Josh Burkman continues his win streak with an impressive win over former UFC contender Jon Fitch.

Classic PRIDE matchup from 2005: Shogun Rua vs. Rampage Jackson. At the time, Rampage was the established PRIDE vet, with wins over Kevin Randleman, Chuck Liddell and the famous Ricardo Arona slam win. Rampage was also coming off a win over Shogun’s brother, Murilo “Ninja” Rua.

Shogun had been wrecking fighters in his first four PRIDE fights, registering four first-round KOs.

by Matt Lo Cascio

Carson Beebe will take a huge step in his pro career when he takes on the undefeated Joe Murphy Friday night at World Series of Fighting 3 in Las Vegas. Beebe signed a four-fight deal with the organization earlier this year.

“It’s a huge honor to fight for WSOF,” Beebe told Chicago’s MMA. “They are one of the biggest organizations in the world and are well-known for how well they treat their fighters. I’m very blessed to have this opportunity!”

Beebe (13-2) is coming off a rare loss, having dropped a decision to Rolando Velasco at Tachi Palace Fights last November. He started his pro career with a six-fight win streak before suffering his first defeat. He shook that off to rattle off seven more straight wins before the setback in November. Beebe was also one of 32 fighters selected for the cast for the UFC’s “The Ultimate Fighter: Bisping vs. Miller” back in 2011.

Beebe accomplished all of this by age 24. Now he’ll fight Murphy on the preliminary card of WSOF 3, with the main card airing nationally on the NBC Sports Network.

“Murphy is a tough guy, I’m sure. He is undefeated, but he won’t be the first undefeated guy I beat, God willing,” Beebe said.

Murphy may be undefeated at 7-0, but the combined records of his last four opponents is just 28-38 and only one of those fighters had a winning record.

Murphy will have to deal with a long layoff between fights. He was supposed to battle Brian Davidson last August at Titan FC 24, but that bout was canceled. His last appearance came in April, 2012, when he submitted Tyler Weathers at Fight Club OC. Beebe has fought four times since Murphy’s last bout.

Still, Murphy is a BJJ specialist and Beebe has suffered two defeats via submission. UFC fighter Johnny Bedford used a neck crank to eliminate Beebe from “The Ultimate Fighter” in the entry round of the show, and Giovanni Moljo of Team Top Notch was able to make Beebe tap from a triangle choke at Chicago Cagefighting Championship in 2011.

Having signed a multi-fight deal with WSOF, it’s possible that in the near future Beebe could find himself in the cage against a face that is very familiar to fight fans, especially those in the Chicago area: Miguel Torres.

Torres took the WEC bantamweight title from Beebe’s older brother Chase at WEC 32 (photo), and Carson would love a matchup against Torres in the WSOF.

“I could definitely see myself fighting Miguel Torres. It would be great to avenge my brother’s loss!”

Jen Wenk, publicist for the Blackzilians, confirmed that Torres also signed a multi-fight contract with WSOF, so it’s a fight that could happen in the future, one that would be a lot of fun for Chicago fight fans.

We should point out that Beebe is in no way looking past Murphy, and that we brought up the possibility of a Torres fight to him. He knows he’s coming off a loss and making his debut for the biggest organization he’s ever fought for, a debut that could be seen on TVs across the country. He’s solely focused on Joe Murphy and starting another win streak.

Beebe vs. Murphy could be seen on the NBC Sports Network depending on time considerations. Beebe’s fight, as well as the rest of the preliminary card, can be seen live and free on MMAjunkie.com, beginning at 7:30pm CT.

FrogFuel is an advanced formulation protein that will help take your workouts to the next level. You can win some Frog Fuel samples by taking the quiz below and telling us about your results in the comments section. Takes less than two minutes.

Angelo Rivera catches his breath after his five-round title fight at Praetorian MMA.

by Matt Lo Cascio

How appropriate that on Memorial Day weekend, two Patriot Boxing fighters and a young man headed off to the Marine Corps dominated their fights and won titles Saturday night at the first-ever Praetorian MMA show.

In the main event, Team Top Notch fighter Ray Bunker took Omar Jasso down at will and used vicious ground and pound over five rounds to win the Praetorian featherweight title. The former Fenton High School wrestler did a lot of damage from inside Jasso’s guard, shaking off submission attempts and landing big shots to both the body and the head. Jasso did rally late in round 5, and bloodied Bunker’s nose with a well-placed up kick, but all three judges scored it 50-45 in favor of Bunker.

Bunker said in his post-fight interview that he recently joined the Marine Corps and he told Chicago’s MMA that he leaves for Camp Pendleton and basic training early in August.

Patriot Boxing took home two championship belts and had an entire section filled with fans to support their fighters. Both Manny Vazquez and John Marino came out to huge roars and neither disappointed in their performances.

In the bantamweight title fight, Vazquez fought through an early submission attempt from opponent Thaddeus Nestor, got to full mount and pounded on Nestor until referee Rob Madrigal stepped in to end it at 2:05 of the first round. Vazquez remains undefeated at 4-0.

John Marino put on a wrestling clinic against Lydell Miller in the Praetorian lightweight title fight. Marino wasted no time in landing a double-leg takedown and putting Miller on his back. Miller showed plenty of heart, but Marino was relentless in his wrestling and Miller had no answer for it. The end came at 2:13 of the third round when Marino finished Miller with a barrage of strikes from the mount. Like Vazquez, Marino remains unbeaten at 4-0.

Combat Do’s Angelo Rivera Jr. and CounterStrike MMA’s Andrew Potapenko put on a fight that was pay-per-view worthy in the welterweight title bout.

Both fighters landed significant strikes in round one, and Rivera scored a huge slam at the end of the round. He walked back to his corner with a mouse under his eye, but it did not bother him nor become a factor in the later rounds.

In round three, Rivera attempted a spinning back kick that was not received well by one of his coaches. “F— those high kicks!”, was shouted from the corner, and Rivera responded but pummeling in on Potapenko and using a slick trip to get him to the ground.

Potapenko turned the tide in round four by working in the clinch and punishing Rivera’s midsection with a number of knees. But after an action-packed fifth round, the judges scored it unanimously for Rivera, who wins the first Praetorian welterweight title.

“I guess I had a little more in the tank,” Rivera told Ray Flores in the cage after the decision. “And my wrestling. Shout out to Combat Do. We are 18-0 this year. I don’t think any other gym can say that.”

Combat Do’s Bob Schirmer told us that nine of those 18 win have come in title fights.

In tournament qualifier bouts, CounterStrike MMA’s Kurt “The Vanilla Gorilla” Kurt showed tremendous poise in the cage in his fight with Levi Atkins. He displayed excellent Muay Thai and counter-striking (no pun intended) in securing a TKO victory in the second round. He definitely looks like a prospect to watch in the near future.

Kevin “Scrappy” Schmidt had the submission of the night when he fought through a gruesome looking shoulder lock, escaped and and quickly sunk in an ankle lock that made Austin Lizot tap almost instantly. Lizot was able to gingerly make his way out of the cage.

Other Results:
Kody Kilgore vs. Jeremy Redler (135)
Kilgore def. Redler :32 of rd.2 tap-guillotine

Andrew May (0-0) vs. Steve Gross (0-0)
Gross def. May 1:44, rd. 1 shoulder lock

Mason Crawford (0-0) vs. Ruben Hernandez (Sharp Martial Arts) (0-0)
Hernandez def. Crawford :48 of rd. 2, guillotine

Angel Carillo (Mota Martial Arts) vs. Anthony Cox
UD Carillo

Ron Gray vs Joe Gross
1:30 rd. 1, TKO-strikes Gray.

Richard Wittman vs. Nick Olson
2:16 of rd. 1, Olson def. Wittman, ref stoppage, strikes.

Dan Almario vs. Max O’ Neill
29-28, O’Neill, 29-28 Almario, 29-28 Almario

Kyle “Vanilla Gorilla” Kurt (CounterStrike) vs. Levi Atkins 2:07, rd. 2 ref stoppage due to strikes

Oscar Oscar vs. Nikita Savrov
Oscar def. Savrov, TKO-strikes, 2:07, rd. 1

Kevin “Scrappy” Schmidt vs. Austin Lizot: Schmidt def. Lizot, 1:20 rd. 1, ankle lock

by Mike Finch

Fight Card Entertainment turned the volume up at Joe’s Bar Wednesday night with “Massacre 2013”. The main event featured a rematch for the middleweight title as Mitch Nix and Dinisio Gilbert trekked through five rounds of high-paced action.

In the rematch between Nix and Gilbert, both fighters came in shape and ready to take home the title. Nix landed big slam takedowns in rounds one, two, and three, turning the rounds to his favor.

In the fourth round Gilbert got his striking going at full speed, stunning a slowing Nix and trying to finish in every combination. Gilbert won the round, but that would be his last success. Though tired, Nix pushed on and held Gilbert’s striking off enough to land another big slam and finish the round on top pounding away. Nix went on to win the fight in a clear decision, and Gilbert joined him in winning fight of the night by a long shot.

Nix praised Gilbert’s heart and determination. “Props to Gil,” Nix said. “He showed what he was made of a lot more than the first time around…that was fun.”

Early in the night Evan Wright out-paced a very game Jeremy Higgins to a decision. Hailing from Washington D.C., after the fight he announced trips to travel again and fight in New Mexico and Italy.

Nam Ho showed power in his big strikes and bombing leg kicks, overwhelming a very technical opponent in Tony Richards. Though he clearly won rounds one and three, the fight was ruled a split decision – the first of two odd judges’ calls that night.

Sam Ferguson pulled away in his hard earned win over Rob Duczynski. Soon after, hulking MMA fighter Daniel James showed composure and technique in his Muay Thai decision win. James was then followed by a high-paced and well-supported Alberto Rodriguez, who used his Jiu-Jitsu to please the astounding amount of ticket holders who were there to cheer him on.

The high-level amateur action was topped, however, in every aspect by the main event of the evening between Nix and Gilbert.

The card featured just nine fights, but fans packed the building as FCE showcased some high-level amateur action. Perhaps it seemed intense because I was sitting three feet in front of the speakers, but FCE managed to keep the crowd entertained through four Muay Thai bouts and five MMA fights.

Not one fight was a mismatch, and not one fighter came into the cage without being in shape and ready to make it a battle. Half of the fights went to a decision, which in amateur MMA is more a sign of good competition than lack of action or desire.

FCE MASSACRE 2013 RESULTS

Christian Lucero (Kaotic Punishment) vs. Carlos Hernandez (Combat Do)
Hernandez defeated Lucero by submission (RNC) at 1:50 of Round 1
(MT) Jeremy Higgins (Robby Cole Muay Thai) vs. Evan Wright (Carlson Gracie)
Wright defeated Higgins by Unanimous Decision
Rob Podinski (Predator Muay Thai) vs. Eder Brito (Victory Martial Arts)
Podinski defeated Brito by submission (RNC) at 1:30 of Round 2
(MT) Tony Richards (Evanston Boxing Club) vs. Nam Ho (Robby Cole Muay Thai)
Ho defeated Richards by Split Decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)
Stephen Lee (Keller’s Martial Arts) vs. James Waller (Chicago Muay Thai)
Waller defeated Lee by TKO in 1:34 or Round 1
(MT) Sam Ferguson (Carlson Gracie) vs. Rob Duczynski (Robby Cole Muay Thai)
Ferguson defeated Duczynski by Split Decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)
(MT) Rick Thurmand (Keller’s Martial Arts) vs. Daniel James (Combat Do)
James defeated Thurmand by Unanimous Decision
Earnest Downing vs. Albert Rodriguez (Rio Jiu Jitsu)
Rodriguez defeated Downing by submission in 2:09 of Round 1 via a RNC.
(Title) Mitch Nix (Valko Jiu Jitsu/Team Toro) vs. Dinisio Gilbert (No Comment)
Nix defeated Gilbert by Unanimous Decision

Video of MTC’s Fallon Fox vs. Alanna Jones in their CFA 11, featherweight tournament semifinal, courtesy of AXStv.

Click here for a complete recap of the Fallon Fox vs. Alanna Jones fight.

by Matt Lo Cascio

After a training camp that must have seemed like an eternity, Midwest Training Center’s Fallon Fox probably expected the furor over her transgender status to be over as she warmed up for her CFA featherweight tournament semifinal fight. But as she waited for her introduction to the cage, there was one final reminder of the frenzy it created as opponent Alanna Jones walked out to Aerosmith’s “Dude Looks Like a Lady” in a blatant display of disrespect.

Fox would have to earn her respect in the cage, and she did just that.

Fox caught a Jones kick with about 3:35 left in the final round, turned it into a double-leg and took Jones down. Fox then went to work from inside Jones’ guard, landing some elbows and punches that scored but didn’t do major damage.

With just less than two minutes left, Jones went for an armbar that didn’t catch and Fox moved into side position. From there she got to north-south, wrapped her left arm around Jones’ neck and placed her left knee on her throat. It was enough to make Jones tap.

Fox improved to 3-0 and moves on to face Ashlee Evans-Smith in the CFA featherweight tournament final.

“It’s just like kind of a knee-ride choke that I picked up, it works pretty well, chokes ‘em out pretty good,” Fox told Pat Miletich in the post-fight interview.

Fox told Miletich she was “quite sure” Jones was tougher than she looked on film, but was still able to finish the fight. “I noticed (Jones) just tried to get away from me a lot, so it was hard trying to catch up with her, but I did in the end so that was pretty awesome,”  Fox said.

Fox got to work right away, repeatedly landing outside leg kicks in the first minute of round one. After controlling the pace for most of the first round, Fox landed a forearm strike that sent Jones to the ground. Fox took top position, but got up to escape an armbar attempt. She moved back to the center of the cage and took Jones down and into a shoulder lock, but Jones was able to get out of it and back to her feet. Fox seemed gassed for the remainder of the round, but it was clear that she had done enough to win it.

Round two began with Fox going right back to the outside leg kicks, continuing to work on Jones’ lead leg. But Fox did not display the trademark burst and energy that was seen here in her local fights.

Fox caught another of Jones’ fingers in her eye at the 3:35 mark of round two. Jones offered her gloves up in apology, but Fox landed a hard, straight right instead of tapping gloves. Michael Schiavello and Pat Miletich thought it was a cheap shot, but it looked like Fox was still squinting the poked eye when she threw the punch. The energy of the round picked up considerably after that.

Fox shot in for a single-leg and while she wasn’t able to secure the takedown, she was able to grab Jones’ arms and roll through to get to top position. Fox’s head coach Alex Trujillo called loudly for Fox to pass Jones’ guard, but she wasn’t able to do so. However, Fox was able to score with some ground and pound, and clearly won the second round.

Before finishing the fight with the choke, Fox again employed the outside leg kick to start round three. “The low kicks are adding a bruise on Alanna Jones’ leg, it’s getting nasty,” analyst Pat Miletich said.

Scouting reports on Jones pumped her up as a nasty striker that landed combinations with power, but that was nowhere to be seen during this bout. Fox was never in trouble and never hurt from anything Jones threw at her.

Jokes aside, BJJ practitioner Justin Saikaley used the end of a recent BJJ class to roll with his girlfriend — propose to her in the process.

Congrats to you both! And really, what can possibly get you better prepared for marriage than BJJ?

h/t: Middle Easy

Mark Hunt is on an impressive and somewhat improbable run though some of the top UFC heavyweights. Since losing his first UFC fight back at UFC 119 to Sean McCorkle — his 6th straight loss — Hunt has won four in a row and become a fan favorite in the process.

Fans have taken to Twitter to cheer him on and ask UFC president Dana White to give him a title shot. But standing in his way on Saturday night at UFC 160 is former UFC heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos, who says Hunt’s ride will come to an end at his hands.

“I think I’m better than him, I’m more complete fighter than him,” Dos Santos said. “I can knock anyone out, and I’m going to knock this guy out. He’s very tough…he keeps trying until he knocks the guys out so he’s really dangerous. I’m going to stop him. It’s over for him. Now he’s going to lose.”

As likable as Hunt is, I have to agree with JDS. Dos Santos will not make the mistake that other fighters like Stefan Struve and Ben Rothwell have made. He will use his superior foot work and speed to set up angles and will not stand flat-footed in front of one the power-punching Hunt. He won’t stand and trade just for the sake of doing it. Dos Santos needs a win and he knows how to get it: use his boxing and foot work to stay out of harm’s way. When he does that for long enough Hunt will have no choice but to go for broke, and that’s when JDS will finish the fight with a barrage of strikes.

Hunt may be a sentimental favorite, but up until now it hasn’t shown at the betting window. Top sportsbook sites still have Dos Santos at -450 and Hunt at +325. So if you believe that Hunt’s remarkable run continues with a win over JDS, you’ll be greatly rewarded if you back that up with a financial play.

Here’s a closer look at the fight with Countdown to UFC 160: Dos Santos vs. Hunt: