Month: March 2013

By: Sherdog

Two surging featherweights will collide at UFC 160, promotion officials announced Thursday, as Dennis Bermudez faces Max Holloway.

UFC 160 takes place May 25 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and is headlined by a heavyweight title rematch pitting reigning champion Cain Velasquez against former EliteXC belt holder Antonio Silva. The evening’s main card will also see four heavy hitters lock horns, as Mark Hunt faces Junior dos Santos and James Te Huna meets Glover Teixeira.

Bermudez, 26, rides a three-fight winning streak heading into his showdown with Holloway. “The Menace” introduced himself to UFC fans as a member of “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 14 before falling to Diego Brandao at the live finale in December 2011. The prospect has since gone unbeaten, notching wins over Pablo Garza, Tommy Hayden and Matt Grice, whom Bermudez most recently topped in a “Fight of the Night” winning bout at UFC 157 last month.

Like his foe, Holloway has also won three straight fights, posting a 3-1 record last year. After submitting to Dustin Poirier in his Octagon debut, Holloway, 21, thoroughly outpointed Pat Schilling before knocking out “TUF 14” vet Justin Lawrence last August. Most recently, “Blessed” edged the hard-swinging Leonard Garcia in a Dec. 29 split decision at UFC 155.

Marlon Moraes vs. Tyson Nam
Round 1
Moraes takes the center of the cage and strikes first with a left hook and a right leg kick outside. He sticks a pair of punches in Nam’s face before chopping with the leg kick again. Nam probes with a jab and flinches as Moraes feints a leg kick. Moraes scores with a hook to the body, then a left hook in the pocket. Nam bites again as Moraes fakes another leg kick. Moraes comes in to clinch and Nam hits the floor without being taken down, then quickly pops back up. A right high kick from Moraes grazes Nam’s head, and the Hawaiian falls to the base of the cage, looking dazed.

Moraes is all over him, landing a couple hard punches before ref Keith Peterson can jump in to save Nam. Marlon Moraes gets the knockout at 2:55 of the first round.

Marlon Moraes (135.5) vs. Tyson Nam (135.2)

Veteran power puncher Chris Leben will return to competition on July 6, as “The Crippler” faces Andrew Craig in a middleweight showdown at UFC 162.

UFC officials announced the booking Tuesday, also revealing that Seth Baczynski will welcome Strikeforce import Brian Melancon to the Octagon at the event, which takes place at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The UFC 162 main card airs live on pay-per-view and is topped by a middleweight title showdown between longtime champion Anderson Silva and challenger Chris Weidman.

Leben, 32, has lost three of his last four fights, most recently dropping a unanimous decision to Strikeforce vet Derek Brunson last December at UFC 155. Craig suffered the first loss of his career in his last outing, as Brazilian talent Ronny Markes took a unanimous decision from the Texan on Jan. 19, snapping Craig’s eight-fight winning streak.

Baczynski, 31, had won six straight fights prior to his Dec. 15 showdown with Mike Pierce, which resulted in a unanimous decision defeat for “The Polish Pistola.” In Melancon, Baczynski faces an eight-fight pro who last competed in September 2011, when he outpointed Felipe Portela at Strikeforce Challengers 19

Kailin Curran defeats Kaiyana Rain via unanimous decision (3 Rounds)

Hawaii’s Kailin Curran defeated Kaiyana Rain in an exciting battle.

Curran did plenty of damage with ground and pound early but saw her submission defense tested by repeated attempts by Rain to lock in an armbar on the ground. Curran, though, eventually dominated the standup in the final round to win a clear-cut decision over her opponent.

Josh Calvo defeats Jonavan Vistante via rear naked choke (Round 1)

Toby Misech defeats Cho Sunghwan via ref stoppage due to body kick (Round 3)

Nate Thorell (Quinola) defeats Robert Wusstig via unanimous decision (3 Rounds)

Ian Dela Cuesta defeats Ricky Camp via inverted triangle submission (Round 2)

The Guam native has lived in Washington for the past 11 years and has made a name for himself in the northwest as one of the top up-and-coming Chamorros in professional Mixed Martial Arts. He has a professional record of 6-2-0 and has been fighting since 2008. Calvo stays true to his roots and has represented Guam in all his fights, as his family roots are from the south of Guam in Umatac.

The 25-year old, 5’11” Chamorro MMA fighter usually fights at Lightweight (155 pounds), however, in PXC-36, he will showcase his potential when he battles Johnavan Vistante in a Welterweight bout (170 pounds).
Josh returns to his homeland in hopes of continuing his climb up the MMA rankings.

Calvo has been called a “natural talent” and “most-promising of his generation” due to his good stand up and incredible submission skills. His submission wins were via Guillotine and Rear-Naked Chokes and Armbars, which clearly shows that he is a well-rounded fighter, not afraid to take the bout to the ground.

Calvo will be fighting out of the Combat Sports and Fitness Camp and trains under Lotus Club’s Giva Santana and James Foster. His last win was at the Rumble on the Ridge 26 with a unanimous decision against Jerome Jones last November 2012. “Killa” dismantled the talented Jones who came from a 3-fight win streak, mostly due to submissions and KOs, before losing to Calvo.

Standing in his way is Johnavan “The Immortal Warrior” Vistante, a seasoned fighter with 4 wins and 4 losses with most of his wins via knock outs and submissions. Vistante is filling in for his recently injured fellow Hawaiian, Chris Cisneros, and is ready to put on show with a short training camp. PXC-36 will also be Johnavan’s PXC debut but it will also be a solid test for him as he will be greeted by Calvo’s many hometown fans.

Vistante is one of the most-respected MMA fighters in Hawaii today, fighting at various weight classes against the best in the state. “The Immortal Warrior” finally sets foot in Guam on March 8 and will try to get an elite status in the region’s premier MMA company, PXC.

PXC-36 will take place on March 8th at the UOG Fieldhouse in Mangilao, Guam. Tickets are on sale at all 76/Circle K locations,Andersen ITT and MWR with VIP tickets available exclusively at Cars Plus in Maite or log on to http://www.tpiguam.com. Doors will open at 5pm, with Showtime at 7pm.

PXC-36 is presented by Miller Lite, Docomo Pacific, and the Stations of KUAM…and brought to you by Monster Energy Drink, JEEP, 76/Circle-K, AirGuard, Budget Car Rental, Gladiator Crew and the Pacific Islands Club Resort.

This is another Tropical Production!