Acclaimed Broadcaster Mauro Ranallo To Provide Narration For “Caged” Audiobook


Press Release – San Jose, California (USA): It was announced today that famed MMA broadcaster Mauro Ranallo will voice the audiobook version of the acclaimed novel Caged. Written by accomplished MMA fighter and award-winning writer Cameron Conaway, Caged has garnered respect and admiration amongst combat sports pundits. Now, Ranallo will help bring the words of Caged to life.

“Mauro Ranallo is a true wordsmith, and his voice is the most distinctive in all of MMA,” stated Conaway. “As an artist allowing my work to be transformed by another artist, it was only natural that I’d choose whoever creatively intrigued me the most.”

“It’s an honor to be involved with a project like Caged,” said Ranallo. “I love the book, and I believe it’s one that needs to be read and heard. I’m excited to get to recording it!”

In addition, it was revealed recently that the Kindle version of “Caged” is available on Amazon.com as a free download today and tomorrow in order to celebrate National Poetry Month. In fact, it is currently the number one sports book in the free category on the website.

Caged is the true story of a young man who overcomes a family background and his own inner torment by learning to channel his frustrations into the physical world of mixed martial arts fighting and the cerebral world of poetry and writing. It teaches the value of personal reflection, how life’s most painful moments can lead to a deeper understanding and appreciation of human nature, and just what is possible when optimism and determination combine to overcome tough odds. Caged shows how the pursuit of two seemingly disparate passions helped a struggling boy blossom into a simple man. The result is a literary and lyrical philosophical journey into the heart and mind of a modern-day warrior.

Mauro Ranallo is a celebrated play-by-play broadcaster who originally made his impact on the MMA world with Pride Fighting Championships. He then held the role for EliteXC, and can now be heard as the voice of Showtime’s Strikeforce programming. In addition to his commentating duties, Mauro also currently hosts “The MMA Show with Mauro Ranallo,” a daily podcast featuring the biggest names in MMA as his guests.

For more information on Mauro Ranallo, please visit http://www.mauroranallo.com/. Mauro can also be found on Twitter @MauroRanallo.

Contact: Phil Lanides
Publicist/Owner, Crossfire Media Group
(408) 439-3245
Phil@CrossfireMG.com
@CrossfireMedia

http://www.themmanews.com/acclaimed-broadcaster-mauro-ranallo-to-provide-narration-for-caged-audiobook/

As Debut Nears, Invicta's Randi Miller Not Interested In Ronda Rousey's 'Easy Road'


You might not have heard of Randi Miller (0-0) just yet, but if she has her way, you will very soon.

The 145-pound female fighter and Olympic bronze medalist makes her MMA debut on April 28 at the all-female Invicta Fighting Championships event in Kansas City, Kan., in a fight card that streams free on the promotion's website.

With her wrestling pedigree, Miller hopes she'll make it to the bigtime within a year or so, but she says she's not interested in following fellow Olympian Ronda Rousey in what she says was an "easy road" to the top.

"She definitely is entertaining, and her and Miesha (Tate) put on a great show," Miller told MMAjunkie.com Radio (http://www.mmajunkie.com/radio). "I had fun watching it all happen, but I do have an issue with how she didn't have to fight everyone to achieve that title.

"In my opinion, yeah, (she took) the easy road."

Rousey, of course, is also an Olympic bronze medalist, taking home the award as a judoka at the 2008 Beijing Games. In 2010, Rousey turned to MMA and has since won eight-straight fights, all by armbar, as an amateur and pro.

However, Rousey opened her career at 145 pounds before dropping a weightclass and fighting for the Strikeforce bantamweight title in her first bout at 135 pounds. Former Strikeforce champ Sarah Kaufman was one of the most outspoken protestors of the move, but Miller said she also disagrees with the decision.

"Coming up in the sport I've come up in, I think that if you're going to be a champion, you should have to fight everyone," Miller said. "For me, personally, if I don't beat everyone, I have hard time sleeping at night."

Miller is a decorated wrestler with extensive credentials. Since ending her Olympic career, Miller has been training in Colorado alongside top-ranked female fighter Cat Zingano, preparing for her MMA debut. Finding amateur fights was difficult, she said, so Miller is going to make the leap straight into the professional ranks.

"I think it's the name," Miller said. "I'm pretty sure that's the reason. I think if people are going to get in the ring (with me), they want to get paid for it, which makes sense."

So now Miller meets Mollie Ahlers-Estes (1-0) at Invicta FC's debut event, and she hopes it will start a fast-rising career up the ranks. But Miller said her wrestling background makes it impossible to skip any hurdles along the way to the top.

"Coming up in wrestling, that's just how it is," Miller said. "If you happen to go through a tournament, and you're on one side, and another No. 1 or No. 2 is on the other side and they get beat, you're always wondering if you could have beat that person.

"That kind of stuff keeps me up at night."

Whether or not Miller can match her wrestling success in an MMA career remains to be seen. She insists her striking is progressing well and she's adjusting to the pace differences between the sport. But for Miller, it's not predicting where she'll end up, it's about making sure she leaves no doubt whether or not she belongs to be there.

And could that run eventually mean a meeting with fellow Olympian Rousey?

"Is she on my radar?" Miller asked. "If she's going to be at 145, then definitely."

http://mmajunkie.com/news/28164/as-debut-nears-invictas-randi-miller-not-interested-in-ronda-rouseys-easy-road.mma

Jay Glazer: UFC Fighters Have Become Heroes To The NFL’s Best

“We can be heroes just for one day”
~ David Bowie

Growing up as kids just about everybody looks at a professional athlete as a hero or person they could one day aspire to be like.

Whether you wanted to throw a football like Joe Montana or shoot a basketball like Michael Jordan, almost everyone admired some sports figure. But what about those great players who actually did throw that football or score that basket, who were they looking up to?

Well, with the growth of mixed martial arts over the last several years, the sport of professional football has apparently taken quite a liking to the fighters in the UFC and other promotions.

According to NFL Insider and UFC on Fuel TV host Jay Glazer, the NFL’s best are looking at the UFC’s top fighters as the ones they admire the most.

“Pro athletes from mainstream sports, they look up to UFC fighters,” Glazer explained to MMAWeekly.com. “I’ll never forget, five years ago, whenever it was, I get a call from Mike McCarthy, the head coach of the (Green Bay) Packers, he said hey you’re pretty cool with Randy Couture right? I said yeah I’m pretty cool with Randy Couture, we’ve got this business together, and he says oh man me and (Brett) Favre are huge fans of his, can you get him out here to give our pre-game speech?

“I’m like you and Brett Favre are huge fans of Randy Couture? He says ‘oh Favre raves about him, that’s the guy Brett Favre looks up to.’ Even our sports heroes need sports heroes and these UFC fighters are their sports heroes.”

Glazer says the crossover of MMA into pro football has gotten so crazy over the last few years that his two jobs have become one on an almost daily basis.

Glazer splits his time between his role as an NFL insider for Fox Sports, and as a broadcaster for the UFC shows on Fox, Fuel and FX, but even during a crucial time like NFL training camps, it’s all he can do to keep the players, coaches and executives from grilling him about the latest goings on in the world of MMA.

“When I used to go around for Fox to these different training camps, my 40-day NFL training camp tour, and I’ll visit 27 teams in 40 days, it used to be 95-percent NFL questions: What’s going on here? What’s happening there? What’s going on in this place? I saw a huge change about five years ago where I started going around to these teams and nobody wants to talk to me about football anymore. Nobody cares,” said Glazer.

“All they wanted to know was hey what kind of guy is Chuck (Liddell), how is Randy (Couture), who’s the next great thing, hey Georges St-Pierre, what makes him so great? That’s all guys in the NFL wanted to talk about.”

As Glazer explains it, the crossover of the UFC into the NFL’s best and brightest truly shows the sport has caught hold as a mainstream success. That’s one of the reasons he mentions sports like football during his commentary for the UFC.

“That’s why I talk about it a lot during the broadcasts and I know some fans get all pissy because I’ll mention the NFL or baseball or something, but I do it because I’m trying to show that this is mainstream, it’s on the same level,” Glazer stated.

Of course there are more than a few NFL players that have dabbled in mixed martial arts during their down time. Glazer himself has trained several NFL pro bowl players including Super Bowl champion Clay Matthews and many others.

But for the tough nose, smash mouth mentality of the NFL, most players aren’t ready to jump in the cage just yet and try to do what their heroes in the UFC do.

Well except for one incident involving a Pro Bowl linebacker from the San Francisco 49ers.

“None of them want to get punched in the face. We let Jared Allen, cause Jared Allen’s out of his freaking mind. But we let Patrick Willis. Patrick Willis is the second guy we trained, and after a month he was begging us ‘c’mon you’ve got to let me spar.’ I said Patrick, you’re not sparring anybody. You’ve been doing this for a month; these guys have been doing this their whole lives. You’re not sparring anybody,” Glazer said telling the story.

“He’s like you’ve got to let me spar, you’ve got to let me do it. So we said alright Patrick and we let him spar against Gray Maynard, and Gray beat the dog piss out of Patrick. It was hilarious. Patrick still says he’s never been beaten so bad in his life.”

So it might be quite some time before Willis or any other NFL star tries their hand at actually stepping in the cage, but it doesn’t mean they won’t continue to admire and look up to the best fighters in the world competing in the UFC.

http://www.mmaweekly.com/jay-glazer-ufc-fighters-have-become-heroes-to-the-nfls-best

Jon Fitch Welcomes Aaron Simpson To The UFC Welterweight Division


Aaron Simpson’s first trip to welterweight will be a tough test for the former NCAA All-American, as he faces former title contender Jon Fitch.

Sources close to the fight confirmed the bout to MMAWeekly.com on Wednesday with bout agreements issued for the contest, but no date has been named yet for the event the welterweight showdown will take place at.

Rumors have placed the Fitch vs. Simpson bout’s likely landing pad at UFC 149 in Calgary, but again nothing is set in stone at this time.

Jon Fitch makes his return to the Octagon after suffering only the second loss of his UFC career in a stunning knockout to former NCAA champion Johny Hendricks.

Prior to that time, Fitch had gone 5-0-1 with the draw coming in a fight at UFC 127 against B.J. Penn. Now the former No. 2 welterweight will try to get back on the horse again as he faces another top notch wrestler.

Aaron Simpson moves down to welterweight after spending his entire fighting career at 185 pounds.

A former NCAA All-American, Simpson was on a three fight win streak before running into former light heavyweight Ronny Markes at UFC on Fuel TV 1 in early February. Simpson came close to finishing the fight early, but as the fight wore on it was Markes’ size and power that overcame the former Arizona State competitor.

Following the loss, Simpson decided to drop down to 170 pounds to try his hand at being a big welterweight instead of an undersized middleweight.

Now he faces Jon Fitch as he looks to make a major impact in the welterweight division on day one.

http://www.mmaweekly.com/jon-fitch-welcomes-aaron-simpson-to-the-welterweight-division

Jon Jones Explains UFC Sponsorship Ahead Of Showdown With Rashad Evans


Sponsorships have almost always been a part of sports and the athletes that stand behind a product.

From Michael Jordan to LeBron James to Aaron Rodgers to Derek Jeter, the branding behind or in front of an athlete is an integral part of the marketing machine that pushes them to the next level while also pushing a certain product in the same way.

For UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones, he wants to be associated with names like Jordan, James, Rodgers and Jeter, and so his mission starts at UFC 145.

How will it work?

Well for Jones it begins by not walking out to the Octagon on Saturday night, April 21 with a myriad of sponsor patches on his shirt or shorts.

“For this fight, I have a goal, I’ve had a goal of being sponsored by Nike for many, many years. Part of our strategy to try and make that happen one day is to not be a billboard, and not just be sponsored by TapouT one week, and Affliction one week, and then MusclePharm next week, and all these random companies,” Jones explained on Friday.

“If you realize, I try to look for relationships with companies, long lasting relationships with companies. So a part of my brand is to keep it clean. Less is more in my opinion.”

Prior to UFC 145, Jones’ major sponsor as far as clothing was concerned was the now defunct company, Form Athletics.

Unfortunately, Form Athletics closed up shop late last year, and it left Jones without a set clothing sponsor, and it didn’t take long for other brands to start making the call to try and land the UFC light heavyweight champion.

“When Form Athletics went down pretty much every company in the business was looking for an opportunity to work with me, and I was really honored just to be wanted like that. I thought it was really awesome, it was a real honor,” said Jones.

Instead of signing on with a company for a one-fight deal or going by the standard process of having a multitude of sponsors on a fight shirt, Jones opted for a deal with the UFC itself.

As strange as that sounds, the UFC will actually be sponsoring Jon Jones for his fight at UFC 145 against Rashad Evans. Now the first thought might be, how can the UFC sponsor someone that they already pay to fight for them?

Well, in reality this is no different than any other clothing deal because the UFC is not only the top MMA promotion in the world, but they also have their own apparel line, which includes shirts, shorts, gloves and other products. So for his fight at UFC 145, Jones will be decked in head to toe in UFC gear, pushing their brand instead of another company.

“We came up with a strategy to keep it clean and be sponsored by the UFC itself. I’m glad the UFC wanted to work with me as well, and I think that they trust that I’ll never make them look bad. You never have to worry about me with a DWI (driving while under the influence) or doing something crazy,” Jones explained.

“I think I’m a good company guy. The UFC asks me to do anything and I always do it, and I never tell them no for anything. I’ve had to do more marketing than any other fighter because I say no to absolutely nothing. I don’t think most champs are like that.”

The deal with the UFC is also open ended in the sense that if Nike does come calling on Jones, then he can realize his dream and have his name listed among those like Jordan and James.

“I think they realized I’m a company guy and they decided to sponsor me,” said Jones. “They put in the deal that if any mainstream companies come after this win that they will let me go, and I think that’s awesome.”

http://www.mmaweekly.com/jon-jones-explains-ufc-sponsorship-ahead-of-showdown-with-rashad-evans

Siyar Bahadurzada: Where Do You Expect Us To Go When The Bombs Fall?


“We’re going down in a spiral to the ground
No one, no one’s gonna save us now, not even God
No one saved us, no one’s gonna save us
Where do you expect us to go when the bombs fall?”

~ Tentative by System of a Down

The war-torn nation of Afghanistan hasn’t known peace for more than three decades.

From an uprising and overthrow of a king in 1973, a Soviet occupation of Afghanistan from 1979 through 1989, a mujahideen (Arabic for strugglers, or people in jihad) power struggle all the way to the Taliban government, Afghanistan could only be described as a turbulent place that was laid to waste by war.

During the violence in the 80′s more than a million Afghanis lost their lives during the battles that took place, and millions of others became refugees, fleeing their homes to try and save their lives.

It was during this time in 1984 that Siyar Bahadurzada was born in Afghanistan, and lived for the first 15 years of his life.

It wasn’t unusual for the young Afghani to be playing with friends in the streets only to watch a bomb fly overhead and explode just feet away from where he was standing. It’s a childhood that very few can even imagine, let alone fathom what Bahadurzada actually had to endure.

“When I grew up in Afghanistan as a kid, I didn’t know if I would make it through the day with rockets and bullets flying around. I was not sure that I could make it through the night,” Bahadurzada explained on MMAWeekly Radio.

“If the rocket falls like 100 or 200 meters further and you see people running and dying, five minutes later you’re out on the streets playing again. That’s just the kind of things that would happen.”

Because of the violent nature of the world he grew up in, Bahadurzada adapted to his surroundings. There was a certain level of danger that enveloped him at an early age, and because of that he naturally was drawn to a sport like MMA.

It was a sport that allowed him to act on his aggressions, and gave him an outlet for the same kind of rage and emotion he had to deal with on a daily basis watching friends and neighbors die in front of him.

“I was playing outside with my friends and it was something normal for us. War was something normal for us, it was everyday (expletive). That’s what I have in the ring too. The same kind of feeling. When you’re in the ring, you don’t know what’s going to happen and you’re exchanging blows, and every blow can be your last blow. You could get knocked out and you don’t know what’s going to happen,” said Bahadurzada.

“That thrill, that excitement, the adrenaline rush, that you get from fighting, it’s very comparable to living in the war.”

The places and events that were a part of Bahadurzada’s youth are things that most people wouldn’t wish on their worst enemy, much less a teenage kid whose biggest concern wasn’t getting good grades or impressing a high school coach.

Bahadurzada’s daily routine was literally surviving the world around him. Life was a gift, it wasn’t given, and in Afghanistan it could be taken away at a moment’s notice.

“As a kid, I’ve seen things that people need therapy to talk about,” Bahadurzada explained. “Those are the things that I have in me. You cannot take that out of me. It’s in me and it will stay with me, and those things built my character, those things give me the strong mentality and determination and will power that I have today, that I’m in the UFC, and I want to make something out of my life.”

At age 15, Bahadurzada and his family finally left Afghanistan and relocated to the Netherlands, where the young man started to pick up the art of striking from the stand-up coaches in Holland. It was a craft he adapted to quickly, and soon thereafter Bahadurzada began to climb the ranks in the world of MMA.

Now at 27 years of age with a 20-4-1 record, Bahadurzada makes his UFC debut with one specific goal in mind. To put down any obstacle that stands in front of him.

Does that mean Bahadurzada will win every fight he has in the UFC? Of course not.

But he knows going into every bout, on every card, on every night, that mentally there is no fighter that can break him, and that’s an advantage he can carry each time he steps into the Octagon.

“Everybody’s tough in a way in the UFC. If you’re in the UFC, you’re mentally tough, you will not get into the UFC if you’re not mentally tough, but the things that I have been through is different than all the other fighters. I think that I have something special bringing into the UFC than all the other fighters,” said Bahadurzada.

“It’s my strong mental (game). If you could crack my mind up and people could see what I’ve been through, what my mind’s been through and what’s all in my mind, and what I have seen, that’s crazy. You can break my body, but mentally I don’t think there’s anybody that can break me.”

Bahadurzada will fight at UFC on Fuel 2 as the first ever Afghani to step foot in the Octagon, and he does so carrying with him every memory he had growing up, everything he’s had to endure, and with the knowledge that every day he’s alive is a gift.

That’s a powerful weapon against any single fighter that stands across the cage from him.

http://www.mmaweekly.com/siyar-bahadurzada-where-do-you-expect-us-to-go-when-the-bombs-fall

Though Stuck In The Middle, UFC's Jake Shields Leaning Toward Middleweight Return


Jake Shields feels like he's stuck in the middle.

A little too small for middleweight, and a little too big for welterweight, he's one of those fighters who wishes there were more divisions.

It's been reported Shields is opting to go big for his next fight. But the onetime UFC welterweight challenger and former Strikeforce champ hasn't committed to one division or another.

"I'm willing to fight at either weight, so whatever they offer me, I'll take it," he told MMAjunkie.com (http://www.mmajunkie.com).

Most recently, Shields (27-6-1 MMA, 2-2 UFC) outworked a powerful but listless Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 144, taking big shots while racking up points with smaller and more frequent ones to earn a unanimous-decision victory.

The win likely saved Shields' UFC career after back-to-back losses that included a quick knockout loss to Jake Ellenberger and a game effort against champ Georges St-Pierre.

Now, Shields wants big fights. Having already seen the top of the welterweight division, he sees those at middleweight, where Anderson Silva reigns.

Upon signing with the UFC in July 2010, Shields said he suggested a bout with "The Spider" to kick off his octagon career. He had just vacated the Strikeforce middleweight belt after an upset win over the bigger Dan Henderson. But at the time, the UFC was interested in a superfight between St-Pierre and Silva, and Shields was nudged toward 170 pounds.

Shields debuted at UFC 121 against veteran welterweight Martin Kampmann and struggled mightily to make weight, cutting more than 20 pounds on the week of the fight to make the allowable limit. A subsequent cut to meet St-Pierre at UFC 129 went more smoothly, but Shields didn't stop thinking about a trip back to middleweight.

"I really feel like I'm in the middle," he said. "I hate cutting weight down to 170; I feel like the last couple of pounds, I feel a little bit weaker. But I'm a little bit small for 185.

"Really, I'd be perfect for the weight in the middle, but unfortunately, there's not (that option). I haven't figured out which way to go."

In the past three weeks, he's gone up, lifting weights to add muscle in the event of a middleweight offer. He's requested a fight in August, perhaps at UFC on FOX 4. But for now, he's still waiting.

"I really want to fight the top guys," Shields said. "Obviously, Anderson Silva being at the top, that's what I want. Unfortunately, some of the very best guys at that weight are my friends. Chael Sonnen and Michael Bisping are two of the very best. But I guess it comes down to business. Sometimes, you've got to fight your friends."

Or in a previous case, help one fight the other. Shields assisted Bisping in his preparation for a fight in January against Sonnen, less than a year after Sonnen helped Shields prepare for the St-Pierre bout.

So for Shields, it's business first. Should he have to fight Sonnen or Bisping, he wouldn't be happy, but he'd do it.

"They're both top-five, and I want to fight top-five opponents," he said. "So it's definitely an unfortunate situation. But if I'm at the weight, I want to beat the best."

That title, of course, belongs to Silva, who in June defends his title a 10th time when he meets Sonnen at UFC 147.

Shields, a jiu-jitsu black belt, always felt he matched up well with the prolific champ. The two even rubbed shoulders when they fought in the now-defunct Rumble on the Rock promotion in 2006.

To get that chance, though, UFC executives will need some convincing.

http://mmajunkie.com/news/28221/though-stuck-in-the-middle-ufcs-jake-shields-leaning-toward-middleweight-return.mma

MMA H.E.A.T. brings you Tito Ortiz’s complete UFC Sweden fan Q&A. Tito answers questions about fighting Chuck Liddell, Ken Shamrock, his retirement and much more.

All the cool kids will be talking shop here on Bloody Elbow tonight for live results and play-by-play of Bellator 65. The show is headlined by bantamweight champion Zach Makovsky defending the strap against last year's tournament overlord Eduardo Dantas and starts at 8 p.m. ET on MTV2 and EPIX in HD.

Rounding out the card is a pair of bantamweight quarterfinals for the 2012 tournament, both featuring world-ranked talent. Alexis Vila, who knocked out Joe Warren but lost to Dantas in the last year's finals, draws Renovacao Fight Team's Luis Nogueira. Ed West, whom Dantas also defeated in the semis, faces Marcos Galvao of Nova Uniao, who dropped a razor-thin split decision to Vila last year. "Betao" Nogueira was knocked out early by West in the 2011 tournament, but the match was another closely contested split decision.

In the lone featherweight semifinal bout on the main card, it's Daniel Straus vs. Mike Corey. Festivities begin at 8 p.m. ET -- do it. The main card lineup follows.

Zach Makovsky vs Eduardo Dantas
Marcos Galvao vs Ed West
Luis Nogueira vs Alexis Vila
Mike Corey vs Daniel Straus

SBN coverage of Bellator 65

Zach Makovsky vs Eduardo Dantas (Bellator bantamweight championship bout)

R1: Dantas is crouched low in anticipation of Makovsky's shot, and just misses with a short knee as the champ comes in. Dantas hammers a high kick through Makovsky's defense that still wobbles him. Charging 3-piece from Makovsky is dodged. Dantas rolls out another crushing high kick and Makovsky gets the takedown. Dantas beautifully spins into an omoplata but Makovsky escapes nicely back into guard. More submission attempts follow, as Dantas again swings his leg over into omoplata position. Makovsky escapes again and lands his first punch, but Dantas slips out and we're back standing with just less than 2 on the clock.

Makovsky hesitant on the feet with Dantas stalking and threatening to plunge a spearing knee. Another high kick from Dantas and Makovsky is being driven backwards. Makovsky gets a single but Dantas immediately reverses back to the feet for more kicks. 10-9 Dantas for more effective striking and grappling.

R2: Stomp kick from Dantas to open the second. Makovsky has his high kick deflected. Dantas unloads a combination, Makovsky shoots and Dantas hits a sweet switch and goes right to knee on belly, then full mount. Makovsky scrambles and Dantas settles for side control, then Makovsky regains guard. Dantas pins the left arm tries to pass but Makovsky is feisty off his back, so Dantas postures up and pounds.

The champ isn't digging it and tries to spin out but ends up getting mounted again and eating big punches. Makovsky swivels to plant his feet on the fence but Dantas bumps him away from it and jumps into a side choke. Makovsky goes limp and Eduardo Dantas becomes the new bantamweight champion by 2nd round submission (arm triangle).

Mike Corey vs Daniel Straus

R1: Straus knocks Corey flat with a crisp one-two from southpaw. Corey regains his wits and his footing and they reset, but Straus clocks him again and clinches up against the fence. Corey circles off to change position and Straus follows suit. They break hurling leather. Cracking low kick lands from Straus, who barely blocks a Corey high kick. Straus unreels two punches, a head kick and closes the sequence with a takedown attempt. Oddly enough, a ringside mic catches a strong current of flatulence and the commentary team embarrassingly explains it.

Moving on, Straus finds the mark with another inside low kick and straight left. Straus wheels out a high kick and loses his footing but is instantly back up. Corey throws the spinning back fist but swallows a straight left when it whiffs. Straus touching up Corey with straight punches at will. 10-9 Straus for clearly out-striking Corey.

R2: Corey's nose is banged up to start the second. Corey scores a takedown on the wrestler and Straus turtles and digs for a single of his own. The referee unnecessarily steps in to restart them. Step-in hook from Straus, low kick by Corey. Straus is too artful for Corey on the feet halfway through. They clinch, Corey spikes a short knee and Straus can't complete the Harai Goshi. Corey picks up the pace with consecutive combinations and puts Straus on the fence with double underhooks. Straus gets the whizzer just in time to defend a takedown and the clinch brawl continues. Straus circles off and they separate, where Corey sneaks in two hooks; Straus responds with his left and gets standing back mount just as the round expires. 10-9 Straus for the more effective striking.

R3: Straus unfurling lefts to start the third, then trying to run the pipe with a high crotch. Corey defends well and spins Straus onto the fence, though he's bleeding steadily from the face. Straus gets the rear waist cinch and fires knees to the hamstrings while Corey fights for wrist control. He's able to peel off and they take the center of the cage at the middle mark of the round. Straus' pace has slowed and Corey is more competitive on the feet. Just as I typed that, he eats a rugged left from Straus, then another.

Corey shoots a deep double and slips behind Straus pursuing a belly to back suplex, but Straus breaks his grip to escape. Corey now has Straus backed against the fence with a stream of punches. Straus looks to have spit out his mouthpiece, which has to be a sign of fatigue. The ref mans up and jumps in between the competitors while they're unloading as the bell sounds. 10-9 Corey in a nice comeback round. I have it 29-28 Straus as we await the official decision.

One judges sees it 30-27 while the other two have it 29-28 for Daniel Straus, who defeats Mike Corey by unanimous decision.

Luis "Betao" Nogueira vs Alexis Vila

R1: Vila, looking massive for a bantamweight, has a high kick blocked. The pair feel each other out for a slow first minute. Inside low kick from Betao. Vila shoots a double and quickly switches to a single on Betao's sprawl, but the Brazilian stuffs it. Both narrowly miss on big shots. Vila finds the mark with a sweeping left hook and is establishing himself as the aggressor. Stiff left from Vila, then another. Betao counters with a right-left combo on his third. Consecutive Vila high kicks are blocked and Betao turns it on with a strong combo and flying knee that don't land, but back Vila up. Right hook and right high kick sequence from Betao, then an inside kick to start changing the tide.

Surprisingly, Betao gets a takedown on the former Olympian medalist in wrestling and scoots around to his back with the rear-waist cinch. In the closing seconds, Betao elevates Vila and completes a takedown. Despite the late round success, neither demonstrably won effective striking and/or grappling. 10-10.

R2: Betao busy cutting angles in the second. Vila unfurls two straight, stiff punches, then drops level for a single that only keeps Betao down for a second or two. Moments later, Vila shoots again and gets it, this time containing Betao against the fence. Betao takes a knee and uses strong-side wrist control on Vila to stand up. Betao more active now with quick hands and a roundhouse kick but they're dodged. Betao now counters successfully on a Vila kick as the Cuban's defensive motion has slowed.

Vila gets halfway into a high single but Betao spins into a leg lock with blinding quickness, and they break and restart on the feet. Another close round, but I'm going 10-9 Vila for the slightly more effective striking and Betao's complacency.

R3: Vila scores an inside kick and evades more blows from Betao. Betao answers with a low kick. Nice 3-punch combo from Betao, who then stuffs a Vila takedown. Left hook counter from Betao, then a stiff right hook and a left straight. Vila now standing stationary with reduced output. Betao pushes him back with two charging combinations, then a third. Vila in serious retreat-mode now and just backpedaling from constant Betao combinations. All Betao with a minute and a half left.

Vila snares another single but Betao's takedown defense is on-point tonight. Betao clocks Vila with a wide right and holds his ground with big punches. Betao catches a Vila kick and threatens to ground him but Vila's balance is uncanny. Clear 10-9 for Betao, making the fight a draw (29-29) on my card.

The judges have it 29-28 for Luis "Betao" Noguiera, who defeats Alexis Vila by unanimous decision.

More results after the jump.

Marcos Galvao vs Ed West

R1: The bantamweights open up trading leg kicks. West goes high with his kick but he's taken down by Galvao. West threatens with a guillotine and tries to use it to stand, but Galvao worms around and almost takes his back in the standing position. West breaks off the cage and the reset in the center. Galvao winging haymakers. Galvao catches West flush with an overhand meathook and pounces into his guard, but West seems to be recovering. West pegs an upkick that looks to land but Galvao capitalizes and passes to half guard. Galvao seeks out a D'arce from the top but West defends. West stands back up at the price of a stiff knee to the body from Galvao.

After circling off the fence to break Galvao's clinch, West flicks out a nice high kick that Galvao blocks. West clips off a nice one-two followed by a spinning back kick that whiffs. Galvao connects on a long one-two counter while West is unhinging a front snap kick at the bell. Nice recovery by West, but a clear 10-9 for Galvao.

R2: Galvao flailing huge punches again to kick off the second. The trade inside low kicks; West lands a glancing front kick. Galvao slows down to play the counter game and eats two outside low kicks. Galvao lands a nice duck-under takedown during a West combo and lands in a full closed guard. West cinching a guillotine but Galvao is calm and slips out, but West uses the space to take a knee and stand. Galvao hits an outside trip from the over-under clinch but West is immediately back to his feet and stomping Galvao's foot.

Galvao grabs the head and tries a high knee and West disengages to avoid it. Leaping knee from Galvao lands mildly and a clinch ensues. West circles off the fence and holds double-underhooks, then lets go to dirty box. Another low kick from Galvao, two West kicks are blocked and Galvao swings another monster his way. More kicks from West, all blocked. They exchange hard kicks as the bell sounds. West was busier but Galvao blocked everything well, so I'm calling that a 10-10 round for even offense.

R3: West leads with another high kick that seems to get through. Galvao clinches and looks for a trip, has to work for it but finally gets it. Galvao is hammering down punches and elbows to West's body with a high half guard. West spins for an armbar but Galvao coolly shakes it off and passes to side mount smoothly. Galvao spears a knee to the ribs from side mount, West tries to roll out and Galvao nearly takes his back, but West is back up. The separate from the clinch from another Galvao knee, who then taps West with a right hand, then drops him with a big mother.

In guard, Galvao drops hammerfists while West tries to stay active. West rolls backwards to escape and they clinch on the fence. We have a slight pause as they recollect in the clinch. Galvao can't get the trip and West lands a short knee. They close this round like the others -- trading sharp combinations. I have that a clear 10-9 for Galvao for the knockdown, making my overall score 30-28 for Marcos Galvao.

The judges score the fight 30-27 for Marcos Galvao, who defeats Ed West by unanimous decision.

http://www.bloodyelbow.com/2012/4/13/2947167/bellator-65-live-results-and-play-by-play-makovsky-dantas-vila-west-galvao-nogueira-betao