Just more than twenty-four hours after announcing his retirement, Chris Lytle choked out Dan Hardy in round three of their Welterweight bout that was the main event of a UFC on Versus show from the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Each had their moments until Hardy tried to shoot in with a takedown and Lytle was able to lock in the choke that made Hardy tap out at 4:16 of round three

Lytle, 170 1/2 lbs of Indianapolis, IND finishes his career with a mark of 41-18-4.

Ben Henderson battered Jim Miller over the final two rounds to win an three round unanimous decision and ending both a seven fight win streak and a potential title shot for Miller.

Miller had a good first frame as he had Henderson in a choke hold. Henderson came back to bloody the right eye of Miller, get Miller in a submission and at the end of round two begin to pound away on Miller. In round three, Henderson beat up Miller as he dominated the whole round by pounding and attempting to choke out Miller.

Henderson, 156 lbs of Glendale, AZ win by scores of 30-26; 30-27 and 29-28 and is now 14-2. Miller, 155 1/2 lbs of Whippany, NJ is now 20-3

Donald Cerrone scored a first round stoppage over Charles Oliveira in a Lightweight bout.

Cerrone landed a short punch to the body that sent Oliveria down. Cerrone then preceded to land twenty-five unanswered blows before referee Mario Yamasaki stopped the bout at 3:01

Cerrone, 156 lbs of Albuquerque, NM is now 16-3-1. Oliveria, 155 lbs of Houston, TX is now 14-2-1.

Duane Ludwig scored a three round unanimous decision over Amir Sadollah in a Welterweight bout.

Ludwig won on the strength of striking from the standup position.

Scores were 29-28 on all cards for Ludwig, 170 1/2 lbs of Denver, CO and is now 29-11. Sadollah, 170 lbs of Las Vegas, NV is 6-3

Abner Mares won the IBF Bantamweight championship and in the process captured the Showtime Bantamweight tournament crown with a dubious majority decision over reigning champion Joseph Agbeko at the Joint at The Hard Rock in Las Vegas.

Both guys gave a good effort. The same could not be said for Russell Mora as he became as much a part of the fight as the two combatants as he missed in upwards of twenty low blows that Mares landed on Agbeko. Mares was barely warned throughout the fight.

Mares was the more active fighter over the first have of the fight as he landed some solid shots with both hands. Mares scored a flash knockdown as he landed a little left hook but in combination with Agbeko slipping sent the campion to the canvas. It could easily been ruled a slip and that was the first of many missed calls from Mora throughout the fight.

In round six, Mares was cut over the left eye from a accidental headbutt.

Agbeko’s shining moment over the first half was a big right that buckled Mares in round four.

Agbeko started being more aggressive as he landed some nice jabs but was very right hand happy in trying to duplicate what he accomplished in the fourth.

Agbeko continued to fight well despite being peppered with the low shots and Mares was working the body.

After some good action rounds, all hell broke loose in round eleven.

Mares attempted t land a body shot but the punch ended up a good foot below the belt and Agbeko crumpled to a knee on the canvas. More hesitated and most people watching thought that finally Mares would be punished for his “South of the Border” shots but instead and shockingly, Mora began to count Agbeko by ruling a knockdown.

That seemed to to take the sails out of what was becoming a very close fight on the score cards Mares built an insurmountable lead. After round eleven, Agbeko and his corner men had to restrained by Nevada officials from the their bitter dismay at the job Mora was doing.

Not much happened in round twelve.

Mares, 117 1/2 lbs of Guadalajara, MX won by scores of 115-111; 115-111 and 113-113 and is now 22-0-1. Agbeko, 118 lbs of Bronx, NY is now 28-3.

During the telecast, SHOWTIME ringside analyst Antonio Tarver said, “Mora robbed all of us of a great fight.’’

There were 1,394 punches thrown in a give-and-take slugfest. Mares connected on 318 of 732, Agbeko on 318 of 732.

“I thought the first knockdown was clear,’’ said Mares, who made history by becoming the first homegrown Golden Boy Promotions boxer to capture a world title. “On the second I hit him on the belt and the ref chose to give him a count. I agree with the ref’s choice.

“I like to work the body but I was making the fight and all he did was counter-punch.

“I’m open to fight anybody (next). I love this tournament and would love to be in another one like this.’’

Said Agbeko, who demanded an immediate rematch, “I felt as though I was fighting two opponents in the ring tonight, Abner Mares and the referee. The referee ruled incorrectly on the knockdowns and he allowed Mares to hit me low repeatedly. Then, in the 11th, he called what everyone could see was another obvious low blow a knockdown.

“I don’t why these things happened to me. I felt the ref was against me from the start. All I wanted was a fair fight.

“I like Abner. He’s a good fighter. But I’m sure he didn’t want to win a fight this way.’’

Joe Duarte scored a three round unanimous decision over Jorge Gurgel in a lightweight bout to headline Strikeforce Challengers at the Pearl at the Palms in Las Vegas.

Duarte, 155 lbs of San Diego won by scores of 30-27; 29-28 and 29-28 to raise his mark to 10-2. Gurgel, 154 lbs of Cincinnati, OH is now 14-8

Nate James scored a three round unanimous decision over Danillo Villefort in a Middleweight bout.

Scores were 30-37; 39-38 and 29-28 for James, 185 lbs of San Jose, CA and is now 13-7-1. Villefort, 186 lbs of Coconut Creek, FL is now 13-6

Pat Healey scored a three round unanimous decision over Eric Wisely in a Lightweight bout.

Healey, 155 lbs of Portland, OR is now 27-17. Wisely, 156 lbs is now 17-6

Rhonda Rousey scored a twenty-five second submission over Sarah D’Alellio.

Rousey got D’Aellio in an armbar and the fight was waved off by referee Steve Mazagatti without any tap out.

Rousey, 146 lbs of Venice, CA is 3-0 with all wins coming by submission. D’Aellio, 146 lbs of San Jose, CA is now 4-2.

Despite fighting through one of the worst looking cuts in some time, Derrick Mehamn scored a three round unanimous decision over Roy Jones in a Light Heavyweight bout.

Mehman was caught with a high knee over his left eye and the blood just flowed for the resst of the bout. Mehman took Jones down and was in a dominant position for the better part of round’s two and three.

Mehman, 205 lbs of Coconut Creek, FL won by scores of 29-28 on all cards and is 12-3. Jones, 204 lbs of Boca Raton, FL is now 6-2

Antonio Diaz scored a stoppage victory over Ernesto Zepeda after round eight of a scheduled ten round Jr. Middleweight bout at the Fantasy Springs Hotel in Indio, California.

Diaz controlled the action and really turned up the volume in round eight as he sent Zepeda to the canvas twice in the round for which referee Jose Cobian ruled slips but Zepeda went down for more or less exhaustion.

When Zepeda got back to the corner he had a look a defeat and the fight was stopped.

Diaz, 150 lbs of Indio, CA is now 46-6-1 with twenty-eight knockouts. Zepeda, 150 1/2 lbs of Tijuana, MX is now 39-15-2

Andrew Cancio scored a four round stoppage over Lowell Brownfield in round three of a scheduled six round Lightweight bout.

Cancio dropped Borwnfield in round two from a left to the head that was followed by two rights. Brownfield hit the deck once again in round three from a body shot.

Cancio finised thins off by landing a big flurry of punches until referee Tony Crebs stopped the bout at 1:49 of round four.

Cancio, 135 1/2 lbs of Blythe, CA is now 11-1-2 with all wins coming by knockout. Brownfield, 134 1/2 lbs of Los Angeles, CA is now 11-9-1.

Humberto Zatarain scored four knockdowns en route to an easy four round unanimous decision over Rocco Espinoza in a Featherweight bout.

Zatarain dropped Espinoza three times in round one and one in round two.

Zatarain,125 3/4 lbs of Whittier, CA is now 3-0. Espinoza, 125 lbs of Las Vegas is 1-1

Angel Osuna dominated, battered and eventually stopped Raul Rodriguez in the fourth and final scheduled round of their Jr. Middleweight bout.

Osuna had Rodriguez in trouble in every round and finally dropped him in the final round and the bout was stopped at twenty-five seconds of round four.

Osuna, 152 1/2 lbs of Cochella, CA is now 5-3-1 with three knockouts. Rodriguez, 154 lbs of Bakersfield, CA is now 3-7-1

Alejandro Lopez scored a solid twelve round unanimous decision over previously undefeated Teon Kennedy in a Super Bantamweight bout at Ballys in Atlantic City.

After a slow round one, Lopez started boxing nicely by putting right hands behind a long jab. In round three the two came out and had a furious exchange on the ropes. That was followed up by a blistering five punch combination from Lopez. Lopez put together a couple more combination’s before the close of the round that started some swelling underneath the left eye of Kennedy. Lopez’ movement cause Kennedy to look uncomfortable at times. In round five, it was a right hand that started the close of the right eye of Kennedy. Round six was a telling round as Lopez’ confidence began to show as he started clowning around and landing quick combination’s for which Kennedy started to look a little frustrated.

In round’s seven and eight Kennedy started to get a little closer as he started to get a little closer but he wasn’t slowing the full ring circular movement of Lopez. Kennedy kept trying to come forward but Lopez was slow that down with some pot shotting and little combonations that was offsetting Kennedy’s attempt at aggression. In round eleven, Kennedy started to look a little desperate. the two waged war on the ropes in the final round with a big shot opening up a nasty cut on the left eyelid of Kennedy. Despite that, kennedy tried to press forward only to eat quick right hands on his way in. For good measure, Lopez landed a hard right just before the final bell sounded.

Lopez, 121 1/2 lbs of Tijuana, MX won by scores of 117-111; 117-11 and 115-113 to raise his mark to 22-2. Kenendy, 121 1/2 lbs of Philadelphia, PA is now 17-1-1.

Karl “Dynamite” Dargan scored a sixth round stoppage over Juan Suazo in a scheduled eight round Lightweight bout.

Dargan dropped Suazo in round one from a blistering counter right. Dragan bloodied Suazo around his right eye and he never looked back.

Dargan landed some beautiful counter shots that drew ohhs and ahhs from the crowd. Finally in round six, a nice combaintion forced Suazo’s corner to end things at 1:20 of of the round.

Darga, 134 1/2 lbs of Philadelphia, PA is now 10-0 with five knockouts. Suazo, 134 lbs of Tucson, AZ is now 6-5.

In an entertaining Super Middleweight scrap, Derrick Webster scored a six round unanimous decision over Romaro Johnson.

Both guys landed some big shots with Webster landed a lot more volume and landed hard to the body

Both guys were stunned but Webster was effetive when he wanted to step on the gas.

Webster, 164 1/2 lbs of Glassboro, NJ won by scores of 60-54; 59-55 and 59-55 to raise his perfect mark to 10-0. Johnson, 164 lbs of Clevelnand, OH is now 11-4-1.

Camilo Perez remained perfect with a knockout over James Owens in a Featherweight bout.

Perez landed a perfect left hook that sent Owens down and the fight was stopped at 1:43

Perez, 123.6 lbs of Rio Piedras, PR is now 5-0 with four knockouts. Owens, 122 1/2 lbs of Milwaukee, WI is now 4-6.

Cuban import Yordenis Ugas scored a six round unanimous decision over gritty Fernando Rodriguez in a Welterweight bout

Ugas was dominant as he boxed very well. He hit Rodriguez with some hellacious right hands. In round three, Ugas started to pound the body with both hands. Ugas continued to batter Rodriguez but Rodriguez not only would take but come back with a (less effective) flurry of his own.

That scenario played for most of the fight whete Ugas got much better of exchanges but Rodriguez got the toughness, courage and approval of the crowd award.

Ugas, 144 1/2 lbs of Havana, CUB won by scores of 59-55; 59-55 and 58-56 to stay perfect at 9-0. Rodriguez, 145 lbs of Dallas, TX is now 6-5.

On the strength of three knockdowns, Pedro Martinez held on to score a four round unanimous decision over Elvin Sanchez in a Cruiserweight bout.

Martinez dropped Sanchez at the end of round one from an overhand right. Martinez scored two more knockdowns from big right hands in round two. Sanchez made a brief comeback over the final two rounds but Martinez was able to make it to the final bell without much trouble.

Scores were 38-35 on all cards for Martinez, 200 lbs of Philadelphia and is now 6-4. Sanchez., 196 lbs of Paterson, NJ is now 4-2

Photo by Chris Toney/Top Rank

Nearly five weeks after suffering what some boxing insiders called a career killing defeat to Carlos Molina, former Welterweight champion Kermit Cintron got back on the horse and scored a solid ten round unanimous decision over Antwone Smith in a Welterweight bout at The Ameristar Casino in St. Joseph, Missouri.

It was a tough battle that was contested mostly on the inside with Cintron landed the better shots on Smith.

Cintron showed better hand speed and more urgency then he did in the loss to Molina that took place on July 9th.

Cintron, 149 lbs of Carolina, PR won by scores of 98-92; 97-93 and 96-94 and is now 33-4-1. Smith, 148 1/2 lbs of Miami is known for his upset ability came up a little short on this night and is now 20-3-1.

Dannie Williams scored an emphatic fourth round knockout over Antonio Cervantes in round four of their scheduled ten round Lightweight bout.

Williams dropped Cervantes in round one from a right-left combination to the head.

In round four, Williams landed a jab to the body and then came over the top with a thudding right hand that sent Cervantes plummeting to the canvas as he hit the back of his head on the canvas and referee Steve Smoger waved the fight off instantly.

The time of the of the stoppage was 1:05 of round four for Williams, 135 1/2 lbs of St. Louis, MO and is 19-1 with fifteen knockouts. Cervantes, 135 1/2 lbs of Ensenada, MX is now 16-6-5.

Keandre Gibson scored a six round unanimous decision over Lawrence Hughes in a Jr. Welterweight bout.

Gibson scored a knockdown in round one form a hard right hand. The same thing happened in round three as he landed a right that sent Hughes to the canvas.

Gibson dominated the rest of the bout and coasted home to the victory by scores 60-51; 60-52 and 59-53.

Gibson, 143 lbs of Berkley, MO is now 5-0. Hugues, 142 1/2 lbs of St. Louis, MO is now 3-1-1.

Undefeated Jr. Welterweight Danny Garcia talks about his October 15th bout with Kendall Holt

Middleweight contender Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin talks about possible fight with Sergio Martinez

Former Light Heavyweight champion Chad Dawson speaks to the media about his October 15th Championship showdown with Bernard Hopkins

Bernard Hopkins and Chad Dawson met the media at BB Kingsin NYC to announce their October 15th PPV showdown also see Danny Garcia and Kendall Holt

Promoter Gary Shaw breaks down the October 15th PPV card featuring Bernard Hopkins and Chad Dawson

Jr. Welterweight contender Kendall Holt talks about his October 15th showdown with Danny Garcia on the Bernard Hopkins- Chad Dawson PPV

CHESTER, PA (August 9, 2011)—This Friday night a fantastic night of action is set to take place at Harrahs in Chester, PA.

The card dubbed ROUND 4 will be promoted by Joey Eye Boxing and David Feldman.

In the main event, popular lightweight Victor Vasquez will take on Angel Rios in a eight round bout.

The co-feature will pit Tony Ferrante of Philadelphia battling William Prieto in a six round Light Heavyweight affair.

Vasquez of Philadelphia has built up one of the biggest fan bases in Philadelphia due to his exciting style which always has him in the fight of the night whenever he steps into the ring.

Vasquez twenty-eight years old has a record of 13-5-1 with seven knockouts and has been in some memorable fights in his young career.

In his last bout, Vasquez was impressive in disposing of Gustavo Dailey (4-11) in round four to headline ROUND 3 at Harrahs in Chester on June 3rd.

Vasquez waged a terrific back and forth war with Osnel Charles before dropping a six round majority decision as part as ROUND 1 at Harrahs in Chester.

He holds victories over undefeated Thomas McCuiston (1-0); Tyric Robinson (9-4-1) as well as an exciting six round split decision over Bryne Green (5-3) on October 8th in Philadelphia.

Rios of Bronx, New York has a record of 9-5 with six knockouts and has been in with top competition.

He won eight of his first nine bouts and has faced future world champions Nate Campbell and Mike Anchondo.

Rios came back after an eight year hiatus and dropped a six round decision to Stephen Owusu on July 7th in Bronx, NY.

Ferrante, 27 years old, has a record of 11-2 with six knockouts, won his first nine bouts which included wins over Anthony Pietrantonio (6-1) and he won the WBF United States title with a eight round majority decision over Billy Bailey.

Ferrante lost that title when he dropped a ten round unanimous decision to Chuck Mussachio (15-1-2).

Ferrante will be looking to make it three in a row after disposing of Joe Park as part of ROUND 3 at Harrahs in Chester in the fourth round on June 3rd.

In his last bout, Ferrante stopped grizzled veteran Andre Hemphill in seven rounds on July 15th.

Prieto has a record of 5-5-1 with two knockouts which is impressive considering the top opposition he has fought.

He has been in the ring with six undefeated fights plus other fighters with gaudy records.

He holds wins over then undefeated Jesse Blount (2-0); Nate Adams (2-0) and Eric Jarvis (2-0).

He has also been in the ring with world ranked Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin (5-0); Durrell Richardson (8-0); Issac Rodrigues (9-0).

He is looking to get back in the win column after dropping his last two to Aaron Pryor Jr. (11-1) and his last bout to Harry Coyle (13-2) on April 9th.

Angel Ocasio will see action in his first scheduled six round bout as he battles Rasool Shakoor in Lightweight affair.

Ocasio of Philadelphia has a perfect mark of 5-0 with one knockout and is coming off a four round unanimous decision over Randolph Scott on June 3rd as part of ROUND 3 at Harrahs in Chester.

Shakoor of Jackson, Michigan has a record of 3-8-1 with one knockout but has faced even undefeated fighters.

Those fighters include Dat Nguyan (3-0); Angelo Santana (1-0); Carlos Zambrano (2-0); Guillermo Sanchez (5-0); Omar Pena (1-0-1) and Jesse Carradine (4-0).

Shakoor holds a win over than undefeated and Roy Jones promoted Kieyon Bussey (6-0).

In his last bout, Shakoor was stopped in one by Eric Nemo (8-1-1) on July 31st, 2010.

Former world amateur champion Joey Dawejko will look to stay perfect when he battled Keon Graham in a Heavyweight bout scheduled for four rounds.

Dawejko of Philadelphia has a record of 4-0 with one knockout.

In his last bout, Dawejko was a part of the historic Harrahs fight night ROUND 1 when he scored a four round unanimous decision over Taffo Asongwed on January 22nd.

Dawejko just hooked up with trainer Danny Davis and this will be the first bout that two will be working together.

Graham has a record of 2-6 and is coming in from Akron, Ohio.

Like Shakoor, Graham is now stranger to fighting undefeated opponents as Dawejko will be the fourth such unblemished foe.

He has lost to the likes of Brian Clookey (1-0); Magomed Abdulsalamov (7-0); and Keith Barr (5-0).

In his last bout, Graham was stopped in two by Felix Abner on May 18th

Rounding out the card will be popular Lightweight Joey Tiberi.

Tiberi of Newark, Delaware has a record of 5-1 with four knockouts and has appeared at the previous three fight nights at Harrahs.

He has won three in a row which includes a first round stoppage over Nicholas Morris on June 25th.

Tiberi’s opponent will be named shortly.

Tickets are now on sale for $100 (VIP); $60 (Ringside) and $45 (General Admission) and can be purchased at the Harrahs Chester Gift Shop; By calling Joey Eye (267-304-9399); David Feldman (610-291-0806); 800-480-8020 or on www.webtix.net

BRONX, NEW YORK (August 8, 2011)—Fisticuffs promotions announced the signing of Jr. Welterweight contender Edgar “El Chamaco” Santana to a promotional contract.

Santana of Bronx, New York has a record of 25-3 with sixteen knockouts and has won four straight which is over a four year span.

Santana, thirty-two years old, turned pro in 1999 and went on to win twenty-one of his first twenty three bouts which included big victories over Francisco Campos (20-5-1); Meacher Major (12-2-1); Dairo Esales (30-6); Mike Gonzalez (10-2-1) and a career best victory over Josesito Lopez (22-2) in a bout that headlined a SHO BOX card on April 11, 2008.

Santana took a three year hiatus due to legal problems and with those out of the way, Santana is right back on the track to capturing a world title.

Santana returned to the ring with an explosive second round knockout over Robert Jones on May 5, 2011.

That win was especially impressive considering Jones was never stopped in his seventeen bouts.

Santana is one of the most popular ticket sellers in the competitive New York market and he owns and operates a popular Barber Shop in his native Spanish Harlem.

“Edgar Santana has always been one of the best prospects on the East Coast and I am happy we were able to work out a deal”, said Dave Escalet of Fisticuffs Promotions.

“Despite having that layoff, we feel that he is only a couple fights away from a significant fight that will put him in position for a world title. He showed in his last fight that he is a force to be reckoned with and we plan to make those important fights happen for him”

Santana will be fighting for NABA Jr. Welterweight title on August 19th at Dover Downs in Dover, Delaware.

“The NABA title will get him in the rankings and he will be right there knocking on the door after he wins the fight”, continued Escalet.

“I am happy to make a deal with Fisticuffs”, said Santana’s manager Brian Cohen.

“We already have this big fight lined up so it’s only a matter of staying busy and Edgar will be fighting for the title”

PHILADELPHIA (August 7, 2011)—Joey Eye Boxing Promotions is sad to report that passing of longtime boxing judge and former professional Welterweight Bobby Grasso who passed away on Saturday night at the age of sixty-five after a bout with cancer.

Grasso was a boxer from 1969-1973 and compiled a record of 3-3 and later became a respected boxing judge for more than two decades.

Grasso judged some of the biggest bouts on the East Coast, mainly in Philadelphia and New Jersey.

He was a captain in the Philadelphia Sheriff’s Department.

There will be a viewing at The Baldi Funeral Home (1327 South Broad Street) on Wednesday between 7pm and 9pm with a mass on Thursday at the St. Monica’s Church at 17th and Ritner

“Bobby was a very nice man and a good judge”, said Joey “Eye” Intrieri.

“He always had time for everyone and we will surely miss him around ringside and I just want to send condolences out to his family”

PHILADELPHIA—Rashad Evans came back after nearly a year and a half layoff to write a bad chapter in the Cinderella Story of Tito Ortiz as Evans scored a punishing second round stoppage of their emotional Light Heavyweight bout at the Wells Fargo Center.

The crowd was in frenzy as it was a Pro-Ortiz audience and they tried to urge their man on.

There was not much action in the first moments but Evans took control in the latter stages of the round as he had Ortiz in a dominant position while landing some good punches.

The second and deciding frame had as much ebb and flow as a round could have as Evans back slammed Ortiz hard to the mat. Ortiz showed his fighting spirited and excited the crowd as for a brief moment he applied a Guillotine choke for which Evans was able to slide out of.

That may have deflated Ortiz as Evans got on the offensive and pounded a prone Ortiz before the fight was stopped.

Evans, 204.4 lbs of Boca Raton, FL will now look for the winner of Jon Jones and “Rampage” Jackson for Light Heavyweight supremacy with a record of 21-1-1. Ortiz, 205.8 lbs of Huntington Beach, CA took the fight on just two and a half weeks notice and is now 17-9-1.

RASHAD EVANS
“Speed kills and I feel that tonight I was fast. Tito was a couple of steps behind. I had to keep the pressure on because Tito is strong. I didn’t feel in any danger with the choke, I felt like it was a wrestling position where I put my head to the ground and my shoulder to him so there wasn’t too much he could do with that. This victory is sweet, after 14 months off I feel stronger than ever.”

TITO ORTIZ
“Rashad was the better man tonight. I take my hat off to him. I fought my ass off tonight and I will be back. I took this fight on short notice and gave it my all. I stepped up for Dana, Lorenzo and the UFC.”

In the Middleweight co-feature, Vitor Belfort thrilled a partisan crowd by stopping Yoshihiro Akiyama in round one.

After a cautious first moment of the bout, Belfort landed a hard combination that got Akiyama to the ground. Belfort followed up by pounding the head of Akiyama and the fight was stopped.

Belfort, 185.4 lbs of Las Vegas, NV showed no affects of his title losing knockout loss to Anderson Silva and will look for another title shot at 20-9. Akiyama, 184.6 lbs of Osaka, JAP is now 13-4.

VITOR BELFORT
“I feel great. God gave me the strength to move forward and I thank Him for that. I have the courage it takes to be one of the best. I feel strong, fit, powerful and fast.”

Brian Ebersole took out Denis Hallman in round of their welterweight battle of MMA veterans.
The match took a backseat to Hallman’s tight trunks, which Dana White later described as tighter than Speedos.

That did not seem to distract Ebersole as escaped off his back to turn the tables and begin to land hard punches and elbows on Hallman. A thudding elbow across the head was the nail in the coffin as it sent Hallman out and the bout was stopped at 4:28 of round one.

Ebersole, 170.6 lbs of Melbourne, AUS is now 48-14-1-1. Hallman, 170.8 lbs of Yelm, WA is now 66-14-2.

BRIAN EBERSOLE
“The feeling is bitter sweet, the fight didn’t start the way I wanted it to start. I thought I would have had to wear him down much more but luckily for me he had an open guard which let me get in there. I’m ecstatic about my two straight victories. I want to fight the veterans now, the ones that I came up watching.”

DENNIS HALLMAN
“I feel the fight was stopped too soon, but Brian had some good blows. Overall it was a fair fight.”

Constantinos Philippou scored a three round split decision over Jorge Rivera in a Middleweight bout.
It was a close fight with both guys having their moments.

Scores were 29-28 for Philippou in two cards and Rivera took a card at 29-28.

Phililppou, 185.2 lbs of Long Island, NY is now 8-2. Rivera, 186.4 lbs of Milford, MA is 18-9

CONSTANTINOS PHILIPPOU
“I am very happy with winning my first UFC fight, but it wasn’t the way I wanted to win it. I wanted to show off my boxing skills and instead I was wrestling and using my jiu jitsu skills. But I will learn from my mistakes and come back stronger and fitter.”

JORGE RIVERA
“I wish I had finished the fight. I think that when the decision is left to the judges, you get what you deserve, and tonight I didn’t deserve to win.”

Superstar in the making Rory McDonald scored an impressive first round stoppage over Mike Pyle in a Welterweight bout.

McDonald had Pyle on his back and began to reign elbows and punches and the fight was stopped at 3:54 of round one.

McDonald, 170.5 lbs of Montreal is now 12-1. Pyle, 170.8 lbs of Las Vegas is now 21-8-1.

RORY MACDONALD
“I went in really confident, and I have a lot more to show. I’m constantly improving and stepping up the ladder which is what I want to be doing. Everything went my way tonight, I wanted a clear shot and I knew from looking in his eyes that the fight was over.”

MIKE PYLE
“I’ll do better next time”.

Alexander Gustafsson pounded Matt Hamill in round two of their three round Light Heavyweight bout.
After Hamill took round one, Gutafsson pounded Hamill on the ground until the ref stopped the bout at 3:34 of round two.

Gustafsson of Gothenburg, Sweden is now 12-1. Hamill of Utica, NY is 11-4.

ALEXANDER GUSTAFSSON
“This was by far the biggest fight of my career. It was unbelievable. I think that I was too defensive in the first round, but the second round I felt great. I want a career out of this, I want to fight the best guys in the world.”

MATT HAMILL
“I was eager going into the Octagon, but I was also fatigued. I had little time to prepare for the fight, and you could see my fatigue as my arms were down from the start of the fight. Alexander is a dangerous striker, and it was dangerous for me to have my arms down. I’ll be back tougher than ever though.”

Chad Mendes remained perfect with a three round unanimous decision over Rani Yahya in a Featherweight bout.

Scores were 30-27 across the board for Mendes of Sacramento, CA and is now 11-0. Yahya of Brasilla. Brazil is now 16-7.

CHAD MENDES
“Of course we all look for a finish, but overall I am happy with the fight and I felt good. When I took him down the first time I wanted to see what he felt like. Hes a tough guy and I knew he would be strong. I was trying to elbow him and follow through with some quick pop-shots as much as possible.”

RANI YAHYA
“Chad is strong and Chad is good. He is really good at what he does. He kicked me a few times and I felt them for sure, and he has great take downs.”

Ivan Menjivar scored a three round unanimous decision over Nick Pace in a Bantamweight bout.

Scores were 29-28 on all cards for Menjivar of Montreal and is now 23-8. Pace of Staten Island, NY is 6-2

IVAN MENJIVAR
“I happy with the win, he took me down so it was a very close fight. I think I punched him more than he did so I was more in control, but he hit me hard twice and that made my legs shake.”

NICK PACE
“I hate losing more then I like winning, and I want to be the champion. It was very unlucky, but that’s MMA and that’s life, its not always fair.”

Johny Hendricks scored a three round split decision over Mike Pierce in a Welterweight bout.

Scores were 29-28 on two cards for Hendricks and Pierce took a card at 29-28.

Hendricks of Dallas, TX is now 11-1. Pierce of Vancouver, WA is 12-4.

JOHNY HENDRICKS
“It was a very tough fight. Its always hard with other wrestlers, and he changed levels often making it even harder. I feel that the take downs were even, in fact, I don’t think he took me down at all. I feel awesome, my ground game is good, my knees are great and I am really happy with my improvement.”

MIKE PIERCE
“I’m obviously dissapointed. I had a really good camp, went through really good training and I feel dissapointed after all the hard work I put in. It was a fair fight, both of us were trying to finish what we started, and unfortunately it went the way it did.”

On the strength of a dominant first round, former WEC champion Mike Brown scored a three round unanimous decision over Nam Phan in A Featherweight bout.

Brown pounded Phan on the ground for the majority of the opening frame.

Scores were 29-27; 29-28 and 29-28 for Brown, 146 lbs of Coconut Creek, FL and is now 25-8. Phan, 145 lbs of Orange County, CA is 16-10.

MIKE BROWN
“At the beginning my back was haunting me so that’s why I was a little conservative, but I’m glad I got the job done. There was a lot of repetitive trauma there for over four minutes so even though I didn’t knock him out, I know that I was breaking him down. It wasn’t the most perfect fight, but I’m happy I got the victory.”

NAM PHAN
“It was a really tough bout so I did what I could do. Unfortunately it wasn’t enough, but I believe it was as fair as it could be”.

In the opening bout of the evening, Rafael Natal scored a three round unanimous decision over Paul Bradley in a Middleweight bout.

Scores were 30-27; 29-28 and 29-28 for Natal.

Natal, 185.4 lbs of New York is now 13-3-1. Bradley, 185.2 lbs of Minneapolis, MN is now 18-3-0-1

RAFAEL NATAL
“I am really, really happy about this fight! I feel like I needed it, I worked really hard for it. It was a tough fight and I’m glad I came through winning. Thank you God and thank you UFC.”

PAUL BRADLEY
“I feel like it was my fault, I could have taken him down in the second round. I didn’t, so it’s my fault. It was a close fight, and I am disappointed by the result. Like Dana always says, never leave it to the judges.”

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA (August 4, 2011)—World Ranked Cruiserweight, BJ Flores wants to make a statement and he has pinpointed the man that will not only make a fan friendly fight with, but be a fight of importance.

Fresh off his 5th round TKO victory of highly rated Nick Iannuzz on July 23rd, Flores wants world rated and undefeated cruiserweight Lateef Kayode next. Flores has a date in Springfield, Missouri in October and is more than willing to bring in the highly rated rugged Nigerian as his next opponent.

Flores is 25-1 with sixteen knockouts.

Kayode, 17-0 with fourteen knockouts is ranked Number one by the WBA; Number three by the WBO; number four the WBC; and Number five by the IBF.

“I wanted Kaydoe after the fight he had with Iannuzzi. For whatever reason, they went in another direction. Now I have another date in Springfield, Missouri at the end of October and Lateef is on the top of my list! I contacted his promoter today and still waiting for a response. I want to clear up any confusion about who the top US cruiserweight contender is. This is a new phase in my career”, said Flores

“We had a wonderful turnout at the O’Rielly Center and had over 2100 people at the event! The guys at the O’Rielly are very excited to do another show as are we! I will be fighting here every 3 months until I get a shot at a title! If Lateef Kayode will take the fight then he will be the next victim. If not that, I will fight another highly rated US contender.”

“Kayode is rated higher than me and I’m willing to prove in the ring that I can beat him. It’s nothing personal but he has something I want and that’s a number-one ranking by the WBA and top five rating by all three other sanctioning bodies. He stands in my way of returning to a title fight and I want to set the record straight that I will fight any cruiserweight that is in my way of a title shot”!

VIDEO LINK TO HIGHLIGHTS OF FLORES KO OVER IANNUZZI

Middleweight Contender Yoshihiro Akiyama works out before his UFC 133 showdown with Vitor Belfort

Middleweight Yoshihiro Akiyama talks to the media about his UFC 133 showdown with Vitor Belfort

Middleweight contender Vitor Belfort talks to the media about his showdown Yoshihiro Akiyama at UFC 133

World Light Heavyweight champion Bernard Hopkins works out as he begins camp for his October 15 showdown with Chad Dawson

Light Heavyweight contender Vitor Belfort works out in Philadelphia before his UFC 133 showdown with Yoshhiro Akiyama

UFC Legend Tito Ortiz works out in Philadelphia in advance of his UFC 133 bout with Rashad Evans

UFC Legend Tito Ortiz talks about his UFC 133 battle with Rashad Evans on August 6th in Philadelphia

UFC Middleweight contender Jorge Rivera works out before his UFC 133 fight with Constantious Philippou

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ (August 2, 2011)—Undefeated Welterweight prospect, Thomas “Cornflake” LaManna has signed an endorsement contract with MHP (Maximum Human Performance)

MHP is a supplement company that helps athletes build their bodies with different products such as Fat Burners, Creatine, Amino Acids and Multi Vitamins.

“I can already see changes in my body”, said LaManna

LaManna has a record of 4-0 with three knockouts will be making his next ring appearance on Wednesday September 14th at The Robert Treat Hotel in Newark, New Jersey.

LaManna has been taking Probolic-SR & Isofast 50 for Protein and a multi vitamin called Activate Sport

“Because of the changes and signing with this company, you will see a different “Cornflake” on September 14th.”

MHP is the creation of former top-level bodybuilder Gerard Dente. When he was competing, Gerard constantly researched the best training techniques, diet strategies and other performance enhancement methods needed to gain a competitive edge. Yet it was his genius with supplementation that fueled him to be one of the biggest and strongest competitors of his day. In fact, Gerard was using ingredients like high doses of leucine, KIC, tribulus and arginine long before they became popular. He was convinced that athletes deserved better and decided to take some action by founding MHP.

Since its inception, MHP’s corporate mission has been to develop premier science-based, research-driven sports supplements to help athletes achieve their greatest physical potential. Over the years, MHP has introduced many innovations and breakthroughs in sports nutrition. For instance, MHP was the first company to introduce arginine for nitric oxide production to the bodybuilding world way back in early 1999 (via ADNO – arginine derived nitric oxide), when the company launched the creatine/NO product TRAC. In addition, the patented 12-hour sustained release protein formula in Probolic-SR has been an unmatched industry standard since it was released in 2004. MHP was the first company to introduce the incredible blood-boosting power of EPO in 2008 with Dark Rage. And with new highly advanced GlycoCarn/KNO3 Nitrite-NO Technology now available in NO-BOMB, MHP continues to provide new and exclusive innovations in performance enhancing supplementation.

Because of its dedicated research and development, innovative formulations, clinically researched ingredients and cutting edge products, MHP has become the most trusted brand and industry leader among world-class athletes, pro bodybuilders, powerlifters, strongmen and fitness enthusiasts alike. The numerous world records that MHP athletes hold in powerlifting and strongman, plus the many top titles in bodybuilding, fitness and figure, signify how much our supplements are capable of helping athletes achieve. In addition, countless top lifting coaches and trainers also use and recommend MHP products.

“All of the elite athletes I work with use nutritional supplements,” says Joe Carini, a former powerlifting champion who trains many top NFL stars and strongmen at Carini’s House of Iron. “Because of my years of experience as a competitive powerlifter and supplement user, I recommend only MHP products to my athletes.”

MHP products are used by the world’s elite athletes. Find out how they can help you and learn what MHP is all about. Feel free to call us toll-free at 1-888-783-8844

CHESTER, PA (August 1, 2011)—Joey Eye Boxing Promotions is proud to announce the signing of Lightweight Victor Vasquez and Light Heavyweight Tony Ferrante to exclusive promotional contracts.

The duo will be competing at ROUND 4 which will take place on Friday night August 12th at Harrah’s in Chester, PA with Vasquez participating in the eight round main event and Ferrante seeing action in the six round co-feature.

“I am very happy to have Victor and Tony be the first two signees to the company”, said promoter Joey “Eye” Intrieri

“When my partner David Feldman and I started the series at Harrahs we envisioned fan friendly fights that involved the most popular local fighters. Victor and Tony have the two biggest fan bases in the city. Combine that with the way they fight, fans go home knowing that got their monies worth every time they fight so for us it was a natural for all of us to come together on this agreement”

“David and myself look forward to talking to more of the great talent in the area to continue to build the brand that we have started at Harrah’s over the first three shows and August 12 will just be the next memorable night “

Vasquez of Philadelphia has built up one of the biggest fan bases in Philadelphia due to his exciting style which always has him in the fight of the night whenever he steps into the ring.

Vasquez twenty-eight years old has a record of 13-5-1 with seven knockouts and has been in some memorable fights in his young career.

In his last bout, Vasquez was impressive in disposing of Gustavo Dailey (4-11) in round four to headline ROUND 3 at Harrahs in Chester on June 3rd.

Vasquez waged a terrific back and forth war with Osnel Charles before dropping a six round majority decision as part as ROUND 1 at Harrah’s in Chester.

He holds victories over undefeated Thomas McCuiston (1-0); Tyric Robinson (9-4-1) as well as an exciting six round split decision over Bryne Green (5-3) on October 8th in Philadelphia.

Vazquez will take on Angel Rios in the eight round main event.

Rios of the Bronx, New York has an impressive mark of 9-5 with six knockouts is coming off a six round unanimous decision defeat to Stephen Owusu on July 7th in The Bronx. That was his first fight after an eight year layoff.

He turned pro 1999 and has been in the ring with former world champions Nate Campbell and Mike Anchondo.

“I am very happy that someone will look out for me and keep me busy”, said Vasquez.

“I trust Joey Eye and its Good to be with someone who I grew up in the business with”

Ferrante, 27 years old, has a record of 11-2 with six knockouts, won his first nine bouts which included wins over Anthony Pietrantonio (6-1) and he won the WBF United States title with a eight round majority decision over Billy Bailey.

Ferrante lost that title when he dropped a ten round unanimous decision to Chuck Mussachio (15-1-2).

Ferrante will be looking to make it three in a row after disposing of Joe Park as part of ROUND 3 at Harrah’s in Chester in the fourth round on June 3rd.

In his last bout, Ferrante stopped grizzled veteran Andre Hemphill in seven rounds on July 15th.

Ferrante will take on William Prieto of Lorain, Ohio in a six round bout.

Prieto has a record of 5-5-1 with two knockouts which is impressive considering the top opposition he has fought.

He has been in the ring with six undefeated fights plus other fighters with gaudy records.

He holds wins over then undefeated Jesse Blount (2-0); Nate Adams (2-0) and Eric Jarvis (2-0).

He has also been in the ring with world ranked Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin (5-0); Durrell Richardson (8-0); Issac Rodrigues (9-0).

He is looking to get back in the win column after dropping his last two to Aaron Pryor Jr. (11-1) and his last bout to Harry Coyle (13-2) on April 9th.

“Joey is a good guy and I know by signing with him, he will keep me busy. I have known him a long time so we know we have each other’s back”, Said Ferrante

In a six round Lightweight bout, Angel Ocasio will see action against an opponent to be named.

Ocasio has a perfect mark of 5-0 with one knockout and is coming off a four round unanimous decision over Randolph Scott on June 3rd as part of ROUND 3 at Harrahs in Chester.

Former world amateur champion, Joey Dawejko will be back in action as he takes on an opponent to be announced in a four round Heavyweight bout.

Dawejko of Philadelphia has a record of 4-0 with one knockout.

The twenty-one year old is coming off a four round unanimous decision over Taffo Asongwed as part of ROUND 1 at Harrahs in Chester that took place on January 22nd.

Popular Lightweight Joey Tiberi will be back in action in a four round bout.

Tiberi has competed on the previous three boxing events as Harrahs in Chester has a record of 5-1 with four knockouts.

He is coming off a first round knockout over Nicholas Morris on June 25th in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

The card will be rounded out by returning Light Heavyweight Dominic Tiberi (0-1) of Middletown, Delaware.

Tiberi will participate in a Light Heavyweight bout, which will be his first appearance since 2007.

Tickets are now on sale for $100 (VIP); $60 (Ringside) and $45 (General Admission) and can be purchased at the Harrahs Chester Gift Shop; By calling Joey Eye (267-304-9399); David Feldman (610-291-0806); 800-480-8020 or on www.webtix.net

Dan Henderson may have put the final nail in the legendary career of Fedor Emelianenko as Henderson stopped the Russian legend in the first round of a scheduled three Heavyweight clash at the Sears Center Arena just outside Chicago.

The two came out winging wild shots that had the crowd on their feet. Emelianenko started to bleed from around the right eye. The traded dominant positions until Emelianenko drilled Henderson with a punch that sent Henderson to the ground. Somehow Henderson slithered behind Emelianenko and landed a vicious uppercut that snapped the head of Emelianenko up and plummeted him to the mat where he ate three more shots before referee Herb Dean stopped the bout at 4:12 of round one.

Henderson, 207 lbs of Temecula, CA is now 28-8 with thirteen knockouts. Emelianenko, 223 lbs of Belgorod, RUS lost his third straight and is now 31-4-1.

Miesha Tate won the Strikeforce Woman’s Bantamweight championship with a fourth round chokeout over reigning champion Marloes Coenen.

Tate had good round’s one and three while Coenen was dominant in the second. Tate was on top of Coenen when she locked in the choke hold for which Coenen tappped out at 3:03 round four

Tate, 135 lbs of Sacramento, CA is now 12-2 with five submissions. Coenen, 135 lbs of Amsterdam, NTH is now 19-5.

Tim Kennedy scored a three round unanimous decision over over Robbie Lawler in a Middleweight bout.

Kennedy, 185 lbs of Austin, TX won by scores of 30-27 on all cards to raise his mark to 14-3. Lawler, 185 lbs of Gilbert, AZ is now 18-8-1

Tyron Woodley remained undefeated with a three round Unanimous decision over Paul Daley in a Welterweight bout.

Woodley, 171 lbs of Coconut Creek, FL won by scores of 29-28 on all cards and is now 9-0. Daley, 170 lbs of Nottingham, ENG is now 27-11-2.

Tarec Saffidine bloodied and battered Scott Smith over three rounds and scored a unanimous decision in a Welterweight bout.

Smith was bloodies from over his left eye in round one and his nose in round two as he took some hard punches and kicks and was never in the fight.

Saffidine, 171 lbs of Temecula, CA won by scores of 30-26; 30-27 and 30-27 and is now 11-3. Smith, 171 lbs of Elk Creek, CA is now 18-9-1

Jr. Welterweight Mike Alvarado remained perfect by scoring a ten round unanimous decision over Gabriel Martinez at a Softball Park in Alvarado’s hometown of Denver.

Alvarado was dominant as he controlled the bout by boxing well and mixing in a good aggressive game plan. Alvarado scored a flash knockdown in round one.

Alvarado was never challenged in the bout that saw Martinez go down several times which were ruled slips.

Alvarado, 140 lbs of Denver, CO won by scores of 99-90; 100-89 and 100-90 and will now look for a big fight with a record of 31-0. Martinez, 140 lbs of Sinora, MX is now 27-3-1-1.

Roberto Marroquin scored two knockdowns en route to an eight round unanimous decision over veteran Jose Beranza in a Super Bantamweight fight.

Marroquin sent Beranza down in round three and again in round six from a perfect uppercut. Marroquin controlled the action with his combinations and hand speed but did get hit a few times as evidenced by the mouse that formed under his right eye.

Marroquin, 123 lbs of Dallas, TX win by scores of 78-71; 78-71 and 79-70 to raise his record to 19-1. Berazna, 123 lbs of Mexico is now 33-21-2

Sammy Martinez spoiled the pro debut of Martin Quezada by scoring a second round stoppage in a scheduled four round Lightweight bout.

Martinez was relentless in his assault by dropping Quezada twice in the second round with the finishing blow being a hard left hand that dropped Quezada to his knees and the fight was stopped immediately at 2:33 of round two

Martinez, 134 lbs is now 4-0 with three knockouts. Quezada, 133 lbs of Denver is now 0-1

Photo by Chris Farina / Top Rank