Official MMA Appreciation Thread

[[MERIT]]

It looks like there will finally be justice in the June 26, 2016 killing of MMA fighter Ryan Jimmo [19-5 MMA, 3-4 UFC].


Originally charged with second-degree murder, criminal negligence causing death, the dangerous operation of a motor
vehicle causing death and failure to stop at the scene of an accident involving a death, Anthony Getschel has plead guilty
to manslaughter and hit-and-run.


Following an argument between the two, Getschel ran over 34-year-old Jimmo with his truck in a parking lot in Edmonton,
Alberta, Canada. Jimmo went on to die from his injuries in a local hospital.


Jordan Wagner, a passenger in Getchel's truck, was originally charged with accessory to murder after the fact; a charge
which has since been dropped.


Getschel will be sentenced next week.

[[MERIT]]

► The UFC chose not to renew the contract of Sage Northcutt [11-2 MMA, 6-2UFC]. Considering how big Dana White was on
this kid, this is surprising. I'm sure they gave Northcutt a sweet ass contract when they initially signed him, and he probably wanted
to go even bigger when he attempted to re-sign, and the UFC didn't feel that he was worth it. They really do pay their fighters sh!t.



► Anderson Silva says that a fight with Conor McGregor is still a possibility. McGregor has fought between 145 - 170
pounds and Silva's manager says that the lowest weight "The Spider" can make is 179 pounds. I don't see this fight happening.
Conor is too small and Silva is too big. Seeing an overweight Conor McGregor fight a dehydrated Anderson Silva is not a big draw
for me. The UFC really needs GSP to come back and shake things up again.



► The UFC will make its debut in the Czech Republic on February 23rd, 2019 with UFC on ESPN+ 3.



► Anderson Silva said that Dana White promised him a Middleweight title shot with a win over Israel Adesanya.

[[MERIT]]

Last night's UFC TUF 28 finale was uneventful, as expected.



► Kamaru Usman [14-1 MMA, 8-0 UFC] scored a unanimous decision victory over former UFC Lightweight Champion
Rafael Dos Anjos [28-11 MMA, 17-9 UFC] in this Welterweight bout. Dos Anjos extended his losing streak to 2
fights. Usman extended his winning streak to an astonishing 13 fights.



► Former WEC Bantamweight and UFC Flyweight Championship contender Joseph Benavidez [26-5 MMA, 13-3 UFC]
scored a first round TKO over Alex Perez [21-5 MMA, 3-1 UFC] in this Flyweight bout. Benavidez broke a 1-fight losing
streak and snapped Perez' 8-fight winning streak.



I'll give an update on UFC Fight Night 142 after the card ends.

[[MERIT]]

UFC Fight Night 142 emanated from The Adelaide Entertainment Center in Adelaide, Australia.



► Former M-1 Challenge Welterweight Champion Aleksei Kunchenko [20-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC] scored a unanimous
decision victory over former WSOF and UFC Middleweight Championship contender Yushin Okami [36-11 MMA,
14-7 UFC] in this Welterweight bout. Kunchenko snapped Okami's 1-fight win streak and extended his own
unbeaten streak to an amazing 20 fights. This is Okami's second stint in the UFC.



► Justin Willis [8-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC] scored a unanimous decision victory over former K-1 Grand Prix and Super
Heavyweight Champion and PRIDE and UFC Heavyweight Championship contender Mark Hunt [13-14-1-1 MMA,
8-8-1-1 UFC] in this Heavyweight bout. Hunt extends his losing streak to 3 fights and Willis extends his winning
streak to 8 fights.



► Former PRIDE Grand Prix and UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Mauricio Rua [26-11 MMA, 10-9 UFC]
scored a third round TKO victory over Tyson Pedro [7-3 MMA, 3-3 UFC] in this Light Heavyweight bout. Pedro
extends his losing streak to 2 fights and Rua snaps his own 1-fight losing streak.



► Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Junior Dos Santos [20-5 MMA, 14-4 UFC] scored a second round TKO
victory over Tia Tuivasa [8-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC] in this Heavyweight bout. Dos Santos extended his winning streak
to 2 fights and handed Tuivasa his first professional loss in 9 fights.

[[MERIT]]

It looks like the UFC is parting ways with heavyweight fighter Mark Hunt [13-14-1-1 MMA, 8-8-1-1 UFC] following his unanimous
decision loss to Justin Willis [8-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC] at last night's UFC Fight Night 142. This was the last fight in Hunt's UFC contract,
and it looks like both he and the UFC are more than ready to part ways with one another.


Hunt is still in litigation with the UFC after suing them for racketeering, conspiracy to commit crime related to racketeering, fraud,
false pretenses, breach of contract, breach of covenant of good faith and fair dealing, negligence and unjust enrichment after fellow
UFC fighter and former UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar [5-3-0-1 MMA, 4-3-0-1 UFC] tested positive for illegal
performance enhancing drugs in his fight against Hunt at UFC 200 in July of 2016. The UFC knew of the illegal drug use before
the fight, but failed to disclose it.


Hunt is 44 years old and has been fighting professionally in combat sports since 1998. Along with MMA, he is also a professional
boxer [0-1-1] and kickboxer [30-13].

[[MERIT]]

Former WWE superstar Jake Hager [also known as "Jack Swagger"] will be making his professional MMA debut at Bellator 214
against fellow heavyweight J.W. Kiser [0-1 MMA, 0-0 BMMA]. This will be the Bellator MMA debut for both fighters.


It looks like Hager is being set up for an easy debut win. His opponent, 41-year-old Kiser, only has 1 professional MMA fight under
his belt, a 24-second TKO loss. Kiser went 1-3 as an amateur, with his only win coming against an opponent with zero experience. He
has never made it past the 2-minute mark in a fight.


36-year-old Hager was a defensive tackle and NCAA All-American amateur wrestler at the University of Oklahoma, where he holds the
record for the most pins in a single season in the 285-pound weight class.


Hager has been training MMA in Cincinnati, Ohio under retired UFC Ultimate Fighter 1 alum and former Bellator MMA fighter Josh
Rafferty [9-8 MMA] and the Meat Truck Inc. fight team.


Bellator 214 takes place January 26th, 2019 at The Forum in Inglewood, California. It features the long-awaited final fight of the Bellator
MMA Heavyweight Grand Prix, with former NCAA All-American amateur wrestler, UFC Ultimate Fighter 8 winner and Bellator MMA Light
Heavyweight Champion Ryan Bader [26-5 MMA, 4-0 BMMA] facing off against multi-time Combat Sambo World Champion, former RINGS
Openweight Title and Absolute Class World Champion, 3-time WAMMA Heavyweight Champion, 4-time PRIDE FC Heavyweight
Champion and GOAT contender Fedor Emelianenko [38-5-0-1 MMA, 2-1 BMMA] for the vacant Bellator MMA Heavyweight Championship.


The card also features a Bellator MMA Middleweight Championship bout between the 2-time champion, former Cage Warriors Middleweight
Champion, former DREAM Middleweight and 2-time Light Heavyweight Champion and Middleweight Grand Prix winner and former Strikeforce
Light Heavyweight Champion Gegard Mousasi [45-6-2 MMA, 3-0 BMMA] and 2-time LFC Middleweight Champion and undefeated Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu magnate Rafael Lovato, Jr. [9-0 MMA, 5-0 Bellator].


And the best part? It's not even on PPV! You can watch it live on the Paramount Network!

[[MERIT]]

Former UFC standout "Super" Sage Northcutt [11-2 MMA] has signed with ONE Championship, Asia's premier MMA organization.
Northcutt is chock full of potential. Training since age 4, Sage is a 3rd Dan Black Belt in Kajukenbo, a 3rd Dan Black Belt in Taekwondo,
a first-degree Black Belt in Shuri-ryū Karate and a Purple Belt in BrazilianJiu-Jitsu. Along with professional MMA, Northcutt has amassed
a 15-0 record in professional kickboxing. He is a member of the Black Belt Magazine Hall Of Fame, with 77 Karate championships to his name.



Fighting at both Lightweight [155 pounds] and Welterweight [170 pounds], Northcutt will have loads of competition over at the Singapore-based
ONE Championship. His background in the traditional Asian martial arts of Karate and Taekwondo will make him a welcome face in the organization.

[[MERIT]]

3-time WEC and 5-time UFC Bantamweight Champion Dominick Cruz [22-2 MMA, 5-1 UFC] will make his long
awaited return to the UFC octagon on January 26th, 2019 at UFC 233 in Anaheim, California. He will be facing
former Jungle Fight Bantamweight Champion and fellow UFC fighter John Lineker [31-8 MMA, 12-3 UFC].



Cruz will return to action after a 2-year layoff due to injury. His last fight was in December of 2016 at UFC 207 against
Cody Garbrandt [11-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC], where lost the UFC Bantamweight Championship, his first loss in nearly a decade.



In 2014, Cruz returned from a 3-year layoff due to injury, re-capturing the UFC Bantamweight Championship in only his second
fight back. Let's hope that Cruz will return again with vigor, proving once again that "ring rust" is the exception, not the rule.

[[MERIT]]

The UFC has moved 2 bouts from the UFC 233 PPV to UFC on ESPN+ 1, which will mark the UFC's debut on the network.



The UFC Flyweight Championship super-fight between the former WFF Bantamweight Champion and current UFC Flyweight Champion Henry Cejudo [13-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC] and his challenger, 5-time UFC Bantamweight Champion T.J. Dillashaw [16-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC], has been moved to the earlier UFC on ESPN+ 1 card.



As was the upcoming women's Flyweight match-up of UFC Ultimate Fighter 20 contestant, 2-time IKF European Flyweight Kickboxing Champion, WKL European Flyweight Kickboxing Champion, WBC Muay-Thai British Flyweight Kickboxing Champion and ISKA World Flyweight Kickboxing Champion Joanne Calderwood [12-3 MMA, 3-3 UFC] and the debuting Ariane Lipski [11-3 MMA, 0-0 UFC].




UFC 233 will take place at The Honda Center in Anaheim, California on January 26th, 2019. It will feature the UFC debut of 2-time NCAA wrestling Champion and 4-time All-American, 2008 Olympic wrestler, 5-time ONE FC Welterweight Champion and Bellator MMA Welterweight Tournament winner and 5-time Champion, the undefeated "Funky" Ben Askren [18-0-0-1 MMA]. Askren will be welcomed to the octagon by former SuperBrawl Middleweight Champion, 2-time ICON Sport Middleweight Champion, 3-time EliteXC Middleweight Champion, Strikeforce Middleweight Championship contender and 3-time UFC Middleweight Champion, "Ruthless" Robbie Lawler [28-12-0-1 MMA, 13-6 UFC].




UFC on ESPN+ 1 will take place on January 19th, 2019 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

[Dr_Rez]

why are you filling this thread with news posts....? We can see this on google, this thread is for actual conversation.