The name “Jose Aldo” warrants both fear and respect among featherweight fighters these days, but how much praise does a champion’s training partner deserve before he’s even made his WEC debut?

At “WEC 49: Varner vs. Shalorus“, fight fans will get an opportunity to draw their own conclusions about Renan Barao — training partner of the current WEC champ and a 20-1 Brazilian fighter whose current 20-fight win streak dates all the way back to his pro debut — but while all the hype seems to surround Barao for his upcoming WEC bantamweight debut, people shouldn’t be too quick to count out the challenger, Anthony Leone.

One of several undefeated fighters from Team Bombsquad, Leone himself is no stranger to trading punches with champions. At 21, he left Long Island, NY and headed to Hilo, HI to study MMA under former UFC Lightweight Champion B.J. Penn. Since then he’s compiled an undefeated record of 8-0 and is just as eager as Barao to get his name out there this Sunday at WEC49.

“My opponent is pretty good. He’s 20-1, with a 20-fight win streak, I know that, but he’s never really faced a wrestler or somebody who will switch it up on him like I can,” Leone said. “All the guys he’s fought are mostly Muay Thai fighters… I don’t know, I think he’s got a lot of hype behind him.”

Leone on the other hand has been winning quietly the last two years, jumping back and forth between the 145 and 155 lb. divisions, but always in the mix with the best around and consistently coming out on top by submission or decision.

Before coming back from Hawaii in 2008, Leone turned to the popular MMA forum The Underground in search of a quality camp to join when he got home to New York. Right away, all signs pointed to Cortland based Bombsquad.

“That was all Zack,” said Leone. “We met on The Underground and he asked me, ‘What type of opponents are you looking for?’ Then he gave me three options; an easy opponent, a hard opponent or whoever we put in front of you. I said, ‘I don’t really care.’ I was 1-0 at the time and feeling pretty good. The rest is history.”

Leone has kept busy since he got back to the mainland and has been in and out of the cage just about every three months for his entire career, but it wasn’t until he took a single fight at 135 that he got noticed by the likes of the WEC.

He and his manager had decided a few months back that the WEC was just too stacked at 145 to make a run at a featherweight contract, so when a new promotion called the XCFL offered Leone a title shot and a chance to drop to 135 for a fight with undefeated Boston Sityodtong prodigy in Teteki Matsui, he jumped at the chance.

The result was a bantamweight debut that contained more memorable moments than most’s career highlight video.

Leone revealed new found speed and the same kind of power against Matsui. He took him down with slams from the front as well as behind, unloaded straight left and right punches at an incredible pace and ate more than one headkick as well as an illegal knee to the head while he was down.

“I had to cut 30 pounds to make 135,” said Leone. “I think i got a lot faster but those guys [in the WEC] are so much faster too. It’s got its ups and downs.”

The real difference in the wrestler’s game came when he moved Upstate so he could train with the Bombsquad full time. He explained there were people to roll with in Long Island but nothing could match the sparring he received day in and day out with his brothers at arms in Cortland.

“Moving up to Cortland has been great for me,” he said. “Back when I used to train in Long Island we’d mostly work on my wrestling or jiu-jitsu, but not spar. Then, I come up to Cortland and we’re forced to spar atleast three or four times a week. I never used to like to get hit, but now I’m used to it. I’m never scared to get in cage and take a shot. I know it’s going to happen — I know I’m going to get punched — it’s just a matter of doing it back to him.”

As World Extreme Cagefighting continues to gather up the most talented fighters under 155 pounds, more and more exciting fights have found their way onto the undercard. This weekend’s event will feature Wagney Fabiano along with Raphael Assuncao and Diego Nunes competing in the featherweight and bantamweight divisions, and fight fans can’t afford to miss Barao and Leone.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Jose Vega makes a statement for inclusion in the upcoming Season 3 Bantamweight Tournament in Kansas City, MO. Vega landed a crushing left hook which knocked out Jarrod Card, leaving him lying unconscious on the canvas just 39 seconds into the fight.

HT: Bellator.com

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (June 17, 2010) – Bellator Fighting Championships crowned its second Season 2 champion Thursday night as former NCAA wrestling superstar and U.S. Olympian Ben Askren put on a grappling clinic to neutralize knockout artist and rising MMA star Dan Hornbuckle in a dominating and well-rounded performance.

The 25-year-old University of Missouri product drew from the vocal support of an adoring crowd at the Kansas City Power & Light District to win a unanimous decision victory and complete the metamorphosis from highly touted prospect to full-fledged MMA star that many experts had predicted.

With his new wife Amy watching cageside, Askren (6-0) controlled the fight from the start, taking the veteran Hornbuckle to the mat early on in all three rounds and holding him at bay with his world-class wrestling skills. Hornbuckle tried to stop the momentum a few times, attempting a triangle choke mid-way through Round 2 and a kimura mid-way through Round 3, but Askren was able to escape both submissions.

“This is exactly the kind of performance we had hoped Ben would put on when we signed him six months ago,” Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney said. “He showed some great talent in his first two Bellator fights but saved the best performance for last. It was a tremenously impressive night for Ben all the way around.  As an MMA fan, I cannot wait to see his World Title fight against Lyman Good this fall. ”

Afterward, Askren told Bellator color commentator Jimmy Smith that he has already shifted his sights to reigning Bellator Welterweight Champion Lyman Good, who he’ll face in a title fight later this year.

“Lyman, keep my belt warm,” he said as his hometown crowd egged him on. “Shine it up once a week and enjoy it while you can because it’s mine, baby.”

Joining Askren in the winner’s circle was Lisa Ward, the 27-year-old Seattle-based submission artist who improved her pro record to 13-3 and gave fans a sneak preview of what they’ll see when she enters the cage as part of Bellator’s upcoming Season 3 Women’s Tournament beginning in August.

Ward wasted no time locking 19-year-old MMA up-and-comer Stephanie Frausto (2-2) into a tight rear-naked choke, putting her to sleep and ending the fight via technical submission just 2:01 into Round 1. Ward said after the fight that she is hoping for tournament matchup with Megumi Fujii, the world’s No. 1 pound-for-pound female fighter, who handed Ward one of her three losses during a 2007 showdown in Canada.

“I would love another shot at Megumi,” Ward said. “We definitely have some unfinished business.”

Earlier, 24-year-old Missouri native Jose Vega delivered yet another Bellator “YouTube moment” with a highlight-reel knockout of North Carolina-based jiu-jitsu specialist Jarrod “The Wild Card” Card just 39.8 seconds into the first round of their “Bantamweight Feature Fight.”

After setting it up with a pair of stiff leg kicks, Vega (8-3) connected with a left hook to Card’s jaw, knocking him unconscious and dropping him to the canvas, bringing Vega’s many hometown fans to their feet.

“I’m lost for words,” an emotional Vega said afterward. “I’ve never had a KO before, but my hands have improved – [former Bellator fighters] Brian Davidson, James Krause and Tyler Stinson have been helping me with that. I saw the opening and I just went for it.”

In the first televised fight of the night, IFL and M1 veteran Raphael Davis improved his record to 9-1 by dominating Arena Football League veteran and one-time Nebraska state high school wrestling champion Demetrius Richards (5-3). Davis took the fight to the ground early on and quickly took Richards’ back, wearing him down with hammer fists and a flurry of knees to the body before Richards submitted to punches just 2:51 into Round 1.

The event also played host to five Local Feature Fights:

-       Tyler Stinson def. Leonardo Pecanha via rear-naked choke (1:42)

-       Rudy Bears def. Brian Green via rear-naked choke (3:49)

-       Cole Konrad def. John Orr via unanimous decision

-       Jared Downing def. Chad Vandenberg via rear-naked choke (11:35)

Fans who missed Thursday night’s action can watch all the best moments this weekend during special highlight shows on NBC, Telemundo and the cable network mun2. Check your local listings for exact dates and times.

Bellator returns to action next Thursday night from the Fourth Street Live entertainment district in downtown Louisville, Ky., where Bellator will conclude its second season with the championship rounds of its Middleweight and Featherweight Tournaments.

The two championship fights and the rest of the Bellator 23 featured card will again be televised live on FOX Sports Net.

Tonight’s Bellator Fighting Championship 22 event is going down live at the Kansas City Power & Light District featuring the conclusion of Bellator’s welterweight tournament, featuring Dan Hornbuckle and Ben Askren.

The event will air live on FOX Sports Net (or on a few hours’ delay if preempted by local sports programming) beginning at 8 PM EST (5 PM PST), with a highlights packages airing Saturday on NBC, Telemundo and mun2.

The MMA News likes to keep the spoilers off the main page, so to see the full results from Bellator Fighting Championships 22 event click

Main Card:
Welterweight Tournament Championship: Ben Askren def. Dan Hornbuckle via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Female Showcase Fight: Lisa Ward via submission (rear-naked choke) – R1, 2:01
Catchweight Fight @ 140 pounds: Jose Vega def. Jarrod Card via knockout – R1, 0:39
Light Heavyweight Feature Fight: Raphael Davis def. Demetrius Richards via submission (punches) – R1, 2:51

Undercard:
Local Main Event: Tyler Stinson def. Leonardo Pecanha via submission (rear naked choke) – R1, 1:42
Local Co-Main Event: Rudy Bears def. Brian Green via submission (rear naked choke) – R1, 3;29
Local Feature Fight #2: Cole Konrad def. John Orr via unanimous decision(30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Local Feature Fight #3: Jared Downing def. Chad Vandenberg via submission (rear-naked-choke) – R3, 1:35

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (June 16, 2010) — On the eve of Bellator Fighting Championships’ much-anticipated show at the Kansas City Power & Light District, the fighters competing in tomorrow’s event participated in an official weigh-in earlier this evening.

Bellator 22 will be broadcast live in prime time nationwide on Thursday on FOX Sports Net and during special Bellator highlight shows this Saturday night on NBC, Telemundo and mun2.

The official results of the weigh-in are as follows:

MAIN CARD:

Dan Hornbuckle (170 lbs.) vs. Ben Askren (170 lbs.) @ 170 lbs.

Stephanie Frausto (114 lbs.) vs. Lisa Ward (115 lbs.) @ 115 lbs.

Jarrod Card (139.75 lbs.) vs. Jose Vega (139.75 lbs.) @ 140 lbs. (previously negotiated CW)

Demetrius Richards (205 lbs.) vs. Raphael Davis (205.5 lbs.) @ 205 lbs.

LOCAL FEATURE FIGHTS:

Leonardo Pecanha (169.75 lbs.) vs. Tyler Stinson (170.25 lbs.) @ 170 lbs.

Brian Green (179.75 lbs.) vs. Rudy Bears (180 lbs.) @ 180 lbs. (previously negotiated CW)

John Orr (257 lbs.) vs. Cole Konrad (266 lbs.) @ 265 lbs.

Jared Downing (135 lbs.) vs. Chad Vandenberg (136 lbs.) @ 135 lbs.

Tonight’s official weigh-ins for Bellator Fighting Championship 22 is set to go down at the Kansas City Power & Light District beginning at 9 PM EST (6 PM PST). The event is headlined by the welterweight tournament final between Dan Hornbuckle and Ben Askren.

Fans can watch the weigh-ins live at Bellator.com, as the promotion will provide live streaming video from the venue.

The same venue will host Thursday’s event which will air live on FOX Sports Net (or on a few hours’ delay if preempted by local sports programming), with a highlights packages airing Saturday on NBC, Telemundo and mun2.

Main Card:
Welterweight Tournament Championship: Dan Hornbuckle (170) vs. Ben Askren (170)
Female Showcase Fight: Lisa Ward (115) vs. Stephanie Frausto (114)
Catchweight Fight @ 140 pounds: Jose Vega (139.75) vs. Jarrod Card (139.75)
Light Heavyweight Feature Fight: Demetrius Richards (205) vs. Raphael Davis (205.5)

Undercard:
Local Main Event: Leonardo Pecanha (169.75) vs. Tyler Stinson (170.25)
Local Co-Main Event: Brian Green (179.75) vs. Rudy Bears (180) (catchweight bout 180 pounds)
Local Feature Fight #2: John Orr (257) vs. Cole Konrad (266)
Local Feature Fight #3: Jared Downing (135) vs. Chad Vandenberg (136)

Frank Curreri, WEC - Stepping into the Octagon to compete is an act of bravery. Stepping into the Octagon to fight a ferocious Brazilian who has devoured 20 straight foes - and hails from the same thoroughbred-loaded team as Jose Aldo - is even more daring. Stepping into the Octagon to battle that same "Next Big Thing" on just a couple weeks' notice borders on insanity.

World Extreme Cagefighting officials recently announced that former
featherweight champion Urijah Faber would be
making his 135-pound debut for the promotion in August in a featured WEC
50 matchup with Takeya Mizugaki.

Some MMA observers speculated that Faber's April loss to Jose Aldo
prompted WEC officials to recommend a drop in weight to the 5-foot-6
"California Kid."

This past weekend, at a media function promoting this Sunday's "WEC 49:
Varner vs. Shalorus" event, Harris said Faber's decision to drop to
bantamweight was his to make, and the switch isn't necessarily
permanent.

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (June 10, 2010) – Pat Curran completed his unlikely Cinderella-story run through Bellator Fighting Championships’ Season 2 Lightweight Tournament on Thursday, scoring a split decision victory over MMA veteran and 2009 Submission of the Year titleholder Toby Imada to win the tournament championship.

Curran’s win headlined another great night of fights from the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in South Florida, roughly 30 miles south of the high school that Curran represented in the state wrestling finals just four years ago.

On Thursday, with dozens of his friends and family looking on, the 22-year-old impressed the judges with an athletic takedown defense and a series of powerful blows to the head that opened two cuts around Imada’s right eye. With the win, Curran earned the Season 2 Championship and the right to fight reigning Bellator Lightweight Champion and 20-2 MMA star Eddie Alvarez.

Alvarez, who watched the fight cageside with his son, Eddie Jr., called Curran’s performance “tough” and “impressive.”

“The guy’s powerful and he hits hard,” Alvarez said as Curran (12-3) was presented with a check for $100,000. “I’m looking forward to fighting him.”

Curran, who was inspired to begin a career in MMA by his cousin, UFC, WEC and Strikeforce veteran Jeff Curran, said afterwards that Bellator “changed my life.” It was his third consecutive upset victory along with a quarterfinal KO of Georges St.-Pierre training partner Mike Ricci and a semifinal decision win against UFC veteran and early tournament favorite Roger Huerta.

“What Pat Curran accomplished tonight is exactly what Bellator is all about,” said Bellator founder and CEO Bjorn Rebney. “He proved to himself and to the world that he deserves this championship and he deserves a fight with Eddie Alvarez thanks to three straight outstanding wins against three very tough opponents.”

Imada, who helped put Bellator on the map during its inaugural season with his now-famous inverted triangle choke submission of Jorge Masvidal, accepted the defeat graciously, congratulating Curran and saying “that’s what I get for leaving it up to the judges.”

The night also featured an impressive statement from Megumi Fujii, the consensus No. 1-ranked female fighter in the world, who improved her pro MMA record to an impressive 20-0 with a third round TKO of Missouri-based jiu-jitsu specialist Sarah Schneider in the evening’s “Female Showcase Fight.”

Schneider turned in a gutsy performance to survive the first two rounds but Fujii took the fight to the ground early on in Round 3, moved quickly to full mount and unleashed a rapid-fire ground-and-pound that forced the stoppage at 1:58. It was Fujii’s first-ever TKO and she admitted afterwards that she was “very surprised” not to have won via submission.

The win cemented Fujii’s position as the overwhelming favorite in Bellator’s upcoming Season 3 women’s tournament, despite the inclusion of a bevy of the world’s top 10 female fighters including 11-1 British tae-kwon-do black belt Rosi Sexton (the world’s No. 1-ranked 125 lbs. female), 12-5 Seattle submission artist Lisa Ward and 7-0 Southern California striker Jessica Pene.

“I will show my skills and I will be the champion,” Fujii told Bellator TV commentator Jimmy Smith after her fight, which also marked her first appearance on national television in the U.S.

In the evening’s first televised bout, a “Heavyweight Showcase Fight,” Seattle-area native Mike “300” Hayes (12-3-1) overcame a 30-pound weight disadvantage to win a unanimous decision victory over former Arena Football League player Steve Banks (4-3). The southpaw Banks used his size to claim the center of the cage and control the fight during Round 1, but he began showing signs of serious fatigue early on in Round 2. Hayes used his superior conditioning to control the fight the rest of the way and earn his fourth straight victory.

Later, in a “Bantamweight Feature Fight,” Philadelphia brawler Zack Makovsky (9-2) defeated local fan favorite and American Top Team product Eric Luke (4-3) with a crafty kimura submission at 4:28 into Round 2. With the win, Makovsky earned a spot in Bellator’s upcoming eight-man Season 3 Bantamweight Tournament.

The event also played host to four Local Feature Fights, a sampling of which will be aired at Bellator.com beginning this Sunday as part of Bellator’s ongoing “Sunday Night Fights” promotion. The results of the local fights were:

- Brian Eckstein def. Mitchell Chamale via unanimous decision
- Moyses Gabin def. Chris Boffil via rear-naked choke submission (4:41)
- Sabah Homasi def. Frank Carrillo via TKO (13:36)
- Luis Palomino def. Jose Figueroa via unanimous decision

Fans who missed Thursday night’s action can watch all the best moments this weekend during special highlight shows on NBC, Telemundo and the cable network mun2. Check your local listings for exact dates and times.

Bellator returns to action next Thursday night from the Kansas City Power & Light District, where former NCAA wrestling champion and U.S. Olympian Ben Askren faces MMA rising star Dan Hornbuckle in the championship round of Bellator’s Season 2 Welterweight Tournament.

For more information, visit www.Bellator.com follow us on Twitter @BellatorMMA or on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/BellatorMMA.

Thursday’s event took place at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla. and was shown live on Fox Sports Net, and its regional sports network affiliates. A highlights package airing on Saturday on NBC, Telemundo and mun.

Lightweight tournament finalists Pat Curran and Toby Imada faced off in the main event of the evening, it was a close fight but Curran earned a split decision in the end (29-28, 28-29, 29-28).

The co-main event saw the only female bout on the card and Japanese fighter Megumi Fujii earned a 3rd round TKO over Sarah Schneider.

The full Bellator 21 quick results are as follows:

Tournament bouts

-Lightweight Final: Pat Curran def. Toby Imada via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)

Non-Tournament bouts

- Women’s (120 lbs) bout: Megumi Fujii def. Sarah Schneider via TKO – R3, 1:58
- Heavyweight bout: Mike Hayes def. Steve Banks via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Bantamweight bout: Brian Eckstein def. Mitchell Chamale via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Middleweight bout: Moyses Gabin def. Chris Boffil via submission (rear-naked choke) – R1, 4:41
- Catchweight bout (175): Frank Carrillo def. Sabah Homasi via TKO – R3, 3:16
- Bantamweight bout: Zach Makovsky def. Eric Luke via submission (kimura) – R2, 4:28
- Lightweight bout: Luis Palomino def. Jose Figueroa via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)