Zach Makovsky (14-2 MMA, 6-0 BFC finally has a chance to defend his crown in Bellator Fighting Championships.

The bantamweight titleholder's first official defense of his belt takes place Friday in Atlantic City at Bellator 65 (8 p.m. ET, MTV2) against Eduardo Dantas (13-2 MMA, 3-0 BFC), winner of last fall's Season 5 135-pound tournament.

Makovsky won two non-title bouts this past year, but he'd rather have everything at stake.

"I'd rather the belt be on the line every time I fight, so I'm glad it is for this one," Makovsky told USA TODAY. "I just don't like non-title fights, I guess. It's just a different kind of situation where if you would have lost one of those non-title fights, I think it would have really looked bad. I wouldn't have been happy still considering myself the champion. I wouldn't have known how to deal with that situation."

Not that title fights ease the pressure in any way. Dantas has a six-fight winning streak that includes tournament wins over formidable names in former EliteXC champion Wilson Reis, previous finalist Ed West — whom Makovsky beat to win Bellator's belt — and Olympic medalist Alexis Vila, who was undefeated in mixed martial arts until the tourney final.

USA TODAY spoke to Makovsky recently about Friday's bout. Excerpts from the conversation:

Q: This will be your first title defense since winning the belt, but you've had two fights in the interim. How well do those non-title bouts satisfy your need to stay busy?

Makovsky: I would say they satisfy my need to stay busy, but I don't like the fact that the title wasn't on the line. I know they didn't necessarily earn title shots, but I feel like there's the same amount of pressure; maybe even more.

If I would have lost one of those fights and kept the belt, it would look, I don't know, not great. What would the belt mean at that point?

I'd rather the belt be on the line every time I fight, so I'm glad it is for this one. Dantas has clearly earned his shot.

I'm OK with the amount of fights. I just don't like non-title fights, I guess.

It's just a different kind of situation where if you would have lost one of those non-title fights, I think it would have really looked bad. I wouldn't have been happy still considering myself the champion. I wouldn't have known how to deal with that situation.

Q: Bellator plans to have more title fights next year when they expand the weekly shows to three hours. How confident are you in Bellator's ability to give you enough title bouts?

Makovsky: I think they're going to try to work on it so they're going to do three. But it's a difficult thing because every person that wins the tournament gets a title shot. That means they're fighting essentially three times for every time you fight once as a champion.

Because they have to go through those three fights through the tournament while you're sitting and waiting. Maybe defend from the last tournament, but that person fought three times to get to you.

So you're kind of fighting not nearly as often as the challengers who are going through the tournament.

Q: What stands out about Dantas as a fighter?

Makovsky: Physically, he's very tall for that weight class. Tall, lanky; I think he's got real long limbs. He uses them very intelligently in his fights. I think that's why his striking is so successful.

I think his striking is good. Everything looks pretty sharp, but it seems like he doesn't do anything fancy. It's pretty fundamental, but he's really good at it.

He's not like a devastating striker or submitting everyone, but he's well-rounded and he's good everywhere. So it's tough in that aspect that no matter where the fight takes place, it's going to be a difficult situation that I'll be in.

Q: Where do you think you'll have the biggest edge?

Makovsky: It's hard to say because he's beaten someone who I consider to be a great jiu-jitsu guy in Wilson Reis. He beat a guy who's a far better wrestler than me in Alexis Vila.

I think I kind of lie in between them two. … I have better wrestling than Wilson and better jiu-jitsu than Vila. I think my ability to be in the middle there is an advantage in this fight. I can keep him off of me in every area.

I think I'm a little bit better at putting everything together than those two guys. Hopefully, me constantly mixing everything together is what's going to win this fight.

I don't think I necessarily have to get him to the ground, but I have to be able to fight him everywhere.

Q: What did you think of Dantas' win in the tournament final against Alexis Vila?

Makovsky: I thought he (Dantas) was going to win that fight. I thought he was the more well-rounded guy, and a little bit more experience, especially in some tougher fights, than Vila.

I thought he looked good. I think Vila kind of controlled him a little bit in the first round. Just got some takedowns and kind of held him against the cage, controlled the action. But when Dantas was in open space, Vila wasn't landing any big shots and he was getting picked apart.

Dantas eventually made him pay off of those takedown attempts, took his back pretty much the whole final round.

You've got to be careful. Like I said, he's good everywhere, so you can't leave those openings for him.

Like I was saying, I think my advantage is I'm kind of more well-rounded than the guys he's fought in the past.

Q: Some folks thought the judges got it wrong when Dantas got the decision victory against Ed West in the semifinal. Who did you think won that one?

Makovsky: I honestly thought every round was close, but I thought Dantas maybe won every round. Definitely I would have given Dantas the decision.

I'm really good friends with Ed. I went out in Arizona and trained with him in February. I didn't really let him know I thought Dantas won the fight necessarily. I just kind of told him I thought the fight was close.

Q: Do you make a point of training with guys that had competitive fights with you?

Makovsky: Apparently I'm starting to – after I fought Wilson back in 2008 in EliteXC and he beat me. He was from the Philadelphia area, and we started to get together and train. I've been training with him for a couple of years now. Not too often, but in spots here and there.

I trained with Ed when we were on one of these little promotional shoots for the last season. I just trained with him a little bit in the hotel. I thought it was a good opportunity; he just fought Dantas, and similar body type.

Similar kind of thing where's he's good at striking, good on the ground. I don't think his stand-up style is similar to Dantas, but he's good in those two areas.

So I went out there and trained, just for like three or four days I was out there. Had a great time.

I have no animosity toward any of these guys I fight. It's just competing in a sport; that's how I look at it.

It's easy to kind of be friends. I'm not trying to be hostile, so if they're friendly back to me, we kind of have a relationship started immediately, just because we're going to fight.

Q: A lot of folks in MMA don't like to fight people with whom they've trained, but Ed West is in the tournament again and could win it to challenge you. How do you put friendship and mutual training aside to fight someone?

Makovsky: I think it's a little different. If I'm training with a guy every day at gym and we're developing and learning together, I probably wouldn't want to fight someone like that. Not that I like them more than I like Ed or anything, it's just – I don't know, I think that's a little bit different situation.

But if I had to fight Ed again, like I said, I view it as a sport where we're just going to see who wins the game. I'd play my friend in football or baseball or basketball or whatever.

Obviously it's a little more violent-oriented. But I don't really identify with it that way.

Q: Your former teammate Eddie Alvarez has said that from here on out, wherever he fights, whether it's Bellator or somewhere else, he wants to make sure he fights big names and maintains a high position in the rankings and reach No. 1 eventually. In your case, how much do you think you can do that in Bellator?

Makovsky: I think Bellator has done a really good job of building their bantamweight division. There's a lot of talented guys there. Dantas is super talented. He's fought in Japan. He's been the Shooto champion in Brazil and stuff. So I think they're bringing in really good people.

I think Eddie is further along in his career than I am. I was unknown before I got to Bellator, where Eddie was already kind of a big name from DREAM. He was a Bodog champion and stuff like that.

It's kind of hard. I don't feel like I'm in that same position. Eddie told me, besides the rematch with Chandler, that he felt kind of the only place he could go in Bellator was down, because he's fighting these guys who are not established yet, yet still very talented and dangerous. It's kind of like a risky situation, like high risk and not much reward. And I completely see his point.

But I just don't feel like I'm that established. I don't know if I just don't care about that as much. I try not to worry about the rankings. I just really want to continue to develop and become the best I can.

I guess I don't feel like I'm there, and I feel like there's going to be plenty of tough fights for me in Bellator. I have a bunch of fights with them left on my contract, so I'll be there for awhile.

http://mmajunkie.com/news/28163/bellator-65s-zach-makovsky-happy-to-face-title-challenger-at-last.mma

Ben Askren Happy With Defense; Not Going Toe-To-Toe With One-Punch KO Power


Ben Askren had a game plan at Bellator 64 on Friday night, and he executed it to perfection.

His style is not flashy, but his performance was near flawless as he dominated Douglas Lima for all five rounds of their championship fight. The Windsor, Ontario, Canada, crowd, however, was predominantly unimpressed as they shouted boos throughout the main event.

Askren has often been criticized for having “boring” fights. The loudest ovations occurred during the two separate fights in the audience that took place while the welterweight championship bout was in progress. While the audience may not appreciate the way Askren wins, it’s near impossible to not respect the fact that he gets the job done.

Aware of the crowd’s negative reaction, Askren made no apologies for the manner in which he won the 50-45 unanimous decision.

“His stand-up isn’t something you want to mess with. If the Canadian fans want to stand on their feet for 25 minutes with Douglas, well, they wouldn’t last that long because he’d probably finish them earlier. My striking has improved tremendously, but that doesn’t mean that I’m going to stand around for 25 minutes and slug it out with someone that has one-punch knockout power. That’s ridiculous. If I wanted to do that I’d go to the sport of kickboxing.”

Askren’s coach, Duke Rufus, echoed the strategy they had set and emphasized the respect they both shared for Lima’s striking ability.

Despite being controlled on the ground the entire fight, Lima attempted several submissions. Askren remained calm and escaped every threat with relative ease, as he stated, “People neglect the fact that I have a brown belt in jiu-jitsu. I feel like I landed ten times as many punches as I ever have and a lot of them were really, really hard. A lot of lesser men would have rolled over and gave up a rear-naked choke like most of the sissies in MMA.”

While Askren has said his striking has greatly improved, there was no evidence of that yet. He emphasizes that he has only been at Rufusport for eight months. That is also the amount of time that he has been dedicated to MMA training full-time. He did indicate that he would be willing to stand longer with someone that is not a prolific striker.

Askren has several accomplishments in wrestling, which he has already translated into a world championship in MMA. Now under the guidance of Duke Rufus, his stand-up skills should only continue to improve. Whether you like his style or not, it’s time to get used to seeing Ben Askren fight in meaningful mixed martial arts bouts for years to come.

http://www.mmaweekly.com/ben-askren-happy-with-defense-not-going-toe-to-toe-with-one-punch-ko-power

Bellator Fighting Championships is set to close out its sixth season with Bellator 70 on May 25 at the New Orleans Convention Center in New Orleans.

Bellator will take one final shot this season at putting together a major heavyweight fight. After a couple false starts blew apart the match-up between Eric Prindle and Thiago Santos to declare a No. 1 contender, Prindle eventually was awarded the honor.

Prindle was then slated to face Bellator heavyweight champion Cole Konrad at this week’s Bellator 65, but a hand injury temporarily sidelined him. Konrad vs. Cole will now head Bellator 70.

The finals of Bellator’s Season 6 Middleweight Tournament will also be featured on the card.

Tickets for Bellator 70 are now on sale. The event will also be broadcast live starting at 8 p.m. EST on MTV2 and in commercial-free HD on EPIX. The preliminary card, featuring the area’s top talent will be streamed live and free around the world on Spike.com starting at 7 p.m. EST.

“I’m really excited to get back into the cage,” Konrad said. “This fight has been a long time coming. Eric is a really good stand-up fighter, and I have a lot of respect for him. I know what he can do standing up, so I’m not going to deviate from anything that has made me successful in the past.”

“I’m just ready to get into the cage and end this,” Prindle said. “I want to become a champion, and this is my time to do that.”

The night will also feature Louisiana native Rich “No Love” Clementi returning to the Bellator cage after nearly two years. A long time veteran of the sport, Clementi holds notable victories over Melvin Guillard, Anthony “Rumble” Johnson, and Sam Stout, and will be looking for another dominating win at Bellator 70.

The remaining fight card, which will be announced shortly, will consist of a bevy of local talent featured in the preliminary fights.

http://www.mmaweekly.com/heavyweight-title-heads-bellator-70-in-new-orleans

Appeal Denied: Cris Cyborg Santos’ One Year Suspension Upheld By California Commission


Former Strikeforce featherweight women’s champion Cris “Cyborg” Santos went before the California State Athletic Commmission on Monday to appeal a one-year suspension after testing positive for banned substances for her fight on Dec. 17, 2011, in Strikeforce.

Unfortunately for Santos, the commission wasn’t bending on its original ruling.

Santos and her lawyer appeared in front of the commission asking for leniency after the Brazilian tested positive for stanozolol metabolites after her win over Hiroko Yamanaka.

Santos’ appeal was asking for the commission to reduce her sentence from one year down to six months. According to her lawyer, Santos was up for a potential fight on an upcoming Strikeforce show in “late June/early July” in San Diego.

While Chairman John Frierson seemed like he was leaning towards granting Santos the reduction in her sentence, Dr. VanBuren Ross Lemons was having none of it.

“I have to point out that the use of performance enhancing medications or drugs in this sport is unacceptable and dangerous,” said Dr. Lemons. “It’s one of the most dangerous things we can allow, that we see athletes doing. Intentionally or unintentionally, the opponent was put in undue danger at that match.

“My recommendation is not to reduce the penalty.”

Dr. Lemons also pointed out that in comparison to other states and commissions, California laws only allow a certain amount be penalized in regards to a fine – in this case Santos paid $2500 – and a one-year suspension is considered the “minimum” for a charge like this.

In contrast regarding fines, Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal was recently suspended nine-months by the Nevada State Athletic Commission, but was fined a hefty 30 percent of his fight purse, plus the win bonus from his bout in January against Lorenz Larkin. All told, Lawal paid $39,000 to the commission for his transgression.

Once the argument was made, motioned, and seconded, the commission voted unanimously to uphold Santos’ one-year suspension from the sport for her positive drug test.

Based on the date of the fight, Santos would be eligible to re-apply for a fight license after Dec. 17, 2012.

http://www.mmaweekly.com/appeal-denied-cris-cyborg-santos-one-year-suspension-upheld-by-california-commission

California State Athletic Commission Passes Amendment, Exemptions For TRT, Marijuana Could Be Allowed


The California State Athletic Commission was thrown into the center of the TRT debate by Chael Sonnen back around UFC 117, and has now taken steps to allow for TUE's for TRT and marijuana. SI.com passes along the information regarding the state's amendment:

The California State Athletic Commission voted on Monday to approve an amendment that allows therapeutic use exemptions (TUE) for combat sports’ athletes who use drugs currently banned by the state agency for medical purposes, including testosterone and marijuana.

To be adopted into state law, the amendment’s verbiage must now be reviewed and approved by the Department of Consumer Affairs and then the state’s Office of Administrative Law, a process that could take months or even years, if it passes at all.

According to CSAC executive officer George Dodd, TUE's have been granted to fighters with the supporting medical documentation in the past, including Dan Henderson before his UFC 139 bout with Mauricio "Shogun" Rua. This amendment will basically allow to the commission to streamline the process, which is "loosely modeled" on what WADA uses. Henderson's application was used as a test case, according to Dodd:

Dodd told SI.com in December that Henderson’s rigorous approval process served as a test case that the commission used to evaluate its proposed TUE requirements.

Like Henderson, one of three fighters approved for a testosterone TUE in Nevada, Dodd said future TUE candidates would need to provide extensive medical records documenting past use of the drug for medical purposes.

For a testosterone exemption specifically, Dodd said an applicant would be asked to provide blood tests prior to (30 days before) and after a contest to ensure levels were within acceptable margins. Dodd said that all materials submitted would be reviewed by the CSAC’s medical advisory board, which added an endocrinologist to its ranks on Monday for such cases.

Nothing regarding a TUE for marijuana was mentioned in the article, other than that the amendment will cover that as well. While TRT is very controversial in MMA, marijuana usage has been too (such as the case of Nick Diaz post-UFC 137) and it will be interesting to see how that process will work for fighters.

http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2012/4/9/2937333/california-state-athletic-commission-exemptions-trt-marijuana-sonnen-henderson-mma-news

“If You Feel 100% And Perfect Going Into A Fight…You Weren’t Training Hard Enugh,” Rory MacDonald


Canadian welterweight Rory ‘The Wateboy’ MacDonald (12-1) is winding down the intensity of his training camp with less than two weeks to go before he meets Che Mills at UFC 145.

MacDonald, who trains out of the Tri-Star gym in Montreal, talked about training in his recent Blog for Sportsnet.ca recently discussing a recent cold that he’s been battling. It’s nothing that has prevented him from his preparations, it’s just something that every fighter deals with whether it’s an injury or an illness.

‘The Waterboy’ notes that “If you feel 100 per cent and perfect going into a fight, there’s a good chance you weren’t training hard enough.”

I’ve got a pretty tough week ahead of me now, but for the most part, the toughest stage of training is now done and I’m just gearing up for fight week. I was sick for a couple of weeks, when everybody in the gym was fighting a cold, but I haven’t let it impact my training or my progress. I still feel extremely strong and fit, despite having to shake off that cold along the way.

There are always bugs and illnesses going around the gym and that’s just something you have to deal with. Very few fighters will ever go through a camp completely unscathed. You’ll either pick up some sort of cold or niggle. That’s just the business we’re in. If you feel 100 per cent and perfect going into a fight, there’s a good chance you weren’t training hard enough.

Luckily, this training camp has been one of my healthiest to date. Aside from the cold I mentioned, there has been very little else wrong with me during preparation. This has allowed me to knuckle down and work harder than ever for this fight.

MacDonald is currently 3-1 in the UFC with back-to-back wins over Mike Pyle and Nate Diaz last year. He had been scheduled to face Brian Ebersole last December at UFC 140 but was forced to pull out due to injury.

http://www.themmanews.com/if-you-feel-100-and-perfect-going-into-a-fight-you-werent-training-hard-enugh-rory-macdonald/

UFC Superstar GSP Partners With Square Enix For Upcoming Video Game


UFC welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre may be battling injuries that have kept him out of action for a significant amount of time, but that isn't stopping him from getting some of the best gigs outside the cage of anyone in the sport. In a press conference released today, video game developer Square Enix announced that they were "partnering" with GSP on upcoming video game "Sleeping Dogs."

From the press release:

Square Enix London Studios, a part of Square Enix Europe, today announced its partnership with highly acclaimed mixed martial arts (MMA) champion Georges St-Pierre to collaborate on the development of Sleeping Dogs. St-Pierre, known to his legion of fans as "GSP," has been working with Square Enix and United Front Games on multiple elements -- including combat -- in Sleeping Dogs, a gritty open world cop drama set in the vibrant city of Hong Kong.

"Working with Square Enix has been an incredible opportunity," said St-Pierre. "I'm really impressed to see how the hand-to-hand combat in the game is shaping up -- it's been a great experience being involved."

In the stylized, high-action Hong Kong setting of Sleeping Dogs, every street corner, market stall, harbor dock or city skyscraper can become an opportunity for intense shoot-outs, adrenaline-fuelled street races and intense, brutal martial arts combat as players take on the role of undercover cop Wei Shen. Featuring an intuitive and imaginative combat system, Sleeping Dogs empowers players to perform an extensive set of martial arts moves, single-handedly taking on numerous opponents. Players perform bone-crushing kicks and combos, vicious counters and a cinematic set of environmental takedowns making use of countless real-world items from circular saws to phone booths, incinerators to refrigerator doors.

Square Enix is best known for the Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts and Dragon Quest series.

It's no guarantee that this game will be good, but Square Enix's name is a solid sign and this represents a pretty neat opportunity for GSP.

http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2012/4/12/2944444/ufc-georges-st-pierre-square-enix-mma-video-game-news