about being on the reality show was training with UFC champion Georges St. Pierre and the all-star team of coaches that he brought with him. “The training was the best part,” said Watson. “I was really fortunate to have Georges St. Pierre as a coach because he looked at himself as a training partner and not a coach. So he brought all his coaches in and used it as a training camp. He helped us and showed us things and we got to spar and roll with him, so it was a great experience.” Working as a full-time trainer at his gym, Watson’s own personal training has suffered but his level of knowledge has increased. Watson explains, “A lot of people don’t understand how tough it is to wear both hats. Somewhere a long the line you can’t be great at both so something has to give and something gets short changed. If anything suffers it’s usually on my end because I don’t want to fail my students, so my own training takes a backseat. Teaching helps because you’re forced to learn things at a deeper level because people expect you to answer questions and explain things. It helps but it’s a challenging task.” While he’s been working hard to get him gym off the ground, Kyle hopes to get back in the cage in early 2012. “Originally I was hoping to fight at the end of the year but the gym has taken a lot of time out of my schedule to make sure it’s running smoothly so I haven’t been training as much as I’d like. I’ve been training to a certain degree and for a long time my biggest hole as been my wrestling so I’ve been training with a local collegiate team and private sessions with my wrestling coaches so I’m closing that area pretty quickly. I don’t think I’m in fight shape right now but I could be quickly so I need to talk to my manager more and hopefully return early next year.” PHOTO CREDIT – UFC/WATSONMARTIALARTS

Posted in: time, ’t, training, gym, watson

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Kyle Watson – “I Honestly Love What I Do”

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt and TUF season twelve semi-finalist, Kyle Watson spoke with FightHubTV recently and discussed his new school opening in St. Louis, MO, his expected return to competition and what he has worked on to grow in his journey as a mixed martial artist. FHTV: Thank you for taking the time to [...]

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UFC’s Kyle Watson teams with heavy metal band for UFC on FOX contest

Kyle Watson, a fighter in the UFC and a former cast-member of The Ultimate Fighter, is stepping outside the Octagon to take on a member of A Band of Orcs, a metal band, in a contest for UFC on FOX 1: Velasquez vs. Dos Santos. Watson will go head-to-head with Gronk! in picking the winners of the fights Saturday night for the card. Fans should head to Metal-Rules.com’s Facebook page to enter the contest, with winners receiving a copy of the band’s new album (“WarChiefs of the Apocalypse”) and a T-shirt. “The band name is ‘A Band of Orcs’ and the album is ‘WarChiefs of the Apocalypse.’ I listen to some heavy metal and just had Zoltan Bathory from Five Finger Death Punch in my gym training,” said Watson, in an exclusive interview with Five Ounces of Pain. “I got to go backstage to their show and hang out on the tour bus, which was pretty cool.” After releasing their debut album “Warchiefs of the Apocalypse”, A Band of Orcs has been busy writing material and preparing for their follow up album which will be recorded with Juan Urteaga who just engineered the latest release by metal titans Machine Head. The Orcs are also looking to change the way the music industry operates with their latest Kickstarter Campaign – this allows fans to donate to the recording of the new album, and in turn they will receive merchandise from the band. As for his personal music taste, Watson is a very diverse individual, saying, “I usually listen to some heavier rock and a little rap and hip hop. I think the oldest stuff I listen to is em>Rage Against the Machine. I usually listen to the newer stuff. I’m not really into the death metal, but some of the heavier stuff is cool. When working out, I have a mix when guys are training and it’s usually just a blend of stuff.” Regarding the contest, Watson will have to pick a winner in tonight’s Cain Velasquez-Junior dos Santos battle for the UFC heavyweight title, saying, “It’s an interesting match-up. I think both guys are very dangerous. I see it going Velasquez’ way. Both guys have power and are explosive and we haven’t seen muh out of JDS on his back, and that’s where I think Cain will put him. I don’t think this one goes the distance and I think we’ll see a TKO for Cain.”

Posted in: ufc, watson, metal, band, album

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Yves Jabouin vs. Walel Watson Slated for UFC 140

Generally when you hear about a Tiger fighting a Gazelle, it's obvious who the victor is going to be. The UFC will test that theory at UFC 140 on December 10th, when Yves Jabouin faces Walel Watson in a bantamweight fight. UFC.com has it, as usual: Canada's own Yves "Tiger" Jabouin will be taking on Walel "The Gazelle" Watson in a bantamweight battle on December 10th at UFC 140 in Toronto. "Jabouin is looking to stay undefeated since moving into the weight division and Watson is coming off a spectacular KO win," said UFC president Dana White today. Both fighters have verbally agreed to the bout. Jabouin made a successful debut at bantamweight at UFC 134 where he defeated Ian Loveland by close split-decision. Watson looked very impressive his his UFC debut at UFC on Versus 6 earlier this month when he dispatched Joseph Sandoval by TKO in just 77 seconds. The bout is expected to take place on the preliminary portion of the card, that will be main-evented by a UFC light heavyweight title fight between champion Jon Jones and challenger Lyoto Machida. More SBN coverage of UFC 140

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UFC 140: Yves Jabouin vs Walel Watson booked for Dec. 10 in Toronto

It's about to get all National Geographic up in Canada this winter. That's because "The Tiger" and "The Gazelle" will knock heads when Yves Jabouin and Walel Watson lock up at UFC 140: "Jones vs. Machida" on Dec. 10 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The promotion brought word of the pending match-up earlier today, saying: "Jabouin is looking to stay undefeated since moving into the weight division and Watson is coming off a spectacular KO win," said UFC president Dana White today. Both fighters have verbally agreed to the bout. Indeed, Jabouin (16-7) has not lost since making the drop down to the bantamweight division. Thing is, that only includes one fight, a split decision victory over Ian Loveland at UFC 134. He had lost three of four before that win, so it's not like he's been lighting on the Octagon on fire. He's as talented as they come, though, and those heavy hands have mesmerized all the right people. It's about to get all National Geographic up in Canada this winter. That's because "The Tiger" and "The Gazelle" will knock heads when Yves Jabouin and Walel Watson lock up at UFC 140: "Jones vs. Machida" on Dec. 10 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The promotion brought word of the pending match-up earlier today, saying: "Jabouin is looking to stay undefeated since moving into the weight division and Watson is coming off a spectacular KO win," said UFC president Dana White today. Both fighters have verbally agreed to the bout. Indeed, Jabouin (16-7) has not lost since making the drop down to the bantamweight division. Thing is, that only includes one fight, a split decision victory over Ian Loveland at UFC 134. He had lost three of four before that win, so it's not like he's been lighting on the Octagon on fire. He's as talented as they come, though, and those heavy hands have mesmerized all the right people. Despite having a fight under the UFC banner, Walel Watson (9-2) is probably a name you don't recognize and that's fine. He only scored a first round knockout in his debut with the world's largest fight promotion. No biggie. Still, he's 27-years-old and has just 11 fights under his belt. Will that relative inexperience rear its ugly head against a veteran of the game like Jabouin? Stay tuned. UFC 140 will be headlined by Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones defending his title not against Rashad Evans, as was planned, but rather Lyoto Machida. The Nogueira brothers are also on the card, as Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira will rematch Frank Mir while Antonio Rogerio Nogueira will go head on against Tito Ortiz. For all the latest news and notes on "Jones vs. Machida" hit up or event archive right here.

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Yves Jabouin vs. Walel Watson Added to UFC 140 on Dec. 10 in Toronto

Canada’s Yves Jabouin will take on fellow bantamweight Walel Watson on the preliminary card of “UFC 140: Jones vs. Machida” on December 10 in Toronto, the UFC has announced. Jabouin (16-7) earned a split decision over Ian Loveland in his 135-pound debut at UFC 134 in August after losing three of his last four between the UFC and WEC, while Watson (9-2) scored a 77-second TKO of fellow newcomer Joseph Sandoval at UFC on Versus 6 earlier this month for his second-straight win. UFC 140 is headlined by UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones vs. Lyoto Machida, while the UFC 140 fight card also features Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs. Frank Mir and Tito Ortiz vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. For complete UFC 140 coverage stay tuned to MMAFrenzy.com. Pictured: Yves Jabouin (via UFC.com)

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Walel Watson - A Long Way From The Garage

September 17. 6am. It’s an ungodly hour for anyone to be up, but this was a special Saturday for Walel Watson, a fight day unlike any other. Later in the afternoon, his childhood friend Robert Peralta, who he had known since they were in seventh grade, was about to make his UFC debut against Mike Lullo. It was almost like Watson was fighting, and in a way he was, through his buddy.“It was so exciting,” said Watson. “I woke up so early that morning, and I was like ‘I can’t wait, I can’t wait.’” After three rounds in New Orleans, Peralta’s first UFC fight resulted in his first UFC victory as he decisioned Lullo. Back in Southern California, Watson, 8-2 in his own pro mixed martial arts career, waited for his turn to do the same thing, and Saturday in Washington, D.C., he’ll get his chance against Joseph Sandoval. Hollywood couldn’t have scripted a better story.“I know he (Peralta) has been doing it a little bit longer than me and I knew what it meant for both of us,” said Watson. “He played football too and he kinda went through the same thing of not being that big and all that. So I know what it meant for both of us to be professional athletes and fight in the best show in the world.”A former wide receiver, cornerback and special teams returner in junior college, Watson always had ambitions of taking to the professional gridiron just like every kid who puts on the helmet and shoulder pads. And he was good. He just wasn’t big.“When I played football, because of the gear and everything and sweating every single day, I never weighed more than 142, 143 pounds, and I played junior college and semi-pro that way, being the smallest guy on the field all the time,” said the 5-foot-11 Watson. And when National Signing Day rolled around and the phone didn’t ring, he knew that his dreams of playing in the NFL were over.That’s when Peralta called his longtime friend.“He knew that I was very interested in fighting and he was just getting started at that time, so he said ‘come check this out, come to the garage. I got a surprise for you,’” recalled Watson. “That was it. He got me into training and we were just hooked after that. We never stopped training after that.”The year was 2008, and Watson and Peralta quickly outgrew the garage, where there weren’t any high-tech workout machines or amenities, but there were plenty of opportunities to prove whether you were cut out for getting punched in the face.“It really did make you tough because it was almost like a fight club,” said Watson. “We didn’t really have any rules and we didn’t have a training regimen. We’d just come in, put on some gloves and we’re all just smashing each other. (Laughs) At that point, me and Robert realized that we really wanted to pursue this and get serious with it, and that’s when we had to break off from the whole garage thing. But it really did make us tough. There were a lot of people getting choked out, knocked out and all kinds of crazy things.”Eventually winding up with different camps, Watson with Manolo Hernandez and Peralta with Xplode MMA, Johnny Hughes, and Jeff Clark, the two never lost touch with each other, texting or talking multiple times over the course of the week and even getting in some sparring time. Later in 2008, with Peralta already getting ready for his eighth pro fight, Watson made his debut with a submission loss to Enrique Cuellar. He wouldn’t return for another year, and when he did, finishing Peter Martinez in the second round, he was ready to make a run up the bantamweight ladder.“I don’t want to sound cocky, but I felt like from the moment I started that I could really be something at this,” said the 27-year old Watson. “I don’t know if it’s just because I’ve been a competitor my entire life and I’m used to trying to be the best at everything I’ve done, but right away, from the day I stepped in there, I felt like I could be the best in the world at what I do, especially in my weight class.”Earlier this year, the 8-2 Watson and the 14-3 Peralta got their calls to the big show. The subsequent phone call between the bantamweight and the featherweight went as you would expect.“The first person I thanked was him because he gave me my start,” said Watson. “He invited me out to the garage three years ago and was the one who put my foot in the door. We’re always giving positive reinforcement to each other or talking about our training and giving tips to each other. We’re really good friends, and we don’t let anything get between that.”Watson also gets some helpful hints from Strikeforce female contender Liz Carmouche, who has seen her share of the spotlight this year as well.“We’re a real tight-knit family and we’re all pretty grounded,” said Watson of his team in San Diego. “None of us ever get too big-headed, and just seeing the way she (Carmouche) handles it, she’s real humble and she’ll be in here helping out anyway she can in the gym at anytime, whether it’s helping me spar or wiping the mats down, and I’m the same exact way. I don’t think any of us will ever change who we are.”This weekend, things will change though, especially if he can turn back Sandoval and earn his first UFC win. And if you haven’t heard of Watson, a purple belt in jiu-jitsu who has finished all eight of his pro victories (seven by submission), he wants to make sure you know who he is on Sunday morning.“I’ve had a lot of guys overlook me,” said Watson. “I’ve rolled with brown and black belts and world champions, and I’ve tapped them out because they’ve overlooked me. They’re like ‘oh, this guy’s brand new, he can’t get me.’ But with my tenacity and my belief that I can get anything and beat anybody that’s in front of me, I’ve been able to tap some of the best out there.”Being a huge bantamweight at 5-11 doesn’t hurt his chances either. And unlike the late boxing star Diego Corrales, who starved his 6-0 frame down to 135 pounds, Watson has no difficulty getting to the bantamweight limit.“It worked against me in football, but it’s helping me for MMA,” said of his size. “I don’t weigh more than 149-150 pounds if I had pizza the night before. So to get down to 135 is very easy for me. I train five hours a day, so my weight’s always really low, I eat very clean, so when it’s time to cut the weight, it drops right off.”And as far as his height goes, “It gives me the advantage of being able to close the distance and it really helps my submissions. I can lock up submissions from some pretty strange angles because of my length and I have really good flexibility. So I pull off some strange things sometimes.”Sounds like a fighter to watch. But is he ready? We asked the same thing of Peralta and he did just fine. So Watson is confident that he will join his buddy in the winner’s circle.“I’m more than ready,” he said. “I feel blessed and I’m excited to show the world what I can do and what I can bring to the table.”

Posted in: ’t, “ i, thing, watson, peralta

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Strikeforce Challengers 19 results and recap for 'Larkin vs Rossborough' on Sept. 23

Strikeforce returned last night (September 23, 2011) with Challengers 19: "Larkin vs. Rossborough" from the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. The card featured a night of close fights nearly all decided by the judges including the night's headlining bout.Nick Rossborough, a late replacement for the injured Virgil Zwicker, gave the hotshot prospect Lorenz Larkin all he could handle for two rounds before fading in the third. Larkin was as elusive as ever, displaying his diverse attack of strikes including jumping roundhouse kicks, slicing knee attacks and even heel strikes to the calf, but Rossborough was able to pin him against the fence on multiple occasions which finally opened up a means of offense for him. After a close two rounds, the deciding factor of the fight occurred early in the third as Rossborough again had Larkin pinned against the fence but this time "The Monsoon" bit back with a ferocious knee to the body that dropped the larger man. The Riverside native pounced and rode the remainder of the fight on top of Rossborough, eventually being awarded the unanimous decision victory. Earlier in the evening, two heavyweights collided as former LSU fullback Shawn Jordan showcased his improving skill-set at the hands a recent training camp relocation to Greg Jackson's gym in Albuquerque against the always dangerous Lavar Johnson. Johnson blasted Jordan on multiple occasions, even rocking him with a slick hook combination, but Jordan, also a former top wrestler, was able to take Johnson down and eventually finish him with a keylock after putting him in a compromising position on the ground. Legendary offspring Ryan Couture got back on the winning track in a match against Maka Watson in a back and forth ground battle. Couture consistently got the better of Watson with positional dominance on the ground, repeatedly taking Watson's back and working for the choke but at the end of both the first and second rounds, he lost his position and ate repeated blows from Watson's ground and pound, opening up a decently-sized gash on his forehead at the end of the first. Just as Watson appeared to be taking control of the fight with a takedown, Couture utilized a beautiful sweep and rode out the third round in dominant fashion, dropping repeated blows from mount to eventually earn a majority decision. Tough wrestler Jason High put on a wrestling clinic against Todd Moore in their welterweight attraction. Moore could never get anything going as High repeatedly put him on his back and ground him out with half-hearted submission attempts and some mild ground and pound. Moore had no answer for High's wrestling and would lose a lopsided unanimous decision to High AKA "The Kansas City Bandit." In the opening bout of the main card, welterweights Brian Melancon and Felipe Portela put on a terrific show for the fans. It was a battle of Melancon's power and wrestling versus Portela's technique and counter strikes. Melancon controlled much of the bout with his huge lead hooks as well as some solid body shots via his powerful left hand while Portela tried to counter with his range and occasional kicks. Melancon was simply a bit too strong for Portela, outmuscleing him on the ground and pinning him down on multiple occasions while working his ground and pound. In the end, it was Melancon who was awarded the decision, handing Portela the first loss of his young career. For complete Strikeforce Challengers 19 results and detailed round-by-round commentary of all the televised fights click here. That's it for us, Maniacs. Now it's your turn to sound off with your thoughts on Strikeforce Challengers 19 in the comments section below.

Posted in: fight, ground, rossborough, watson, portela