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Angela Lee: The losses will not be in vain
Angela Lee fought her way, undefeated, into becoming the female face of ONE Championship, going 8-0 with three title defenses. She remains the ONE atomweight (for ONE, 115) title holder, but Lee is on a two-fight losing streak. In March she moved up to challenge ONE strawweight (for ONE, 125) champ Xiong Jing Na, but was stopped in Round 5. Then in July, she fought again at ONE's strawweight, losing a decision to Michelle Nicolini. On Saturday at ONE Century, Lee will defend her ONE atomweight title in a rematch vs. Xiong Jing Na, who is dropping down. A loss would mean Lee is 3-0 for 2019, but 'Unstoppable' is not afraid: “It’s all part of the game. You’ve got to take the good with the bad, and I know that now. When I first was dealing with the losses, it was fresh, it was painful. But these kinds of things, they happen to the best fighters, and you can either quit, give up, or you can learn from it. I chose to definitely not have those losses be in vain. I wanted to fix my mistakes right away back in the gym, training hard, and just kind of searching to get fired up again and to go out there. I think I’ve been training so hard for these past few weeks that I’m just ready to show all the improvements I’ve made and to just go out there and do my best.” h/t MMA Fighting
LAST DAY to register for KHK world championship open weight 4-man with $100k + 14 pound gold belt
KHK World Championship’s open call to all fighters deadline is Thursday 10/10 for fighters to send their registration in to participate in the groundbreaking one-night, four-men open weight tournament. A 14-pound gold belt will be on the line and the first-ever KHK World champion will have the right to be called the KHK World Championship belt holder as well as receiving a check for US$100,000. Dozens of fighters have signed up for the tournament so far; a special committee created specifically to go through the fighters’ resumes will get together to decide which 10 athletes will move to the next stage. The 10 fighters will be announced on October 13. The draw itself will then take place. Five athletes will be randomly chosen to be a part of the KHK World Championships, and four of them will be placed in the semifinal brackets. The undrawn fighter will be kept as an alternate. To sign up go to https://www.bravecf.com/contest.php, register, and then make as much noise as possible on Social Media!
Genah Fabian: Kayla Harrison's never faced someone as physical as me
“The dedication, professionalism, and the discipline definitely crossed over from my background [competing internationally in running]. ... Once I fell in love with the technique and the sport itself, I appreciated it for what it was. ... I was greatly athletic and able to pick things up really fast. I just switched that mindset to like, ‘Okay, I’m going to do this for real.' ... I’m okay with being the underdog or being counted out. It’s just gives me the opportunity to really showcase me. It’s a huge opportunity and I feel really confident. She’s never faced someone as physical as me. She’s got a specific skillset that has proven to make her dominant, thus far. Just as much as she specializes in her area, I’m just as specialized in mine. I’m world class in mine and that will be my time to showcase it.” 2-1 as a pro and 1-1 in the PFL, New Zealand's Fabian fights Kayla Harrison at PFL 2019: Playoffs 1 on Friday. h/t MMA Junkie
Black breaks down Interspecies FC
The story behind MMA's top 10 refs (16:56)
Nigeria enters a most select MMA list
Jedrzejczyk reportedly may not make weight for UFC on Saturday
Combate reported that over a week ago former UFC strawweight champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk informed the UFC that she will not be able to make 116 for her fight vs. Michelle Waterson in the main event of UFC on ESPN+ 19 on Saturday in Tampa, Florida. Combate further reported that 'The Karate Hottie' had declined to take the fight at a catchweight; a former Invicta FC atomweight champ, Waterson only fights at strawweight because it's the lightest division in the UFC. The UFC had reportedly offered Waterson two options: fight Jedrzejczyk at a catchweight on Saturday or a fight Jessica Andrade at UFC 244 on 11/2 at MSG. However, minutes ago Ariel Helwani tweeted "Jedrzejczyk had a good workout this AM and does not want the fight to get canceled. After it was made clear Team Waterson was not interested in a catchweight, JJ has decided to do everything — within reason — to make 116." h/t MMA Mania.
Kayla Harrison: There will never be a female grappler as good as me
“It’s not rocket science. There’s never going to be a female on this planet who can grapple as good as me. I truly believe that. So I have to stick with what’s effective. I want to be well rounded. I want to be an MMA fighter, but at the end of the day, my foundation is in grappling, so that’s probably going to be how the majority of my fights go. ... I’m not ever going to change my style for any fight or any promotion or any specific match. ... I’m sure people will say that’s boring or whatever, but my goal is to go out there and be effective and instill my will. I’m not going to be flashy or crazy or try to show off some spinning back kick that I don’t even know. I’m just going to go out there and be me.” Harrison fights Genah Fabian on Friday at PFL 2019: Playoffs 1. h/t MMA Fighting
Martin Brown vs. Jonahsser Paulino to headline Titan FC 57 with Michael Graves out
CM Punk: I think Dana would give me another fight if I asked
“I’ll never say never. I doubt I’ll fight in the UFC again. I’ve had those conversations with Dana. He says stuff to the media and then he’ll say something different to you in person. But I’m still great friends with him, great situation. ... I think if I went to him and I was like ‘hey, can I get a third fight?’ I think he’d say yeah. This big part of me is like ‘okay, I’m 0-2.’ If I fight, I should fight somewhere else. Just do everything backwards — start in the UFC and just work your way down and end as an amateur. ... I was afforded an opportunity to fight. I’m a guy who is going to to be like ‘yep’ — I say yes to everything.” h/t The Body Lock • Watch Collider Live interview (2:25)
RIP William Joplin (born 9/18/78, passed 10/8/2019)
Bellator, Victory FC, RFA, Titan FC and LFA vet William 'The Armadillo' Joplin died Tuesday morning of Pancreatic cancer; he was just 41 years old. The Missouri-based fighter was diagnosed with cancer just six months after making his Bellator debut in March of 2018. His beloved mother, Janet Darnell, died of the same disease less than two years ago. The bantamweight was an integral part of Glory MMA & Fitness, where he trained with Megan Anderson, Zak Cummings, Tim Elliott, James Krause, and many other top professionals. Shamrock FC: "William Joplin is a fighter in every sense of the word. He was also our dear friend and a larger-than-life figure in our MMA community. He is missed greatly already and we send our sincere condolences to his family, friends and fans." h/t The Sun • Donate HERE to help cover cremation and memorial expenses
Fedor vs. Rampage to headline Bellator Japan on 12/29
Bellator president Scott Coker announced at a press conference in Japan on Wednesday that the promotion's debut show in Japan will be headlined by Fedor Emelianenko vs. Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson, at the Saitama Super Arena: “This is something we’ve debated internally within our staff. We thought of taking it to Los Angeles in January, and we said we had to take it to Japan. ... This will, unquestionably, be a monumental event for Bellator, and I am looking forward to the moment that Fedor and ‘Rampage’ walk out to a crowd that has known them since their careers began." This will be Fedor's 26th fight in Japan, and Rampage's 20th. #PRIDENEVERDIE h/t MMA Junkie
Dominance MMA Media Day Press Con (1:12:44)
The Prelim Primer: UFC Tampa
The Prelim Primer is the one and only podcast dedicated to the curtain jerkers. Catch host Daniel "Gumby" Vreeland, who is joined this week by Drake Riggs from The Body Lock and Fan Sided, as they break down all of the prelims of UFC Tampa.
•Follow host Gumby on Twitter
•Follow co-host Drake Riggs on Twitter
Fabio Maldonado, Josh Copeland apply for BRAVE openweight event on 11/15
In an effort to put the P4P debate to rest, BRAVE Combat Federation is holding a 4 man openweight tournament, with a $100k cash prize, and a MONSTER belt adorned with 14 pounds of gold. It will be held as part of Brave International Combat Week, which includes the IMMAF World Championships. All fighters worldwide with at least one pro bout can apply. 10 will be selected by a committee, and the final four will chosen by lottery. The latest two fighters putting their name up for consideration include UFC vets Fabio Maldonado, and Josh Copeland. h/t MMA Junkie
Joshua Pacio defends ONE SW belt vs. fellow Filipino Rene Catalan on 11/8
ONE Championship returns to the Philippines on November 8, with an all Filipino main event, as strawweight champion Joshua Pacio defends vs. countryman Rene Catalan. ONE Championship: Masters of Fate will take place at Mall of Asia Arena in Manila, and streams on B/R Live and the ONE SuperApp. Former lightweight champ Eduard Folayang fights Tsogookhuu Amarsanaa at welterweight in the co-main. h/t MMA Junkie
Hector Lombard signs with BKFC
