http://mmaweekly.com/shinya-aoki-faces-lyle-beerbohm-in-strikeforce-on-april-9-in-san-diego

Shinya Aoki

- 26-5-0 MMA/ 0-1 Strikeforce Record

- 3 Fight Win Streak

- Notable Wins: Mizuto Hirota, Joachim Hansen, Tatsuya Kawajiri

Lyle Beerbohm

- 15-1-0 MMA/ 5-1 Strikeforce Record

- 6 TKO, 7 Sub, 2 Decision

- Notable Wins: Duane Ludwig, Rafaello Oliveira, Vitor Riberio

——————————————————————————————–

Shinya Aoki returns to the United States for the second time, as he faces Lyle Beerbohm at Strikeforce: Diaz vs Daley. The event takes place on April 9th at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, California. The card is already stacked with two title fights including Nick Diaz vs Paul Daley for the welterweight strap and Gilbert Melendez vs Tatsuya Kawajiri for the 155-pound belt.

Shinya Aoki looks to rebound from an embarrassing performance at DREAM’s New Year’s show, where he met Yuichiro Nagashima in an exhibition mixed-rules bout. The first round was just K-1 rules, favoring Nagashima heavily. Aoki made a fool out of himself by attempting multiple dropkicks until the time ran out. The second round was MMA rules which favored Aoki heavilly but when he dropped down for a takedown, Nagashima blasted him with a knee, knocking him unconscious in just four seconds into the round. Since losing to Gilbert Melendez in his Strikeforce debut, Aoki has won three-consecutive fights in Japan, including a first round submission win over title contender, Tatsuya Kawajiri.

Lyle Beerbohm suffered his first professional loss last month against Pat Healy at Strikeforce Challengers 14. The two engaged in one of the most exciting, hard-fought grappling matches ever seen inside the cage, but in the end it was Healy who won the unanimous decision from the judges. Previous to the Healy loss, Beerbohm was 5-0 under the Strikeforce banner and very close to title shot consideration.

http://mmaweekly.com/marcus-davis-gets-new-opponent-for-mfc-debut-curtis-demarce-steps-up-to-the-challenge

Curtis Demarce

- 10-8-0 MMA/ 1-1 MFC Record

- Won 7 of last 8 Fights

- Notable Wins: Tyson Steele

Marcus Davis

- 17-8-0 MMA/ MFC Debut

- 2 Fight Losing Streak

- Notable Wins: Chris Lytle, Paul Kelly, Paul Taylor

——————————————————————————————-

‘The Irish Hand Grenade’ Marcus Davis was expected to meet Kajan Johnson in his Maximum Fighting Championships debut, but a shoulder injury has forced Johnson off the card. Curtis Demarce steps in to face Davis on the televised main card at MFC 29. The event takes place on April 8th at the Colosseum at Caesars Windsor in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. MFC 29 will be Ontario, Canada’s first sanctioned mixed martial arts event.

Curtis Demarce recently lost a very close match-up against former UFC ‘Ultimate Fighter’ alum Richie Whitson at MFC 28 last month. The two engaged in an exciting, back-and-forth fight, but in the end it was Whitson who eked out the spit decision victory. The loss snapped a seven-fight win streak for Demarce.

Marcus Davis returns to action for the first time since being released by the UFC earlier this year. After a surprising 8-1 start to his UFC career, he finished just 1-4 before being handed his release. Davis seemed to struggle with the taller welterweights in the division, so at UFC 125, he dropped down to lightweight to face Jeremy Stephens. Despite a strong start, Davis eventually fell victim to a third round knockout loss.

http://mmajunkie.com/news/22728/bellator-36-freire-mccullough-imada-kheder-vanier-woodward-chandler-held.mma

Patricky Freire

- 7-1-0 MMA/ Bellator Debut

- 3 Fight Win Streak

- Notable Wins:

Rob McCullough

- 19-6-0 MMA Record/ Bellator Debut

- 2 Fight Win Streak

- Notable Wins: Marcus Hicks, Rich Crunkilton, Corey Hill

===================================================

Toby Imada

- 28-15-0 MMA/ 4-2 Bellator Record

- Won 4 of last 5 Fights

- Notable Wins: Jorge Masvidal, Carey Vanier, James Krause

Ferrid Kheder

- 18-5-0 MMA/ Bellator Debut

- 5 Fight Wins Streak

- Notable Wins: Drew Fickett

===================================================

Carey Vanier

- 10-3-0 MMA/ 2-1 Bellator Record

- Won 8 of last 9 Fights

- Notable Wins: Joe Duarte, Rich Clementi

Lloyd Woodard

- 10-0-0 MMA/ Bellator Debut

- 2 TKO, 6 Sub, 2 Decision Victories

- Notable Wins: Alonzo Martinez, Ryan Healy

=====================================================

Mike Chandler

- 5-0-0 MMA/ 2-0 Bellator Record

- 3 TKO, 2 Sub Victory

- Notable Wins: Sal Woods, Scott Stapp, Chris Page

Marcin Held

- 10-1-0 MMA / Bellator Debut

- 2 Fight Win Streak

- Notable Wins: Jean Silva

————————————————————————————————-

Bellator officials have announced all four lightweight quarterfinal match-ups that will all take place next Saturday at Bellator 36. Rob McCullough vs Patricky Freire, Toby Imada vs Ferrid Kheder, Carey Vanier vs Lloyd Woodard, and Mike Chandler vs Marcin Held will all take place on the televised main card. Bellator 36 takes place on March 12th at the Shreveport Municipal Auditorium in Shreveport, Louisiana.

Patricky Freire made his mixed martial arts debut in 2005 and started out 4-0. He then lost a technical decision to former UFC roster member Willamy Freire, and took over a two and a half year break from the sport. Freire returned to MMA in April of 2010 and has since won three straight fights, most recently a unanimous decision victory against Yure Machado at Arena Gold Fights 2 last July.

Rob McCullough has picked up two consecutive victories since being released by the WEC back in November of 2009, following a loss to Karen Darabedyan. McCullough competed twice for the California-based promotion, Tachi Palace Fights, picking up wins against Isaac de Jesus and Corey Hill.

Two-time tournament runner-up, Toby Imada will get another chance at Bellator gold this year. In season one, Imada reached the finals by defeating Alonzo Martinez and Jorge Masvidal. He won the “Submission of the Year” trophy at the World MMA Awards with his spectacular inverted-triangle choke that left Masvidal unconscious. Imada ended up losing in the finals to Eddie Alvarez by second round rear naked choke. In season two’s tournament, Imada once again reached the finals after second round submission wins against James Krause and Carey Vanier. Pat Curran got the split decision victory over Imada in the finals, contrary to many observer’s opinions.

Ferrid Kheder was expected to partake in last year’s tournament, but he suffered an injury during training and was forced to withdraw. He will make his Bellator debut carrying a five-fight win streak with him. Kheder’s last fight was troubled with controversy. After three rounds of action, Kheder was awarded a unanimous decision in a fight that most observers saw as a clear-cut victory for UFC veteran Hermes Franca. It was later reported that the show’s promoter swayed the judges decision, giving the fight to Kheder. The bout was later turned to a no contest because of the promoter’s shenanigans.

Vanier was a semifinalist in last year’s tournament, beating ‘Ultimate Fighter’ alum Joe Duarte with a third round TKO stoppage. He came up short against Toby Imada in the next round, getting caught in an armbar in the second round. Vanier came back later that season to face Rich Clementi in a non-tournament bout, earning a split decision victory.

Lloyd Woodard has stayed busy since making his MMA debut in October of 2008. He has fought ten times, winning all ten fights in just a little over two years as a professional. Most recently Woodard beat 40-fight veteran, Alonzo Martinez by first round submission at an Extreme Challenge event in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

Mike Chandler is a former NCAA Division I All-American wrestler from the University of Missouri. He went pro in mixed martial arts in 2009 and has since amassed a 5-0 record. Chandler was signed by Bellator in September of last year and has stopped both Scott Stapp and Chris Page within two minutes of the opening round.

Nineteen-year-old Polish prospect, Marcin Held makes his first appearance in the United States as the final entrant in Bellator’s tournament. He made his MMA debut in September of 2008 and has since gone 10-1 as a professional. Held’s only defeat was a unanimous decision loss to fellow 155- pound prospect, Lukasz Sajewski at AOF 7 in May of last year. Most recently, Held submitted Bojan Kosednar in the second round with kneebar.

http://mmajunkie.com/news/22735/good-vs-hawn-set-for-bellator-39-hieron-vs-weedman-planned-for-future-show.mma

Lyman Good

- 11-1-0 MMA/ 4-1 Bellator

- 5 TKO, 1 Sub, 5 Decision Victories

- Notable Wins: Chris Lozano, Jorge Ortiz, Omar de la Cruz

Rick Hawn

- 10-0-0 MMA/ 2-0 Bellator Record

- 7 TKO, 3 Decision Victories

- Notable Wins: Shonie Carter, LeVon Maynard, Jim Wallhead

————————————————————————————————

The semi-final match-ups in Bellator’s season four welterweight tournament have already been announced. Former champion, Lyman Good meets Olympic judoka Rick Hawn at Bellator 39. The event takes place on April 2nd at the Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut. A lightweight title fight between Eddie Alvarez and Pat Curran serves as the main event of the evening.

Lyman Good was impressive in his return to the cage, since losing his title to Ben Askren in October of last year. He easily out-struck Chris Lozano for three rounds earning the one-sided unanimous decision victory. Good became Bellator’s first 170-pound champion after winning season one’s tournament, defeating Hector Urbina, Jorge Ortiz, and Omar de la Cruz.

Rick Hawn was able to keep his undefeated record intact and more importantly advance in the tournament following his victory over Jim Wallhead on Saturday. The fight mainly took place on the feet even though both fighters have judo backgrounds. Hawn showed much improved boxing skills, which earned him the unanimous decision from the judges. The win was Hawn’s tenth victory in a row and his second under the Bellator banner.

The other semifinal match-up pairs Jay Hieron against Brett Weedman, but will likely take place at a later date due to the facial laceration Weedman suffered in his quarterfinal bout with Dan Hornbuckle.

• Dan Henderson def. champ Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante via TKO (strikes) – Round 3, 0:50
• Champ Marloes Coenen def. Liz Carmouche via submission (triangle choke) – Round 4, 1:29
• Tim Kennedy def. Melvin Manhoef via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 3:41
• Jorge Masvidal def. Billy Evangelista via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

PRELIMINARY CARD RESULTS

• Roger Bowling def. Josh Thornburg via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Jorge Gurgel def. Billy Vaughan via submission (guillotine) – Round 1, 0:44
• Jason Freeman def. Jason Riley via submission (strikes) – Round 1, 1:52
• Brian Rogers def. Ian Rammel via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 4:23
• Mitch Whitesel def. Marc Cofer via submission (guillotine) – Round 1, 3:55
• John Kuhner def. J.P. Felty via technical submission (triangle choke) – Round 2, 4:31

• Lyman Good def. Chris Lozano via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
• Jay Hieron def. Anthony Lapsley via technical submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 3:39
• Rick Hawn def. Jim Wallhead via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
• Brent Weedman def. Dan Hornbuckle via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

PRELIMINARY CARD RESULTS

• Waachiim Spiritwolf def. Jamie Jara via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)*
• Brandon Bender def. Josh Herrick via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 3:42*
• Champion Zoila Frausto def. Karina Hallinan via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Paul Ruiz def. Jason Castro via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 1:17

http://mmajunkie.com/news/22724/injured-knee-forces-dennis-hallman-out-at-ufc-fight-night-24.mma

Johny Hendricks

- 9-1-0 MMA/ 4-1 UFC

- 5 TKO, 1 Sub, 3 Decision Victories

- Notable Wins: Amir Sadollah, Charlie Brenneman, TJ Grant

Anthony Waldburger

- 13-5-0 MMA/ 1-0 UFC Record

- 4 Fight Win Streak

- Notable Wins: Pat Healy, Brian Foster, David Mitchell

————————————————————————————–

Shortly after the announcement of Duane ‘Bang’ Ludwig being forced out of his fight at UFC Fight Night 24, another casualty hits the card. Dennis Hallman has been removed from the card due to a knee injury suffered while training for the fight. Oklahoma State wrestler, Johny Hendricks fills in on short notice to meet Anthony Waldburger on the preliminary card. UFC Fight Night 24 takes place on March 26th at the Key Arena in Seattle, Washington.

Johny Hendricks enters UFC Fight Night 24 coming off a loss for the first time in his professional career. At the Ultimate Fighter Season 12 Finale, he lost a unanimous decision to fellow star prospect, Rick Story. Previous to the Story loss, Hendricks was 4-0 in the UFC, including victories over TJ Grant, Amir Sadollah, and Charlie Brenneman.

Anthony Waldburger earned a semi-upset unanimous decision victory over David Mitchell in September of last year. The win was his fourth in a row, including victories over Pat Healy and Shannon Ritch. Waldburger’s last loss came in June of 2008, suffering a TKO loss to former UFC roster member, Ricardo Funch.

http://mmajunkie.com/news/22722/injured-ludwig-out-at-ufc-fight-night-24-wilks-now-faces-sadollah.mma

James Wilks

- 7-4-0 MMA/ 2-2 UFC Record

- Loss 2 of last 3 Fights

- Notable Wins: DeMarques Johnson, Roman Mitichyan, Peter Sobotta

Amir Sadollah

- 4-2-0 MMA-UFC Record

- Won 3 of last 4 Fights

- Notable Wins: Phil Baroni, Brad Blackburn, CB Dolloway

————————————————————————————–

Duane ‘Bang’ Ludwig has been forced out of his fight with Amir Sadollah due to a sternum injury suffered during during training camp. Former ‘Ultimate Fighter’ winner, James Wilks steps in with just three weeks remaining until fight night. UFC Fight Night 24 takes place on March 26th at the Key Arena in Seattle, Washington. The event is headlined by Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Phil Davis in a light heavyweight tilt.

James Wilks became the ninth winner of the ‘Ultimate Fighter’ reality show after defeating DeMarques Johnson in impressive fashion with a first round rear naked choke. He has since lost two out of his last three fights, including defeats against Matt Brown and Claude Patrick. Wilks last victory came against Peter Sobotta at UFC 115 in June of last year.

Amir Sadollah made his first official mixed martial arts fight back in June of 2008 when he earned a first round armbar victory over CB Dollaway to become the seventh winner of the ‘Ultimate Fighter’. After that fight, Sadollah dropped to welterweight and has gone 3-2 in the division. He suffered a tough loss against Dong Hyun-Kim at UFC 114, but came back at UFC 122 to dominate Peter Sobotta.

• Diego Sanchez def. Martin Kampmann via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
• Mark Munoz def. C.B. Dollaway via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 0:54
• Chris Weidman def. Alessio Sakara via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
• Brian Bowles def. Damacio Page via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 3:30

PRELIMINARY CARD RESULTS

• Cyrille Diabate def. Steve Cantwell via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-25, 30-26)
• Danny Castillo def. Joe Stevenson via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
• Shane Roller def. Thiago Tavares via knockout (punches) – Round 2, 1:28
• Takeya Mizugaki def. Reuben Duran via split decision (30-27, 27-30, 29-28)
• Dongi Yang def. Rob Kimmons via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 4:47
• Rousimar Palhares def. Dave Branch via submission (kneebar) – Round 2, 1:44
• Igor Pokrajac def. Todd Brown via TKO (strikes) – Round 1, 5:00

http://mmajunkie.com/news/22686/wilcox-vs-damm-headlines-aprils-strikeforce-challengers-15-in-stockton.mma

Justin Wilcox

- 10-3-0 MMA/ 4-1 Strikeforce Record

- 5 Fight Win Streak

- Notable Wins: Vitor Ribeiro, Shamar Bailey, Daisuke Nakamura

Rodrigo Damm

- 9-4-0 MMA/ 0-1 Strikeforce Record

- Loss 3 of last 4 Fights

- Notable Wins: Ivan Iberico, Jorge Masvidal, Santino Defranco

—————————————————————————————————

A lightweight bout between Justin Wilcox and Rodrigo Damm has been booked to headline the 15th installment of Strikeforce’s Challengers series. The event is expected to take place on April 1st at the Stockton Arena in Stockton, California.

American Kickboxing Academy student, Justin Wilcox has become one of the top prospects in Strikeforce’s lightweight division in the last year and a half. He has put together a five-fight win streak, including wins over David Douglas, Daisuke Nakamura, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu specialist Vitor ‘Shaolin’ Ribeiro. Wilcox lost his Strikeforce debut against Mitsuhiro Ishida by first round armbar back in September of 2009.

Rodrigo Damm at one time was considered one of the top up-and-coming lightweights from Brazil, following an impressive 8-1 start, including a key win over Jorge Masvidal at Sengoku: Third Battle. He has since gone an uninspiring 1-3, losing to Eiji Mitsuoka, Gilbert Melendez, and Maximo Blanco.