XMMA2001: An MMA Odyssey

SeanMcFly · December 9, 2013

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SeanMcFly · December 9, 2013

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XMMA55: Helio vs Basora

XMMA Lightweight Championship

Helio © (21-2) vs Luis Basora (23-5)

#1 Contenders Match - Lightweights

Brandon Sugar (26-5) vs Fumiaki Hayashi (18-5)

Buddy Garner (17-3) vs Maarten de Vries (15-9)

Grzegorz Boniek (34-5) vs Hassan Fezzik (31-2)

Dmytro Dargomyzhsky (23-9) vs Lawrence Herringbone (12-2)

Frank Romita (13-2) vs Yoshiro Makamori (11-1)

Prelims

Gyokusho Fujimoto (8-1) vs Harry Milne (42-8)

Thais Antonio Taffarel (18-5) vs Gempachi Higa (17-11)

Charles Stiles (15-4) vs Dan Halvorsen (35-13-2)

Elgar (25-9) vs Ryosei Sakamoto (9-0)

Gregory O'Hara (8-1) vs George Astaire (9-6)</div>

Jingo · December 9, 2013

XMMA55: Helio vs Basora

XMMA Lightweight Championship

Helio © (21-2) vs Luis Basora (23-5)

#1 Contenders Match - Lightweights

Brandon Sugar (26-5) vs Fumiaki Hayashi (18-5)

Buddy Garner (17-3) vs Maarten de Vries (15-9)

Grzegorz Boniek (34-5) vs Hassan Fezzik (31-2)

Dmytro Dargomyzhsky (23-9) vs Lawrence Herringbone (12-2)

Frank Romita (13-2) vs Yoshiro Makamori (11-1)

Prelims

Gyokusho Fujimoto (8-1) vs Harry Milne (42-8)

Thais Antonio Taffarel (18-5) vs Gempachi Higa (17-11)

Charles Stiles (15-4) vs Dan Halvorsen (35-13-2)

Elgar (25-9) vs Ryosei Sakamoto (9-0)

Gregory O'Hara (8-1) vs George Astaire (9-6)

CageRage · December 9, 2013

XMMA55: Helio vs Basora

XMMA Lightweight Championship

Helio © (21-2) vs Luis Basora (23-5)

#1 Contenders Match - Lightweights

Brandon Sugar (26-5) vs Fumiaki Hayashi (18-5)

Buddy Garner (17-3) vs Maarten de Vries (15-9)

Grzegorz Boniek (34-5) vs Hassan Fezzik (31-2)

Dmytro Dargomyzhsky (23-9) vs Lawrence Herringbone (12-2)

Frank Romita (13-2) vs Yoshiro Makamori (11-1)

Prelims

Gyokusho Fujimoto (8-1) vs Harry Milne (42-8)

Thais Antonio Taffarel (18-5) vs Gempachi Higa (17-11)

Charles Stiles (15-4) vs Dan Halvorsen (35-13-2)

Elgar (25-9) vs Ryosei Sakamoto (9-0)

Gregory O'Hara (8-1) vs George Astaire (9-6)

SeanMcFly · December 10, 2013

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XMMA55: Helio vs Basora

Background & Keys to Victory

Helio © (21-2) vs Luis Basora (23-5)

Helio has been tearing it up as of late in XMMA, racking up a record of 7-1 during his time with the promotion. Helio has picked up two Knockout of the Night awards, along with a Fight of the Night award, and also picked up a top seed in the initial XMMA Grand Prix Series, heading into the Grand Finale for the Lightweight Championship in the #2 spot, unfortunately, he would be eliminated by Jake Keane, but would eventually return to be crowned the 3rd ever XMMA Lightweight Champion, and cementing his position at the top with two consecutive defences against Lukas Mellberg & Sean Morrison.

Luis Basora has had a much different route to title contention. Basora was involved in the top eight of the Grand Prix Series for the Lightweight division, and would make it to the Grand Finale by the skin of his teeth, just edging the #7 spot by making it to the semi-finals. He would make it to the semi-finals of the Grand Finale by taking out H.M. Menzel, but would be eliminated by eventual winner and first ever XMMA Lightweight Champion Sean Morrison. Basora would return to the spotlight after his systematic destruction of Paulo Roberto Bezerra and Seth O'Breen to earn the number one spot.

The real keys to victory in this fight for both men is timing and not fighting the other man's fight. Basora has a decent chin, but not enough to warrant a stand-up war with Helio. On the other hand, Helio's ground game is not at all on the level of Basora's, so if Basora can get the fight to the ground, we could see another Basora/O'Breen or Basora/Bezerra match-up.

My call on this match-up would be Helio via Technical Knockout in the 2nd Round

Brandon Rush (26-5) vs Fumiaki Hayashi (18-5)

Former Lightweight Champion Brandon Sugar is looking at getting back into the title picture again, after losing his title to Helio a year and a half ago. Sugar exploded in his initial XMMA appearance, challenging Sean Morrison for the Lightweight Championship and shocking the world with a fourth round submission victory in a fight that was Morrison-dominated for the majority of the first fifteen minutes, a victory which would not only earn him the belt, but Submission of the Night. Sugar would be knocked off the mound by Helio in his first defence, but would bounce back, submitting Giovani Silva via knee-bar in the opening five minutes.

Fumiaki Hayashi would be halted in his initial run for the title, falling victim to Seth O'Breen in the first round of the top eight portion of the Grand Prix. Hayashi would bounce back with back-to-back TKO victories over Ignatius Hepfinger and Go Yamamoto, which would propel him into the top five of the division, and give him another shot at the title that he wants so badly.

The keys to this match-up are clear. Hayashi will look to keep the match-up on the feet, whereas Sugar will try to bring it to the mat to force a submission. If the match-up gets into the later rounds, look for Sugar to come out on top, as Hayashi's only loss in XMMA was via decision.

If it was up to me, I would call this match-up Brandon Sugar via Unanimous Decision

Buddy Garner (17-3) vs Maarten de Vries (15-9)

Garner has had his moments in XMMA, however, it hasn't been enoough to propel him into title contention. Garner made it to the finals of the top 16 portion of the Middleweight Grand Prix, which was enough to make it to the Grand Finale, where he would be eliminated in the first round by eventual winner Matthew Dean. Garner would then bounce back with victories over Gempachi Higa and Ashley Ballard. In the fight that would push Garner into the number one contender's spot, he would lose to future Middleweight Champion Stuart Strange by Unanimous Decision. Garner will look to bounce back yet again with a victory over perennial contender Maarten de Vries.

de Vries, although one of the top Middleweights in the world prior to joining XMMA, has had some trouble getting his footing in the cage, losing match-ups to Ieyoshi Yamashiita, Bambang Sriyanto, & Casim Yenkini, however, both the Yamashiita & Yenkini fights would earn him Fight of the Night bonuses. de Vries has begged XMMA management for a shot at competing once more and has been granted his shot, unfortunately, against another dangerous competitor in Buddy Garner. If de Vries loses this match-up, it could be the end of his XMMA career for the time being.

The keys to this match-up are very predictable. de Vries needs to push forward and beat on Buddy Garner, and try to finish the match-up quickly, because Garner will look to take de Vries down and stifle his ability to stand and strike. However, if de Vries connects with one good shot, it could be enough for him to put Garner's lights out.

I'm going to give de Vries the benefit of the doubt here and call it Maarten de Vries via Technical Knockout in the 1st Round

Grzegorz Boniek (34-5) vs Hassan Fezzik (31-2)

Boniek has gone 1-1 in his stint with XMMA, and is not getting any easier fights as he goes on, evidently in his upcoming match-up with Hassan Fezzik. Boniek was finished off by Palmer Lette in his initial XMMA appearance, but would bounce back with a victory over Russell McPhee, which would earn him Fight of the Night honours. Boniek has not had any other fights in XMMA so far, due to his struggle with injuries. The question remains as to how this will affect his performance in this upcoming bout.

Hassan Fezzik had a very interesting start to his XMMA career. After two dominant victories in the top eight portion of the Heavyweight Grand Prix, he would be stopped for the first time ever by Armen Sarkisian, but would earn a spot in the Grand Finale. Fezzik would make the most of this opportunity, but would not face Sarkisian in his route to the championship, instead beating Gladstone Lopes, Kunimichi Kikuchi, and finally Gunnar Nilsson to earn the championship and bragging rights. His time at the top would be short lived, as a shocking knockout loss at the hands of Elzo Alves Moura would send him back down the ladder, leaving him to bounce back with a victory over Josimar Martins. Fezzik has earned a Knockout of the Night and Submission of the Night award in his stint with XMMA so far.

This is a match-up between two Sambo practitioners, which means there are two keys to victory. One, who will be more successful in imposing their will on the opponent, and two, how will Boniek's body hold up in this match-up after being plagued with injuries over the course of the last three years.

I would personally give this match up to Hassan Fezzik by Submission in the 2nd Round

Dmytro Dargomyzhsky (23-9) vs Lawrence Herringbone (12-2)

Dargomyzhsky would earn himself a last minute spot in the Light Heavyweight Wildcard portion of the Grand Prix, where he would stuff Faas Smit & Linfield Ballard en route to the finals, where although he would lose to Aleksei Chekhov, he would do so in an impressive manner. Dmytro Dargomyzhsky earned himself a spot in the Light Heavyweight Grand Finale due to his performance in the Wildcard portion of the initial Grand Prix, and although he would be eliminated by Marlon John, he would return to pick up two solid victories over Gekko Goto and Daniel Hornsby.

Lawrence Herringbone is fighting to prove himself in this match-up, as with only one fight in XMMA, a loss to Mike Watson, he has not give us much to go on going into this fight.

The keys to victory in this match-up will be if Dmytro will be able to hold Herringbone down and beat on him, as if Herringbone can get the upper hand and score a few takedowns, it could be the end for Dargomyzhsky.

I'm going to give this fight to Dmytro Dargomyzhsky via Unanimous Decision

Frank Romita (13-2) vs Yoshiro Makamori (11-1)

Romita would impress us in his initial run with XCC, picking up four straight Technical Knockout victories en route go being snatched up by XMMA. Romita would not cease to impress, stopping Sammy Gaffigan and Easton Frye, earning himself a shot at Li-Kong Ho. Although he would lose to Ho, he would take the champion all five rounds, and would not let up for the entire match-up. In his KO victory over Easton Frye, he would earn himself a Knockout of the Night award.

Makamori would be stopped in his initial XMMA appearance, losing to Fernando Peragon in the Featherweight Wildcard portion of the Grand Prix. He would return to submit both Graeme Spark and Kanji Togo, both in the first round. Although these two victories would not earn him any awards, it would earn him some respect from his peers in the Featherweight division, who now have another shark to look out for in the water.

The keys to this victory are again, simple. Makamori will look to take it to the mat and Romita will look to keep it standing.

I would give this match-up to Frank Romita via Technical Knockout in the 1st Round

batsnumbereleven · December 10, 2013

XMMA55: Helio vs Basora

XMMA Lightweight Championship

Helio © (21-2) vs Luis Basora (23-5)

#1 Contenders Match - Lightweights

Brandon Sugar (26-5) vs Fumiaki Hayashi (18-5)

Buddy Garner (17-3) vs Maarten de Vries (15-9)

Grzegorz Boniek (34-5) vs Hassan Fezzik (31-2)

Dmytro Dargomyzhsky (23-9) vs Lawrence Herringbone (12-2)

Frank Romita (13-2) vs Yoshiro Makamori (11-1)

Prelims

Gyokusho Fujimoto (8-1) vs Harry Milne (42-8)

Thais Antonio Taffarel (18-5) vs Gempachi Higa (17-11)

Charles Stiles (15-4) vs Dan Halvorsen (35-13-2)

Elgar (25-9) vs Ryosei Sakamoto (9-0)

Gregory O'Hara (8-1) vs George Astaire (9-6)

SeanMcFly · December 11, 2013

<div style="text-align:center;">http://i41.tinypic.com/2yvrpds.jpg XMMA55: Helio vs Basora PRELIMS Gregory O'Hara def. George Astaire via Unanimous Decision (Very Poor) Ryosei Sakamoto def. Elgar via Unanimous Decision (Awful) Charles Stiles def. Dan Halvorsen via Split Decision (Average) Thais Antonio Taffarel def. Gempachi Higa via TKO [strikes] at 3:31 of the 1st Round (Great) Harry Milne def. Gyokusho Fujimoto via TKO [strikes] at 4:02 of the 1st Round (Fantastic) Frank Romita vs Yoshiro Makamori <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="37233" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Makamori managed to put Romita on the fence for a little bit of the first round, however, Romita managed to fight him off and keep Makamori at bay with some tentative striking. Romita may have just edged the first round but its still anyone's fight. Romita keeps Makamori at bay but he has enough of it, shooting in for a takedown and tripping Romita, putting him on his back and leaving Makamori in Romita's guard. Romita allows Makamori to pass his guard and from there on it's all Makamori as he takes the back. Makamori opts to not throw many punches from the back mount, instead electing to apply a rear naked choke. Romita fights it off for the shortest bit of time until Makamori finally fully applies the submission, forcing the tap out. Yoshiro Makamori defeats Frank Romita via Submission [Rear Naked Choke] at 4:59 of Round Two</div></blockquote> Dmytro Dargomyzhsky vs Lawrence Herringbone <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="37233" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Lawrence Herringbone wastes no time as the opening bell sounds, shooting in for the takedown after working behind his jab. Dmytro is powerless in attempting to stop Herringbone, who easily passes from guard to side control. Moving from side control into the mounted position proves easy for Herringbone, who postures up and prepares to unload. After throwing down elbow after elbow and punch after punch, the referee finally jumps in and calls a stop to the action. Lawrence Herringbone defeats Dmytro Dargomyzhsky via TKO [strikes] at 2:08 of Round One</div></blockquote> Grzegorz Boniek vs Hassan Fezzik <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="37233" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Fezzik quickly counters a wayward leg kick with a lightning fast takedown. Fezzik spends a lot of time in Boniek's guard, unable to pass. After struggling for awhile in the guard, Fezzik finally manages to pass and move into the half guard. Fezzik closes the round with an Americana attempt, but it is unsuccessful and the bell sounds. Fezzik probably earned the nod in that round, but after some advice from the corner we're ready for the second. Fezzik counters a wild left hook with a quick right straight that puts Boniek down, but he does not have time to capitalize as he is quickly sucked into the guard. Fezzik doesn't want to get involved in that kind of round again, and allows Boniek to his feet. Boniek hits a sharp leg kick that goes unchecked. Boniek shoves Fezzik up against the cage, but is locked into Fezzik's underhooks and tossed to the ground. Time passes and Fezzik closes the round in Boniek's guard. Another 10-9 round for Hassan Fezzik most likely. Boniek gets caught big time with a right hook, and before he has a chance to get his wits about him Fezzik is shooting in for a takedown. Fezzik moves into side control, the farthest he's made it on the ground so far this match, and goes for a straight arm-bar. Fezzik almost locks it in but Boniek forces his way out of it. Fezzik moves into a mounted position and instead of firing away instantly goes for the arm-bar, however, the round is over before he can force a tap out. We move to the judges' scorecards. Hassan Fezzik defeats Grzegorz Boniek via Unanimous Decision</div></blockquote> Buddy Garner vs Maarten de Vries <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="37233" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Garner gets caught by a few punches early in the round but forces de Vries up against the cage and drags him to the mat. Garner pulls back and latches on to a guillotine choke, but is unable to choke de Vries out. de Vries holds on and eventually Garner lets go. Garner slips past de Vries in a scramble and moves into side control, and eventually into the mount. de Vries sneaks out of a knee-bar and scrambles for position, and gets back to his feet. However, Garner pulls a slippery manoeuvre and latches onto an Achilles Lock, forcing the tap-out. Buddy Garner defeats Maarten de Vries via Submission [Achilles Lock] at 4:17 of Round One</div></blockquote> Number One Contender's Match Brandon Sugar vs Fumiaki Hayashi <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="37233" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Hayashi avoids a quick takedown attempt and fires away with a body kick that forces Sugar back. Brandon Sugar manages to force the fight to the mat after clinching with Hayashi, and handles him on the ground for a bit, not allowing him to move. The round ends with Sugar smothering Hayashi, most likely a 10-9 for Sugar. After a fancy display of kicks from Fumiaki Hayashi, Sugar seizes his opportunity and shoots in for the takedown, and scoring. Hayashi tries to latch onto a guillotine choke but lets go, worried about gassing his arms. Hayashi doesn't allow Sugar to do any passing on the ground, and doesn't allow himself to be submitted, bringing it into the third round. Most likely another 10-9 for Sugar. Hayashi tries to sucker Sugar into a striking match, but Sugar is relentless in bringing this fight to the ground. Sugar misses his first takedown attempt but Hayashi is unable to capitalize, allowing himself to be dragged to the mat once more. Sugar manages to pass to mount, but is unable to finish the match, as the bell sounds while he is in the middle of applying an arm-bar. We go to the judge's scorecards for this one. Brandon Sugar defeats Fumiaki Hayashi via Unanimous Decision</div></blockquote> Lightweight Championship Match Helio © vs Luis Basora <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="37233" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Helio starts off the match very aggressively, swinging wildly to get inside, but Basora capitalizes and gets a takedown, landing in Helio's guard. Basora spends the majority of the round looking for submissions, systematically wearing down Helio's limbs, but not finishing him. The round ends with Basora in the mounted position, most likely scoring a 10-9 in his favour. Helio lands a nice, crisp combination that has Basora backing down, but he gets over aggressive again and gets caught once more, getting dragged to the mat and almost instantly giving up his back in a scramble. Basora throws a few punches before rolling Helio over and sinking his hooks in, applying a rear naked choke and forcing the tap-out. We have a new Lightweight Champion! Luis Basora © defeats Helio via Submission [Rear Naked Choke] at 3:43 of Round Two</div></blockquote> Fight of the Night: Harry Milne vs Gyokusho Fujimoto Knockout of the Night: Lawrence Herringbone Submission of the Night: Luis Basora Attendance: 7,011 | Gate: $701,100 Pay-Per-View: 269,160 | Revenue: $1,614,960 Critical Rating: Decent Commercial Rating: Decent</div>

MJoseph · December 11, 2013

Interesting setup. I enjoy some of the backstory details. Can you fill us in on how you are running this and a basic history?

SeanMcFly · December 12, 2013

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="MJoseph" data-cite="MJoseph" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="37233" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Interesting setup. I enjoy some of the backstory details. Can you fill us in on how you are running this and a basic history?</div></blockquote> Basically I created a unified umbrella promotion to have the best fighters fighting the best, and have the child promotions sign-up the lower level fighters and build up their records until they are ready to come up to the main-promotion. At the beginning I ran a three-round Opening Round Grand Prix for each division, where the brackets looked like this: - #1 / 9 / 17 vs #8 / 16 / 24 - #2 / 10 / 18 vs #7 / 15 / 23 - #3 / 11 / 19 vs #6 / 14 / 22 - #4 / 12 / 20 vs #5 / 13 / 21 The two finalists from each tournament, as well as the two semi-finalists from the first opening round (the top eight) would move on to the grand finale and fight for the championship. After the initial Grand Prix / The Grand Prix Finale, the champions looked like this: FW: Li-Kong Ho LW: Sean Morrison WW: Ichisake Miyagi MW: Matthew Dean LHW: Affonso Villar HW: Hassan Fezzik I believe Fezzik and Ho were the only two men to lose in their original brackets, but return as semi-finalists to win the championship. As of 2000, I brought in a TV-Show to utilize the fighters who are unproven which would be used as either a stepping stone for the fighter to move on from TV to Pay-Per-View events again, or whether they were to be sent down to a smaller promotion and build up their record again. However, some fighters who have lost enough will usually find themselves let go instantly in order to prove themselves somewhere else (The case of a fighter like Maarten de Vries or Anthony LeToussier, who are both 0-4 in their XMMA runs) The way I usually run things with a promotion is that a fighter will never be let go on a win, no matter how bad their run with the promotion has been. Usually, if the fighter isn't a proven competitor (like I saw de Vries or LeToussier as), three losses in a row means either they're let go or sent to development, but if they have enough fights on their contract to go 0-3 and then win their fourth before having to renegotiate, they're allowed to stay with the promotion. I try not to fire fighters as I sign them up knowing they are all tough enough to compete with the toughest, so they should get to use every fight to prove themselves. In the off chance that a fighter is about to be let go and they have one fight left on their deal with no newly negotiated contract and they manage to win, then they are shortlisted and will either return to the promotion through the small promotion system or whenever negotiation periods can resume. You'll learn alot of the backstory information through the press conferences after each event, where the rankings from the division where the top ten from each division will be posted, as well as any significant movements in the rankings boards, as well as any news that relates to the promotion directly as a result of the event.

SeanMcFly · December 12, 2013

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XMMA55: Helio vs Basora Press Conference</div>

<div style="margin-left:25px;">After the events of XMMA55: Helio vs Basora, XMMA President and Owner Mark Wallace lead the press conference with the main card fighters, revealing information about future XMMA events and where the fighters now stood in the rankings.</div><div style="margin-left:25px;"> </div><div style="margin-left:25px;">

- After their performances at XMMA55, the following fighters will be receiving contract renewals: Yoshiro Makamori, Thais Antonio Taffarel, Luis Basora, Dmytro Dargomyzhsky, Buddy Garner, Gyokusho Fujimoto, and Fumiaki Hayashi.</div><div style="margin-left:25px;">

- The following fighters will be let go due to their recent performances: Maarten de Vries</div><div style="margin-left:25px;">

- During his fight with Fumiaki Hayashi, Brandon Sugar sustained a medium-level knee injury and his projected time away will be at least two months, and as this is not a very significant amount of time, his match-up with Luis Basora will most likely not be postponed.</div><div style="margin-left:25px;">

- Mark Cohen and Giovani Silva were also in attendance to reveal their plans to retire within the next year.</div><div style="margin-left:25px;">

- The rankings following XMMA55: </div>

<div style="text-align:center;">Featherweights:

1. Li-Kong Ho © (27-1)

2. Wallace Everett (12-1)

3. Luiz Machado (24-5)

4. Masahiro Maeno (19-5)

5. Anthony Ray Shenkman (17-3)

6. Colm Dee (18-4)

7. Rafael Tavares (14-3)

8. Yoshiro Makamori (12-1)

9. Tomohiro Takeuchi (17-4)

10. Easton Frye (18-7)

Lightweights:

1. Luis Basora © (24-5)

2. Brandon Sugar (27-5)

3. Helio (21-3)

4. Branco (19-7)

5. Sean Morrison (34-5)

6. Elvis Milissis (10-1)

7. Lukas Mellberg (19-5)

8. Gregory O'Hara (9-1)

9. Fiyero Lermontov (14-2)

10. Bruce Steven (19-9)

Welterweights:

1. Manuel Silva © (17-1)

2. Jack Humphreys (28-7)

3. Ichisake Miyagi (26-5)

4. Josh Aldarisio (18-2)

5. Rufus Stephens (20-2)

6. Gabriel Gallego (17-5)

7. Darin Blood (14-5)

8. Noach Van Der Capellen (27-6)

9. Simon Vine (20-6)

10. Vikram Sithalayan (17-3)

Middleweights:

1. Stuart Strange © (20-3)

2. JJ Reid (28-6)

3. Leonardo da Costa (16-6)

4. Heiji Endo (15-2)

5. Braulio Moura (20-3-1)

6. Jaromir Grygera (20-6)

7. Fjodor Kanchelskis (14-2)

8. Dexter Darling (23-5-1)

9. Buddy Garner (18-3)

10. Matthew Dean (40-6)

Light-Heavyweights:

2. Nicolai Mickiewicz (23-5)

3. Affonso Villar (27-4)

4. Tadamasa Yamada (23-2)

5. John Rivero (19-4)

6. Mike Watson (11-0)

7. Marlon John (17-2)

8. Hyun-Shik Lim (16-1)

9. Ryosei Sakamoto (10-0)

10. Robun Yamazaki (39-13)

Heavyweights:

2. Hassan Fezzik (32-2)

3. Aleksander Ivanov (11-0-1)

4. Terron Cabal (14-1)

5. Gunnar Nilsson (49-13)

6. Harry Milne (43-8)

7. Tim Boyer (25-4-2)

8. Mason Archer (16-4)

9. Khru Duangjan (16-3)

10. Tony McCall (34-11)

<div style="margin-left:25px;">- The next card would also be announced to be: </div><div style="margin-left:25px;">XMMA56: Moura vs Ivanov</div><div style="margin-left:25px;">, in a card that will be headlined by a heavyweight tilt between two undefeated competitors. One will come out with the belt, and one will come out with the first loss of their professional career.</div>

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XMMA Heavyweight Championship

Elzo Alves Moura © (18-0) vs Aleksander Ivanov (11-0-1)

Number One Contender's Match

Gunnar Nilsson (49-13) vs Tim Boyer (25-4-2)

Darin Blood (14-5) vs Gabriel Gallego (17-5)

Haranobu Oshiro (15-8) vs Ieyoshi Yamashiita (25-13)

Guillermo Morales (9-0-1) vs Ken Peters (9-0)

Eddie Whelan (10-7) vs Duke Aiona (16-6)

Prelims

Jiroemon Hasegawa (7-1) vs Garry McSweegan (21-10)

Matti Kurri (8-0-1) vs Faas Smit (34-16)

Dave Lennon (14-8) vs Sergio do Vale (8-2)

Tucker Plumm (13-9) vs Marlon Fonseca (0-0-1)

Zaco (44-15) vs Vivinho (8-2)</div>

SeanMcFly · December 12, 2013

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XMMA56: Moura vs Ivanov

Background

Elzo Alves Moura © (18-0) vs Aleksander Ivanov (11-0-1)

Elzo Alves Moura has had a very good run in his time with XMMA, going 6-0 with the promotion, five of which were title fights. Elzo has only had 2 fights go the distance, once with Percy Catcher, who he beat in his XMMA debut, and in his last title defence against Kunimichi Kikuchi. In between these two fights, he's knocked out a who's who in the heavyweight division, including Hassan Fezzik, Armen Sarkisian and Christopher Sharp, and has also submitted Gary Sampson. With three knockout of the nights to his name, as well as a fight of the night honour, Moura cleaned up at the 1999 Blurcat awards, picking up Fighter of the Year, Knockout of the Year, and Main Event of the Year against Armen Sarkisian.

Ivanov has had a few big wins under his belt in his run with XMMA. After a controversial debut victory over Tiago da Paixao, Ivanov silenced the critics by stopping the Brazilian in the rematch nearly a year later. After stopping Murilo Satinho in the second round, he fought to the very first draw in XMMA history against Gerson Mauricio, however, he once again won the rematch by technical knockout. In the number one contender's match, he submitted Jeff Carlton to prove he belonged in the top five, if not the top three. He was rewarded for his efforts with a submission of the night honour.

Gunnar Nilsson (49-13) vs Tim Boyer (25-4-2)

Gunnar Nilsson has racked up a solid record in XMMA, picking up wins over some of the best in the division. After back to back stoppages of Jean-Pierre Richelleau and Terron Cabal, he would win the Wildcards portion of the Grand Prix after beating Duke Aiona in the finals, and would move on to the Grand Finale. After close victories over James Foster & Hiro Arai, he would be stopped by Hassan Fezzik in the title match, and knocked further down the ladder by Armen Sarkisian. Victories over Frank Sheedy and Josimar Martins have moved him back into a good position, and he will look to make another run for the title with a win here.

Tim Boyer would be stopped in the top eight portion of the Grand Prix by Armen Sarkisian, but would bounce back with a victory over Carter Potter. Boyer has not had many matches with the promotion in his three year stint due to his desire to spend time with friends and family, and is looking to make a run for the title in his return.

Darin Blood (14-5) vs Gabriel Gallego (17-5)

Darin Blood has fought twice with XMMA. His first being a loss to Rufus Stephens in the top sixteen portion of the Grand Prix. He would bounce back with a victory over Lucas by technical knockout in the very first round, proving that he still has a lot of fight left in him, and is looking to make a move towards title contention.

After being knocked off his pedestal by Josh Aldarisio, Gabriel Gallego would come back with back to back wins over top competitors Ricardo Fernandes and Alan Kendall. Although the fights were both extremely close and hard fought, Gallego has come out on top and is looking for his first stoppage with XMMA.

Haranobu Oshiro (15-8) vs Ieyoshi Yamashiita (25-13)

Oshiro is in a similar position to Maarten de Vries. This fight is a must win for him, as he is 0-3 in his stint with XMMA. Two straight decision losses to Mac Fuller & Fjodor Kanchelskis (Both unimpressive to say the least), and a rear naked choke loss to Heiji Endo in his return to the promotion have left the critics wondering why Oshiro is still under contract with the promotion.

Yamashiita is 3-3 in his stint with the promotion. Unfortunately, he has been very solid against the gate keepers, but has struggled against top competition. Stoppage victories over Maarten de Vries & Mac Fuller, as well as a decision victory over Petey Mack are overshadowed by losses to Matthew Dean, Dexter Darling and Rob Baines. However, Yamashiita is known to produce very exciting fights, earning fight of the night honours twice.

Guillermo Morales (9-0-1) vs Ken Peters (9-0)

Guillermo Morales debuted for the promotion against Carlos Dos Santos, earning a very impressive technical knockout victory over the Brazilian competitor. The former WARRIORS Light-Heavyweight champion is looking to pick up another victory en route to his second piece of championship gold.

Ken Peters has also had only one bout to prove himself with XMMA, picking up a unanimous decision victory over Osamu Dan. This is a must win for Peters if he wishes to keep his momentum going, and a victory over a competitor like Morales will be more than enough to accelerate his run to the top.

Eddie Whelan (10-7) vs Duke Aiona (16-6)

Whelan is on his last leg with XMMA. After four straight losses, it would take a miracle for him to pick up a victory tonight and allow him to return through the umbrella system. After three straight knockout or TKO losses to Murilo Satinho, Mugur Boc & Russell McPhee, as well as another unanimous decision loss to McPhee, it's hard to see Whelan surviving another fight with XMMA.

Aiona has had mixed success in XMMA. Going even in his last six, with three unimpressive decision victories over Carter Potter, Tony McCall and Jean-Pierre Richelleau. He survived a very close call after losing three in a row, but picking up a victory to save his contract. After being stopped by Kunimichi Kikuchi, and going the distance with Mason Archer & Gunnar Nilsson, Aiona is stuck in the middle, and will have to win his way out.</div>

SeanMcFly · December 13, 2013

<div style="text-align:center;">http://i39.tinypic.com/11mb6sw.jpg XMMA56: Moura vs Ivanov PRELIMS Zaco def. Vivinho via Technical Knockout [strikes] at 4:16 of the 1st Round (Decent) Tucker Plumm def. Marlon Fonseca via Unanimous Decision (Average) Sergio do Vale def. Dave Lennon via Technical Knockout [strikes] at 1:23 of the 2nd Round (Fantastic) Matti Kurri def. Faas Smit via Technical Knockout [strikes] at 4:15 of the 1st Round (Poor) Garry McSweegan def. Jiroemon Hasegawa via Technical Knockout [strikes] at 2:54 of the 1st Round (Great) Eddie Whelan vs Duke Aiona <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="37233" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>The commentators briefly touch on Eddie Whelan being a little under the weather prior to this match, we'll see how it affects his performance. Aiona and Whelan meet in the centre of the cage and start tentatively striking with each other, neither man wanting to make the first move. Whelan is the first to throw a significant strike, connecting with a nice kick to the abdominal region of Aiona. Aiona takes it well, and connects with a couple nice punches. The two men go back and forth at this slow pace for the majority of the first round, briefly breaking to create some distance. First round ends and it's looking like Aiona's fight. Aiona closes the distance in the opening seconds and muscles Whelan up against the fence. A couple short elbows make contact and Whelan is starting to feel the pain. Before he has a chance to react, Whelan gets caught with an uppercut and goes down, and Aiona is quick to jump into mount, throwing down punch after punch trying to finish the fight. Whelan covers up well, and squirms around making it difficult for Aiona to connect. Duke eventually gets Whelan's back. Aiona unfortunately can't make use of the position he's in and the two men get stood up by the referee. The bell rings before any more action can take place, and that's looking like Aiona's round again. Aiona muscles a ragged looking Eddie Whelan up onto the cage and clinches up, hitting another very nice elbow that opens up a big cut. Whelan pushes away for separation and looks to land some strikes of his own. After some more striking, the referee pauses to take a look at the cut, and decides that Whelan will be able to continue. The rest of the round sees Aiona pinning Whelan up against the cage, and finally the bell sounds signalling the end of the fight. We're going to the judges' scorecards. It's 30-26 across the board for the winner, Duke Aiona. Duke Aiona defeats Eddie Whelan via Unanimous Decision</div></blockquote> Guillermo Morales vs Ken Peters <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="37233" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Morales and Peters immediately meet in the centre of the cage and start swinging, but Morales ducks under a wayward punch and hoists Peters up and drops him down with a nice Greco-Roman slam. Morales smothers Peters on the ground, forcing him to waste energy trying to scramble, and allowing Morales to have an easier time passing. Morales throws some weak hands at Peters, and closes out the round on top. Most likely a victory for Morales in that round. Morales rushes in and shoots for the takedown, landing in Peters' guard. Peters tries to apply a triangle choke, but Morales spins out and lands in side control, and immediately tries to apply an Americana. Peters scrambles out and winds up on his back in guard, with Morales on top. Morales cannot get past again, and once more closes out the round on top. Another 10-9 for Morales in my opinion. Morales gets a nice takedown off the start of round three, but Peters is quick to get back to his feet, and in a turn of events, manages to take Morales down to the ground. Peters tries to make up the ground he lost in the first two rounds, with some crafty submission attempts, but is unable to finish the fight and it will go to the judges scorecards. All three judges score the bout 29-28 for Guillermo Morales. Guillermo Morales defeats Ken Peters via Unanimous Decision</div></blockquote> Haranobu Oshiro vs Ieyoshi Yamashiita <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="37233" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Oshiro and Yamashiita swing at each other and it is Ieyoshi who makes the first big move, dragging Haranobu Oshiro to the ground and landing in half guard. Yamashiita grinds out the round on top, landing few strikes but not allowing Oshiro to move. The referee stands them up with thirty seconds left, but there is little time in the round for action. Probably a round in favour of Yamashiita. Haranobu Oshiro turns it into a striking match in round two, and lands more significant strikes than Yamashiita, who eventually finds a way to get it to the ground. Oshiro does some work from the bottom, and lands a few more strikes to close out the round after the referee stands them up again. Probably a 10-9 for Oshiro in my books. Oshiro and Yamashiita exchange strikes on the feet this round, with no takedown being scored the entire time. Yamashiita tries to complete the takedown a few times, but is unable as Oshiro is too quick. Incredibly close round as we go to the judges scorecards for the third time this evening. All three judges call it 29-28 in favour of Ieyoshi Yamashiita. Ieyoshi Yamashiita defeats Haranobu Oshiro via Unanimous Decision</div></blockquote> Darin Blood vs Gabriel Gallego <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="37233" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Blood spends the majority of the round trying to stuff Gabriel Gallego's movement, locking him down against the cage and working with some dirty boxing. However, Gallego manages to utilize the clinch to his advantage, landing some nice uppercuts and elbows, and the occasional knee to the body. Blood eventually ends up with his back against the cage, and Gallego uses this opportunity to really work the clinch as the round ends. Edge to Gallego after that one. The two men spend round two in the centre of the cage trying to bait the other into making the first move. Gallego looks as if he's loading up the entire time, waiting to connect with a big kick, but Blood won't allow it, as he is too tentative himself to leave himself open to it. After some more insignificant striking, the round ends and Gallego is leading two to nothing in my books. After some more tentative striking in the centre of the cage, it's looking like yet another match will go the distance. However, Gallego sees an opportunity after a left hand sails wide, and he connects with a flurry of punches, pinning Blood against the cage. Blood takes too many and folds over, with Gallego firing down on him. Gabriel Gallego finishes the fight by technical knockout. Gabriel Gallego defeats Darin Blood via Technical Knockout [strikes] at 4:30 of Round Three</div></blockquote> Number One Contender's Match Gunnar Nilsson vs Tim Boyer <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="37233" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Boyer throws some nice strikes in the early part of the round, but Nilsson finds a way to get him to the ground and drags out the first round. After some solid work on the ground by Nilsson, Boyer finds himself unable to get back to his feet, but Nilsson finds himself unable to do any significant damage. The round ends with Nilsson on top, which would most likely give him the nod. Boyer spends most of the second round forcing Nilsson to cover up and keeping him backing up. Boyer lands some nice combinations that make Nilsson more and more desperate for a takedown. He finally achieves it with about forty-five seconds left in the round, but finds himself unable to make up any ground. 10-9 for Boyer on my scorecard. Boyer lands some nice punches to start up round three, but Nilsson catches him and brings him to the ground. Nilsson muscles him up to the cage and begins to pound away. Nilsson's punches force Boyer to cover up and he fires away faster and faster, forcing the referee to stop the match-up. Gunnar Nilsson is the new number one contender. Gunnar Nilsson defeats Tim Boyer via Technical Knockout [strikes] at 4:22 of Round Three</div></blockquote> Heavyweight Championship Match Elzo Alves Moura © vs Aleksander Ivanov <blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="37233" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>Moura leads the charge and shoots in for a takedown almost immediately, but Ivanov sprawls and forces him to turtle up. Ivanov rolls him over and works from side control, and eventually gets hold of Moura's back and throws his hooks on. Moura looks like he's in trouble early, but fights off the choke attempts and survives the first round. 10-9 Ivanov, most definitely. Moura tries once more for the takedown, but gets forced up against the cage. Ivanov cannot do any damage though, as Moura throws him off balance and pins him up against the cage for a change. Moura lands some nice strikes, but is unable to do any real damage either. Moura gets flipped over again, and Ivanov tries to get him to the ground. Moura tries to take the opportunity to latch on a standing guillotine. He almost has it locked up, but the round ends before we can see where the attempt was going. Most likely another round for Ivanov, but it was a close one. Aleksander Ivanov looks exhausted, not having to have fought this hard in a long time. Moura is just getting started though, and he slips past a jab and puts Ivanov down with a crisp right straight. Moura gets on top and tries to capitalize with an arm-bar, but Ivanov fends it off. Ivanov gets up and Moura starts to play with him on the feet, avoiding all of his attempts on the feet, and forces him into a very dangerous position. Ivanov takes a desperation swing and gets caught with a big left hook, leaving him down and out on the canvas. Moura puts down two more for good measure before the referee pulls him off, another successful title defence for the champion! Elzo Alves Moura © defeats Aleksander Ivanov via Knockout [Punch] at 4:13 of Round Three</div></blockquote> Fight of the Night: Sergio do Vale vs Dave Lennon Knockout of the Night: Elzo Alves Moura Submission of the Night: N/A Attendance: 8,543 | Gate: $854,300 Pay-Per-View: 347,234 | Revenue: $2,083,404 Critical Rating: Average Commercial Rating: Great</div>

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